From the red rock arches of Moab to the fossil trail in Vernal’s dinosaur country, Utah is full of easy, fun hikes for families.
If you grew up in Utah, you probably remember hitting the bunny slopes on tiny skis not long after you learned to walk. There are many “bunny slope” options for tiny hikers with short legs who are still building endurance and outdoor skills—they’re just not as immediately obvious.
Here’s a sampling of family-friendly hikes around the state that offer shorter distances, safer terrain, and fun things to see and do along the trail, as well as nearby food options to hit up afterward.
If you’re visiting some of the more remote hikes in national parks, the National Park Service has great guidelines for visiting these sites with kids. For more ideas on fun stuff to do with kids this summer, check out these 20 free or low-cost options for Utah families.
1. Arches National Park + Moab Food Truck Park
Arches Entrance Station, Moab, UT, 84532
Cost: $15-$250
The first recommended hike in Arches is the one between your car and the visitor’s center, where parents and kids can make a pit stop and fill water bottles. Be sure to chat with the rangers, who can apprise you of current park conditions and answer any questions.
If your kids are small, the easiest hike in the park is the Balanced Rock Loop trail, a 0.3-mile roundtrip hike leading to Balanced Rock, a nifty geological optical illusion—what looks like a giant rock magically balancing on another rock is actually the result of wind and water erosion.
Delicate Arch Trail leads to one of the most iconic landscape features in Utah; Delicate Arch is even on our license plates. It’s a moderately difficult, 3.1-mile round-trip hike, and requires preparation. Plan to go early or late in the day to avoid the heat. Sunrise is best, when everyone has lots of energy—and there are still spaces in the parking lot. Do not attempt this one without sunscreen, hats, snacks, and full water bottles.
The Moab Food Truck Park’s 14 vendors offer pizza, tacos, sushi and more, all located in a laid-back courtyard filled with picnic tables and a view of the red rock landscape. The park, located at 39 W. 100 N., keeps its courtyard open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., but the hours of individual trucks vary.
2. Big Cottonwood Canyon + Brighton Store & Cafe
8302 S Brighton Loop Rd, Brighton, UT 84121
Cost: $10 per car
Whether your kids are toddlers or tweens, you can hike with them at the Silver Lake Loop Trail without worrying they’ll be overwhelmed on one hand, or bored on the other.
An easy, 0.9-mile loop around the lake, this hiking path is easy and flat, and the boardwalk around the water is both stroller- and wheelchair-accessible. But Silver Lake also offers fascinating nature experiences—it’s an official “leaf-peeping” trail, and it’s especially spectacular in late summer, when it explodes with wildflowers.
Grab a trail and wildflower guide from the visitor’s center, and you’ll be set if you or your kids feel like continuing to more challenging trails nearby.
SIlver Lake Loop is located at Brighton Resorts, so one easy, wallet-friendly option for food is
The Brighton Store, located at 8019 S. Brighton Loop Rd., which offers easy-to-eat, affordable options, including fried chicken and soft-serve ice cream. It also stocks groceries if you want to just grab some snacks on the go.
3. Capitol Reef National Park + Chuck Wagon General Store
52 Scenic Drive, Torrey, UT 84775
Cost: $10-$250
Like all national parks in Utah, Capitol Reef requires some pre-planning, and that’s doubly true with kids in tow; the NPS recommends packing these 10 Essentials before your outing. Even with a game plan ready, it’s good to stop at the visitors’ center for a bathroom break, a water bottle refill, and a check-in on park conditions.
Capitol Reef has many extremely challenging and remote trails, but there are four easy, family-friendly hikes in Fruita, at the center of the park: Goosenecks (0.6 mi), Grand Wash (2.2 mi), Sunset Point (0.4 mi), and Capitol Gorge (1.0 mi). Goosenecks Overlook in particular is popular with families—it’s 0.6 mile roundtrip hike, but leads to a breathtaking overook of Sulphur Creek Canyon.
You can pick up drinks and snacks afterwards at the Chuck Wagon General Store in Torrey (12 W. Main St.), or, if you need more substantial food, order burgers or sandwiches from Randy’s, the store’s in-house deli.
4. Cedar Breaks National Monument + Pizanos Pizzaria
4730 South Highway 148, Brian Head, UT 84719
Cost: $15-$250
Sitting at 10,000 feet above sea level, Cedar Breaks National Monument requires a little extra planning—that extra altitude makes a difference! An “easy” trail might not feel so easy, especially for little kids.
For that reason, you may want to stick to the two easiest trails in the park. The first is Nature Trail, which, at 0.6 miles, clocks in at about 30 minutes. It is the perfect route for birdwatching and leaf-peeping, but keep in mind it is unpaved, which can make it challenging for smaller kids.
Nature Trail intersects with Sunset Trail (2.0 mi) Point Supreme Overlook. The Sunset Trail has paved paths, mild inclines, and a picnic area at the halfway mark between Point Supreme and Sunset View Overlook. Due to its accessibility, it can tend to get crowded.
Pizano’s Pizzaria (259 S. Village Way, Brian Head, UT 84719) is a popular family spot in nearby Brian Head. This family-owned pizzeria serves New York-style pizzas as well as pasta, subs, calzones, and fun appetizers like toasted ravioli.
5. Fishlake National Forest + Curry Pizza
Central Utah
Cost: Free-$80
Fishlake National Forest is huge—1.8 million acres—and has not one, but two visitors’ centers (Twin Creeks and Wildcat) so there’s a lot to explore.
One sublime experience that doesn’t require a challenging hike is a visit to the Pando tree, one of the largest, oldest organisms on Earth. A self-cloning tree that has been on Earth for tens of thousands of years, Pando is easy to visit; he (and yes, Pando is genetically male!) is located along the Fishlake Scenic Byway (Utah Hwy. 25). Walking around and through his many trees is an experience for all ages (and it’s free).
If you are looking for official, maintained trails, the Richfield Canal Walkway is a 2.9-mile, easy trail that’s totally doable for smaller kids; for older kids who are experienced hikers, there’s the Blind Lake Trail, a 7.1-mile, moderately challenging hike that can take the good part of a day to complete.
Curry Pizza (125 UT-24, Bicknell, UT 84715) is a local favorite that advertises itself as the point at which “Indian flavor meets pizza obsession.” You won’t find anything else like it in Southern Utah: thin-crust pizzas topped with ingredients like masala and paneer cheese. The honey curry pizza is a popular pie.
6. Goblin Valley + Duke’s Slickrock Grill
18630 Goblin Valley Road, Green River, UT 84525
Cost: $5-$20
What kid could resist visiting a place called Valley of the Goblins? That name doesn’t oversell the landscape, either—this national park offers one of the strangest, most alien landscapes in the United States, and kids love exploring all of the curves and hidey-holes of the red rock formations.
Many of the hikes in Goblin Valley can be extremely strenuous, and there is a real danger of flash flooding here—check weather conditions before heading out. One kid-friendly option is the Entrada Trail, a 2.6-mile round-trip hike that winds right into the Valley of the Goblins, with its toadstool-shaped sandstone “hoodoos.” Another fun, super-short hike is the 250-foot walk to the Three Sisters, which is the park’s signature rock feature.
Duke’s Slickrock Grill (275 UT-24, Hanksville, UT 84734), which takes its name from John Wayne’s nickname, is a family-owned diner serving generously portioned sandwiches, burgers, ribs, and more.
7. Vernal Dinosaur Trackway + 7-11 Ranch
8750 North Highway 191, Vernal, UT 84078
Cost: $2-$15
What kid doesn’t love—or at least appreciate—dinosaurs? At the Dinosaur Trackway (located inside Red Fleet State Park) kids can see the actual footsteps of these long-gone giants.
The Bureau of Land Management describes this 1.8-mile hike as easy to moderate; it’s short, but the route isn’t paved, and there are (yeouch!) cactuses to step on if you’re not careful.
Near the end of the trail, you’ll find a set of three-toed, 200-million-year-old dilophosaurus footprints. If kids want to see the bones of the feet that made those prints millions of years ago, a great post-hike field trip is a visit to Dinosaur National Monument, which is home to the world’s biggest Jurassic-period fossil bone quarry.
And if looking at all those big, sharp teeth makes everyone hungry, you’re not far from 7-11 Ranch (77 E Main St #2601, Vernal, UT 84078). This family-owned spot has been open since 1933, and serves fun dishes like the “Oinky Onion,” as well as Utah-style scones.
8. Zion National Park + Whiptail Grill
1 Zion Park Blvd., Springdale, UT 84767
Cost: $35-$100
Zion National Park is one of the most naturally beautiful spots in Utah, and the Main Canyon can get very overcrowded, especially during the summer. Even though there are lots of other humans around, don’t be fooled: nature is still in charge, and a safe and fun visit still requires knowledge and planning.
Kolob Canyons offers easy, family-friendly hikes on less-crowded trails. Note that the park enforces the size of hiking groups in some areas in order to minimize impact on the environment, with a cap of 12 people. Before heading out, stop at the Kolob Canyons Visitor Center, use the bathrooms fill your water bottles, and check with rangers about current park conditions.
This area of the park offers three hikes, two suitable for kids: Timber Creek Overlook (1.2 mi) and Taylor Creek Trail (5.2 mi). Timber Creek offers views of Shuntavi Butte, Kolob Terrace, Mount Trumbull, and the Pine Valley Mountains, and is full of wildflowers in the spring and summer. Taylor Creek winds towards the stunning Double Arch Alcove, a cathedral-like natural formation at the very end of the trail.
After the hike, head back to Springdale to hit the Whiptail Grill (445 Zion Park Blvd, Springdale, UT 84767), which serves up Mexican and Southwestern food as well as burgers and sandwiches. They also offer a kids’ menu that includes dishes like chicken fingers and quesadillas.
