Utah Hiking Guide: Great Trails for Winter

Fewer things are better than the fresh air pouring down your lungs as you ascend or descend down your favorite hiking trail. Utah offers some of the best trails in the country and you can enjoy them whether you are an experienced backpacker or a day hiking beginner. I've put together this Utah Hiking Guide to help you navigate your way to the best trails in Utah. These are my picks for the 5 best trails in Utah for beginner, intermediate, and advanced hikers.

Delicate Arch Trail. Arches National Park.
This is perhaps the most famous hiking trail in all of Utah and is most definitely the most famous trail in all of the Arches national park area. The Arch trail is famous for its famous Arch rock formation. This trail is a rather strenuous trail that is approximately 3 miles in length and allows you to gain around 470 feet in altitude.

Navajo Loop Trail. Bryce Canyon National Park.
Bryce canyon offers some truly spectacular landscapes. This loop type trail measures 3 miles round trip and is a descending trail that takes you to the bottom of the canyon. The trail is rated as a moderate trail in difficulty and offers the climber around 500 feet in elevation difference from where they started. The views are beautiful and what was most amazing to us was the change in temperature between the top and bottom of the canyon.

Buffalo Point Trail. Antelope Island State Park.
The Buffalo Point trail is a trail that will give you the very best that nature has to offer. As with every trail we are reviewing you are assured to have some beautiful scenery and landscapes but what was truly special about this trail was the number of animals we encountered along our way. This trail is a fairly easy trail but there is one stretch that can be a little more challenging. This trail climbs about 400 feet in only about 1/3rd of a mile.

Dinosaur Tracks. Poison Spider Mesa, Utah.
This easy hiking trail makes the list simply for the ease at which a child can make the trip. Your young children who are really into dinosaurs will enjoy this trail because as the name implies it leads you to real Dinosaur tracks. Left by ancient dinosaurs known as the Allosaurus your children will really enjoy the history involved in this hike. The altitude change is only around 50 feet and the length of the trail is approximately 2 tenths of a mile round trip.

Fallen Roof Ruin. Road Canyon, Utah.
We will end this Utah Hiking Guide with what I believe to be one of the best trails in all of America. This easy trail is about 2.5 miles round trip and offers the occasional hiker beautiful flowers, various animals, and a wonderful descent. Named the Fallen Roof trail because of the rocks that have fallen to the trail below. While in Fallen Roof you can visit one of the ruins that feature hand drawn hand prints on the walls of the caves or rooms close to the overhang. I was in awe thinking about those who had come before me 100s if not 1000s of years before.

If you are looking for a little family fun then consider hiking. Make sure when you set out on a day hike that you are prepared for the worst case scenario. Packing a little energy food will be sure to give you something to eat if you were to get lost or wander off the trail for a couple of hours. Make sure and wear layered clothing in the winter and good warm hiking boots that will protect your feet from sweat.

Hope this Utah Hiking Guide offers you some assistance as you plan your next hike.