road trip from calgary to Utah National Parks first week of September, any suggestions and how far we should drive each day. We have 7 days.

Hi i have done this trip a few times and always drive to pocatello idaho the first day (12 hours) then the next day is an 8 hour drive to pretty much any of the big parks

are all 5 parks a must see or did you have favorites? Did you make Pacatello your home base and travel back and forth to each of the parks every day? did you get a park pass for all 5 parks?

Pocatello is a LONG ways away from any of the parks. Stopover would be the only useful thing about Pocatello
Yes--get a park pass.

We were thinking about going to the Lava Hot Springs, would you recommend them?

I like canyonlands and zion i haven't been to lava hot springs, pocatello was just a stopover, this is a big trip for 7 days i hope you can see all that you want to see

Moab is a good base, right by Arches and canyon lands!

One of my all-time favourite road trips!! We drove (from Lethbridge) to Helena, MT our first night (we didn't leave Leth until 5:00pm so couldn't go too far) and then all the way to Cedar City, UT the next day. It was a super easy 10 hour drive with stops at a lava field (just off the highway) in Idaho and a sight-seeing detour through Salt Lake City (we aren't LDS but it was kind of cool to walk around the temple complex and see a bit of the downtown).
Cedar City (for us) was a good launching point to the Utah Parks. Are you interested in off the beaten track petrogylphs?? The Parowan Gap Petroglyphs site is nearby and fantastic!! I also HIGHLY recommend the Cedar Breaks Nat'l Monument Star Party (Saturday nights). There is zero light pollution at the 10,000 ft park--we were in awe!!! The rangers were phenomenal and they bring out telescopes too. Lots of falling stars
Super cool.
Slot Canyons are a MUST. We drove east of Cedar City (though Bryce Canyon--you have to stop and take the Queens Garden hike...hard work but SOOO rewarding with incredible scenery) and then south of Escalante (on Hole in the Rock Road). The road is packed sand and very drivable. The directions to the Peek A Boo Gulch/Spooky Gulch Slot Canyons are VERY specific so you need an eye for detail but we had no problems finding it. After an awesome hike through some stunning terrain (bring lots of water and a hat), a dry river bed (make sure there are no storms within 40km in case of flash flooding) we found the slot canyon. I've done many cool things around the world, but navigating a slot canyon was one of the most memorable.
Phew!!! So many things to do
I say get there as fast as possible so you can explore!! I don't repeat many vacations, but I'd go back to this entire area in a heartbeat. If you can return home through Moab and see Arches Nat'l Park, you will not be disappointed
We fit in a white water rafting trip (more like a float trip) on the Colorado River at Moab and literally floated by the all the iconic giant red rock vertical cliff images you see on National Geographic and every published image of that area. Breathtaking!!!!!!!

Saving your post. Awesome info!!!

How long was your trip

Nine days. BUT we carried on from Moab and went to the Carlsbad Caverns at the bottom of New Mexico, then drove home though Denver... If we could handle 6000km in nine days (with two teenagers) then you can easily see everything you want to see in seven

Yay I am so excited

We are thinking of something like this. Leave Calgary early Friday morning. What do you think? We are hoping to see all 5 parks. Do you know cost of entry pass for the parks
1) Highway to the Sun, stop here for a couple of hours
2) Big Fork, Montana, spend the night
3) Heber City, UT 84032, USA, spend the night
4) Moab, UT 84532, USA
5) Blanding, UT 84511, USA
6) Torrey, UT 84775, USA
7) Springdale, UT 84767, USA
Lava Hot Springs, ID 83246, USA

We bought a National Park Pass and I think it was (maybe) $80?? That looks super doable! Driving really long distances in short amounts of time is something I'm very used to so your trip looks fantastic
If you get an early start and choose to drive from Torrey to Springdale via Hwy 12, you can hit the slot canyons AND Bryce Canyon.

Thank you so much Holly. Have you ever stopped at Lava Hot Springs? Do you know if it's nice or not

Gosh not a clue. We stopped at an area of lava fields (just off a highway rest stop somewhere in Idaho...probably the same area) and stretched our legs on a nice walking path before pushing on to Salt Lake. Honestly pools are not really our thing lol. Do you use trip advisor??

Oh! Also, the Going to the Sun is really beautiful but can be really slow this time of year--especially if you get caught behind motorhomes (even though length is limited to 21ft due to the hairpin turns people still take their motorhomes up there). The earlier you get there, the better. Are you heading south through the Carway border crossing?

You can buy your US Park Pass (it is $80US) at the Glacier Nat'l Park gate and it will be good for all the Nat'l Parks you hit.

Holly My husband is a big fan of hot springs so we may check out Lava Hot Springs. We have been using AMA travel site. We are going thru the Carway border crossing. Thanks for tip about getting park pass at Glacier Nat'l Park

Until your tired....