Spend your time visiting

So, whether you’ve got a few days, a week, or 10 days, this no-fluff checklist will help you avoid the usual road trip mistakes and help you focus on planning an epic Utah National Parks road trip.The first thing to decide when planning your Utah road trip is your route, specifically whether you’ll explore the full loop of

A loop means you'll start and end your journey in the same city, typically Las Vegas or Salt Lake City (being the closest major airports).This option is ideal if you have 7–10 days and want to visit all five parks. It also gives you flexibility with rental car returns and often better flight options.A one-way route, on the other hand, is better if you’re short on time. You’ll save hours of backtracking and will be able to focus on just three or four parks. For example, you could start in Las Vegas and end in Moab (or vice versa), covering

, Bryce, and Arches without looping back.Both options work, and it really just depends on your timeline and travel style. Before you take off, though, decide your route based on your available days, airport choices, and interest level in each park.

Each of Utah’s national parks has its own distinct landscape and experience, so prioritize the parks you visit based on what kind of trip you’re after.

If hiking dramatic trails and canyon views is your priority,? They belong to a unique family called

, which sets them apart from other hoofed mammals. These animals represent an evolutionary link between animals with simple stomachs, such as pigs or dogs, and those with four-chambered stomachs, like cows and deer. While chevrotains do have four stomach chambers, one of them (the omasum) is smaller and less developed than in other modern ruminants, making their digestive system somewhat intermediate.Chevrotains are also classified as ungulates and ruminants. Ungulates are simply animals with hooves. This diverse group includes well-known animals like elk, giraffes, wild boars, rhinos, camels, and bison. Ruminants are a specific type of ungulate. They are even-toed hoofed animals that chew regurgitated food. Common examples of ruminants include sheep, cows, deer, and antelopes. Millions of years ago, chevrotains were more widespread and diverse, but today only 10 species remain. These surviving species still possess many ancient, primitive features that are rarely seen in more modern mammals.

Chevrotains are remarkably small animals—about the size of a pet rabbit, cat, or small dog. In fact, they are the smallest hoofed animals on Earth. While the water chevrotain () can weigh between 15 and 35 pounds, the Java mouse-deer (