The Most Underrated Towns In Utah
To discover the heart and soul of the Beehive State, you need to venture off the highway. Scattered throughout the vast landscape of high deserts and carved red cliffs are small communities that are well worth the drive. Whether it's exploring old Western movie sets in Kanab or taking a nightly stroll amid the neon lights in Helper, you’ll wonder why these towns don’t get the attention they deserve. They’ll prove that the best surprises are places you’d never expect! So, when you’re ready, let's check out some of Utah’s best-kept secrets.
Green River
Amidst the rugged landscape of the Colorado Plateau in eastern Utah is Green River, a vibrant oasis in the desert. It’s a laid-back community of fewer than 1,000 residents that was once a haunt of Butch Cassidy and his Wild Bunch. If you love water adventures like fishing or canoeing, Green River State Park is the best way to take advantage of the calm waters of the Green River. For avid fishermen, the Green River is home to catfish, carp, and four rare native fish (catch-and-release only).
In central Green River, there are quaint attractions like the John Wesley Powell River History Museum, which provides a more detailed history of the Green River, and a dinosaur exhibit. Green River has the types of diners you’d expect from an isolated desert retreat, like Ray's Tavern, where you can order a made-to-order burger in a casual setting. The best time to visit Green River is in September when they hold the annual Melon Days Festival, which started in 1906. The festival celebrates their local melon harvest with parades, games, and melon-flavored everything!
Vernal
If you find dinosaurs incredibly interesting, you have to add Vernal, the ‘Dinosaur Capital of Utah’, to your next road trip list! When entering Vernal, you’ll be greeted by a 40-foot pink dino named Dinah. After saying hello to Dinah, visitors can check out Vernal’s biggest claim to fame, the Dinosaur National Monument. The monument covers well over 200,000 acres of deep desert canyons and layered sandstone, giving hikers a peek into geologic history that spans over millions of years. The best attraction at the monument is the Quarry Exhibit Hall, where you can hunt for over 1,500 fossils in its indoor Wall of Bones.
The dinosaur discoveries don’t end at the Dinosaur National Monument! In central Vernal, you can swing by the Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum, dedicated to all things natural history. It houses many of Utah’s most famous dinosaur fossils, as well as full-scale replicas and cultural displays. After getting your fill of dinosaurs at the museum, a good meal is only a short walk away. The Dinosaur Brew Haus is next door to the museum, serving up comforting American classics and cold brews.
Kanab
When traveling south down Highway 89, Kanab is the last Utah town before crossing the Arizona border. The desert landscape in Kanab is so beautiful that it's earned the nickname Little Hollywood because it’s a popular filming location for classic Westerns, like The Lone Ranger. To learn more about the Westerns filmed in Kanab, visit Little Hollywood Land, which has iconic movie sets, movie memorabilia, and a gift shop. If you’ve ever wanted to step inside a Wild West movie set, Kanab is a must-visit!
Now, let’s take a look at why Kanab is a popular movie destination! The Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is absolutely stunning with its unique pink sand dunes and towering cliffs in the distance. It’s a great place to ride OHVs, sandboard, or hike the dunes to take stunning pictures. Kanab is also where you’ll find the Kanab Dinosaur Tracks, a small trail that leads to a slope with dinosaur footprints. From the trail, visitors can fuel up at Nomad Cafe, a delightful coffee oasis in the middle of the desert with hot coffee and homemade sweet treats.
Cedar City
The landscape of Cedar City is unlike anything you’ll find in Utah. It’s a blend of high-desert valleys, red rock cliffs, and dense pine forests. To take in the best views of Cedar City, climbing to the top of Cedar Mountain to take in the forested views is a must. If you prefer the high desert views, the Parowan Gap Petroglyphs are both educational and beautiful. It is where you can see prehistoric art carved into the side of the cliffs, with info placards describing the prehistoric artists.
While the landscape surrounding Cedar City is beautiful, downtown has unique attractions, too. The Frontier Homestead State Park Museum is an open-air museum where visitors can walk the same path as the early settlers of the Wild West, popping in historical cabins and stagecoaches. Many of the attractions in Cedar City call back to the Wild West, but the Southern Utah Museum of Art looks like it was pulled straight from the future. The unique canyon-style building features regional artwork, and the exhibits change regularly.
Moab
With red rock canyons, picturesque national parks on your back door, and a cozy downtown that feels like home, Moab is a haven for nature lovers. Its biggest claim to fame is the Arches National Park, known for over 2,000 natural stone arches, giant balanced rocks, and carved red rock cliffs. Many visitors come to Moab for the arches, but there’s so much more to discover in the area! You can visit Canyonlands National Park to hike beautiful trails that lead to sprawling overlooks or see prehistoric art carved into the rock formations.
The parks may draw visitors from around the state, but downtown Moab still boasts that small, hometown feel. The Moab Museum is a must-see while in the area, which tells the story of Moab through unique exhibits and artifacts. For thrill-seekers, Moab Swingers allows you to free fall (attached to a rope, of course!) down one of the red rock cliffs for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Helper
The small community of Helper was once a rough-and-tumble railway town. Despite its friendly name (which was named after helper engines used to assist trains up steep climbs), it was notoriously dangerous. Where there were once brothels and saloons on Main Street are antique stores like Outlaw Antiques, and wholesome coffee shops like Happiness Within. During the day, Helper looks like your ordinary Western retreat, but at night it lights up in neon, where you can walk the streets or pop into the Rio Theatre for a live show.
Outside of central Helper is the Price Canyon Recreation Area, a beautiful escape within the Castle Valley region. It’s where you can take a hike to see waterfalls, overlooks of the carved cliffs, or rock climb in the boulder fields. As a small community of just over 2,000 residents, it is a peaceful escape free of crowds and traffic, where it feels like you have the whole world all to yourself.
Delta
Delta is one of those places that you may often drive past when traveling along U.S. Route 50, but hides so much character in such a small package. Located within the Great Basin of Utah, the landscape is accented by gently rolling desert, sagebrush, and dark night skies that light up with stars at night. It’s a cozy desert town with attractions like the Topaz Museum, detailing the World War II internment camp for Japanese Americans in Delta through exhibits and artifacts. From the museum are quaint shops you’d only find in the Great Basin, like the Main Street Rock Shop that sells gems, fossils, and antiques.
One of the funniest attractions in Delta is the Millard County Raceway. The racetrack, tucked away in the vast landscape of the desert, has stick car events and mud drag races that are sure to be a great time for the whole family. After a thrilling afternoon at the raceway, nothing tastes better than a burger at the locally beloved Ashton Burger Barn, found just up the road from the raceway.
Escalante
On the very edge of the Colorado Plateau in south-central Utah is Escalante, a small community with fewer than 800 residents. While the parks in the area are some of the best hidden gems in the state (more on that a little later), downtown Escalante maintains its cozy, old-world vibe. It’s a place where you can shop for snacks at Griffin Grocery, which looks like an 1800s general store. Nemo's Drive Thru is a slice of true Americana, where you can pull up to a spot, order one of their famous hand-scooped shakes!
Think of downtown Escalante as a place to fuel up before exploring the stunning scenery in the area. The community’s biggest claim to fame is the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. It’s a larger-than-life park that’s almost too beautiful for words. The Grand Staircase is layers upon layers of red rock, with each layer exposing millions of years of geologic history. You can hike the canyons (Calf Creek Falls and its beautiful waterfall cascading over the rock is a must), or visit at night when the park lights up with stars. You can even see the Milky Way on a clear night.
Monticello
On the Colorado Plateau near the Four Corners (where Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona meet) is Monticello, named in honor of Thomas Jefferson’s estate. It’s a cozy community that immediately feels like home, with small-time grocery stores like Blue Mountain Foods and cozy diners like The Over Bite. Or, visit the Canyon Country Discovery Center, where you can climb an indoor rock climbing wall or visit its planetarium.
Monticello’s best attraction isn’t one you’ll find indoors. To truly admire the night sky, the Bears Ears National Monument is Monticello’s best attraction. The park is classified as a Class 2 on the Bortle Scale, where you can see the Milky Way on a clear night. During the day, however, the park is just as pretty. You can see prehistoric rock art, or hike the nearly 1.36 million acres of high desert and red rock cliffs.
Springdale
At the entrance of Zion National Park is the small community of Springdale. Zion National Park is Utah scenery at its finest. Think vibrant red sandstone cliffs and striking rock formations. The park has quite a few hiking trails throughout its over 140,000 acres of untouched desert landscape of varying difficulties. You need to have a permit to hike Angels Landing, but Observation Point is a more accessible trail with panoramic views that are just as thrilling. While the park is well worth the drive alone, central Springdale has plenty of things to discover.
Settled along the Virgin River, there are quiet, green local parks where you can go for a much easier hike, like George Barker River Park. From the local park, charming diners are only a short walk away. The Park House is a local favorite, serving up classic American fare in a homey space. If you want to end your day in Springdale with a burger and a brew, the Bit and Spur Restaurant and Saloon offers a funky atmosphere and delicious cocktails.
Discover These Secret Spots in Utah Worth the Detour
These hidden hamlets prove that Utah is so much more than blue waters and red sandstone. Sure, Utah has some of the most breathtaking scenery in the country, but scattered through the high desert are delightful communities that capture Utah’s essence. These are places you’d never stumble upon by accident, where the skies are intensely dark, and there’s always a friendly diner serving up burgers and shakes. Whether you’re exploring the Frontier Homestead State Park Museum in Cedar City or hunting for dinosaur fossils in Vernal, life is never boring in the Beehive State!
