Adventure Dates: 06/02/2026 – 06/07/2026
Introduction
Every road trip has a final chapter, and ours was a long one. After an early morning at Canyonlands, we pointed the car west and began the last great push of our Utah adventure. The day ahead included the Bonneville Salt Flats, hundreds of miles of driving through some of the most varied landscape we had ever seen from a car window, and eventually a return to Salt Lake City to rest up before our flight home.
The next morning, before heading to the airport, we made one final stop. Not for us this time. For our daughter, who had patiently endured national park after national park with us and deserved something just for her. The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium delivered in a big way.
This post is for everything that did not fit neatly into a single park write-up: the detours, the drives, the stops that surprised us, and the lessons we picked up along the way.
Map
Interesting Points
Bonneville Salt Flats
The Bonneville Salt Flats sit just off Interstate 80 in the northwestern corner of Utah, a vast white expanse of mineral-crusted desert floor that looks like something out of a science fiction film. Famous as the site of countless land speed records and one of the most visually striking landscapes in the American West, it was a stop we had been curious about since we first started planning the trip.
The reality was a little more grounded. We were tired. The drive from Canyonlands had been long, and by the time we pulled into the parking area our energy reserves were running low. We got out, walked across the salt, and took a close look at the dried crystals underfoot, which was genuinely interesting for a few minutes. But there is not a lot to do beyond that. No trails, no exhibits, no visitor infrastructure to speak of. You walk on the salt, you take some photos, and you get back in the car.
Would we go back? Honestly, probably not. If you are passing through on I-80 and the timing works, it is worth a brief stop. But we would not build a day around it, especially at the tail end of an already exhausting road trip.
Driving Through Utah: The Road as the Destination
Something unexpected happened on those long drives across Utah. The road itself became one of the best parts of the trip.
Driving east on Interstate 70 through central Utah is a lesson in how dramatically a landscape can transform within a few hours. Red rock canyon country gives way to open desert plateau, which softens into rolling hills, which opens back up into wide valley floors framed by distant mountain ranges. The light changes, the colors shift, and every hour or so you look out the window and realize you are somewhere that looks completely different from where you were before.
We were not expecting the drives to be a highlight. They were. If you are planning a Utah road trip, do not just treat the drives as time between destinations. Keep your eyes up, pull over when something catches your attention, and give yourself permission to enjoy the journey between the parks as much as the parks themselves.
Loveland Living Planet Aquarium
Our last stop of the entire trip was not a national park or a scenic overlook. It was an aquarium in Draper, just south of Salt Lake City, and it was exactly the right call.
The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium had been on our radar as a potential send-off stop, a way to give our daughter something genuinely fun and kid-focused before we boarded the plane home. She had been a trooper through the whole trip, hiking trails she did not always want to hike and sitting in the car for more hours than any young kid should have to, and she deserved a reward.
The aquarium delivered. What stood out immediately was how thoughtfully the exhibits were laid out. Each section flows naturally into the next, creating a seamless journey from one habitat to another without the disjointed feeling you sometimes get at larger attractions. Our daughter lit up at every tank, excited about each new fish and animal she discovered around the corner.
It was the perfect final chapter for the trip. Low key, air conditioned, and completely focused on making kids happy. If you are flying out of Salt Lake City with children in tow, put this on your list.
Travel Tips
Fuel Up on the Go
When time is tight on a road trip, full sit-down meals are not always realistic. Fast food and grab-and-go options at gas stations kept us fueled and moving on the longer driving days without losing an hour to a restaurant stop. Keep a cooler in the car for drinks and snacks and save the real meals for when you actually have time to enjoy them.
Your Body Will Feel the Miles
A road trip through Utah means a lot of sitting. A lot. Plan for it by building in more frequent stops than you think you need, even if just for five or ten minutes to stretch, walk around, and reset. The drives are stunning but the cumulative effect of hours in a seat catches up with you fast, especially toward the end of the trip.
Get the America the Beautiful Pass
If you are visiting three or more national parks, the America the Beautiful Annual Pass from the National Park Service is a straightforward money saver. At $80 for a year of unlimited access to all federal lands, it pays for itself after your third park entry and covers everyone in the vehicle. Buy it at the first park you visit or online before you go.
Pack for the Kids
Snacks and activities are non-negotiable. Kids will get bored in the car, full stop, and having a rotating supply of things to eat and do makes a real difference on the longer stretches. Our daughter made it through days of driving and hiking partly because we stayed ahead of the hunger and boredom curve.
Also, pack a collapsible portable potty for kids! It came in so handy to have that thing in the car for when our daughter need to go to the bathroom and we were still driving out in the middle of nowhere with exits far away still.
Do Not Save the Hard Days for Last
We drove from Canyonlands all the way to the Bonneville Salt Flats and then to Salt Lake City in a single day, which was a lot to ask of everyone in the car. If Bonneville is on your list, try to work it into an earlier day when you have more energy to appreciate it. Arriving somewhere new while running on fumes makes it harder to enjoy, and that is exactly what happened to us there.
Let the Drive Be Part of the Trip
The landscapes you pass through between stops in Utah are worth paying attention to. Pull over when something catches your eye. Let the drive breathe. Some of the most memorable moments of our trip happened through a car window on a stretch of highway between two destinations.
Closing Thoughts
The last day of a road trip is always a little bittersweet. You are tired and ready to be home, but part of you is not quite ready to let it go. Wrapping up our Utah adventure with the Bonneville Salt Flats, the long drive back through country that kept surprising us, and one final morning at the aquarium watching our daughter run from exhibit to exhibit felt like exactly the right ending.
Not every stop needs to be a highlight. Not every moment needs to be frame-worthy. Some of the best parts of a family road trip are the ones in between, the quiet drives, the gas station snacks, the spontaneous pull-overs, and the last-minute aquarium visits that turn out to be the thing your kid talks about most when you get home.
Utah, we MAY be back. Maybe.
