There are plenty of colorful hills in Utah if you know where to look. Utah and the Southwest are becoming more well-known for their otherworldly landscapes, and a few of these spots will make you feel like you are on another planet.
So, where are the rainbow mountains in Utah? I’ve got you covered with the best places to find colorful hills in Utah below!
Best Rainbow Mountains Utah Has to Offer
Bentonite Hills & Mars Desert Research Station – Hanksville, Utah
The Bentonite Hills in Utah are probably the most famous of the rainbow hills Utah has to offer, thanks to Instagram. There are actually two areas to visit for this one – the famous spot and the spot that requires a river crossing.
Mars Desert Research Station
This is the more famous area in the Bentonite Hills. It is located near the Mars Desert Research Station and is where you’ll find the brightly colored layers of bentonite clay that are all over social media.
Get my full guide to the Mars Desert Research Station Bentonite Hills.
While a four-wheel drive high clearance vehicle is recommended here, if the conditions are dry enough, you can make it with two-wheel drive. You can attempt it with a lower clearance vehicle, but be prepared to take your time and turn around if you aren’t comfortable.
While the area is known for the Mars Desert Research Station, that area is off-limits as private property. You drive past it on the way in, but don’t turn off onto the drive that takes you to the building.
Instead, continue down the road to this spot. This will get you to where you need to pull off on the left side of the road and park to explore.
Make sure to stay on the social trails as you explore. If it still has a popcorn texture, do not walk on that part of the hill. You can drone in this area, but make sure you don’t fly over the nearby Capitol Reef National Park, and be considerate of others.
If you arrive during the daytime, you’ll find the area looks much more orange and red than you expected. You’ll need to arrive before sunrise or stay after sunset for blue hour to see the shades of blue and purple you find online. Just make sure you are comfortable driving the road after dark to get back out unless you plan to camp overnight.
There are no facilities here, so make sure to practice Leave No Trace principles and take out everything you bring in with you. Bring plenty of food and water to get you through your visit.
The closest town is Hanksville, and you can find accommodations, gas, and food (we love Duke’s Slickrock Grill when we come through town).
The “Real” Bentonite Hills
If you search Bentonite Hills on Google Maps, you’ll end up in a completely different area than the one above. You’ll also have to do a river crossing and drive much further down a dirt road to get there.
If you are only going to visit one, visit the Mars Desert Research Station area. If you want more of an adventure, head to the “real” Bentonite Hills. This area is not as colorful, even after sunset, as the Mars Desert Research Station area, but it’s still beautiful.
You will need a four-wheel drive, high-clearance vehicle to get here and to be comfortable driving across a river. Check the river conditions before you attempt crossing, as it is unsafe to cross at certain times of the year when the water is too high. If you are going for sunset, remember that you’ll have to cross this river again after dark to get back out.
This is a large area to explore, but when you get to this area, you’re at the start of the most colorful section. Again, don’t walk on the parts of the hills that still have the popcorn texture and stay on the social trails.
Make sure to pack out everything you bring in with you. There are no facilities here, so bring anything with you that you will need.
A funny story from his one – when we pulled over to drone, a car pulled up, and two guys asked us where we were going. We told them that this was where we were going.
They had followed us (including the river crossing) in their little crossover SUV rental because they thought we knew a shortcut to Temple of the Sun and Temple of the Moon in Capitol Reef. They were disappointed when they found this was not the right way to get there.
Paria Townsite – Kanab, Utah
Paria Townsite near Kanab, Utah, has become my favorite on this list. We own property out in Kanab, and I love to drive out here for sunset to watch the hills change colors.
Paria Townsite used to be a settlement, but the people got tired of the flooding. Later it was turned into a movie set, but that was destroyed by an arsonist.
Put this in your map to get there. Make sure the roads are dry before attempting this one, even with four-wheel drive. Flash flooding can occur near the end of the road, so keep an eye on the weather.
You can make it to this one in a regular sedan if the conditions are right and the roads are not too rutted, but you may not be able to make it all the way to the end of the road or be able to take the side roads.
Do not attempt to go out here when the roads are wet. The roads get slick, and there are some steep drop-offs if you slide too far.
As you turn off of US-89 between Page, Arizona, and Kanab, you’ll be able to see the colorful hills in the distance. Continue down the road, first enjoying the views on your right and later on both sides.
You can hike around the area, taking care to stay off the popcorn texture of the mountains, and explore the dirt roads for as long as you would like. Camping is available here, and there are pit toilets you can use as well.
The road where you drive is not a wilderness area, but if you hike away from the road into the rainbow mountains, you are in a wilderness area. You cannot launch or land a drone inside of a wilderness area, so make sure you know where you can and cannot fly there.
Yant Flat – St. George, Utah
Yant Flat is one of my favorite hikes in Utah. At just under 5 miles round trip (depending on how much you explore), it is a moderate hike that requires four-wheel drive to reach the trailhead.
As you hike to the striped rocks of Yant Flat, you’ll have to get through some soft sand first. I don’t love hiking in soft sand, but it is worth it for the reward at the end of this one.
Once you reach the rocks, you can find your own path around to the areas you want to explore. Download the trail on AllTrails to make sure you know where to exit when you want to leave.
I loved being here at sunset, but make sure you have a headlamp or flashlight to find your way back at the end. We brought a snack and enjoyed a picnic before we headed back as we watched the colors fade.
Part of this area is a wilderness area, meaning drones are not allowed to take off or land there. You can fly from outside of the wilderness area, but you’ll need to look at the map to make sure you know where that boundary is.
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument – Kanab, Utah
I know, I know. This is a list for Utah, and the most colorful parts of Vermilion Cliffs National Monument are in Arizona. However, since Kanab, Utah, is one of the two starting points for getting to White Pocket and Coyote Buttes, and they are only a few miles from the border, I decided to include them anyway.
White Pocket
White Pocket is made of rocks swirling with colors that pop up out of the desert landscape. It’s probably my favorite place I’ve ever been if I had to pick, and I find myself going back here again and again.
Get my full guide with directions to White Pocket Arizona.
The road to get there includes deep, soft sand, and rescues out there are expensive. You need a four-wheel drive, high-clearance vehicle, especially at the end of the road. If you are not comfortable or do not have the right vehicle, take a tour with Kanab Tour Company (ask for Shelly) or Dreamland Safari from Kanab.
There are no facilities out here other than a pit toilet at the Condor Viewing Site or Wire Pass Trailhead (both an hour from White Pocket) along House Rock Valley Road. Make sure to pack out anything you bring in with you and practice Leave No Trace principles.
Coyote Buttes
Coyote Buttes North is famous for the Wave and requires a permit that is tough to get. We’ve tried over 100 different days and a variety of different ways to get permits, and we are still waiting to win that lottery.
However, if you can’t get a permit for the Wave, you can try to get a permit for Coyote Buttes South. It’s full of colorful rocks, and while only 20 people can go each day (fewer than the 64 allowed to visit the Wave), it’s easier to win since not as many people enter.
You’ll need a high clearance 4×4 vehicle to navigate the deep, soft sand, and it can be worse than the roads to get to White Pocket even though it is in the same area.
If you aren’t sure if you can make it, take a tour with a company like Dreamland Safari. As a bonus, you get a guide who can make sure you see the parts you don’t want to miss as well as teach you about the history of the area.
House Rock Valley Road
House Rock Valley Road is home to some of my favorite spots in Utah and Arizona, including White Pocket, Wire Pass, and the Wave.
The road connects US-89 and US-89A. It is best to use a high-clearance vehicle, but I have seen just about every type of vehicle on this road when it is dry. Just be aware that it is very slippery when wet and that there are some deep ruts from cars driving on it when it was wet.
As you drive down the road, keep an eye on the east side of the road between US-89 and the turn for White Pocket on Pine Tree Road. You’ll find various pockets of colorful hills sprinkled into the landscape.
Raplee Ridge – Mexican Hat, Utah
Raplee Ridge is not close to the other spots listed here, but if you are visiting Valley of the Gods, Goosenecks State Park, or Monument Valley, it is not too far away.
As you take Highway 163 north from Monument Valley, Raplee Ridge will be on the right side of the road just past Mexican Hat Rock. You can see the waves of color all along the ridge forming a beautiful mosaic of colors and lines.
During the middle of the day, this area looks rather bland, but when the sun is low in the sky, the shades of red really come out.
You can see this ridge from the turn-off for Mexican Hat Rock, but you can also explore several dirt roads in the area if you have a high-clearance four-wheel drive vehicle and confidence driving on rough off-road trails.
The San Juan River cuts through this area and is one of the boundaries for Navajo land. Drones are not allowed in the Navajo Nation without a permit, so know the boundaries if you fly here.
Factory Butte – Hanksville, Utah
The Factory Butte area near Hanksville, Utah, is not far from the Bentonite Hills. However, this area is not nearly as colorful as the Bentonite Hills. It has enough shades of grays and browns to still get a mention here.
As with many of these spots, you’ll want a high-clearance four-wheel drive vehicle to best explore the area. There are primitive campsites available, and some of the main roads are fine for any vehicle, including large campers.
While you are here, make sure to visit Moonscape Overlook and Long Dong Silver to see the variety of landscapes and colors this area offers. The colors are best when the sun is low in the sky, so near sunrise or sunset is best, but make sure you are comfortable navigating here.
This is the one spot in Utah where we got a flat tire thanks to a rock sticking out of the side of the road and not being able to see it with the sun directly in our eyes. Thankfully, we have a full-size spare on our Jeep, so we were able to change it out and keep exploring.
Like this post? Pin it for later and share it with others!
