10 Amazing Things to Do in Hanksville Utah
Hanksville is one of the most underrated places in Utah. It may not look like much on a map, but if you are looking for somewhere with epic views to stop on a road trip through Utah, Hanksville is a great choice!
Hanksville is a small town hub for adventure! Nearby, you will find some of the most insane alien-like landscapes, great hikes and activities that will get your blood pumping!
Dave and I hadn’t even heard of Hanksville until we decided to check out Moonscape Overlook on our 7 day Utah Road Trip and realised that Hanksville was the hub of so many great outdoor locations.
This guide will provide you with everything you need to know about Hanksville, including things to do in the area, where to stay and where to eat.
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Everything You Should Know Before Visiting Hanksville
Hanksville in a Snapshot
📍 Where is Hanksville: Utah
✈ Where to fly into: Salt Lake City – FIND FLIGHTS
📆 When to visit: March – May or September – November
🛌 Where to stay: Red Sands Hotel – absolutely STUNNING! or Capitol Reef Domes – SUPER UNIQUE
🚗 Rental Car: KAYAK is our go-to for the best rental car prices!
🚐 Rental Campervan: Rent a campervan
National Park Passes or Permits: None for Hanksville but if you want to visit Capitol Reef, you will need an America the Beautiful pass.
Best Hanksville Tours: Moonscape, Factory Butte and Long Dong Silver
Capitol Reef Photography Tours
Goblin Valley State Park: 4-Hour Canyoneering Adventure
📍 Where is Hanksville
Hanksville is located in Utah, not too far away from Capitol Reef National Park. It is around a 3.5 hour drive to Hanksville from Salt Lake City.
If you are flying into Salt Lake City, you can easily hire a car (by pre-booking) and pick it up at the airport. This is what we did when we visiting Hanksville on our road trip. I love using Rentalcars.com so that I can compare all of the different websites’ prices all in one place and choose the best one.
🚗 Find the best rental car prices here!
🤷♀️ Why Visit Hanksville? Is there even anything to do?
Believe it or not, as small and off the grid as Hanksville may seem, it is the centre of some of the most incredible landscapes in Utah such as Moonscape Overlook, Cathedral Valley Loop, Capitol Reef and Swing Arm City.
🕐 When is the Best Time to Visit Hanksville
Hanksville gets extremely hot in the Summer and cold in the Winter. Therefore, I personally think that the best times to visit Hanksville are in the side seasons, Fall and Spring.
We went in Spring and it was chilly in the evenings but perfect hiking weather during the day and the sun was gorgeous! We camped one night at Moonscape Overlook and I will say that that night was a huge struggle because of how cold it was but the rest of the time we were in hotels and it was PERFECT!
If you do find yourself in Hanksville during Summer, try to plan your adventures in the early mornings or late afternoons to avoid the hottest part of the day and remember to ALWAYS carry lots of water with you.
🛌 Where to Stay in Hanksville
Hanksville does not have loads of accommodation options so you will need to book in advance to avoid having to stay too far out of the way.
Hotel
Whispering Sands Motel – The Whispering Sands Motel is the main motel in Hanksville. There are a couple of other stays but this one is the main “hotel” type stay that you will find right in Hanksville.
👉 There are some really beautiful stays in and around Capitol Reef ➡ Read my blog post to check out some unique stays Near Capitol Reef!
Muddy Creek Mining Company – These wooden cabins are perfect for those with a larger group as they are a 1 bedroom cabin that can sleep up to 4 people.
Capitol Reef Domes – These dreamy glamping style domes are located minutes away from Goblin Valley and Capitol Reef National Park. I’m pretty sure these were not there when we visited a couple of years ago because I definitely would have booked one! Can you imagine the photo ops?!
Camping
- Duke’s Slickrock Campground & RV
- Off-road RV Resort
- Red Rock Steakhouse Campground
- Lonesome Beaver Campground
- McMillan Spring Campground
🍴 Where to Eat in Hanksville
You will be pleased to hear that there are more food options in Hanksville than accommodation options. Some good ones that we tried are:
- Stan’s Burger Shak – The obvious (burgers and fries)
- Duke’s Slickrock Grill – A variety of options (Brisket, ribs, pasta, chicken and more!)
- Outlaw’s Roost – really delicious tacos and burritos!
10 Things You Should Not Miss in Hanksville Utah
This is a list of the best things to do in Hanksville. As previously mentioned, Hanksville is a town surrounded by outdoor adventure so if the outdoors is something you are not into, then perhaps it is not the right holiday destination for you.
If you are however, an outdoor adventurer, then you will fall in love with Hanksville.
Goblin Valley State Park
Goblin Valley State Park is about a half hour drive from Hanksville. The park is home to thousands of hoodoos, which are named locally as “goblins” so you can see where the Goblin Valley State Park got its name!
Goblin Valley is a small park so a few hours there should be fine. There are a few different viewpoints and hikes to check out in the park and you can even go canyoneering!
Some great trails to check out are:
- Goblin’s Lair
- Carmel Canyon Loop
- Entrada Canyon
- Curtis Bench Trail
- The Three Sisters
Temple of the Sun and the Moon
The Temple of the Sun and the Moon is absolutely magical! These are both rock formations located in Cathedral Valley about 1.5 hours from Hanksville. This spot is well worth the drive, however it is down a 4×4 road so make sure you have a high clearance vehicle and check the road report before heading out.
If you don’t have a 4×4, don’t worry! You can still see this incredible location by joining a tour. This is the only tour I would recommend going on for those of you who are photographers as they run early in the morning so that you can catch the most beautiful light of the day!
➡ Book the Temple of the Sun and the Moon Tour here ahead of time so that you don’t miss out! 🌞
Swing Arm City
Swing Arm City is a recreation area made of Bentonite Clay for dirt bikes, UTV’s, ATV’s, and cars and trucks. It is also a popular location for filming and the Disney movie John Carter was filmed there!
Capitol Reef National Park
Capitol Reef National Park is one of the most underrated national parks in Utah in my opinion. It is home to red and orange dirt, natural arches that barely anyone is talking about and incredible towering rocks!
There are lots of amazing hikes to do in Capitol Reef such as the Cassidy Arch Trail (pictured above) and the Hickman Natural Bridge Hike.
If you are hiking it Capitol Reef during Summer, make sure you bring plenty of water with you, sunscreen and cover ups to protect you from the sun. The Utah heat is no joke and hiking in Summer is best done in the early morning or later afternoon to avoid the hottest parts of the day.
Your next read: 1-2 Days in Capitol Reef National Park Ultimate Itinerary
Factory Butte
Factory Butte is an amazing 6,302-foot clay/silt mudstone formation with incredible clay ripples printing all over and surrounding it. You can drive up pretty close to it to get a good look, however, this will mean doing a bit of off-roading and driving on clay so make sure you have the right type of vehicle and it hasn’t rained recently or the ground will be extremely soft.
Factory Butte is very close to Moonscape Overlook so you can visit both on the same day!
Moonscape Overlook
Moonscape Overlook is one of the craziest landscapes we have ever seen and one of our favourite places we visited in this area along with the Temples of the Sun and Moon! We camped there for the night, woke up at sunrise and got the most amazing golden light over the strange moonscape landscape! You can drive all of the way up to the lookout but the drive is on a dirt road so make sure you check the weather before heading out.
UTV Off-Roading
Join a UTV tour to some of the most incredible spots around Hanksville! The local tour company is called Hanksville Tours.
Long Dong Silver
Long Dong Silver is like something out of a Star Wars Movie! To get here involves a bit of off-roading and there is no set road to follow so you will need to use your GPS. Once you park, you will still need to walk some of the way and it is a steep climb up the final hill but the views of Long Dong Silver are incredible! You will really feel like you have been transported to another planet.
Mars Desert Research Station
Mars in Utah is an incredible spot where you will find hills that, from above and if you have the right conditions, are super colourful!
You can also find similar hills along the Cathedral Valley Loop called the Bentonite Hills, however, you will need to cross a river in your car to get there, so I recommend going with a tour or even booking a photography tour because you can get some really cool shots here like the one we got above with our drone! 😍😍😍
➡ Book a Tour to the Bentonite Hills, Moonscape Overlook and Factory Butte!
or ➡ Book a photography tour and rent a drone to get some really cool shots!
Little Egypt
Little Egypt is similar to Goblin Valley State Park, but more less well known and you don’t have to pay to enter. It is 30 minutes drive from Hanksville.
Little Egypt has one unusually tall hoodoo called “The Torch” which can be found up a northern gully.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hanksville a dog friendly area?
Yes! Hanksville is a dog friendly town and area. If you want to bring your dog along on your trip to Hanksville, you can stay at Capitol Reef Domes, Muddy Creek Mining Company or Dukes Slickrock Campground as these are all dog friendly stays.
What photography tours can I do in Hanksville?
Utah is one of the BEST places in the world for photography! These are the top tours I would recommend for photography!
- Capitol Reef Photography Tours
- Capitol Reef: The Iconic Temples of the Sun and Moon
- Hanksville/Torrey: Bentonite Hills Drone/Photography Tour – This is a special tour because you can rent a drone to use throughout the tour and add on drone video footage to your tour too. Honestly, the best way to photograph the Bentonite Hills is by drone so I would 100% take up this offer if you have the change!
💭 Our Thoughts
Hanksville took us both by surprise. We didn’t realise just how much to see there would be there. We also loved that all of the sights to see around Hanksville were a lot less touristy than other places we have been to in the past.
Hopefully this guide has helped you to decide what you want to put on your Hanksville itinerary.
Stay adventurous! 😉
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