Utah in spring

Tulips, desert wildflowers and spring skiing on the same weekend.

Photo: Rockclaw1030 · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Spring is Utah's strangest and best-kept season: you can ski spring corn snow at Snowbird in the morning and walk through hundreds of thousands of tulips at Thanksgiving Point that afternoon. Down south, the national parks wake up early, with cottonwoods leafing out along the Virgin River by late March.

It is also the busiest time of year in Moab and the Mighty 5, as spring break and the shoulder-season weather draw crowds. Plan ahead for lodging, and expect snowmelt to close some canyon trails.

What to do

See the tulips in LehiThanksgiving Point's Tulip Festival fills Ashton Gardens with hundreds of thousands of bulbs, usually from mid April into early May.
Spring ski in the sunSnowbird often runs into late spring; other resorts close in April. Warm days, soft snow and goggle tans.
Road trip the Mighty 5Spring is ideal for the full loop from Arches to Zion before the heat arrives.
Watch the birds at Great Salt LakeMillions of migrating shorebirds stop at the lake. Antelope Island, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and Farmington Bay are the places to see them.

Good to know

The Narrows in Zion closes when the Virgin River runs high, which is common from March into June. Check flow on the park's site.
Spring storms can drop snow on Bryce Canyon and Cedar Breaks into May.
Snow lingers on high trails like Mount Timpanogos into July. Stick to lower trails until it melts.
Spring break weeks in March and Easter week in Moab are the busiest. Book well ahead.

Wildlife and plants in spring

At Bear River refuge, the published seasonal account places shorebird passage broadly in April and the first half of May. In Arches, NPS describes April and May as generally favorable wildflower months, with displays depending strongly on precipitation. Some seasons bring little bloom. These are two local examples, not a single spring schedule for Utah. Read the spring guide.

File photo: American avocets with raised wings at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Birds

Bear River refuge birds

Read the refuge as a changing set of habitats, from shallow feeding flats to marsh cover and deeper water.

Wildflowers

Sego lily

Utah's state flower briefly lifts a three-petaled cup above open, dry-country vegetation before its aboveground growth fades.

Calochortus nuttallii

Other seasons

September to November