The southwest National Park Road Trip is a very popular trip to make and there are many different itineraries out there. This itinerary is catered for one week and for working remotely while travelling. It is specifically designed as you'll see when you get to Day 3 for the trip to start on a Wednesday. However, that doesn't mean you can't change things around! But the weekend days were very important in how they were planned for the time span of the trip. And if I could do this trip again, if I was working still as this itinerary was laid out, I would definitely dedicate more than one week to do this. But if one week is all you have and you are working while travelling, this itinerary is for you! :)
Day 1 - Arrive at Vegas and drive to stay near Zion
This is just a travel day so you can start the next morning bright and early.
Fly into McCarran International Airport (LAS) and arrive at night. Then catch the free rental car shuttles to the rental car center to pick up a car.
Head out towards Zion National Park and along your drive make a stop at a grocery store to pick up some snacks and breakfast foods for the next several days. We found a Whole Foods right near Fashion Show Mall and stopped there. There isn't a whole lot along the drive, so it's best to find food in Vegas.
As soon as you get to your accommodations, get some rest, it's an early morning the next day!
Drive time - The drive out to our Airbnb was about a 2.5 hour drive.
Stay - Springdale is the town right next to Zion National Park, however we found an Airbnb in La Verkin which is about a 30 minute drive to Zion.
Day 2 - The Narrows Hike and Kolob Canyon
This morning, the biggest thing on the agenda is hiking the Narrows. In order to avoid crowds and try to make the best of your time, you want to do this as early as possible. Once the shuttles in Zion are running, you cannot drive, you must catch the shuttles. Check the website for the shuttle schedules, but when we went in September, the earliest shuttle took off from the Zion Visitor Center at 6 AM.
Even though the shuttle starts at 6 AM, there are many people trying to catch that first shuttle to do either the Narrows or Angel's Landing hikes. Thus, to make sure you get on the first shuttle, you'll want to make sure you're in line for the shuttle by 5:30 AM - or half an hour before it takes off.
Take the shuttle to the Temple of Sinawava stop and start the Bottom Up Narrows hike. To get to the trail head still is a less than 20 minute walk on a paved path. It is dark at this point as you're starting before sunrise, so it would be helpful to have a flashlight with you.
Getting there early means there are hiking sticks available for use laying at the trail head. Also, do keep in mind the water is very cold. We started with trying to wearing rain boot shoe covers, but after a while we found that those just weighed us down. If you have neoprene socks that can fit in hiking boots that's probably the best. But doing it in just regular socks and running shoes ended up being okay for us, but it was freezing anytime we weren't moving. Also, you aren't actually in water the entire hike. There are little patches of land all throughout the hike that you hike on that gives you relief from the water. So you go back and forth between land and water the whole time. Remember that this was mid September and it was doable for us, but I would definitely recommend being better prepared if you can. Especially since the water is colder during this early of a morning.
Hike the narrows until you get to Wall Street. This is about 2.5 miles from the shuttle stop and took us about an hour and 45 minutes to get to. We didn't really stop along the way to take pictures, so keep that in mind. But I recommend stopping to take pictures on this part of your hike as there aren't so many people around.
The hike at this point splits into Wall Street and Orderville Canyon. You can do either but we wanted to really get that full effect of what Wall Street is and hiked into it a little. Being on a time crunch for the day, this was our stopping point on the hike. However, if you have the full day, you can continue on the hike.
The way back towards the Temple of Sinawava is a little faster since you are no longer fighting against the current. But you'll also notice at this point that the amount of people on the hike has increased by a lot. So just keep in mind it takes some time to get pass them at some points.
Once done with the hike, catch the shuttle back to the visitor center. You'll still be pretty wet. There were parts of the hike where the water went up to our waist. So do expect half your body to be wet. And since the water is very cold, you'll want to get out of the wet clothes as soon as possible.
Head back to your stay and shower/change. The Airbnb we were staying at had wifi and so we stayed there to work for the afternoon. In the late afternoon, we were pretty hungry and so we went to go get some food at a nearby Taco Bell, but there are a lot of other options around in the town. We took a short nap after eating.
Sunset - Head to Kolob Canyon for sunset. This is a part of Zion National Park but it has it's own entrance. You will not go through Springdale to get to this. From La Verkin, this is about a 20 minute drive. Getting to the top lookout point here is a very scenic drive and I actually found spots along the drive a better place to watch the sunset than at the top. So I recommend getting there earlier than sunset to do the drive and figure out where you think the best spot to watch it is.
After sunset and since we ate lunch so late, we just headed back to the Airbnb to go straight to sleep. It was an exhausting day and the next day is an early wake up call as well.
Day 3 - Zion Canyon Overlook Trail, leave for Bryce Canyon and Sunset Point
Sunrise - Wake up early enough to get to the Zion Canyon Overlook for sunrise. The Zion Canyon Overlook is not in a part of the park where the shuttles run to, so you will have to drive here yourself. You do go through Springdale and past the visitor center to get here. And from the visitor center, it's around another 15 minute drive.
The parking lot for the trail will be right on the right after you get out of the tunnel and the start of the trail will be across the street on the right side of the tunnel. The trail to get to the overlook is a mile hike roundtrip. So to get to the overlook itself took us around 15 minutes. Remember that this is being done before sunrise, so it is dark and thus takes a little longer. Also, you'll want to have a flashlight with you for this part. And in case you're a little clueless like us, the sun rises behind you when you face the overlook (opposite side from this picture)! On your way back towards the car, keep an eye out for wildlife, we saw some chipmunks and big horn sheep!
Drive back to Springdale to get some work done through the morning and early afternoon.
Wifi spot - We went to Deep Creek Coffee Company to work and eat. Besides the free wifi, they had some of the best teas we've ever had and really good bagel sandwiches. There's an inside area to eat downstairs and an upstairs patio with gorgeous views of the mountains. There was also an electrical outlet up there on the patio.
During full moons, Bryce Canyon offers a full moon hike lottery. Check their website for specific times on how to enter the lottery, but you must be there in person BEFORE the lottery starts. They are very strict about starting right on the dot. For us, the lottery started at 4 PM.
Drive time - In order to make it to Bryce Canyon in time for the lottery, we had to leave Springdale around 1:30 PM. It was about a 2.5 hour drive. Do keep in mind that you do have to go through both Zion and Bryce Canyon National Park entrances in order to do this drive which varies on how long it takes. Also, you will be driving past the Zion Canyon Overlook Trail again. So, remember that tunnel from that drive? Well now that it's later in the day and there's much more cars trying to drive through it, there are rangers controlled the flow through it. We were held at a standstill at the tunnel for at least 15 minutes. So just keep in mind that even though it could be a 2 hour drive ideally, these 3 points can add a very large chunk of time to your travel.
We barely made it to the lottery and were turned away at the door since you must be wearing hiking shoes already at that point and I forgot mines in the car. But the rangers are very willing to tell you what hikes are good to do on your own during the full moon. The Queens Garden and the Navajo Loop were both recommended to us.
You then have some time before the sunsets so go check into your accommodation.
Stay - Bryce Canyon City is right outside of Bryce Canyon National Park. However we found an Airbnb yurt that was near Panguitch which put us at about a 30 minute drive from Bryce Canyon.
There are a few places to choose from in Panguitch and in Bryce Canyon City to get food at.
Sunset - After eating dinner, head over to Sunset point to catch the sunset. Also, at this time of year, the full moon is rising here as soon as the sun sets. So you can watch both back to back!
After sunset, if you do want to do a full moon hike, you'll have to wait a few hours till the moon is nice and high so it can really light up the canyon. But if you don't want to do that, just go get some rest.
Also, if you are staying in a yurt or camping somewhere nearby, there are water fill stations and nice bathrooms for anyone to use at both the visitor center and the lodge.
Day 4 - Sunrise Point, Queens Garden to Navajo Loop Trail (Bryce Canyon), Lake Powell, Lower Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and leave for Grand Canyon
For us, this was a Saturday, so we didn't have any work to do this day. So this day was a very jam packed one.
Sunrise - Wake up early to catch the sunrise at Sunrise Point. We actually missed it because our clocks on our cellphones got messed up with the time zones. The GPS can get confused out in these spots close to state borders! So I recommend having a watch or some other alarm that you can set that doesn't rely on GPS.
After watching the sunrise, hike the Queens Garden to Navajo Loop Trail. If you don't want to do that whole stretch, Queens Garden and Navajo Loop Trail are their own separate hikes. The way we did it is that they do connect to each other and we come out at the end of the Navajo Loop Trail at Sunset Point.
Catch the shuttle back to your car at Sunrise Point. Stop at the lodge or visitors center to freshen up and fill up water if you need to. Then start your drive down towards Arizona.
Along the drive, stop at Red Rock Canyon, this will be right after you get out of Bryce Canyon city.
Drive time - Keep in mind that if you're travelling during daylight savings time, Arizona doesn't observe that. So you will be changing time zones and Arizona is hour behind Utah. So this gives you an extra hour for the day! There are several stops to make once you get to Arizona. Lone Rock which is in Lake Powell is right at the border and it takes about 2.5 hours from Bryce Canyon National Park to get to.
Your national park pass covers the fee to enter this park too! Park by the bathrooms - do not try to drive on the sand, you will get stuck! Then walk down to the beach area and take a dip in the water if you want.
Antelope Canyon belongs to the Navajo people and therefore is not covered by your national park pass. You must book a tour to see the canyons and these do sell out fast. So try to book these as early as possible. But we booked ours last minute and was able to find a tour. Our reservations were at 3:15 PM and the drive between here and Lone Rock is about half an hour.
We checked in early for our tour and got a recommendation on where to eat nearby. We went to Mutton Creek in Lechee which is only a 10 minute drive from Antelope Canyon. We were told Mutton Creek only happens on Saturdays and it's when a lot of the local Navajo people put up booths and sell traditional Navajo food. We also saw a booth with jewelry when we were there, but it was all Navajo things. Everyone there was also extremely friendly and gave us a lot of tips on seeing the canyons and horseshoe bend for sunset.
After eating lunch here, go do your Antelope Canyon tour. You can't bring any bags, selfie sticks, tripods (unless you booked the photography tour), etc. on this. So be prepared for that. But also, don't worry about not having much on you, the guides all know how to take all the best photos and will be sure to get plenty for and of you. And our tour also provided us with water bottles after the tour was over.
The tour takes about an hour to an hour half. And so doing the 3:15 tour gave us plenty of time before we needed to be at Horseshoe Bend for sunset. So if you want, it's a good time to go stop for a snack somewhere in Page.
It takes only about 15 minutes to get from Antelope Canyon to Horseshoe Bend.
Sunset - Horseshoe Bend also isn't covered by your national park pass, so it'll cost about $10 to park there. And you will have to park there to go there. There is a bit of a hike - about 15 minutes - to get to the bend from the parking lot and it is a very hot walk, so make sure you have plenty of water with you. Keep in mind that the sunset here is going to be early than Google will tell you since it's setting over the mountains here. For us, it was about 45 minutes before Google said. There are also a lot of people trying to catch sunset here just like you. So to get a good spot, you'll want to get there early too.
After sunset, head out for the Grand Canyon South Rim.
Stay - Tusayan is right outside of the Grand Canyon South Rim and there are a lot of accommodations inside the Grand Canyon Village. However, we found an Airbnb just above Williams which put us at about a 30 minute drive south of the Grand Canyon.
Drive time - Since our stay was below the Grand Canyon, we did drive through it and an extra 30 minutes was added to our drive time. But from Horseshoe Bend to our Airbnb, it was a total of about 2.5 hours.
Day 5 - Mather Point, South Kaibib Trail, and Mojave Point (Grand Canyon)
Sunrise - We were too exhausted by this point to wake up to catch the sunrise. However, as the park rangers told us, Yavapai Point is the best point to watch the sunrise and you can drive right to it.
You can then start your day by heading to the El Tovar Hotel to get breakfast. It's right by the rim and you can have a nice view of it. The restaurant here also serves Navajo Tacos which is their most popular dish and was very good.
After breakfast, drive over to the visitor center. There are some parts of the Grand Canyon where you need to catch a shuttle and the visitor center is a great place to park your car and hop on one of the shuttles as it is a stop for 3 of the 4 lines. Here, you can also check out Mather Point.
Then, jump on the yellow shuttle line to get to the South Kaibib Trail. This is one of the areas you must catch a shuttle to get to.
The South Kaibib Trail in total is 7.1 mile one way trail and would take you all day and require you to camp if you were to do it in entirety. But there are many points along the trail that are clearly marked and will be where you could turn around at.
We hiked the trail till the second point - Cedar Ridge which is a 1.5 mile trail one way. This is a pretty steep trail and so keep in mind how that plays into it all. A good amount of people stop at the first point - Ooh-Ahh Point, which means after you get past that, it gets a lot less crowded and it can be very peaceful to just sit at Cedar Ridge and enjoy the canyon.
After the hike, hop back on the yellow shuttle and catch it back to the visitor center. Transfer onto the blue shuttle line and catch it to Hermits Rest Route Transfer stop. Transfer again onto the red shuttle line. At this point when it's close enough to sunset, the shuttles stop going past Mojave point which is where you'll be wanting to get off.
Sunset - They will tell you that Mojave point or Hopi Point are the two spots you want to go to for sunset. The difference between the two are that Hopi is higher up and Mojave is wider. If you're only in the Grand Canyon long enough to catch the sunset once, I would recommend Mojave as wider did mean the Canyon looks much more vast. And in case it matters, you can see the Colorado River a little at both points.
After dinner, if it's clear enough and you want to do some stargazing, Yavapai Point is a good place for this.
Day 6 - Bright Angel Trail, Powell Point, Hopi Point (Grand Canyon), and leave for Dolan Springs
Wifi - This day was a Monday and meant we had to get some work done again. Wifi is available in the Grand Canyon but it is extremely slow and will not work well. It is hard to find good wifi in these areas. Our Airbnb had high speed wifi and so we stayed there until around 1 PM to work.
In the afternoon, head to the Market Plaza and park there. Catch the blue line to the Bright Angel Trailhead. There is parking near this trailhead as all the hotels are near this area, however, you'll find the lots are much smaller here. And if you're planning on eating at the Market Plaza again, it's easiest to just park there.
The Bright Angel Trail is just like the South Kaibib Trail in that it's meant as a full day and camping hike. It also has several different clearly marked points on it. For this one, we went to the 1.5 Mile Resthouse, which is as long as it sounds. This trail isn't as steep as the South Kaibib Trail, but still has some steep parts. It also didn't feel as shaded as the South Kaibib Trail. If you're ever choosing between one of the two hikes to do, I would recommend the South Kaibib Trail. It felt a little more epic in view than this one, but both were very pretty.
Sunset - After the hike, catch the red line shuttle to Powell Point. Walk from this point along the Rim Trail to Hopi Point. These two points are the closest to each other of any of the points and it is a really nice and short walk. Stay at Hopi point to catch the sunset.
After sunset, catch the red line and blue line back to the Market Plaza just like the day before. You'll want to eat here before driving as there won't be any options once you start driving at this time of the day.
Stay - In order to break up the driving time between the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas, we found an Airbnb somewhere in the middle. Kingman is right about the middle, but we went a bit closer to Vegas and stayed right outside of Dolan Springs.
Drive time - From the Grand Canyon to our Airbnb was just under 3 hours.
Day 7 - Leave for Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, and Las Vegas Strip
We thought it would be best to work in Las Vegas and get the driving out of the way early so we could beat traffic and not have to worry about missing our flight or anything. So we woke up early and headed for Vegas.
Along the way we stopped at the Hoover Dam. This isn't covered by a national park pass and you have to pay for parking. We just walked along the dam and then headed on to Las Vegas. Personally I didn't think it was all that worth it so I recommend stopping here if it's really on your bucket list.
Drive time - From our Airbnb to the Las Vegas Strip was a little over an hour drive.
We parked at the Venetian which has free parking! Always double check this before you go though, as more of the hotels there are charging for parking these days. We also choose here because the Venetian has strong free wifi.
Wifi - We got tea and food from Paris Baugette there and got a table in their upstairs area next to an outlet and a window. For the first few hours, it was a really nice setting to work in. But around 11 AM, every hour, right outside the window, there was a show going on and it was extremely noisy. It's not a big deal if you are just working there, but if you're trying to take a conference call, it's not ideal.
After we were done working, we walked around some of the nearby hotels - The Venetian, Caesars Palace, the Bellagio, Bali, Paris and the Cosmopolitan. All of them have very nicely themed shopping areas. But the biggest attractions in these to check out besides the shopping areas and casinos are the spiral escalators in Caesars Palace and the Conservatory and Lobby of the Bellagio. There's also the chocolate shop with the fountain display in the Bellagio around the corner from the Bellagio.
You can also check out a buffet before your flight. We went to Wicked Spoon in the Cosmopolitan. And there, if you go before they start dinner, you pay lunch prices and it's the same food as they put out for dinner.
Then catch your flight out of McCarran!