Utah Road Trip Itinerary for 2 Weeks (+Grand Canyon!)

In the heat of July, my family went on a Utah road trip vacation. We mixed in overnight camping, backpacking and staying in hotels. We flew out, rented a car, and explored the wild west!

It is a lot of driving, but incredibly scenic. With this schedule, we were able to see all of the MIGHTY FIVE on our Utah road trip itinerary!


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Day 1: PHOENIX, ARIZONA

  • Fly into PhoenixDinner at Four Peaks Brewery
  • Drive 3.5 hours to town of Tusayan (Gateway to Grand Canyon National Park).
Grand Canyon's Bright Angel Trail in the sun. This was part of our Utah road trip itinerary (although this is in Arizona!)
Lodging/Overnight: Grand Hotel Tusayan


Day 2:  GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK

  • 5 minute drive from Tusayan to entrance of Grand Canyon National Park
  • Hike “Bright Angel” trail halfway down, then hike back up.
    • Be sure to go early, it is VERY hot.
    • Be on the lookout for rattlesnakes!
Lodging/Overnight: Grand Hotel Tusayan

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Day 3: GRAND CANYON  ⇒ ZION NATIONAL PARK

  • Breakfast at local treat, R.P.’s Stage Shop
  • Stop at many of the scenic overlooks near the park

  • Drive 5 hours to town of Springdale, Utah: Swim in hotel pool, explore town
Lodging/Overnight: La Quinta Inn: Springdale


Day 4: ZION NATIONAL PARK

  • Go in to town, get rental items for hiking the watery trail of “The Narrows”
  • Drive five minutes to entrance of Zion National Park (PS- see my post on nearby Kanab, Utah!)
  • Begin to hike The Narrows– a famous and stunning hike through a slot canyon
    • A thunderstorm began halfway through our hike, so we ladies turned back. My Dad and husband kept going, and we were anxiously waiting and worrying. The park closed the trail due to a flash flood hazard, but they made it back safe. Don’t be like them!!
    • The trail is, of course, very slippery. Make sure you are wearing sturdy walking sandals. I recommend a hiking stick for balance too.
Lodging/Overnight: Public Campsite: The Watchman Campground

 



Day 5: ZION NATIONAL PARK

  • Bright and early, hike the strenuous but beautiful ANGEL’S LANDING trail (5 miles).
    • It is steep, and narrow- some parts have a chain railing to help you keep balance. Start early in the day, bring lots of water, and don’t do it if you’re scared of heights! Don’t forget you now need to enter a lottery to be able to enjoy this hike!
Angel's Landing at Zion National Park, Utah USA, Utah Road Trip
Angel’s Landing Trail
The Watchman- Zion National Park, Utah, Utah Road Trip
The Watchman at Zion
  • Next, we took a scenic drive to stop at various overlooks. We climbed the abstract rock formations all around the park area, including Checkerboard Mesa. We also saw several bighorn sheep!

Lodging/Overnight: Public Campsite: The Watchman Campground


Day 6: ZION ⇒ PANGUITCH, UTAH

Bryce Canyon- Hoodoos in Utah, Utah Road Trip

Lodging/Overnight: Marianna Inn


Day 7: BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK

Lodging/Overnight: Iron Springs Campsite


Day 8: BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK

  • Hike 4 miles uphill to get back to our car from Iron Springs (fun!)
  • Stop at various overlooks of the hoodoos, including Sunset Point

Sunset Point, Bryce Canyon, Utah, Utah Road Trip

Lodging/Overnight: Campsite at the Park: North Camp


Day 9: BRYCE CANYON ⇒ CAPITOL REEF

  • Drive 2 hours to Torrey, Utah: Home of Capitol Reef National Park
  • Explore town, drive around the park, and get stuck in a bad storm!
    • Road floods due to flash flooding! See several “pop-up waterfalls”
Lodging/Overnight: Rim Rock Inn


Day 10: CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK: TORREY, UTAH

Lodging/Overnight: Rim Rock Inn


Day 11: CAPITOL REEF ⇒ MOAB, UTAH

  • Hike the “Sulphur Creek” trail  (5.5 mile, 1 way hike)
    • The hike has several deep water areas, which we weren’t expecting. It also has a few steep waterfall drops, with no other way down than to jump them. I hate heights, so this was scary for me!!
    • During our hike, it began to thunderstorm, and I was terrified there’d be a flash flood in the narrow canyon.
  • Visit the Gifford Homestead
    • Eat pie at the historic cabin, and see lots of deer and turkey near the barn!

Gifford Homestead, Capitol Reef, Utah, Utah Road Trip

fremont petroglyphs utah capitol reef, Utah Road Trip
Fremont Petroglyphs- carved circa 600AD
  • Drive 3 hours to the town of Moab, Utah
Lodging/Overnight: VRBO House Rental: Rim Village Condo


Day 12: ARCHES NATIONAL PARK: MOAB, UTAH

  • Late evening hike uphill to see Delicate Arch at sunset (3 mile trail going up 480 feet)
    • Hiking back down in the dark was a bit scary, so bring a flashlight!

Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, Utah Utah Road Trip

Lodging/Overnight: VRBO House Rental: Rim Village Condo


Day 13: ARCHES ⇒ CANYONLANDS, UTAH

  • Stop at the Canyon Voyages Office Moab to rent kayaks for the day
  • Kayak down the Colorado River (13 miles)
    • We experienced some whitewater, but nothing major, and no crowds at all
    • At the end, when you have to bring your boats to shore, the current pulled our kayak downriver. It was a big fiasco trying to chase it down!

Utah Road Trip

Canyonlands National Park, Utah Road Trip

Lodging/Overnight: VRBO House Rental: Rim Village Condo


Day 14: MOAB, UTAH ⇒ SALT LAKE CITY

  • Explore and shop the hip town of Moab
  • Drive 4 hours to Salt Lake City, Utah.
    • Walk area around the Mormon Temple and gardens
  • Fly home out of Salt Lake Airport – Hope you enjoy your UTAH ROAD TRIP!!

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Take a Two Week Road Trip Out West! Visit Utah's Mighty Five and the Grand Canyon!

7 Comments

  • Reply Brooke Eliason January 30, 2017 at 11:57 am

    Amazing post! Thanks for the link back- looking forward to seeing more of these places in 2017!

  • Reply Gokul Raj March 5, 2017 at 11:44 pm

    Another Iconic landscape…..would love to visit the canyons one day.

  • Reply Punita March 6, 2017 at 2:11 am

    Each of them is fascinating in its own unique way. Difficult to decide which to skip. It great that you covered them all in a 2 week trip.

  • Reply TravellingDany March 6, 2017 at 3:25 am

    We love the Grand Canyon! Last time we’ve been lodging in one of the Xanterra facilities and it was much better, because we were also able to experience Sunset and Sunrise without having to wake up at an ungodly hour!! 😀

  • Reply Laura Bridges May 16, 2017 at 5:32 pm

    How did you bring your camping gear? Did you fly with it or rent? Thanks for the post!

    • Reply Michelle W. May 16, 2017 at 5:44 pm

      We flew with our camping gear and then rented a car with a storage pod on the top. We had a good deal of items but with 5 people we were able to consolidate into 5 different bags so we did not end up with extra baggage fees.

  • Reply John May 30, 2020 at 5:53 pm

    Incredible family trip! Perfect in all ways. Great job Michelle!😄
    The Sulphur Creek hike at Capital Reef was fun, just don’t go if there’s a huge thunder storm coming in!

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