Utah Road Trip Itinerary for 2 Weeks (+Grand Canyon!)
In the summer heat of July, my family decided to go on a Utah road trip vacation. We wanted to mix in overnight camping/backpacking with staying in hotels, so we flew out, rented a car, and explored the wild west!
This is our 2 week itinerary. It required a lot of driving, but it is all incredibly scenic- and we were able to see all of Utah’s MIGHTY FIVE on our road trip!
Day 1: PHOENIX, ARIZONA
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Fly into Phoenix: Dinner at Four Peaks Brewery–
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Drive 3.5 hours to town of Tusayan (Gateway to Grand Canyon National Park).
Lodging/Overnight: Grand Hotel Tusayan
Day 2: GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK
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5 minute drive from Tusayan to entrance of Grand Canyon National Park
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Hike “Bright Angel” trail halfway down, then hike back up.
- Be sure to go early, because it is VERY hot.
- Be on the lookout for rattlesnakes, especially if you plan to sit on a rock!
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Hike the West Rim Trail and see Maricopa Point
Lodging/Overnight: Grand Hotel Tusayan
Day 3: GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK ⇒ ZION NATIONAL PARK
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Breakfast at local treat, R.P.’s Stage Shop
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Stop at many of the scenic overlooks near the park
Springdale
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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
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Go in to town, and get rental items for hiking the watery trail of “The Narrows”
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Drive five minutes to entrance of Zion National Park (PS- check out my post on nearby Kanab, Utah!)
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Begin to hike “The Narrows”– a famous and stunning hike through a slot canyon
- A thunderstorm begins halfway through the hike, so we ladies turn back. My Dad and husband keep going, and we are anxiously waiting and worrying. The park closes the trail due to a flash flood hazard, but they make it back safe. Don’t be like them!!
- The trail is, of course, very slippery. Make sure you are wearing sturdy walking sandals, and I recommend a hiking stick for balance too.
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Dinner in town : Wildcat Willie’s
Lodging/Overnight: Public Campsite: The Watchman Campground
Day 5: ZION NATIONAL PARK
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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 that you now need to enter into a lottery to be able to enjoy this hike!
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My Mom and I took the convenient shuttle to sites around the park, including:
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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 NATIONAL PARK ⇒ PANGUITCH, UTAH
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Pack up campsite. Stop at several scenic overlooks and short trails on the drive out.
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Drive 2.5 hours to town of Panguitch, Utah.
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Head to visitor center at Bryce Canyon, register for backcountry camp permit
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Drive to nearby overlooks. Do some hiking to see Hoodoo Rock Formations
Lodging/Overnight: Marianna Inn
Day 7: BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK
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Explore the “old western” vibe of main street in small town Panguitch
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Head to Bryce Canyon National Park, 30 minute drive away
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Backpack the “Under the Rim” trail towards Iron Springs Campsite: (4 miles: mostly downhill)
- Overnight backpacking trail, camping in the woods. Great view of the stars!
- Be wary of bears! Also be sure to register and get a permit for back-country camping
Lodging/Overnight: Iron Springs Campsite
Day 8: BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK
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Hike 4 miles uphill to get back to our car from Iron Springs (fun!)
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Stop at various overlooks of the hoodoos, including Sunset Point
Lodging/Overnight: Campsite at the Park: North Camp
Day 9: BRYCE CANYON ⇒ CAPITOL REEF
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Hike “Queens Garden” Trail: The Navajo Loop
- Hike among the stunning rock formations for 3 miles round-trip
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Drive 2 hours to Torrey, Utah: Home of Capitol Reef National Park
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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
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Hike the “Grand Wash” trail
- Another storm begins, so we head back (washes are prone to flash flooding)
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Dinner at Red Cliff Restaurant in town of Torrey
- Dessert at shake joint, Slackers, while waiting out the rain
Lodging/Overnight: Rim Rock Inn
Day 11: CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK ⇒ MOAB, UTAH
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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 is scary for me!!
- During our hike, it begins to thunderstorm, and I’m terrified there will be a flash flood in the narrow canyon. Note the warning on the website (that my family apparently ignored). Overall, this is a horrible experience for me because of the weather!
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Visit the Gifford Homestead
- Eat pie at the historic cabin, and see lots of deer and turkey near the barn!
- Storm worsens, and we experience marble-sized hail
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Scenic Drive around the Park:
- See the Cathedral Valley rock formations
- Visit the Fremont Petroglyphs, carved by the natives in 600 AD
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Drive 3 hours to the town of Moab, Utah
Lodging/Overnight: VRBO House Rental: Rim Village Condo
Day 12: ARCHES NATIONAL PARK: MOAB, UTAH
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Drive 10 minutes from Moab to the entry of Arches National Park
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Hike several small trails and see landmarks including:
- Park Avenue Trail (awesome!)
- Landscape Arch (beautiful)
- Balanced Rock Trail
- Windows Rock
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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!
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Have dinner in town at the Moab Brewery
Lodging/Overnight: VRBO House Rental: Rim Village Condo
Day 13: ARCHES NATIONAL PARK ⇒ CANYONLANDS, UTAH
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Stop at the Canyon Voyages Office Moab to rent kayaks for the day
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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 share, the current pulled our kayak downriver. It was a big fiasco trying to chase it down!
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Drive 35 minutes to the entrance of Canyonlands National Park
- Do the Crater View Trail to Upheaval Dome
- Hike the Mesa Arch Loop Trail
- Green River Overlook at Sunset
- We wish we would have camped in Canyonlands, it looked incredibly scenic!
Lodging/Overnight: VRBO House Rental: Rim Village Condo
Day 14: MOAB, UTAH ⇒ SALT LAKE CITY
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Explore and shop the hip town of Moab, with lunch at food truck, Quesadilla Mobilla
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Drive 4 hours to Salt Lake City, Utah.
- Walk area around the Mormon Temple and gardens
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Fly home out of Salt Lake Airport – Hope you enjoyed your great UTAH ROAD TRIP!!
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As always, all reviews and opinions are my own. However, should you choose to book any of the linked trips, hotels, or excursions I may receive a small affiliate fee. Utah road trip.
14 Comments
Amazing post! Thanks for the link back- looking forward to seeing more of these places in 2017!
Another Iconic landscape…..would love to visit the canyons one day.
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.
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!! 😀
I did most of this trip about 18 months ago, it is such a beautiful area. I loved Zion its a beautiful park but I didn’t get a chance to hike the narrows as flash floods were forecast and 6 hikers were actually killed the day I was there (in another part of the park). Bryce I hiked down into the canyon even though it was raining, it was beautiful. Arches was one of my favourite parks, I did most of the hikes. Canyonlands too was beautiful and so was the Grand Canyon, though sunset was a little disappointing. I also made it over to Death Valley on this trip too.
YES!! This is a road trip to be reckoned with! We spent all of last summer visiting 13 national parks across the U.S. and in Canada. We hit a few of these and will going back this fall to hit the rest. Perfect itinerary for those planning to be in the area for only a few weeks.
I absolutely loved this post. I think Utah is one of our prettiest states, and you guys did it up right! I want to go!
Great post! Your pictures are amazing, makes us really want to visit and explore the Grand Canyon and the national parks! Your trip there looked epic I’m so jealous!
WOWOW super itinerary and the sights are fantastic ! It looks like an epic trip and gorgeous! I love Petroglyphs so that would have been my highlight !
The pictures of the snake convinced me not to go! haha I’m super scared of them and I usually just freeze and it takes a while until I restore my normal operating mode.
If I get over it, Angel’s Landing will be my trail to hike!
How did you bring your camping gear? Did you fly with it or rent? Thanks for the post!
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.
What a great itinerary. I heard so much about these amazing parks and the mesmerizing region, that I really hope I’ll get to visit it one day soon! Wonderful landscapes! Nature is really impressive!
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!