Best Utah national parks road trip – Epic 9-day itinerary

This 9-day road trip through Utah and Arizona was one of the best road trips I have taken in the US, thus far. Yes, they were all rocks, but each with a distinctive color, unique shape, unparalleled pattern, and such that you won’t find anywhere else!

If visiting Utah’s Mighty Five is on your wish list too, then this ultimate 9-day road trip itinerary through Utah and Arizona, covering 6 national parks in one go, can give you all the information you need, to plan your trip !!

So sit tight, because its a long itinerary with multiple stops and stay locations. Some may find it a bit too strenuous, in which case you can modify as you like.

Important Details for the Utah National Parks Trip

1. The ideal time to cover this itinerary should be around 14 days. I would definitely like to recommend to avoid planning in peak summers (June & July especially) to avoid burning yourself in the scorching sun. We completed our trip just in time and had to bear almost 100F (almost 40C) in the last few days.
2. The trip covers all places in a loop starting and ending at Las Vegas. Alternatively, you can also use Salt Lake City, Utah as the anchor point of your loop.
3. The cost would approximately be $2500 inclusive of flight (to and fro- from New Jersey to Vegas), food, lodging, car rentals, gas, national park entry & reservations for an adult
4. All National Parks have an entry fee of $30-$40 per vehicle

If you have questions or need more details, you can either comment or DM me on my Instagram

Here is a mark-up of the points on the map –

A/I – Las Vegas

B – Grand Canyon Village, Arizona

C – Page, Arizona

D – Monument Valley, Arizona

E – Moab, Utah

F – Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

G – Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

H – Zion National Park, Utah

Utah essentials

1. You should not skip applying sunscreen every two hours (I bought all forms of sunscreen – cream, spray, roll-ons etc. just to stay sun protected)
2. Stay hydrated as much as possible. The trip includes day long explorations and hikes. Hydration will help you get through the trip with ease and not miss out on the ultimate beauty of this place 🙂
3. Make prior stay reservations to avoid any last minute complications. Plus, you literally change stay each day. So, its better to get it all sorted before-hand
4. For some places like Antelope and few hikes with guided tours, prior reservations are necessary
5. Arizona has two time zones (MST & PST). So, while travelling to locations within Arizona, its better to always confirm the time zones of the destination with the current local time. Fun fact – We were almost on the verge of canceling our Antelope tour reservation thinking that we weren’t gonna make it, since we crossed over to MST on our to Antelope from Grand Canon. Thanks to the bad network, we couldn’t cancel :p

A Day-by-Day Travelogue

Day 1 – Las Vegas

Details

This step depends on where you fly/drive from. Would suggest also pre-book your rental car, if you are flying in.

Stay –

Stay the night at a hotel in Vegas and get good rest. There are multiple options to choose from. The fun is about to begin!!

Day 2 – Drive to Grand Canyon National Park from Las Vegas

Details –

Start your day early & drive from Vegas to Grand Canyon NP, which takes about 4.5 hours.

Explore the national park today. There is an amazing free shuttle service available throughout the park. Make sure to do the ‘red line’ which covers some of the beautiful spots along the South Rim

Stay –

Book your stay in Tusayan. There are lodging options available within the national park too.

Day 3 – Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend

Details –

Drive through the scenic spots of the ‘Desert View drive’ of the Grand Canyon NP and reach Page, Arizona. The drive takes about 2.5hours

Make prior reservations for the Antelope Canyon tours. For our dates, we could find suitable times only for Lower Canyon tours, so make sure you book for your dates in advance. We booked using this website.

Visit the Horseshoe bend for sunset. $10 entry ticket per vehicle.

Stay –

Stay the night at Page

Day 4 – Monument Valley & Forest Gump Point

Details –

You will head to Moab today, in Utah, for the next set of national parks

On your way, make a pit stop at Monument Valley, a 2-hour drive from Page. The entry fee is $8 per person. The 17-mile drive loop is a must to see the unique geological formations up close.

Don’t miss the Forest Gump Point on your way

Stay –

Book your stay for day 4 & 5 at Moab, Utah

Day 5 – Arches and Canyonlands National Park

Details –

This might be a stretch for some, so you can pick and choose the scenic spots accordingly.

We covered the ‘Islands in the Sky’ area of Canyonlands and stopped at Mesa Arch (0.6mi hike, roundtrip), Grand Viewpoint Overlook (drivable), Upheaval Dome First Overlook (0.6mi hike, roundtrip)

As for Arches we did, Balance Rock (visible from the road), The Windows (short walk to Double Arch), Devil’s Garden (1.9mi hike to Landscape Arch) and Delicate Arch Upper Viewpoint (0.5mi hike, roundtrip). If you do have stamina remaining, I suggest to aim for the actual trail to the Delicate Arch instead of the Viewpoint (3mi roundtrip)

Stay –

In Moab

Day 6 – Capitol Reef National Park

Details –

Drive to Capitol Reef NP, that takes about 2.5hrs from Moab. There are multiple hiking options at Gooseneck point, Hickman Bridge, Grand Wash.

You should also sit back and relax at the picturesque picnic spots while having a delicious fruit pie from the famous Gifford House.

Also, check their websites to see the latest updates on the scenic drive. The drive was closed during our visit.

You can also plan to visit Cathedral Valley (almost 1.5 hrs away from the main visitor center area) to see the stunning rock formations of this area. High clearance cars are recommended for this drive.

Stay –

Drive to Bryce Canyon city (another 2.5 hrs from Cathedral Valley) and stay the night in the city

Day 7 – Bryce Canyon National Park

Details –

Explore the national park today. There are multiple spots along the scenic drive that you can choose from. The Sunset, Sunrise and Inspiration and Natural Bridge Points were our favorites.

Stay –

Drive over to some place near Zion & stay the night. We booked an Airbnb at Le Verkin. Another option is to look for stays at Springdale

Day 8 – Zion National Park

Details –

Zion is magnanimous and there is so much to do. Make sure to drive through the scenic Mount Carmel Highway

The Narrows and Angels Landing are the most sought-after treks in the area. The scenic drive for Zion is only accessible by shuttle.

Stay –

Continue to stay at the same location

Day 9 – Las Vegas

This marks the end of your awesome trip! We drove back from Zion to Las Vegas (2hrs) and witnessed the stunning Bellagio Fountains work in Vegas before heading to the airport for our flight back to New Jersey.

Share your story of the best road trip you had?