Get ready to plan your trip to the Southwest during this season. The roads are beautiful and the national parks are open, take this opportunity now.
Plan your road trip to the Southwest where you can add some of the most spectacular national parks and beautiful picturesque journeys. While you plan your trip you must take into regard the following aspects. By following these measures you will have a seamless trip to this area. So without any further adieus here are some Southwest road trip tips:
- You can buy National Parks Passes ahead for you and your family from online platforms.
- Make sure you have extra water as this area will not offer a water station in every mile
- Allow to have extra time in hand as hiking can be tough on you especially if you don’t have the habit of it.
- Best Time to Travel Here is between March and Early autumn.
- The trip will include the following places with a drive route that covers 1350 miles roughly.
Mark these places in your road map to understand the process. Mobile GPS is useful but having a physical map will help you even further as your battery might die if you take a bit extra time. Sometimes, there might not be enough network coverage. Here’s the list of places you will visit during this journey, this is going to be a Vegas-to-Vegas trip.
- Valley of Fire State Park (Nevada)
- Zion National Park (Utah)
- Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Goblin Valley State Park (Utah)
- Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Arches National Park (Utah)
- Monument Valley (Utah/Arizona)
- Sights in Page, Arizona
- Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
Day 1: From Vegas, you will take the route to Valley of Fire (Nevada) you will reach Zion (Utah)
Vegas would be the ideal place to start this journey; you can also start your journey from Salt Lake City as well, Utah. You can take a flight to Vegas and land at the Harry Reid International Airport. The journey through the Valley of Fire will surely allow you to get more opportunities to take some of the most enjoyable journeys. This is a 2.5-hour drive to Zion. During this drive, you can enjoy Valley of Fire State Park (Nevada) and hike on some highly fascinating trips.
Day 2: Explore the Zion National Park in (Utah)
You can take a free shuttle from Springdale into Zion National Park to enjoy this fascinating journey. This journey includes 5 Mighty National Parks and this is the first of them. Yet, you will not be able to find any shuttle ride into the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. This drive will be completed by another set of shuttles assigned for the visitors. In between these Rust-red mountains, you will have some of the most powerful journeys of your life.
Day 3: From Zion, you will Visit Bryce Canyon via Mount Carmel Highway
Heading towards Bryce Canyon you will need to take the Mount Carmel Highway. This is when you get to see the beautiful Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah) and the journey is also quite impressive. Alongside serene scenery, you will also have to cross a 1.1-mile-long tunnel. The Canyon Overlook Trails is something you can be easily apprehended in this beautiful journey. This journey will be completed within 1 hour and 20 minutes. Yet, the 18-mile hiking trip is something you must be ready for.
Day 4: From Bryce Canyon via Goblin Valley you will reach Moab
After completing a hectic day 3 you need to be ready for the Utah special Goblin Valley State Park. This picturesque journey is something that will demand your strength. At the sunset point, you can join the 2-hour long journey where you can see some foggy wet mountains and a wet morning. It makes it more compelling and enjoyable to spectator this journey. You can also spend time at this beautiful place and take some amazing snaps. This day will involve a total of 5 to 6 hours of driving.
Day 5: Canyonlands National Park
You cannot miss the beautiful arch of Canyonlands National Park; many travelers visit this national park just to observe this beautiful arch in between the trekking patch. Yes, you can easily finish the trek within a few hours but it is highly recommended that you spend the day at each national park just to assimilate the flavors of the vibrant nature. There are majorly two main sections in this park one is Island in the Sky and the other one is The Needles. Both of these places are 60 miles apart and you cannot afford to miss any one of them.
If you spend a day at this national park then you will get to watch both the point with a little bit of hiking in the middle. To reach this national park there is going to be 2 to 3 hours of driving involved. This location is 45 minutes drive from Moab where you can get many options to spend the night and get ready for day 6.
Day 6: Arches National Park
After spending the night at a Moab hotel you can take 15 minutes drive to reach Arches National Park (Utah). This is the most beautiful part of Utah as it has some 2,000 natural stone arches in this area. Along with this, you will also get to see several pinnacles, cliffs, and balanced rocks. The color of this area has a vibrant orange-red hue which is spectacular to witness. Here also you will need to dedicate the entire day to this beautiful park.
You need to make your reservation to enjoy this beauty in between 7 am to 4 pm. This part is open between the 1st of April to October 31st, book your tickets accordingly. Again to spend the night you can go back to Moab and rent an apartment there. To cover this park area you will need to take a drive for 2 to 3 hours and you can hike in between these fascinating places.
Day 7: Moab to Page, AZ via Monument Valley
After spending several days in Utah and enjoying the beauty of this place, you will get to visit Arizona and the beautiful Monument Valley. On day 7 you will take a ride to the town called Page, Arizona. The journey is extremely beautiful and you might want o stop in various places just to keep a longer look at those spectacular sceneries. You might already have seen this place in various movies and timeless classics like “Breaking Bad” and you will get to reach this stupendously beautiful place on this trip.
This 2 hours and 50 minutes drive from Moab and the loop of 17 miles will take your heart away. The complete driving time of this day is almost 5 hours. Once you reach Page you will get various beautiful recommendations for staying the night. There you will find some extremely popular BBQ places to eat and rest for the night to prepare for the last part of your journey.
Day 8: Page, Arizona
Though it is a tiny town, you must visit many places during your time in Page. Starting with Lake Powell and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, you can take a short drive from Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon and enjoy the natural beauty of this place. Start your morning at the Horseshoe Bend which is a 10 to 15-minute drive from the hotel area of this place. Here you can take a short hike to reach the peak 1100 feet above the sea level. The hike is approximately 3 to 4 miles long but uphill. If you are planning to visit this place you need to have proper footwear.
The Sights in Page, Arizona also include the beautiful tour to Upper Antelope Canyon. Antelope Canyon has two sections lower and upper, but if you are willing to take some brilliant photos, you need to aim for Upper Antelope Canyon where you can find the most dynamic beaming light. If you are willing to see the light beams then make sure you are there between 11 am to 1 pm. But expect to have a lot of company in this place. Next on the list is Lake Powell, you can rent a kayak or a standup paddleboard to enjoy the scenery of this region. There are many places to stay near Lake Powell, where you can spend the night and get ready for Day 9.
Day 9: The Grand Canyon
After having a sumptuous Mexican dinner and a refreshing breakfast you can set off for the last day of this trip. Back in 2011, this place used to be a lot quieter and a bit dangerous as well. But now, alongside some safety, the popularity of this place has increased immensely. If you are planning your trip in the winter then you will find many of these places closed From April to autumn are the best places to visit. The drive to Grand Canyon National Park can be completed easily if you take Route 64. There’s a village and the South Rim visitor center which you can enjoy a lot.
This is the second last day of your trip and the last day in Arizona. This day’s journey involves a total driving time of 4 hours and the entry fee to this area is pretty expensive. You can find various affordable and convenient satiable options are this place along with some fun activities for the night and some great places to eat during the day.
Day 10: Drive back to Las Vegas
On the last day of your travel, you will need to make your way back to Vegas and for that, you can take a 4-hour long flight to Vegas. You can also stay for a day in Vegas before you return to your daily life. And everyone knows how to enjoy their time in Vegas so have a good place to rest and party hard after sundown. And that’s it; your most impressive road trip is over within 10 days.
The things you must pack if you are taking this road trip:
- Lightweight clothing you can layer
- Good hiking boots
- A raincoat
- Sunscreen
- Road Map
- A Cooler
- Roadside Emergency Kit
Now you know when to visit and what you must pack for the trip along with a complete road map. So, make sure to use this comprehensive information to have the most gala time reading with your friends and family while you enjoy the beautiful places in this area. Make sure to have a safe journey out there.
