How To See Seven UT & AZ National Parks In Six Days

Inside: Get a family-friendly day-to-day itinerary with hotels, restaurants, and activities for a national parks road trip to Utah and Arizona.

Utah

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“Just got back from this trip! Used this blog to plan ALL of it and it was spot on!”

This summer our family visited seven parks in Utah and Arizona–in just six days. And we had a fantastic time!

We took this trip with my high school French exchange student and her family (yes, we’ve stayed in touch for 30 years). They’d been wanting to visit the Western U.S. and thought it would be fun to do the trip together.

Since I didn’t know anything about Utah or Arizona, I was more than happy to let their travel agent handle the arrangements. But I’m also a world-class worrier, so when we got the itinerary, I was anxious about a few things:

The pace. I was worried that visiting six parks in six days would be exhausting. BUT I’m actually very glad we saw so much. Sure, we would’ve been happy with an extra day in Zion, but otherwise, we were ready to move on and see the next park each day.

The driving. The parks are 2-5 hours apart from each other, so there’s a lot of driving involved. BUT our family rented a minivan, so we had plenty of room to spread out and be comfortable (and both families could take short trips together in one vehicle, which was nice). Plus, the scenery was so breathtaking, and there were many scenic places to stop along the way, it truly made the time go by quickly.

The kids. Even though our kids are older (ages 11 and 15 when we took this trip), I worried they wouldn’t be interested in the views or that the hiking would be too strenuous. BUT I was wrong! They took it all in, did just fine on the hikes, and seemed to genuinely appreciate the beauty.

Grand Canyon National Park

The heat. We were in Utah and Arizona the first week of August, so I was bracing myself for the weather. BUT besides the heat on the sand dunes at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, the temperatures weren’t too bad. It was even cool (in the 70s!) at the Grand Canyon.

A few important points about our itinerary:

  • We did not camp. We don’t own camping equipment and knew we would be more comfortable staying in hotels. We all slept well each night and were grateful for hot showers, clean sheets and towels, and soft beds.
  • We weren’t on a tight budget. We were able to use airline points to fly (almost) for free, but the hotels, activities, rental car, and meals did add up. There are certainly plenty of ways to see these parks cheaper, but we decided to splurge on this vacation and not stress about the budget so much.
  • We were spontaneous with meals. We ate a lot of lunches in the van with the groceries we bought. I took on the task of picking the restaurant each night for dinner, but did my research on the fly as we were driving into town. I’ve indicated below the places we especially enjoyed and the ones that were just okay.
  • Our families used this travel guide book: Lonely Planet Western USA in planning where to go and what to see.

There are a million different ways to see these parks, but I hope this gives you some ideas–or at least inspires you to see these amazing parks too!

Zion National Parks

Our National Parks Road Trip Itinerary

DAY 1: Zion National Park

  • Arrive at Las Vegas Airport in the morning
  • Rent car: We opted for a minivan so we would have more space and could share some rides with the family we traveled with
  • Head to Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah
  • LUNCH: on the road (we stopped at a Panera outside Vegas)
  • Stop at grocery store between Las Vegas and Springdale to buy groceries (see the grocery list at bottom), plus a styrofoam cooler and ice. We are not typically Wal-Mart shoppers, but that’s what was most convenient. There are several along the route to Zion.
  • HOTEL: Majestic View Lodge, located in Springdale at the entrance to Zion Park. There is a small pool and a restaurant, plus a fun little museum in the main lodge. This was the view from our first-floor room:
Majestic View Lodge in Zion
  • Pick up rental equipment for hiking The Narrows (neoprene socks, waterproof boots, and a walking stick) at Zion Outfitter.
  • DINNER: Meme’s Café or other nearby restaurant. There are a lot of options near the hotel.

DAY 2: Zion, Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park & Bryce Canyon National Park

  • Up at 6am.
  • BREAKFAST: Eat in room from groceries purchased yesterday (we had bagels with peanut butter, milk boxes, and fruit).
  • Drive to parking lot behind Zion Outfitter for free Zion shuttle. We were in line no later than 7am (it gets crowded and we were advised to be in the lot by 8am FYI!). Pack snacks and water.
  • Hike The Narrows as far in as you want—it’s one way in and out! When we were there in August, the water was cool but not cold, and the deepest point hit my 11-year-old at the waist. We did two hours in, two hours out.
Hiking the Narrows
  • Take the free shuttle bus back to the lot and return equipment to Zion Outfitter.
  • LUNCH: Buy groceries (such as bread, lunch meat, fruit or prepared sandwiches) at the food mart next to Zion Outfitter and eat outside under awning.
  • Drive to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. Rent sled ($25 for three hours) and ride down sand dunes. Wear close-toed shoes (not sandals!) and hats and bring lots of water.
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

DAY 3: Bryce Canyon National Park & Arches National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park
  • BREAKFAST: Free breakfast at hotel.
  • Drive to three scenic points in Bryce (Inspiration Point, Sunset Point, and Sunrise Point). Park at each to view the canyon. We walked the Navajo Loop at Sunset Point, which took us about an hour. It was steep on the way back up!
  • Drive to Moab. Take scenic route 12—one of the most scenic roads in America! It will add time onto your trip but be worth it. Stop at Kiva Koffeehouse for a pit-stop. Stop again at mini-mart where Rte 12 meets Rte 24 for a bathroom break.
  • LUNCH: in car with groceries. (For a few days of this trip, we ate large breakfasts and dinners and used the groceries in our van to sustain us in between. We ate a lot of PBJs! It worked for us. You may want to do it differently.)
  • HOTEL: Best Western Plus Canyonlands Inn Moab
  • DINNER: The Spoke across the street from the hotel. It was fine, but there are lots of walkable restaurants around the hotel, including Italian and Thai places.
Arches National Park

Day 4: Arches & Monument Valley

  • BREAKFAST: Free breakfast in hotel.
  • Adrift Adventures: 4×4 tour of Arches National Park. I would opt for a different activity if I could do it again. It lasts more than 4 hours and you only see one arch up close, and it’s not ideal for carsick-prone kids (like mine!).
Arches National Park
  • LUNCH: Stop in the cute coffee shop next door to Adrift Adventures for drinks and snacks.
  • Drive to Monument Valley (Note: Monument Valley is a Navajo-operated park, so you cannot use a National Parks Pass for entrance. There is a separate fee involved.) On the way, stop at Valley of the Gods and Needles Overlook pictured below (both are amazing and worth the extra time!).
Needles Overlook
  • HOTEL: The View Hotel. Get a room with a view—you can sit outside on your little terrace. Here’s the view from our balcony:
The View Hotel in Monument Valley
  •  DINNER: Get take-out from the hotel restaurant and sit on the patio to eat it. The portions are huge (my teenage son and I shared a burger and still had leftovers).
  • Star-gaze! This was the most impressive display of the night sky that we saw on our trip.

Day 5: Monument Valley & Lake Powell

  • BREAKFAST: Buffet at hotel. It’s not included in your stay and a bit pricey, but we sprang for it in lieu of buying lunch.
  • Monument Valley on horseback, in a group. Supervised by a Navajo guide. This lasted two hours and was our kids’ favorite activity of the trip!
Horseback Riding in Monument Valley Park
  • Return to View hotel for a stop in the bathrooms and to visit gift shop.
  • LUNCH: in car with groceries.
  • Drive to Lake Powell.
  • HOTEL: Lake Powell Resort. This hotel is in the park itself and we had a nice view, but you could stay outside the park at a less expensive hotel. Here’s the view from our room:
Lake Powell Resort
  • Antelope Canyon Tour: This is one of the most photographed sites in Western America and is also known as “Corkscrew Canyon”. You take a 20-minute ride in an open 4×4 to get there, then spend 1 hour walking in the canyon, which is cool and shaded. This was an excellent and beautiful tour!
Antelope Canyon Tour
  • DINNER: Fiesta Mexican Restaurant across the street from Antelope Canyon Tours. This is a fun and affordable Mexican restaurant. Portions (and margaritas!) are enormous. Get there before 7:30 to avoid a wait.

 Day 6: Lake Powell & Grand Canyon

  • BREAKFAST: Canyon Crepes Café. We loved this little place, tucked away around the corner from the Antelope Canyon Tours office. We got crepes (savory and sweet) and smoothies.
  • Tour of Glen Canyon Dam. The tour lasts 45 minutes and costs just $5. Make advance reservations. If you don’t do the tour, you can still stop and check out the museum and look at the dam. It’s spectacular!
Glen Canyon Dam
  •  Drive to Grand Canyon. Along the way, stop at Horseshoe Bend ($10 to enter) on the way, which involves a 25-minute hike to the scenic overlook. Check it out below. Gorgeous!
Horseshoe Bend
  • LUNCH: in car with groceries.
  • HOTEL: Yavapai Lodge East on South Rim of Grand Canyon.
  • Head to Rim Trail for a 1-hour walk.
  • DINNER: Yavapai Lodge cafeteria (you could find another option, this was just close and easy for us.) 
Grand Canyon National Park

Day 7: Grand Canyon & Depart

  • Up by 6:30 to pack van and check out.
  • BREAKFAST: Yavapai cafeteria.
  • Take free shuttle bus across street on Blue Route to Hermits Rest Route Transfer to Bright Angel Trailhead. Hike down 30-45 minutes and back up.
  • LUNCH: in van with remaining groceries on way to airport.
  • Stop at Hoover Dam on the way if there’s time.
  • Return rental van.
  • DINNER: At airport before evening flight.

Things to Consider for a National Parks Road Trip

  • Buy a National Parks Pass ($80 for one year for a family of four) to save money on entrance fees if you’re visiting multiple parks.
  • Check out the FREE parks pass that’s available to all fourth graders: Every Kid Outdoors
  • Take part in the Junior Ranger Program, which we didn’t have time to do but is supposed to be fun for kids. They get passport-type stamps at each park.
  • Bring some games for the car. I printed out a License Plate Game (like this one), and my teenager actually ended up being the most excited about it (and he found 42 states!). Next time, I’d print out more games like that one.

 Items to Pack for A National Parks Road Trip (Summer)

I love these packing cubes. I bought them in different colors, and each family member used a different color. They feature a “compression zipper”, so you save even more space. If you’re flying, here’s my favorite roller bag: We have this incredibly lightweight suitcase in two different colors, and you can either check it or carry it on.

  • Hats (preferably wide-brimmed)
  • Sunglasses
  • Hiking shoes or tennis shoes with sturdy soles and good socks
  • Pants and shorts
  • Long-sleeved shirt or light sweatshirt
  • Rain jacket
  • Day pack
  • Water bottles and/or hydration backpacks

Grocery List Ideas for National Parks Road Trip

  • Syrofoam cooler + ice (you could also pack a soft-sided cooler in your luggage, but we didn’t have room)
  • Hot/cold insulated bag (this made it easy to get ice from hotel ice machines plus store extra drinks, etc.)
  • Peanut butter
  • Jelly
  • Bread
  • Bagels
  • Crackers
  • Apples
  • Shelf-stable boxes of milk
  • Beef jerky
  • Dried fruit
  • Nuts
  • Pretzels
  • Granola bars
  • Small bottles sports drinks (I’m not typically a fan of sports drinks for leisure activities, but it was helpful with the heat and activity!)
  • Bottled water (we mostly used our reusable bottles, but this was helpful to have in a pinch)
  • Half-sized cans of ginger ale (in case of car sickness)
  • Local beer (we kept this cold in the cooler and enjoyed it on the balconies of our hotels with our friends)
  • Hard candy and/or mints for hikes
  • Sunscreen (stick for face, spray/cream for body)
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Roll of paper towels
  • Wipes to clean hands and other things

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41 Comments

  1. What a great trip and memories for a life time!We did a very similar version of Utah and Arizona this summer as well , covering 3 national parks and 2 state parks in the 7 days.

    1. It was an operation right on the hotel property. They had a kiosk in the lot. If you contact the hotel, they can probably tell you.

  2. We did almost the exact same trip in March! So much fun. (My 1 and 4 year olds did great)

  3. Oh my goodness! We did a similar trip to Zion, Arches, and Moab a few years back. Been dreaming of going back there as soon as the parks reopen! Your post will be incredibly helpful. Thank you so much for sharing!

  4. This is great info! How far ahead did you plan your trip – specifically how far ahead did you need to make hotel reservations?

    1. We started booking about 8 months in advance. I’ve heard that hotels and lodges around national parks can book up 6-12 months in advance, but I’m guessing that may be different this year and maybe even next year.

  5. Wow, this is one epic trip! I wish I had seen this sooner, but we had gone on a road trip through Vegas, AZ and UT, stopping at many of the same stops you made. The only difference is that we travelled with our dog so had to take extra consideration with which parks to visit and activities to do. Your route and stops are really good, and I recommend it for those who want to see many of the stops you made. Some of our evening stops were farther apart, and I have to say, certain days of driving were really difficult. Thanks for sharing your trip!

    1. Hi Markus–hope you enjoyed your trip too. And yes, there was definitely a lot of driving involved!

  6. Hi Sally,

    I just want to thank you for this incredible detailed guide. I have been researching the Utah parks for while but have not found any guide that I could feel confident to rely on. I guess I feel a little intimidated because most of the guides about these Utah parks focus too much on hiking long demanding trails that are not really my thing. I think it makes more sense to see me read it from a mom and family perspective. Do you think it would be less crowded in September? And would it be possible to do this trip in October?

    1. Hi Paul–So glad this was helpful to you. Don’t know what the crowds are like in the fall, am guessing they would be much lower with kids back in school. The only thing that might change is hiking the Narrows. As it gets cooler, the water will get colder. But that’s definitely something you could find out, in terms of how deep into the fall/winter you can hike that. Happy planning and I hope you have a great trip!

  7. Are there any hikes that you did that would be worrisome for someone who is scared of heights. He’s not horrible but he was asking about it. Thank you

    1. Hi Stacie–I am pretty afraid of heights too, actually. 🙂 The Grand Canyon hike was a little unsettling because it’s such a STEEP (to put it mildly) drop-off down into the canyon, but the trail is wide enough that you can stick to the inside if you feel iffy. The hike down into Bryce Canyon had some steep spots but I didn’t feel afraid. And the look-outs we stopped at all along the way mostly had railings.

  8. Thank you so much for sharing this it is so helpful! Did you fly into Las Vegas and also out of Las Vegas?

  9. Thank you for this wonderful post! Where did you rent sleds at the Coral Pink Sand Dunes? I can’t find any information about this on their site…wondering if that is maybe not available right now? Thanks for your help!

  10. I have spent hours, if not days, on this page while planning our trip for this Summer. While some of us love adventure and hiking, for a family trip we needed something more along the lines of easier hikes and hotel stays. This was PERFECT. We will have a 17 and 15 year old with us and we love road tripping (I really hear you on the eating snacks from the groceries in the car….this is our way for many trips) and this has helped us SO MUCH to maximize what we see within one trip. I’ve followed your suggestions pretty well, with some minor changes (not staying in Lake Powell and we are staying one day in Las Vegas at the end and seeing Hoover Dam in there, too, since we have 8 days plus a travel day to get back east at the end.). Pandemic closures have made it more challenging to plan ahead, but I’m sure this will offer us a wonderful trip. I’m really grateful you took the time to write this up and share!

    1. Jamie–I’m so glad this post has been helpful to you! That’s great to hear. Have a fantastic trip!!

  11. I am so grateful you chose to share your experiences and include so much detail about where and why you opted for what you did.including links and photos. Well done!!!
    I am even more pumped to travel these parks too:)

  12. For the Horseshoe Bend, did you have to reserve the $10 parking fee in advance? Thank you, this is a wonderful itinerary and appreciate this so much!

  13. Thank you so much for posting this! While I might edit it a little, I have been trying for months to plan a trip to UT and AZ with my family and have been so stressed about the best way to do it. This has helped me a lot!

    1. Emily–I’m so happy to hear that it has helped you. Have a fantastic trip!

  14. How cool you have stayed in touch with your French exchange student!! I’d love to do a family trip like this!

    Did you just recently go on this trip, which year?

    I was also wondering if you know if the hotels you stayed in all have rooms that could accommodate up to 5 people? We usually have to stay in suites that have two queen beds and a sofa bed with three kids.

    1. Hi Anke–We took this trip in August of 2019. And I’m not sure about the hotels accommodating five–you’d need to reach out to them and ask. We always had a double room with two queen beds. Hope my post helps you with planning. We absolutely loved this trip!

    1. The hikes were all doable. Hiking the Narrows can be tricky because of the water and the rocks, so you might want to look into that further and see if it sounds like something he’s comfortable with.

  15. Just got back from this trip! Used this blog to plan ALL of it and it was spot on! We skipped coal pink sand dunes to spend more time at Zion and wish we would have skipped the valley of the gods but it made for a good family memory. Thanks for the detailed post. Ate and stayed at some of the very same places! THANK YOU Sally!

    1. Sarah–I’m so glad to hear this!!! Thank you for letting me know. Hope you had an amazing time! 🙂

  16. Loved your itinerary so I based our trip there this past summer (July 2024), doing a park a day. It was 4 of us, my husband and 2 teen girls age 13 & 15. I am giving my update in case others go by your trip in the future! After Las Vegas (and getting rental car from the airport) we stayed in Cliffrose Springdale outside of Zion which also had awesome views and was a good place to stay! Meme’s Cafe was good! 7am shuttle for Narrows hike the next morning (ended up hiking 5 hours – Wall Street and back), then drove to Bryce Canyon with a stop at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park – just saw and did not sled – it was HOT and no one was sledding in the middle of the day. Stayed at Best Western Bryce Canyon – great location and had delicious pizza at The Pizza Place. Stayed at Moab Springs Ranch at Arches NP, which was a cute place to stay that I wished we had another night there! Arches NP has timed entry these days (7am and after) which I didn’t realize but worked just fine getting there at 6am to hike Delicate Arch. For Monument Valley I thought I booked the horseback riding but ended up just a tour. But the regular tour with a Navajo guide was Awesome and we may have been too hot on the horses anyways for the middle of summer. The View Hotel had great views but we had some storms that prevented us from getting the full starry sky effect. For the Antelope Canyon used “Adventurous Antelope Canyon” and stayed at Lake Powell Resort. The Fiesta Mexican Restaurant you recommended was really good! Stayed at the Yavapai Lodge East at Grand Canyon and stopped at Hoover Dam on the way back to airport. Thank you for posting your trip! It made it easier for my planning and we really had an adventurous trip to remember!

    1. I’m so glad our itinerary helped you Barbara, and thank you so much for including those updates. Sounds like it was an amazing trip!