Colorado Plateau
5 States
9 National Parks
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15 days
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1,800 miles
Highlights
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Hike into the Grand Canyon
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Party in Las Vegas
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See all 5 of Utah's parks
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Stargaze in Monument Valley
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Hike Angels Landing & the Narrows
National Park
checklist
Grand Canyon
Petrified Forest
Mesa Verde
Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Arches
Canyonlands
Capitol Reef
Bryce Canyon
Zion
Our example itinerary
Day 1 - Las Vegas, NV
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Las Vegas has plenty of nicknames! Sin City, City of Light, Gambling Capital of the World... most of these are based on the incredible night life that Vegas offers! Virtually every hotel has a casino, but if trying to make back the cost of your vacation isn't for you, there's tonnes of concerts, shows and clubs to entertain and wear you out! Keep an eye on what artists and shows are coming through town to make sure you book what you want to see!
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But if you're not a party animal or night owl, don't think Vegas won't be for you. While most of the life in the city does occur at night because of hot the days are, you can still enjoy your time by the hotel pool, enjoy a meal out, or go to the shopping outlets! There are north and south outlets so you can easily reach them from wherever you're based in Las Vegas. If you're looking to go big, you can stay at the Bellagio, famous for its fountain and water show at night. Or stay at the Hilton Grand Vacations Club on the Las Vegas Strip for another hotel with a prime location!
There's also a whole host of activities and adventures based out of Las Vegas. Journey sand dunes on an all-terrain vehicle, kayak the beautiful Emerald Cove, visit the Hoover Dam, or ride horses around Red Rock Canyon at sunset! The possibilities are endless, but you'll definitely find something in or around this great desert city that's for you!
Stroll along the famous Vegas strip and step into the world of hotels, casinos and parties!
Day 2 - Grand Canyon National Park, AZ
Many of the nations national parks leave you in awe when you first see them, but not many do it quite as well as the Grand Canyon. Travel to the more popular south rim, reserving a campground plot, or stay in Grand Canyon Village, with the Bright Angel Lodge and Cabins a good choice. Explore a little of the rim trail to get your first sight of the majestic canyon, 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and about 70 million years old.
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Tick off what is for many, a bucket list experience, by flying on a helicopter over the canyon! While not cheap, it really is worth it, as you soar across forests of Ponderosa Pines before the surface of the earth drops away and the beauty of the canyon is displayed. Your guide will talk you through the various rock formations of the Grand Canyon via headset on the 45-minute flight. Grab dinner on your way back to the rim to enjoy sunset, as the light is scattered between the shadows of the canyon. The best way to end an awesome day!
Enjoy the thrill of soaring over the Grand Canyon, as you approach huge buttes and observe the historical rock layers that the snaking Colorado River deep below has carved. As you cut across the Kaibab National Forest you'll realise the sense of speed before the canyon opens up and the jaws drop. A bucket-list item if there ever was one!
Day 3 - Grand Canyon National Park, AZ
After flying over the canyon yesterday, surely it makes sense to enter the canyon today! Very few people head below the rim of the Grand Canyon, a real shame given how different the experience is! On the south rim there are two main trailheads - the South Kaibab Trail and Bright Angel. Which hike you go on and how far you journey into the canyon depends on how willing you are to get up early, and your level of fitness. The main things to remember are that the temperature in the canyon is significantly higher than at the rim, so carry plenty of water. And that the steep hike back out of the canyon is naturally significantly harder than the descent. Make sure you turn back before your body is telling you that it's getting tired.
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One of the finest hikes is down the Bright Angel Trail to Plateau Point, at 12 miles roundtrip, making it essential that you're an experienced hiker, with good fitness levels, and you start early, starting the descent during the dark of night. For most people, hiking the South Kaibab to Ooh Aah Point, which will take a couple of hours rather than half a day, is the best way to be inside the canyon. If you then feel up for it, you can carry on to Cedar Ridge, and possibly Skeleton Point in cooler conditions. The NPS recommends not going past Cedar Ridge during the summer as the trail gets steeper and tougher after Cedar Ridge. Whichever hike you choose, it's good to bear in mind that sometimes less is more, and whatever route and challenge you take on down into the canyon, it'll be a great experience!
The South Kaibab Trail starts at 7,260 ft, with many steep switchbacks at the start before reaching the first major view point, Ooh Aah. Carry on to reach Cedar Ridge, with O'Neill butte closely visible.
The Bright Angel Trail is more established, with water points and a ranger station located at the incredible Indian Gardens. Even more switchbacks await you than South Kaibab. Travel across the exposed ground to reach incredible Plateau Point with the Colorado River below.
Not many parts of the world can rival the scale and beauty of the Grand Canyon. Explore the park in more detail!
Day 4 - Petrified Forest NP & Monument Valley, AZ
The journey from the Grand Canyon to Monument Valley today is about three hours, but if you want to tick a national park off your list, leave early and extend the journey another few hours to go to Petrified Forest! The park is known for its fossils, with ancient trees dating back hundreds of millions of years being displayed following erosion of the Colorado Plateau.
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A petrified log is a fossil where the inside has been replaced by minerals, giving an unusual and beautiful appearance that looks like crystals wrapped in tree bark. The landscape is also colourful, with striped teepees and painted desert badlands. In just a few hours at the park, you can drive through, seeing small remnants of Route 66, explore small trails like Blue Mesa or Tawa, and take a peek at the Paleo Lab as you watch palaeontologists examine new fossils!
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As you approach the border of Arizona and Utah in the afternoon, you'll start to see the iconic buttes that stand proud in the desert. Monument Valley lies in the sacred land of the Navajo Nation, a native American tribe. They offer many trips off-road that allow you to learn more about their history, and see many parts of their land inaccessible to regular visitors. They offer a sunset tour, a sunrise tour, and a combination of the two, where you sleep in a hogan or out amongst the stars, which is glorious.
Contrasting lands continue as you travel into the desert, with the badlands of Petrified Forest NP the precursor for a stunning evening in Monument Valley.
Day 5 - Monument Valley & Mesa Verde NP, UT & CO
Make sure if you missed out on a sunset tour last night, that you get up early at explore Monument Valley at sunrise! It's yet another bucket list experience on this road trip! The colours changing over the orange sand, with the buttes and rock formations silhouetted just can't be missed!
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Once the tour has finished, head out north towards Mexican Hat. On the way, pull over at Forest Gump Point and recreate the famous scene! It's just a two hour drive to Mesa Verde National Park from here as you cross into your 4th state of the trip. Enter at the north of the park, but make sure to stop off at the National Park Visitor and Research Centre to purchase tickets for Balcony House and Cliff Palace on Chapin Mesa if you haven't already done so online. Tickets can be bought up to 14 days in advance, and often sell out quickly. As you drive through the park towards the main ancient Puebloan civilisations, there are a few overlooks giving great views of the Colorado plateau below. Follow the road round to Chapin Mesa and enjoy your tour of the dwellings with one of the fantastic National Park Service rangers! Cliff Palace is the largest and most impressive, having been a main site of rapid population growth in the 12th Century following drought in other nearby areas of the San Juan Basin.
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Take your time exploring all the cliff dwellings, and enjoy the Petroglyph Point Trail to see ancient carvings. There is some rock scrambling and narrow points with steep drops. If you want a slightly easier short hike, Soda Canyon has some nice views. Both of these hikes are located on Chapin Mesa. Stop at one of the overlooks on the descent out of the park for sunset, or stay the evening at the amphitheatre located at Morefield Campground, where rangers give an hour long presentation about the park, continuing a tradition started in 1907 by archaeologist Jesse Fewkes. Have a good nights sleep at the Mesa Verde Motel in Mancos, just east of the park entrance, ready for a beautiful mountain filled journey in the morning.
A fiery sunrise lights up the clouds covering Monument Valley, with sharp stacks lining up as they wait to be illuminated by the first light of the day.
The largest, most impressive cliff dwelling of Mesa Verde is Cliff Palace, nestled beneath the rocky overhang , perhaps to protect Puebloans from rival tribes in the region.
Day 6 - Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, CO
Arrive at the south rim, the side which the majority of people visit due to the lack of accessibility of the north rim, with a gravel road extending from Crawford Reservoir the only entry point. This deep, narrow canyon guards the Gunnison River at its base, one of the largest tributaries of the Colorado River. Once you've arrived, spend 2-3 hours enjoying the scenic drive that runs along the edge of the canyon, with 12 overlooks just a small walk away. You might notice that many parts of the canyon and river are in the darkness of shade - some parts only get 33 minutes of sunlight a day, giving the park its name!
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On the drive, near the south rim visitor centre, are a number of small hikes, just a few miles in length. The Rim Rock Trail is relatively easy, as is the Uplands Trail, but the Oak Flat Loop Trail is more challenging. It's also possible to loop all these hikes together, and keep an eye out for elk and bears! Bears can be very keen to access the food of visitors, so practice the 'leave no trace' principles, ensuring not to litter or drop food on the trails. If you encounter a bear, make sure to back away slowly, facing towards the bear, and make plenty of noise to warn it away.
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Take some time to enjoy the Warner Point Trail, with a nature guide produced by the National Park Service teaching you all about the nature which this national park preserves! Stay after dark again, but this time to stargaze, especially if you didn't do so in Monument Valley or the Grand Canyon. This Dark Sky Park is open 24 hours a day so you can stay as long as you like. Find a good overlook, put the phones away, and let your eyes adjust to the galaxies above.
The striped walls of this segment of the canyon were formed when magma squeezed through gaps in the rock and crystallised.
Day 7 - Grand Junction, CO
After a relentlessly fast but fantastic week, take a day off in Grand Junction, Colorado, and rest what will surely be at this point, very weary bodies. The lovely, modern Hotel Maverick can play host, and then you can take on the day however you wish. Have a dip in the small pool, grab some lunch at the restaurant, or head out for a stroll around town. Two Rivers Winery is also located in the city if you'd like to enjoy a couple of glasses on your rest day!
Day 8 - Arches National Park, UT
Base yourself in the adventure fuelled town of Moab for the next few days, such as at Moab Springs Ranch. Today, let's tackle Arches National Park, home to over 2000 natural sandstone arches, illustrating yet another wondrous formation carved out by Mother Nature. Most of the famous arches are accessible via short hikes from the only road through the park. The Windows section is a great place to explore during summer, but if hiking in spring or fall with slightly cooler temperatures, then you must try the Devil's Garden Loop!
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Delicate Arch is probably the most famous, and to get up close, it is at the end of a moderately difficult trail. However, it's probably the busiest hike in the park, with queues to take pictures near the arch especially in peak season. It's definitely still worth checking out, but something to bear in mind! To get off the beaten path and see sights such as Tower Arch and fossilised dinosaur tracks, you'll need to adventure out on a 4x4 tour!
One of the finest examples in the park, Delicate Arch can be seen from afar at the viewpoint, or up close as you hike around the rim of the large panhole sitting next to it. You'll see this arch plenty of times this trip on quarters and Utah number plates, but no drawing does this isolated arch justice.
Day 9 - Canyonlands National Park, UT
Canyonlands is Utah's largest national park, but much is unaccessible for most visitors in absence of a lot of wilderness experience, and a 4x4. For most, the best way to experience the park is to arrive at the Island in the Sky district, one of three that make up the park, and definitely the most accessible. The most famous arch in the Park, Mesa, is located here, and is awesome at sunrise, but like Delicate Arch yesterday, it is very popular with tourists and photographers. Drive to nearby Green River Overlook for one of the furthest views of the park, looking out over the Green River before it merges with the Colorado, and seeing the Maze district on a clear day!
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You can also head out to Upheaval Dome, which may have been created by a meteorite impact. You can explore the whole area by foot, with quite a few different routes branching out from here. One includes a 1.2 mile out-and-back to a couple of viewpoints, which is probably the best option for today given the number of other stops in the park. Great landscapes are abundant even outside of the parks, with a series of sandstone domes and slickrock ledges found at Hell's Revenge making it one of Utah's best 4x4 off-road trails! You can also white water raft the Colorado River to feel the power that has carved out these landscapes on your road trip for yourself!
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For sunset tonight, leave Arches and travel 40 minutes to Dead Horse Point State Park. This park is famous for bordering Canyonlands National Park, providing one of the best views of the trip as you look over the mosaic of buttes. Grab a late dinner back in Moab, with plenty of Mexican, Asian, Italian and classic American options.
Dead Horse Point State Park sits at on a rocky outcrop, overlooking the vast, isolated and unforgiving Canyonlands NP. The Colorado River cuts through, meandering south west on its journey towards the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, and eventually Mexico.
Have a closer look at what Utahs amazing national parks offer!
Day 10 - Capitol Reef National Park, UT
Capitol Reef preserves a 100 mile Waterpocket fold, that has resulted in stunning cliffs and small canyons. Begin your exploration of the park at Fruita, one of the main early settlements in the park, with a few buildings and orchards remaining. You can even pick and eat the fruit! The visitor centre is also located here, where you can learn about the unique geological features of the park.
There are also 15 hikes based out of Fruita, so you're spoilt for choice, and can choose whatever length and difficulty you desire! Just bear in mind that the heat is relentless, so avoid hikes in the middle of the day, carry plenty of water, and wear sunblock. Cohab Canyon and Hickman Bridge are both well worth considering, being a few miles long with great views of Fruita and the Waterpocket fold!
Like many of Utahs parks, most of Capitol Reef is hard to reach without access to a 4x4. So if you didn't choose to adventure in one in Moab, a guided tour of capitol reef might be exactly what you're looking for! Explore Cathedral Valley, with famous sandstone monoliths called Temple of the Sun and Moon, and stopping at some of the best views. Settle in and relax for the evening at Red Sands Hotel and Spa.
Fruita was one of the main settlements located in what is now Capitol Reef NP, home to orchards of apples, apricots, pears and more! Children here used to attend a one room school. Fruita is also home to the only established campground in the park.
Day 11 - Capitol Reef & Bryce Canyon National Parks, UT
Take in nearly all of Capitol Reef via the Loop-the-Fold drive, a 124 mile loop taking around 4-6 hours depending on how many stops you make. You can traverse the whole loop with any vehicle, except for a detour at Strike Valley Overlook, where a 4x4 is necessary. However, you can skip past this segment if need be. The loop is one of the best ways to see the park as it circles the Waterpocket Fold which provides the geology and structure of the park, letting you really appreciate its beauty and unique features. The Burr Trail Switchbacks looking out over Strike Valley is a particularly cool photo spot!
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The journey to Bryce Canyon National Park is about 120 miles, giving time in the afternoon to explore it. This day is full of driving, but you can use it as a good opportunity to rest the legs in between hiking days! Enjoy the 38 mile round trip Bryce Canyon Scenic Drive along Highway 63, stopping at various overlooks on the way. End down by the amphitheatre, where you can choose from the aptly named Sunset point, which has Thor's hammer - a boulder stacked on top of a hoodoo. Alternatively you can choose Paria View, facing almost perfectly west, so you can usually watch the sun itself dip below the horizon. After enjoying sunset at one of these points, head back to your accommodation, whether that is camping, a hotel/motel such as Bryce Canyon Inn, or a nearby rental cabin.
The amphitheatre of Bryce Canyon, with the thousands of hoodoos, is an impressive sight at both sunrise and sunset.
Day 12 - Bryce Canyon National Park, UT
After exploring large parts of Utah yesterday by car, today it's time to explore Bryce Canyon on foot. If you want to descend into the canyon, Queen's Garden is the easiest trail. Or take on the Navajo Loop to see Thor's hammer, Two Bridges and the bottom of Wall Street. Most of the hikes are centered around the amphitheatre, and you can combine many of them on The Figure 8 Combination, looping at 6.4 miles which will take you about half a day. Keep an eye out for plenty of different bird species, with 175 documented to regularly visit the park!
Leave the park late in the afternoon and drive about two hours to your last national park of this trip, Zion. Plenty of hotels are available in Springdale, on the edge of the park. Or luxury camp at Zion Ponderosa for a taste of the outdoors for some of the last nights of this road trip!
Hike amongst the hoodoos on carefully curated paths, with many descending into the canyon around the amphitheatre - the most majestic region of the park.
Day 13 - Zion National Park, UT
Be prepared for an early start, probably setting off from the trailhead about half an hour before sunrise, to beat both the heat and crowds on one of the best day hikes in the whole of the United States. Angels Landing is unique, renowned for its chain linked, sheer-drop summit section. To get there, a series of tough switchbacks await, and while the hike is pretty short, at 5.4 miles out-and-back, the steepness is the challenge.
As you ascend and the sun continues to rise, the orange colours of the canyon become visible, and you start to see some of the iconic views of the park. Some sweeping open curved paths lead to Walter's Wiggles. Push through this relentless section to reach Scout Lookout, where you can then decide to hike the chain section if you're feeling prepared, confident and safe. 13 people have died on the trail since 2000, so take your time, respect other users of the trail, and only climb in good weather conditions.
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Once at the summit, enjoy the best view of Zion Canyon, sharing it with many of the chipmunks who seem to reside up there! As of 2022, the park is running a pilot permit program for the hike to help reduce the crowds and make sure it's safe. Ensure you enter the lottery long before your trip, or, if it's a more spontaneous adventure, you can apply for a day-before permit. Find out more here >
The view atop Angels Landing is the reward for the scramble up the chains. The canyon extends as far as the eye can see, with the different layers of rock visible on the giant sandstone walls. The desert rim of the canyon is replaced by forest on the floor, supported by the Virgin River, creating a lush paradise
Day 14 - Zion National Park, UT
Start the day by venturing out to the little visited East Zion, where slot canyons provide the perfect spot for canyoneering. For some added excitement, the tour begins by taking an all-terrain vehicle to the base point! The tour takes up about 4 hours, so pick the 8:30 start time if you can to maximise your adventure in The Narrows in the afternoon!
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The Narrows is a hike through a huge canyon, where you wade through the Virgin River, sometimes above waist height, even in summer. Check the weather conditions first as any rain in the forecast makes the hike very dangerous and inappropriate. You can hike 4.7 miles upstream before needing a permit, but we recommend going about 2-3 miles as it's more tiring than you'd expect given the resistance of the water. Along with Angels Landing, the Narrows is another unique and awesome hike that Zion hosts. Gear up with the appropriate clothing and footwear at Zion Outfitters. Definitely pick up the included hiking stick, to give you the stability and confidence you need to conquer the canyon! Grab dinner at Kings Landing Bistro or Spotted Dog as reward for all your hard work over the past two days!
With walls towering hundreds of feet above the Virgin River in places, it's incredible to think about how this river has carved such an impressive slice through ancient sandstone rock. Weave and cross the river multiple times before wading deeper as you advance into the canyon. The cool water will feel heavenly for those choosing to travel the park in summer, but slightly crisper for those who don't!
Day 15 - Returning to Las Vegas, NV
Unfortunately your time out in the Utah desert is almost up. Having travelled continuously west, it's time to head back to the start now for one big last night in Nevada. Las Vegas awaits, where the choice is once again yours - to head out for a big party to end the trip, stroll the casinos, or stay at your hotel for a meal - maybe even room service! You can always add an extra day or two onto the end of your trip to make sure you tick off all the activities you want!
