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Utah is home to the "Mighty 5" National Parks (Zion, Bryce, Arches, Capital Reef, Canyonlands) which are located in the southwest region of the United States. With breath taking landscapes of towering rock formations and desert back drops it was the perfect destination for us adventure lovers.
Below we are sharing our 7 day travel itinerary based on our March 2021 trip to Utah. We spent our trip venturing into the Sand Mountains of Sand Hollow by UTVs, completing one of the most difficult hikes to Angels Landing, and spending time walking amongst snowy Hoodoos in Bryce Canyon National Park. Read on to find out what we got up to and help you plan your trip to Utah. Here is a map with links and pins for each location, see below.
Day 1 - Travel Day
We took a late evening flight into Las Vegas International Airport then picked up our rental car and stayed the night in a hotel.
Day 2 - Hurricane/ La Verkin UT.
We leisurely woke up, had breakfast then drove to Hurricane/ La Verkin UT to explore. We took an evening off-road tour with Utah Off-road Tours. We loved Sand Hollow at sunset, getting to see the cool rock formations, drive on sand dunes, watch the sunset over the mountains, and enjoy the cold night air on our drive back. After the tour we made our way into Springdale where we stayed the night.
Day 3 - Angels Landing
This is one of the hikes that draws everyone to Zion National Park, IT WILL BE BUSY! It’s a strenuous hike, very crowded, the heat is pretty crazy during the summer, it may be closed due to nesting, and can be dangerous if you are not careful. With all of that said, we love this hike and will do it any time we go to Zion. The views are amazing and we love the feeling of conquering some of the ridge with only a few feet of space between your feet and a steep drop off. Update: As of April 2022 - Angels Landing now requires a hiking permit. However, you don’t need a permit to hike to Scout Lookout which is the section just before you reach the final climb to the top of the summit, which will then require the permit.
Day 4 - Travel to Bryce Canyon
On this day we chose to leave Zion and head to Bryce but you can always insert Day 6 here and spend 2 straight days in Zion. I think going from Zion->Bryce->Zion was good for us to split the driving up some.
Hike the Overlook Trail before leaving Zion.
Drive out the east gate of Zion and make the drive towards Bryce Canyon national park.
Few things to note while heading towards Bryce Canyon.
- Sand Caves are about 15 Mins out of the way but provide a cool short hike.
- Red Canyon has some beautiful areas to check out.
Catch the sunset inside Bryce Canyon from either Sunset or Inspiration Point, due to the facing of Bryce the sunset usually isn’t as impressive as the sunrise.
Day 5 - Bryce Canyon
Watch the sunrise at Sunset Point or Inspiration Point, walking along the rim however you want. Hike into the canyon via the Navajo and Queens Garden Trail. Since we were there in March, Wall Street was closed but if its open or you want to extend your hike, check out Wall Street and Queens Garden to Peekaboo Loop (6.3Mi). Wall Street, Queens Garden, and Peekaboo Loop are some of the main areas in the canyon, depending on how far you want to hike you can pick which ones you want to see.
Day 6 - Back to Zion
We didn’t realize they rent out suits for hiking The Narrows when its cold. So today we left Bryce early in the morning and drove back to Zion to grab our suits from Zion Outfitters and head into The Narrows. This is the other hike in Zion that everyone wants to do. It will be crowded, you will get wet, and there is always the possibility of a flash flood so be sure to check the forecast and rangers. Otherwise hike into the canyon however far you want, and then hike back out. Its a very fun hike, and during the summer the cool water feels great in the desert heat. After a long day in The Narrows we watched the sunset while taking a leisurely walk along the paved Pa’rus Trail.
Day 7 - Valley of Fire
Three Waterfalls hike - fun canyon hike, some parts were steep, others are just a flat walk, no waterfalls while we were there though.
Drove to Valley of Fire State Park near Las Vegas and did White Domes Trail and some random driving around and exploring. Caught our red eye flight out of Las Vegas.
Where We Stayed
Las Vegas NV - Courtyard by Marriott Las Vegas Henderson/Green Valley*
Nice place to lay our head after the late night flight into LV. The Black Bear Diner across the street is a great place for breakfast before hitting the road, the Stuffed Blackberry French Toast was delicious.
Springdale UT - Majestic View Lodge*
This was a great place to stay for a few nights and even from one of the cheaper rooms we had a nice view
Springdale UT - Pioneer Lodge*
Cheapest place we found in Springdale during our dates, the room was nothing special but it gave us a place to lay our heads.
Bryce UT - Best Western Plus Ruby's Inn*
One of the few places to stay just outside of Bryce Canyon National Park. The hotel is simple and while they do have a sit down breakfast we found their to go breakfast burrito to be delicious.
*Affiliate Link