I didn’t realize it at the time, but this seven day southwest road trip changed my life. Not only was it one of the best girlfriend getaways with my high school friends, but I eventually moved across the country to live in both Arizona and Utah. I lived in Tucson for two years, and I’ve now lived in Park City Utah for four years! I have published guidebooks for both Arizona and Utah and I still feel like there is so much to see in this region.

This road trip itinerary may or may not change your life, but I guarantee you will get amazing photos and enjoy landscapes that take your breath away. Honestly, I don’t think I ever want to live anywhere besides the Southwest States. I’m planning to spend several weeks in New Mexico this spring, so that may be the next place I land!

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Phoenix and Las Vegas are good starting points for your southwest road trip. Flight and rental cars seem to be more affordable and plentiful in Vegas, and it’s a bit closer to the parks of Utah, so we chose round-trip flights from Las Vegas. Want to explore one state at a time? I have a two-week Arizona road trip, as well as a Southern Utah itinerary. You’ll never see everything in one trip, so pick one and start planning. I also offer trip-planning services if you want someone else to do the legwork!

TIP: Time zones here can be funky. Arizona doesn’t observe Daylight Savings, so sometimes they are in Mountain Time, sometimes Pacific. So you can drive East but gain an hour, or vice versa…just be aware and don’t lock yourself in to a tight schedule! The Navajo nation is the exception, so sometimes they are an hour off from the rest of Arizona.

Day 1: Las Vegas to Grand Canyon (5 hours / 280 miles)

Try to get an early flight so that you still have plenty of daylight left for driving to Grand Canyon National Park. We’ve all been to Vegas many times, so we didn’t spend any time there upon landing. If you haven’t been to Las Vegas, you might consider spending your first night in Vegas, just for the experience. (We did an overnight hike at the Grand Canyon, so if that’s not your thing, it’s easy to swap that out for a night in Sin City.)

If you are staying at the Canyon, you’ll need to make reservations way in advance. I had a room at the Maswick Lodge for 3 nights (prices start at $119/night.) We arrived after dark and got ready for the next day’s backpacking adventure into the canyon.

Note that National Parks lodges accept reservations up to 13 months in advance, and properties on the South Rim frequently sell out, so you need to plan ahead if you want to stay in the park! Otherwise, there are hotels in Tusayan.

Day 2 – Grand Canyon Hiking

Backpacking is a “love it or hate it” activity – carrying all your belongings on your back and camping isn’t really everyone’s cup of tea, so I was pleasantly surprised when my friends all wanted to try it. We had a campsite (reserved months in advance) at Indian Gardens, which is 5 miles from the South Rim, and only halfway to the Colorado River.  We followed the Bright Angel Trail, which also happens to be the trail used by the mule trains.

Grand Canyon Hiking Tip: Bring a bandana or something to cover your face when the mules pass – they kick up a lot of dust!

Five miles turned out to be just the right distance for our inexperienced group. We reached the Indian Garden campground in the late afternoon as temps were climbing near 100. Another option if you have more time and stamina is to hike down the South Kaibab trail to Phantom Ranch, where there is a campground, cabins, and a cantina.

A great side-hike from Indian Gardens campground is 1.5 miles out to Plateau Point. After a bit of rest, we carried our camp stoves and a few of my favorite backpacking meals to watch the sunset at the point and then hiked back to our camp after dark.

Day 3 – Grand Canyon Hiking

Everything is the opposite in canyon country: what goes down, must come up! We had a long uphill slog and got a very early start in order to beat the heat. Watching the sun come up over the canyon walls as we hiked out was one of my most memorable travel experiences to date! Our group ended up splitting up on the hike out and we had walkie-talkies to keep in touch through the day. Our hike varied from 3 hours to 5 hours, and 7 hours for the 5-mile climb. In hindsight, we all should have done lots of stretching and walking around, but mostly we passed out in bed and eventually rallied for dinner later that night and a short trip around the lookout points of the South Rim.

Check out my backpacking gear list and bring more water than you think you’ll need!

Day 4 – Grand Canyon South Rim to Sedona (2.5 hours / 115 miles)

The next stop on our trip is Sedona. This town deserves way more than the 1 night we spent here, but I saw enough to know that I would return, and I have several times since this first trip. In fact, Sedona is very high on my list of places I might like to live one day. The red rock hills are full of Sedona’s best hikes, and the higher elevations of Flagstaff are nearby for the hot summer months.

There are tons of great hotels, resorts, and retreats in Sedona. Some of the places I’ve stayed in Sedona, and would recommend include:

• Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock is a beautiful property with great food and amenities
• Orchards Inn (pictured above) is a great location if you want to be right downtown within walking distance of shops and restaurants.
• For a more budget-friendly option, the Holiday Inn Express in Oak Creek is great, and dog-friendly!

On this trip two of us went for a jeep tour along the Mogollon Rim. We didn’t do the tour with the crazy tricks, just a nice scenic drive. Another fun Sedona area tour is to spend a day on the Verde Canyon Scenic Railroad.

Sedona to Springdale, Utah (5 hours / 280 miles)

Our next destination is Zion National Park and the town of Springdale, Utah. We packed a lot into this day, so it took way more than 5 hours. More like 12! We stopped at Sunset Crater, Wupatki National Monument, and Lee's Ferry on the Colorado River (the starting point of Grand Canyon rafting trips) After many stops along the way, we lost an hour when driving West into Utah (super confusing!) and ended up arriving super late. We had no idea of the amazing scenery in Zion until we woke up the next morning.

Day 6 - Zion National Park

After our late arrival at Flanigan's Inn the prior evening, we woke up and set out for Zion National Park with the goal of hiking Angel's Landing. We now had a 5th friend with us as our friend Lisa flew in the night before to join us.

Jennifer and I were the only ones to attempt the final ascent of Angel's Landing, but the other 3 hiked to the base and waited for us. It was a gorgeous hike but so, so crowded. We got to the part where there are chains to grab to keep from falling to your death and it was just too crowded for me. We turned around in defeat, and I vowed to come back another time. (I finally did climb Angel's Landing in 2015!)

That night, we celebrated my birthday at the restaurant at Flanigan's Inn and turned in early so we could drive to Bryce Canyon the next morning.

Browse 24 Springdale Hotels on Booking.com

Zion to Bryce Canyon (2 hours/85 miles each way)

On the last day of our trip, we packed a lot in. We started with an early morning drive to Bryce Canyon National Park, where we rode the shuttle bus and did a few short hikes. The scenery here is unlike anything I've ever seen before or since!

After a few hours at Bryce National Park, we decided to race back to Zion National Park and hike some of the Virgin River Narrows. Unless you are doing an overnight trip through the slot canyon, you can hike up the river and then just turn around and come back the same way. We arrived very late afternoon, so the crowds were dissipating, and we all loved this hike through water that was sometimes knee-deep. Don't worry if you don't have walking sticks, there are usually a bunch lined up at the trailhead.

Hike the Zion Narrows in winter and you'll practically have the river to yourself!

The next morning, it was time to head back to Vegas for our flights back home. While this was a whirlwind trip, it was a good intro to the region and helped me narrow down some destinations for future trips.

More Southwest Road Trip Stops

Have more time for a Southwest road trip? Consider some of these additional Arizona and Utah attractions:

• Valley of Fire State Park makes a great stop between St. George Utah and Las Vegas, Nevada.
• Visit Arches National Park, one of the best things to do in Moab, Utah
• Take the scenic drive from Bryce Canyon to Capitol Reef.
• You can also plan an entire trip around ruins in Arizona or ruins in Utah!
• Page is an adventure hub near the Utah/Arizona border. Head to Lake Powell for some boating action, and visit Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Glen Canyon Dam.
• See Bear's Ears and the House on Fire ruins in Southern Utah

Southwest Road Trip Reading List

• Trails Illustrated Map to the Grand Canyon South Rim - the main corridor trails are pretty well marked, but it's always good to have a map.
• Photographing the Southwest - Southern Utah and Arizona - these books are awesome for telling you about iconic shots as well as directions to some off-the-beaten-path ones
• Rand McNally Road Atlas - that's right, I still love my road atlas. How else can you map out interesting alternative routes based on landmarks? Siri's just going to tell you the fastest way.