Utah Roadtrip Itinerary

Salt Flats, National Parks, Arches, oh my!! Looking for a great adventure full of unique landscapes? I’m going to pitch you Utah, as I think it is one of the most beautiful states. It is full of hiking trails, lookouts, parks, history and wildlife. Another great bonus? It can be a much more affordable travel option. So, let’s get into it.

I started the trip by flying into Las Vegas because it was significantly cheaper than anywhere in Utah or Arizona. My trip took place at the end of September/early October and the weather was hot during the day and cold when the sun was down.

Below you’ll find my custom Google Map showing everything mentioned in this blog post to make your trip planning much more efficient!

Day 1:

Land at Airport + Get Rental Vehicle

This day might look different for you as it is pretty dependent on flight times/vehicle rental time. We rented a Jeep Wrangle of Turo because we wanted a vehicle with 4-wheel drive on this trip.

Zion National Park

• Canyon Coffee
• Tunnel
• Canyon Overlook Trail – 1.4km
• 3rd most visited national park in the US

Belly of the Dragon, UT

This is a short, free and incredible stop that I highly recommend! Park and walk about 2 minutes and you’ll see the opening to this cave. You can walk all the way through to the other side. I recommend bringing a flashlight or headlamp with you to this spot!

Catch Some Zzz’s

This is where we slept the first 3 nights of our trip, and it is one of my favourite stays to date! Super clean, the beds are comfortable, the decor is such a vibe and there were even laundry machines there.

Day 2:

Toadstools Hoodoos Trailhead, Kanab UT

• This 2km hiking trail is the perfect spot for sunrise or sunset. The golden hour light on the Hoodoos is so beautiful! It looks like a place straight out of a Star Wars film. We went here for sunrise and it was one of the many highlights of the trip.

Gas Station with a View, AZ

You might think I’m crazy for this…but there is a gas station along this route that has a beautiful view. Click this link for the gas station I’m talking about (psst…this is also a great bathroom stop because there bathrooms are pretty and clean). Once you park, if you’re looking directly at the gas station start walking to the right and you will see this large ‘hole in the wall’ looking formation. Walk inside of it to the back of the wall and turn around, and you will see this view:

Horseshoe Bend, AZ

• This was not a planned stop for us but we were passing through and decided to stop. It was $10USD to enter and you walk on a paved path (perfect for strollers or wheelchairs) for about 10mins and you’re welcomed by a huge lookout. It was quite busy when we were there, but a great stop to stretch the legs.

Navajo Bridge

This was another surprise stop but we couldn’t pass it up! It’s a bit out of the way and not completely necessary so don’t worry if you miss this one, but it was a beautiful stop and I loved the visitor centre here.

Grand Canyon (North Rim)

• Our first stop at the Grand Canyon was at the Visitor Center. This is a busier area but has some great viewpoints of the Grand Canyon.
• Our next stop at the Grand Canyon was even better – Bright Angel Point. We caught the most magical sunset here on the west side of the lookout. Can’t recommend this stop enough.

Day 3:

Bryce Canyon National Park

• Sunrise at Inspiration Point – This spot was incredible for sunrise. There were a lot of people but they were all spaced out as there are so many great view points to experience the magic of the sun rising here.
• Hike at Wall Street – One of my favourite hikes I have done to date just because it was so unique. It is also a great leg burner! Don’t forget to pack your camera for this one.
• Thors Hammer – You can see this formation from the point of the Wall Street trail where the beginning and end meet. As a Marvel fan, I enjoyed this.
• Hoodoos are one of the main attractions of this park. Hoodoos are thin spires of rock formed by erosion. Bryce Canyon is known as the best place in the world to see hoodoos! It truly is magical as you can probably see from the photos, they really speak for themself.
• In my opinion, this park is a MUST see. A favourite of mine.

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

Another random stop that was not planned but we had to go because of the name and because it was so close to where we were staying. We went in and immediately rented a sandboard which was such a fun experience. You can also rent a sand toboggan here. Watch out, the sand can get HOT on your feet here!

Day 4:

Monument Valley 

• Sunrise at Monument Valley – This is in my top 3 favourite experiences from this entire trip. They even offer sunrise tours here if this is something you’re interested in. Whatever you do, do not miss this!
• Drive the road through Monument Valley – There is a road that opens at 8am that is about 2hrs long that you can drive down. We only drove down part of it (which was absolutely thrilling) but I would love to go back and drive the whole thing.
• Forest Gump Point – After the sun was up we headed over t osee Forest Gump road which offers another view of the Mitten Buttes. There is parking on either sides of the road, but please be careful with all the pedestrians there!

Canyonlands National Park

• Lookouts, lookouts, lookouts! – This park has so many lookouts and we stopped at all of them. They all offer different viewpoints and it’s such a beautiful park to see.
• Did you know that they call this park “the island in the sky“?
• Animals you may see here: bighorn sheep, rattle snakes, coyotes, porcupines, desert cottontails, black-tailed jackrabbits, and songbirds.

Arches National Park

• Note: from April – Oct 31st you must reserve in advance visits between 7am-4pm. After 4pm, you may enter without a reservation.
• La Sal Mountain Viewpoint – This is the first viewpoint we saw as we went into the park and it is so gorgeous here. It’s a great introduction to the beauty of Arches National Park.
• Double Arch Trail – This is a short and beautiful trail of two massive arches that are connected. You can even climb up into the arches!
• Balanced Rock – This is pretty cool to see, however it’s a spot I recommend you see as you drive by to other parts of the park.

Time to Get Some Rest

Every stay on this trip was completely perfect. This is another stay I recommend. It’s clean, cozy, and sunrise/sunset is beautiful here!

Day 5:

East High

This stop is clearly subject to fellow High School Musical fans, but you can tour the high school that the movies were filmed at! Arrive after 3:30pm to do a self guided tour and check in at the office for a map which tells you where certain parts were filmed. Sharpay’s Pink Locker, The Gym, Hallways, even Bathrooms!

Great Salt Lake State Park

The Salt Lake is something I wasn’t super excited to see, but it ended up being so beautiful and interesting. A lake that is sitting on a bed of salt is super mesmerizing, and you can walk pretty far out to get to the water!

Bonneville Salt Flats

This is another one of my top 3 memories from this entire trip. We got here in time for sunset and it was such a cinematic experience and not at all how I pictured it. This is a free location to visit, and you can drive your vehicle onto the salt flats to explore (only when it is completely dry). It looks like you’re on snow but at a closer glance you’ll see it’s just salt!

Note: The salt can be tricky to clean. Be sure to clean the bottoms of your shoes before getting back in your vehicle and head to a car wash after!

Where to Sleep

We spent our last night in Nevada. Honestly it was a little cold at night, but super clean and cute. You can book it here.

Day 6:

Area 51

What, you don’t believe me? Of course we had to do a little drive by of Area 51 on our way to the airport in Las Vegas!

• First thing we saw on extraterrestrial highway was a dead cow on the road. What a sight…
• Then, we saw 2 antelope. Such interesting looking creatures! So cool to see.
• We then got to the main gates, didn’t hang around long as it is quite intimidating. Then we started heading back.
• About 15 mins down the road on way back, I saw a flying object with no back end flying close to the mountain tops. Then it vanished behind the mountains and never saw it again. Interesting! 

Valley of Death State Park

• This park is hot and we arrived mid day so we only did brief stops. This park is super beautiful and would be worth visiting a few times! Keep your eyes peeled for bighorn sheep, we only saw one.
• Mouse’s Tank – We did the classic road photo at this stop, we found the spot for road photo close to parking lot for Rainbow Vista Trail
• Elephant Rock – you can view this from your vehicle
• Fire Wave – a must see in this park
• Arch Rock – an arch just off the road

Airport + Rental Return

Know Before You Go:

• State Parks cost $10USD +
• I recommend a National Parks annual pass so it’s a one time fee, it’s worth it if you go to 3+ parks in a year
• Note that National Parks pass does not work for State Parks
• Temperatures change drastically here as sand does not hold heat, make sure you bring layers and lots of water to stay hydrated
• The sand is really light in colour and reflects the sun so I recommend sun protection (especially in these destinations) for skin and eyes
• There is quite a bit of driving on this trip so make sure you make a great playlist with some podcasts sprinkled in

What to Pack:

• sunscreen
• hat
• sunglasses 
• sturdy footwear
• lots of water
• warm clothes if you are out when sun is down
• walking sticks/hiking poles

I hope this road trip itinerary helps you plan your visit to Utah! I had a trip of a lifetime here and would do it all over again in a heartbeat. You can’t go wrong when you pick Utah as your next travel destination.

Until next time,

Keep on trekkin’

Katie