Southwest National Parks Road Trip: Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Grand Canyon

A Southwest American Road Trip

Zion | Bryce Canyon | Grand Canyon National Parks

When recreating in the great outdoors, be sure to follow the seven guiding principles of LEAVE NO TRACE:  Plan & Prepare | Travel & Camp on Durable Surfaces | Dispose of Waste Properly | Leave What You Find | Minimize Campfire Impact | Respect Wildlife | Be Considerate of Others

One April, we spent our spring break exploring some new-to-us territory in the southwestern United States.  We had long wanted to visit some of our country’s national parks and learned that the springtime would be the perfect time for this type of trip.  Our trek took us through three states:  Nevada, Utah, and Arizona.  We flew in and out of Las Vegas, as it was closest in proximity to where we began our national park trek.  We also visited three national parks:  Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Grand Canyon.  Besides the national parks, we also visited Glen Canyon Dam, Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and a half-day float on the Colorado River.  It was a mix of big and small sites coupled with adventure, perfect for our family of older kids and teens.  Below we share all about our southwest road trip.

When We Visited:

April 2018, during our spring break from school.  The weather was great for hiking.  Temperatures were generally in the 60s, the skies were sunny, it was all-around great weather!

We had three main bases during this trip:  Las Vegas, NV, Springdale, UT, and Page, AZ.

A map of our driving route

Las Vegas, Nevada

Where we stayed

Cosmopolitan Hotel | 1 night | Las Vegas strip

Since we were flying in and out of Las Vegas we figured we would stay for one night and explore.  We are not really fans of Las Vegas but our kids were interested in seeing it so we sought out some family friendly activities.  While here, we checked out the arcade in New York New York.  In our opinion, it was rather run down and just ok for a quick stop but nothing special.  We also caught a Cirque du Soleil show in the evening, which we all really enjoyed.  And visiting the famous “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada” sign made for a fun photo op.  We opted to take our pictures slightly off center from the sign so we could avoid standing in the long line.  After a long travel day and exploring a bit of Las Vegas, we were eager to head off to the parks the next day.

Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada!

Zion National Park

ZION NATIONAL PARK FACTS

  • LOCATION:  Utah
  • CLOSEST MAJOR CITY:  Las Vegas, Nevada
  • ANNUAL VISITORS:  4.6 million (2022)
  • 3rd most visited US National Park out of 63
  • BECAME A NATIONAL PARK:  1919
  • TOP THINGS TO DO:  Hike the Narrows & take in the views at Angel’s Landing, not for the faint of heart

Where we stayed

Cable Mountain Lodge | 3 nights | Springdale, Utah

Our day began by heading out of Las Vegas and onward to Utah to begin our national parks adventure at Zion National Park.  We stayed at Cable Mountain Lodge, the best location to stay at while visiting Zion, in our opinion.  The lodge is located just outside of the park.  The location is ideal because it is right next to the park with a shuttle bus stop on site so we didn’t have to deal with the constant park traffic just to get to our lodge further in the park.  Also on site is a pool, laundry facilities, restaurant, market, and gear rental store.  We stayed in a one bedroom suite with a kitchen which was perfect for our family of five.

While here, we caught the shuttle to the park right from the lodge.  And right out the door of our room we were able to walk onto one of our favorite trails of the park, Watchman’s Trail.  We made it to the top to catch sunset and back down before dark.  

We ate some great food at the on-site pub, swam in the pool, and could not get enough of the views of Zion National Park from our room.  Even just driving through the park, one is constantly treated to majestic views.  We also saw some animals including big horn sheep!  

Beautiful Zion National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park is only 88 miles from Zion, so it was an easy day trip from where we stayed at Cable Mountain Lodge.  This park is relatively small so it is easy to explore the highlights of Bryce Canyon in one day.  The neat thing about Bryce Canyon is that you can view the hoodoo spires from above while walking the rim.  There are some great hikes to get down into the canyon where you get close up views of the hoodoo spires as well.

BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK FACTS

Bryce Canyon has the largest collection of hoodoos on Earth

  • LOCATION:  Utah
  • CLOSEST CITY:  Las Vegas, Nevada
  • ANNUAL VISITORS:  2.1 million (2021)
  • 15th most visited US National Park out of 63
  • BECAME A NATIONAL PARK:  1928
  • TOP THINGS TO DO:  Take in the views from the rim

Bryce Canyon is an easy national park to navigate.  The hike down into the hoodoos was a little steep in some areas but if you have folks in your party who cannot do this type of hike, they could easily stay at the top and just take in the views from above.  Bryce Canyon is the perfect park for anyone with mobility issues because it can still be enjoyed without hiking and simply taking in the views from the rim.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Page, Arizona

Where we stayed

Courtyard Marriott Page | 2 nights Page, Arizona

After our time in Zion and Bryce Canyon, we headed down to Page, Arizona.  Lodging options in Page are budget to mid-range and not plentiful.  Be sure to book your accommodations well ahead of time!  Our view on Page is that the natural wonders in the area are abundant and the town is scrambling to meet the rush of tourists.  While we were limited with our lodging and dining choices during our visit, we were still thrilled to have spent time here exploring all the natural wonders.

Glen Canyon Dam  

After we settled into our hotel, we stopped at Glen Canyon Dam, which was right by the bridge we had crossed to enter Page. 

Glen Canyon Dam rises 710 feet above the Colorado River.  We checked out the visitor’s center and had a great view of the dam, Lake Powell, and the Colorado River from above.

Glen Canyon Dam | Page, Arizona

Antelope Canyon

Later in the afternoon we had reservations at Antelope Canyon, one of the many slot canyons in the area.  There are a few things to note with this tour:  It is on Navajo land so you will be with a guide the whole time.  You need to pay a cash fee to access the land.  Lastly, Antelope Canyon follows Arizona Standard Time, meaning they do not observe Daylight Savings Time.  If visiting in the spring, summer, or fall, be sure to note the time differences.

Our tour of Antelope Canyon was amazing!  Walking through the slot canyons was peaceful and captivating.  Our guide shared history and facts while we walked through the canyon, continuously pointing out the best vantage points for photos.  This is a very popular attraction so be sure to book a tour here once you know your travel dates.

Stunning Antelope Canyon | Page, Arizona

Floating the Colorado River 

While in Page, we went on a guided float on the Colorado River!  It is a 15 mile leisure float, which takes about 3 hours to complete.  Our guide talked to us about the history of the river and importance of this area to Native Americans as we floated on the beautiful river. 

We started at the base of Glen Canyon Dam and passed soaring red rock cliffs, rounded the river at Horseshoe Bend, and enjoyed some shore time at Petroglyph Beach where we ate a packed picnic lunch.  At the very end, as we rounded our final corner, we were treated to wild horses drinking at the river.  We finished disembarked at Lee’s Ferry and took the bus back to our starting point in Page.  This was a wonderful way to end our time in Page, Arizona.

Grand Canyon National Park

On our way back to Las Vegas, we took the route along the southern rim of the Grand Canyon crossing into Grand Canyon National Park.  Our first stop here was Grand Canyon Village where we grabbed some picnic supplies from the market and had a lovely outdoor picnic lunch among the pines.  From here, we visited the visitor’s center and watched the film, Grand Canyon:  A Journey of Wonder.  We then checked out some of the exhibits before heading out to Mather Point to take in the incredible views of the grandest canyon of all.

The grandest canyon of all

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK FACTS

  • LOCATION:  Arizona
  • CLOSEST CITY:  Las Vegas, Nevada (West Rim)
  • ANNUAL VISITORS:  4.7 million (2022)
  • 2nd most visited US National Park out of 63
  • BECAME A NATIONAL PARK:  1919
  • TOP THING TO DO:  Take in the views from the rim

On the way back to Las Vegas, we stopped at various lookout points, which was a great way to road trip back to break up the trip.

This iss a fabulous way to see a lot of the American Southwest!  We visited 3 states, 3 national parks, and many other interesting sites along the way.  The American southwest is so full of amazing places to visit.  The perfect combination of beautiful places and fun things to do made this a wonderful family vacation.

                        

OUR PACKING LIST

Here is our packing list for our Southwest Road Trip:

Read More!

In the meantime, we went back to Utah to visit the rest of the national parks within the state, collectively known as “Utah’s Mighty Five”.  Be sure to read our posts on Utah travel: