We started our road-trip in Bozeman, Montana and ended in Las Vegas, Nevada. We completed our road-trip in 10 days, however I would recommend at least 14 days if you want to visit all of these spots and have time to explore without being on a strict time crunch. There were some days we spent most of our time in the car, which I did not accurately account for. The drive was breathtaking, there is an abundance of quickly changing scenery to take in. Learning from my mistakes, I encourage you to either take more time or choose a shorter route so you have more time to freely explore.
Once we landed in Bozeman, Montana we picked up our rental car and began driving towards Yellowstone National Park. The drive from the airport to the park is slightly over 2.5 hours. The drive goes by quickly. I spent the whole time looking out the window at all the rivers, fields and mountains.
1. YELLOWSTONE: 2-3 days minimum
Yellowstone is hands down my one of my favorite national parks. The wildlife we were able to see in such a short amount of time was incredible. We stayed only one night in the area but had 2 days to explore the park. We did not have enough time to see the north-eastern side of the park. You could easily spend 4-5 days at Yellowstone and not run of things to do or see. The hotel we stayed at is called Sawtelle Mountain Resort, it offers free breakfast and is about 20 minutes away from West Yellowstone. There are plenty of restaurants in West Yellowstone to grab a bite to eat after spending the day in the park, or if you stay at Sawtelle there is one within walking distance.
From Yellowstone we started the journey to Arches National Park. If we could have extended out trip we would have visited the Tetons, which is right outside of Yellowstone. If you have more time or just would rather experience Grand Teton National Park this would be the perfect opportunity. On our way to Arches we stopped in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
2. JACKSON HOLE: We stopped in this town on our way through just to grab lunch and a coffee. There are plenty of restaurants, coffee spots and shops to spend the day at. I loved Jackson Hole and Wyoming as a whole, it is one of the places I can’t wait to revisit.
From Jackson Hole we continued towards Arches. From Jackson Hole it’s roughly an 8 hour drive. We ended up staying the night a few hours away from the park and finished the long drive in the morning.
3. ARCHES: 1-2 days
Arches is possible to complete in one day, which I would recommend especially if you’re on a time crunch. You can see many popular sights just from your car. However there are a few popular hikes and scenes that are a must If you have the opportunity to visit. Delicate arch is well known and about a 3 mile roundtrip hike. There is also landscape arch at 1.6 miles roundtrip. If you only spend one day in the park these two hikes are recommended, along with driving around the rest of the park to take in the scenery. There are plenty of parking lots and places to pull over if you see something of interest.
IMPORTANT: I believe that Arches now requires timed entry park tickets. Click here to make your reservation.
Grandstaff Canyon Trail: We ended up here because by the time we made it to Arches, the parking lots were full. To kill time before we could get in we drove down the road and found this little area. It actually ended up being a really awesome and scenic hike. We were the only ones on the trail. The end brought us to a really cool bridge looking arch, which of course I apparently didn't take a picture of!
The next stop on our trip was the Grand Canyon. The drive is about 5 hours.
4. GRAND CANYON: 2-3 days
We spent two nights in the park, and as far as staying the night in national parks go it was actually pretty affordable. Yavapai Lodge is where we stayed, it's on the south rim and was near a grocery store, restaurant and coffee shop all within the park. Keep in mind the time of year you visit, as this probably contributed to the reasonable rates. While here we did a great deal of hiking. There are plenty of easy trails along paved roads as well are more moderate/difficult trails. It was a bit foggy during our visit, but as you will see the scenery was still great!
From the South Rim of the grand canyon to Page, AZ is about 2 hours. This area ended up being one of our favorite areas to explore. Horseshoe bend, Antelope Canyon and Lake Powell can all be seen in this little town.
5. PAGE, ARIZONA: 2 days
I’m so glad we stopped in Page, AZ. There are plenty of hotels to book, as well as some Airbnb's. I will link a couple affordable options below:
While the area is not a national park it has plenty of unique scenery and outdoor activities. The first night we went and watched the sunset at horseshoe bend. There was a fair amount of people, but enough space to spread out and take pictures. There is a small entry fee, that is not included in the annual national park pass so keep that in mind.
If you're looking for somewhere to grab coffee donuts or breakfast we went to Hot N Sweet Coffee and Donut Shop a couple times and the staff was always super friendly and welcoming.
My favorite experience in Page was renting a kayak and paddling out to Antelope Canyon. We kept reading that the only way to see the canyon was through booking a tour. This is also an option, but it is cheap and easy to do it on your own. We went to Lake Powell Paddleboards and Kayaks to setup the rental the day before and they met us down at the water the following morning. The company supplies everything you need as far as gear goes; kayak, paddles and a lifejacket. This will cost you $70 a day for a two person kayak. They also provided a map that shows how to get to lower Antelope Canyon. It is very simple, pretty much a straight shot. The walk through the canyon was stunning, it felt like another universe. We walked about 6 miles roundtrip in the canyon and then kayaked back to the dock. I will say I would recommend wearing waterproof shoes like Tevas or something similar. We both had sneakers on and ended up walking the trail barefoot because our shoes were completely soaked from the kayak ride over.
After leaving Page we headed towards Zion National Park. The drive is a little under 2 hours, so we decided to get up early in attempt to make it to the park at a reasonable time.
6. ZION: 2-3 days
I was probably the most excited to visit Zion, and while it was beautiful it was also the most crowded. While here we did a few hikes: Angels Landing, The Narrows and Emerald Pools. I do know that since we visited they have required reservations/permits to hike Angels Landing so plan ahead if this is something you’re interested in. I would recommend this hike, while it is a little questionable at times I never felt unsafe or scared. If you're thinking about doing it, go for it!
Zion was different from the other parks we visited, they have busses that will take you around the park (which is necessary because it’s SO big). It’s also important to have a plan, not only because of reservations but because of all the crowds. I would recommend going early and doing the most important activities/trails first. As far as lodging goes there is Zion National Park Lodge, and right outside the park is a town called Springdale. The lodging can be pricey around here so I would book ahead if possible.
After Zion we drove to Las Vegas, Nevada. The flights in and out of Vegas are so affordable. I have found that Las Vegas is a good starting/ending point for many of the parks around Nevada, Utah, Arizona and even California depending on which park you’re visiting.
If you have time, there are more National Parks along the way that you could add to your road trip. I already mentioned Grand Teton, located close to Yellowstone. In between Arches and Zion there is Canyonlands, Coral Reef and Bryce Canyon. I fell in love with the landscapes out West and am looking forward to visiting again soon. I hope this was helpful in planning your own national park roadtrip!
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