The T and L Diaries

Imagine this… waking up wrapped in soft sheets at Hotel De Novo, sunlight spilling in through the windows. Stepping onto the balcony and there it is – Zion in all its morning glory, painted in gold. The smell of fresh croissants and coffee at Feel Love Coffee draws us in. We then head into complete awe of something bigger than words. Zion National Park.

Another American road trip ticked off. We spent just over a week road tripping around Utah and Arizona. We visited some of the best National and State Parks that the US has to offer. We find it hard to decide which part of the trip was our favourite. The whole road trip was incredible.

It can be overwhelming trying to organise a road trip to make sure you see everything you want. That’s why we’re sharing our detailed itinerary. It shows how to spend 8 days road tripping Utah and Arizona from Las Vegas.

Steal our itinerary here:

(Arrive) We don’t class this as the first day. We arrived at Las Vegas airport at 8 pm. We got the hire car and stayed one night in the NoMad Hotel.

Day 1:

We started the road trip by heading on the I 15 towards Valley of Fire. This state park is worth the detour on the way to Zion National Park. In this state park you will see the famous road that everyone gets a picture with on Instagram. This scenery alone driving through the state park is incredible.

After visiting Valley of Fire, head towards Zion National Park and spend the afternoon here. We spent 2 days in Zion and stayed in the De Novo Hotel in Springdale. This town if right outside the park so has a shuttle service from each hotel into Zion. Or you can just drive and park at the visitor centre if you are adventuring on the trails. Be aware that the car park gets full pretty much after 8 am till close.

Dinner recommendation: We tried the Bit & Spur and the Mexican food was delicious. This restaurant gets super busy so we advise booking a table, even out of season.

Day 2:

Spend the day in Zion National Park. We got up at 5.30 am to go to Feel Love Cafe for a coffee and pastry for 6 am. This is one of the only places open that early, we wanted the fuel for our hike. Go to the visitor centre to park your vehicle. Prepare to catch the first shuttle bus at 7 am to reach the trial spots in the park. We headed for Scouts Lookout Trail which gives an incredible view of Zion. And for the brave, if you got a pass to do Angels Landing this is on this trail. We recommend doing this trail first thing. It gives a more relaxed hike with hardly anyone in front of you.

If you have time, head to Kolob Canyon. It’s a scenic drive that is takes under an hour and such a hidden gem.

Dinner Recommendation: Wild Thyme Cafe, is just outside of Springdale and is a great spot for some hearty food. While this is called a “cafe” it is more of a restaurant with main meals and alcohol.

Day 3:

Watch the sunrise at the Canyon Overlook, this is on the left just as you come out of the tunnel. Parking is on the right. It is small, so get there early. It takes 20 mins to hike in the dark. Take good torches and head lights. It is a moderate hike with steep drops at the side of the path.

After the sunrise carry on and head towards Bryce Canyon National Park. It takes around 1.5 hours drive from Zion. On route is The Belly of the Dragon. It’s essentially a giant tunnel. However, it is cool to stop off at. This is only a quick stop. We stayed 1 night in Bryce City at the Best Western Plus. This was the only hotel we stayed at that offers a free breakfast. It was a brilliant breakfast too!

As we love a good adventure we decided to see Bryce Canyon a different way. Horseback riding was a great way to see the national park. We did a 1.5 hour horse hike that took us right into the canyon. This experience is great for all levels of riders, myself (Libby) is an experienced rider but Troy was not. Troy loved it! This is the link, this is the only one that does horseback riding in the canyon. (Other ones on Get Your Guide etc are actually in Dixie Forest, not Bryce Canyon).

Dinner Recommendation: There isn’t much choice in Bryce City as it is small. Ruby’s Inn does a delicious buffet and is a reasonable price.

Day 4:

Another sunrise day and we found such a hidden gem in Bryce Canyon to watch it! Head over to the ‘Bryce Canyon Point Overlook’ and catch the sunrise in a more peaceful way. There was only 2 other people there with us when we did it.

After sunrise drive on the scenic highway 12 towards Torrey and Capitol Reef National Park. We stayed in Torrey for one night in the Red Sands Hotel. This was a cosy hotel with a pool. On the way, stop off at Burr Trail Grill in Boulder (it is on route). They delicious burgers!

There are plenty of trials to do in Capitol Reef, our favourite was the Cassidy Arch trail. And if you get here before 1 pm, head to Griffords House for incredible pie. A must do activity here is the star gazing! You will not be disappointed, head to the Panorama Point to see the best view of the stars.

Breakfast Recommendation: Dark Sky Coffee, this is a drive through spot. Perfect to grab something and carry on with the adventure.

Day 5:

Head back towards Capitol Reef National Park and head on the 24 to Moab, this is around 2.5 hours drive. On our way we took a little detour to see the Moonscape Overlook and Factory Butte. These were such a hidden gem, no one around just us and such an incredible landscape (pictures 1 & 2). There is also the Goblin State Park too nearby but we didn’t get time to visit this one.

We stayed in Moab at Moab Springs Ranch. We recommend spending a 2/3 days here as there is loads to do. From Moab you can get to Arches National Park, Canyon Lands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park.

Dinner Recommendation: Moab Brewery

Day 6:

Watch the sunrise in Canyonlands National Park. Mesa Arch Trail is the popular spot where the sunrises through the arch. From Dead Horse Point State Park you can see the “Gooseneck” which is a smaller version of Horseshoe Bend. Seeing it here saves time on the road trip towards Monument Valley. Rather than stopping off in Goose Neck State Park.

On the way take a look at Valley of the Gods, we loved it here. It was almost like a smaller more peaceful version of Monument Valley. This is as it is still a hidden gem. We will definitely be back to see more of Valley of the Gods. After here, you will find the “Mexican Hat” which is cool to look at. As you head into Monument Valley, you will find yourself on the “Forest Gump” road. This is where everyone gets the famous picture on the road. However even in the off season it is busy.

We stayed in the View Hotel in Monument Valley which has the best view of the park. It was incredible for the sunrise. We just did the scenic drive. If you do not have a 4X4 car, I recommend doing the jeep style tour. The scenic drive road is very bumpy!

Day 7:

After breakfast (included at the View Hotel) head towards Page. Here we took a guided tour to see Antelope Canyon and it is worth it! The canyon is incredible and out of this world. Book your tour here with Get Your Guide. After this, a short drive away is Horseshoe Bend. It took us 20 minutes to walk and see it.

Around a 4 hour drive from here is the South Rim entrance to the Grand Canyon. We stayed overnight in the Yavapai Lodge. To make the experience even better we saw lots of Elk around our accommodation.

The Grand Canyon is truly impressive. We visited all of the viewpoints on the South Rim. It never failed to amaze us. We had dinner in Yavapai Lodge and watched the sunset over Martha Point.

Day 8:

This was our last day and we were traveling back to Las Vegas. On route we stopped at The Hoover Dam which was incredible. You never truly realise how big it is until you see it in person!

And that concludes our ultimate itinerary for a road trip around Utah and some of Arizona from Las Vegas. If you have any questions at all please comment and we will answer the best we can.

This blog includes affiliate links for the hotels and activities, this does not increase the price. By using the affiliate links it helps us carry on with our travel blog at the extra cost to you.

Subscribe to our blog page to receive notifications when we make new posts. You can expect more posts on USA road trips and European summer! Thank you for reading.