Morning
Land at Las Vegas (LAS)
Harry Reid International. Every leg of this trip is a drive, so head straight for the rental centre.
Pick up the rental car
Las Vegas returns and pickups run out of an off-airport Rent-A-Car Center with a terminal shuttle. Allow an extra 45 minutes.
Afternoon / Day
Drive I-15 north to Springdale
About 265 km and 2 hr 45 min via I-15 and UT-9 through Hurricane. Last cheap fuel is St George.
Check in: Cable Mountain Lodge
147 Zion Park Blvd, at the far end of Springdale. Walking distance to the park pedestrian entrance and the town shuttle.
Zion Canyon Visitor Center
Buy the vehicle pass here and read the board: the Narrows closes above 150 cfs and May snowmelt often keeps it shut.
Evening
Pa'rus Trail at dusk
Paved riverside path from the visitor center to Canyon Junction. The only trail in Zion open to bikes and dogs.
Dinner at Bit and Spur
1212 Zion Park Blvd. Southwestern kitchen and saloon, open seven days from 5 PM; reserve in season.
Morning
Board the Zion Canyon shuttle
Private cars are banned on Zion Canyon Scenic Drive all shuttle season. Free, no reservation; first bus leaves the visitor center at 7 AM.
Angels Landing (permit required)
Shuttle stop 6, The Grotto. A permit is required past Scout Lookout for the chained section: enter the seasonal lottery months out, or the day-before lottery by 3 PM Mountain.
Afternoon / Day
Lunch at the Red Rock Grill
Zion Lodge, shuttle stop 5 — the sit-down restaurant inside the park, with the Castle Dome Cafe next door for a quicker plate. Eat on the lawn under the cottonwoods.
Emerald Pools Trail
Across the footbridge from Zion Lodge. The lower pool is paved and short; the middle pool adds the drop-off views.
Riverside Walk
Shuttle stop 9, Temple of Sinawava. Paved and flat to the mouth of the Narrows, and it stays open when the river is too high to wade.
Evening
Dinner at Zion Canyon Brew Pub
95 Zion Park Blvd, right at the park footbridge. Open seven days for lunch and dinner; the patio faces the canyon walls.
Morning
Breakfast at Oscar's Cafe
948 Zion Park Blvd. Breakfast burritos, omelettes and pancakes at the mouth of the canyon; the porch fills fast.
Canyon Overlook Trail
Tiny lot just east of the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel, outside the shuttle zone. Short, rocky, railed, and the best view per step in Zion.
Afternoon / Day
Drive the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway
UT-9 east through the 1930 tunnel, then US-89 north to UT-12. About 140 km and 2 hr, switchbacks for the first half.
Check in: Ruby's Inn
26 S Main St, Bryce Canyon City. The closest lodging to the park gate, with three restaurants and a general store on site.
Bryce Canyon Visitor Center
Just inside the gate. Ask a ranger whether the Wall Street switchbacks are open before you plan tomorrow morning.
Evening
Sunset at Inspiration Point
Bryce Amphitheater rim, minutes from the gate. The upper tier is a short steep climb and pays for itself at golden hour.
Dinner at Cowboys Buffet
Inside Ruby's Inn at 26 S Main St, the Cowboys Buffet and Steak Room. Buffet or a menu steak, and you are two minutes from bed.
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Morning
Sunrise at Sunrise Point
The amphitheater lights from the bottom up. The rim sits above 2,400 m and May dawns start near freezing — bring a layer.
Queen's Garden / Navajo Loop
Down at Sunrise Point, up at Sunset Point: 4.6 km, 190 m of climb, 2-3 hours. Walk it clockwise as the park advises.
Afternoon / Day
Lunch at the Canyon Diner
Ruby's Inn, 26 S Main St. Counter service — eat quickly and spend the afternoon on the scenic drive.
Scenic drive to Rainbow Point
The park road runs about 29 km south to Rainbow Point, the highest viewpoint. Drive to the end and work the overlooks coming back.
Bristlecone Loop Trail
From Rainbow Point: 1.6 km, 60 m of climb, about an hour through spruce-fir to ancient bristlecone pines.
Mossy Cave Trail
Detached north end of the park, on UT-12 near Tropic. 1.3 km and an hour; the park suggests avoiding 10 AM to 6 PM.
Evening
Dinner at Stone Hearth Grille
1380 W Stone Canyon Ln, Tropic. Open late March to late October only, so reserve — the terrace looks straight at the cliffs.
Bryce night sky
Rangers run astronomy programs through the season. Check the visitor center board for the schedule and the meeting point.
Morning
Drive UT-12 and US-89 to Page
About 250 km and 2 hr 50 min via Kanab. Clocks go back an hour crossing into Arizona, which does not keep daylight saving.
Afternoon / Day
Lunch at Rocking V Cafe
97 W Center St, Kanab. Open seven days 11:30 AM to 9:30 PM; scratch kitchen with real vegan and gluten-free plates, gallery upstairs.
Glen Canyon Dam overlook
Carl Hayden Visitor Center on US-89 at the dam, looking down the arch to the Colorado below with Lake Powell behind. Check the opening hours before you detour.
Check in: Lake Powell Resort
100 Lake Shore Dr, at Wahweap Marina. Lake-facing rooms, and the tour boats leave from the dock below.
Evening
Horseshoe Bend
Trailhead off US-89 south of the dam. 2.4 km round trip on a hardened path; the City of Page runs the lot, so park passes do not apply.
Dinner at Big John's Texas BBQ
153 S Lake Powell Blvd. Brisket in a converted filling station, live music from 6:30 PM, first-come seating only.
Morning
Check in for the canyon tour
22 S Lake Powell Blvd, 30 minutes before departure. Antelope Canyon is Navajo Nation land and there is no self-guided entry.
Upper Antelope Canyon tour
Guided access only, from the tour office on Lake Powell Blvd. About 1 hr 45 min in total, with 30 to 40 minutes inside the canyon. Book far ahead.
Afternoon / Day
Lunch at Latitude 37
Lake Powell Resort, 100 Lake Shore Dr. Casual lakeside plates between the canyon tour and the boat.
Boat tour from Wahweap Marina
Navajo Canyon and Glen Canyon Dam cruises leave the marina below the resort — the only way to see these walls from water level. Check which routes are running when you book.
Evening
Dinner at the Rainbow Room
Lake Powell Resort, 100 Lake Shore Dr. Curved window wall over Wahweap Bay; the one dress-up meal of the trip.
Sunset over Wahweap Bay
Walk down to the marina after dinner. Page sits above 1,300 m and the desert dumps its heat fast — take a jacket.
Morning
Drive US-89 and AZ-64 to the rim
About 215 km and 2 hr 20 min in total, dropping off the Kaibab plateau past the Little Colorado gorge.
Cameron Trading Post
466 US-89, Cameron. Trading since the early 1900s — Navajo rugs and silver in the gallery, Navajo tacos in the dining room, open 6 AM-9 PM.
Afternoon / Day
Desert View Watchtower
Mary Colter's 1932 tower at the park's east entrance, 37 km before the village. Hopi murals by Fred Kabotie inside, and the Painted Desert from the top; check the day's hours on arrival.
Desert View Drive overlooks
Lipan Point and Grandview Point on the way west. Lipan opens up a long run of the Colorado and the rapids below.
Check in: Bright Angel Lodge
9 N Village Loop Dr. A 1935 Mary Colter lodge sitting on the rim itself, on the free village shuttle loop.
Evening
Dinner at the El Tovar Dining Room
El Tovar Hotel, Grand Canyon Village. Dinner reservations are required and open 60 days out — book the day you fix your dates.
Sunset on Hermit Road
Take the free Hermits Rest shuttle to Hopi or Mohave Point. Private cars are barred from Hermit Road from 1 March to 30 November.
Morning
Sunrise at Mather Point
Beside the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, a few minutes along the Rim Trail. First light hits the buttes before the rim.
Bright Angel Trail, part way down
Trailhead beside the lodge. Going down is optional, coming up is not — turn around at a resthouse and allow double the descent time.
Afternoon / Day
Lunch at the Harvey House Cafe
Bright Angel Lodge, 9 N Village Loop Dr. Diner plates in the Fred Harvey tradition, from huevos rancheros to burgers.
Drive AZ-64 and I-40 to Seligman
About 2 hr to Seligman, where Historic Route 66 leaves the interstate and runs on its own the whole way to Kingman.
Angel's Barbershop, Seligman
Angel Delgadillo campaigned Route 66 back onto the map from this shop in the 1980s. It trades today as a Route 66 gift shop on the old alignment.
Arizona Route 66 Museum
120 W Andy Devine Ave, Kingman, inside the old brick powerhouse. Check the day's hours before you leave Seligman, so the Route 66 stops do not overrun.
Evening
Check in: El Trovatore Motel
1440 E Andy Devine Ave. A 1937 Route 66 service station whose tourist court went up in 1939, refurbished with themed rooms.
Neon on Andy Devine Avenue
Kingman keeps its Route 66 signage lit after dark. Ten minutes of walking on the old alignment, and the last good photo of the trip.
Hoover Dam and Out of Vegas
Morning
Drive US-93 to Hoover Dam
About 120 km and 1 hr 20 min from Kingman, exiting just before the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge.
Hoover Dam powerplant tour
Visitor center open 9 AM to 5 PM, doors closing at 4:15. Powerplant tickets sell online; the longer guided Dam Tour is sold on site only, first come first served.
Afternoon / Day
Memorial Bridge walkway
A signed walkway climbs from the parking area beside the bridge to the pedestrian deck — the only place you see the arch and the dam in one frame.
Lunch at Boulder Dam Brewing Co.
453 Nevada Way, Boulder City — the town built for the dam crews, and one of the few places in Nevada with no casino. Open daily from 11 AM.
Return the rental car
Returns go to the off-airport Rent-A-Car Center, then a shuttle to the terminals. Budget 45 minutes on top of the drive.
Evening
Fly home from LAS
Harry Reid International. Five parks and roughly 1,500 km of driving behind you.
