Road Trip Through the Southwest

Five months ago, I was making a bucket list for my senior year, despite COVID-19, because I was determined to make the best of it, and a road trip with my friends was at the top of the list. I had traveled internationally so much the last two years that I forgot about all the beauty so close by in the states. Plus, a road trip feels like a rite of passage in college — belting songs in the car with your friends, driving through mountains and small towns and basking in the freedom that comes with being on the road and making memories with some of your closest friends. I talked to one of my best friends who I knew would be down and she knew a mutual friend who would be a good fit...and then I sat down and planned our trip and then we did the damn thing! It was amazing!

This post will detail our budget and itinerary, including the hotels we stayed at, the restaurants we went to, the activities we did and any tips I have from each location. I hope this is helpful!

Here was our basic itinerary, which I'll break down later in this post:

• Los Angeles to Las Vegas (1 night)

• Las Vegas to Kanab, Utah (2 nights) - Zion National Park

- stopover at Best Friend Animal Sanctuary

• Kanab, Utah to Moab, Utah (2 nights) - Arches National Park

- stopovers at Horseshoe Bend (Arizona) and Monument Valley

- evening trip to the Pink Coral Sand Dunes

• Moab, Utah to Bryce, Utah (1 night) - Bryce Canyon National Park

- activity: Horseback Riding

• Bryce, Utah to Las Vegas (3 nights)

We stayed in Las Vegas the first night because my family is there and it is a perfect middle point between Los Angeles and Zion. I would recommend doing 2 nights both before and after Utah in Las Vegas!

Before you go:

- You'll be driving over 30 hours and along many stretches with no signal, so make sure your gas is full and your car has had recent maintenance.

- Create a SplitWise for your trip, so it is easy to split expenses between everyone in your group.

Budget:

I knew I needed this trip to be under $800, so here is our budget breakdown, but here are our caveats:

- We got into Arches National Park for free by arriving early in the day.

- My family is in Las Vegas, so in Las Vegas, our accommodations were free.

- We got breakfast at each hotel we stayed at, so we would only pay for a meal late in the afternoon (as late lunch/early dinner) and coffee.

Itinerary:

Drive from Las Vegas to Kanab (4 hours)

- Stopover at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

- If you love animals, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary! You can sign up as a volunteer too or just book a tour to see one of their many animal rehabilitation centers (but make sure you book at least three weeks in advance).

Kanab, Utah (Zion National Park)

Accommodation: Holiday Inn Express & Suites Kanab (2 nights)

*We stayed at Kanab as opposed to Springdale or closer to Zion because it was a lot cheaper and also right next to the animal sanctuary and sand dunes!

Food Places: Peekaboo Canyon Wood Fired Kitchen

Tips:

- Enter from the East Side of Zion National Park, it's gorgeous.

- Even if the parking in the Visitor Center says full and to not enter, enter regardless. We found parking right by the shuttle!

- Catch breakfast at your hotel before you head out and get extra snacks for the day (fruit, granola bars).

- Book your shuttle tickets the day BEFORE at 5 PM PST. They will sell out within 5 minutes. We saw at least a hundred people in line waiting for a shuttle ticket the day of ($1 each).

Schedule:

- Day one: We arrived this day, went to the Moqui Caves (we stumbled upon these on our drive actually, and it was 10 minutes from our hotel), and then to the Sand Dunes (free) to scope them out for a potential photography shoot the next day.

- Day two: We arrived at Zion National Park the next day ($35 entry fee) and did the Canyon Overlook Trail and Emerald Pools and then did our photography shoot during sunset at the dunes.

Drive from Kanab to Moab (6 hours)

- Stopover at Horseshoe Bend in Arizona ($10 entry fee): Horseshoe Bend was even prettier than I could have imagined. There's no picture to capture how insane it is to look across at the vast land and imagine how the rivers were able to carve through the layers of sandstone. It was well worth our hour detour.

- THIS DRIVE IS BEAUTIFUL. We also stopped at the Monument Valley look out points; there's no way to put into words or capture how beautiful the valley or drive was in general.

Moab, Utah (Arches National Park)

Accommodation: Best Western Plus Greenwell Inn (2 nights)

Food Places: Singha Thai Cuisine (Thai) and Indo Grill (South Asian)

Tips:

- Get there BEFORE 9 AM (or after 5 PM); you'll get into the park free and it is open 24 hours a day.

Schedule:

- Day one: We drove most of this day to Moab and then got Thai food and planned our day out. IMO, you'll only need one full day in Arches.

- Day two: We got to Arches around 8:30 AM and did the The Windows and Double Arch hikes in the morning and the Balanced Rock and Landscape Arch in the late afternoon, with the Delicate Arch viewpoint for sunset.

Drive from Moab to Bryce (4 hours)

Bryce, Utah (Bryce Canyon National Park)

Accommodation: Best Western Bryce Grand Hotel

Food Places: Pizza Place in Tropic, Utah

Activities: Horseback Riding (https://www.horserides.net/)

- I would highly recommend going horseback riding during your trip (even if it's in Zion or Aches)! This trip was so beautiful and peaceful though; this ride was perfect. It was an hour and a half and you go through both forest and get to see the North Rim of Bryce.

Tips:

- Bryce is at a much higher altitude, so it is good to be aware of that health-wise. I definitely felt the impact while hiking (especially with a mask on).

- We opted to take our car even though there is a free shuttle because we knew we would be cold and wanted the independence of choosing where to go directly.

- Sunrise is much nicer than sunset because of the orientation of the canyon, which faces West.

Schedule:

- Day one (half-day): Horseback Riding and sunset at Sunset Point

- Day two (half-day): We did all the driving viewpoints (Sunrise, Sunset, Inspiration, Bryce, Viewpoint) this day because it was far too cold to hike (it was snowing), but when I go back next, I want to do the Navajo Trail!

Drive from Bryce to Las Vegas (4 hours)

Las Vegas (3 nights)

*This was much more relaxed for us since we were here to spend time with my family.

Accommodation: My house!

Food Places: Noodle Asia (Venetian) and Trevi (Cesar's Palace)

*Also try Lotus of Siam if you like Thai Food!

Tips:

- The Strip is packed during the weekend, so try to go during the weekdays, especially if you go in the next month as everything just reopened!

- Must-see on the strip: The Bellagio Fountains and Bellagio Casino, drive through the strip (or walk)

- Parking is free at the Venetian for everyone, otherwise, a lot of places charge upwards of $15-20 for parking.

- Red Rock Canyon or the Valley of Fire are both beautiful and close escapes from the city if you are looking for more nature-type activities!

Activities: Red Rock Canyon, Outlet Malls (the North ones have better deals) and The Strip

As someone who has felt very burnt out this whole year, this was such a necessary trip and it felt great to get a change of scenery and disconnect. If I had extra time, I would have loved to stay longer in Bryce Canyon or gone to the Great Salt Lake, Capitol Reef National Park, and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument! I made it a new goal to visit as many national parks as possible (hopefully all of them) in my lifetime. I actually got a pack of postcards with all of them and plan to write my individual experiences on the back of the postcards as I visit each park.

Anyway, that was our trip! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions and happy traveling <3