Visiting the Southwest can be intimidating, as there is so much to see and it is all sprawled. Depending on how many days you have, this road trip itinerary through the Southwest can be done in five days. This southwest vacation was planned for March, a great time to visit a warm destination.
From the Las Vegas airport there is a number of places to visit, from Valley of Fire State Park to Zion National Park. The Harry Read International Airport is the airport I traveled into for this trip-making it for less driving for the destinations I wanted to hit.
Southwest Road Trip Itinerary: An Epic Guide
On this blog post you will learn about everything I planned for this southwest road trip and how to plan it for yourself.
Images on this blog post are in collaboration with Melissa Miller, Emilie Hofferber, and Marylee Burman.
What Is the Map Of This Road Trip?
First, book your flight into Las Vegas Airport, this will be the closest and most affordable option. From there this southwest road trip will take you into Arizona, Utah, and back into Nevada. We completed this itinerary over 7 days total, so be sure to give yourself enough time.
When renting a car for this road trip, it is best to have an AWD vehicle. We had to ask for a 4-Runner but it was not guaranteed. Depending on what destinations your wanting to see, the backcountry desert roads will require a high clearance vehicle to safely get you to the more remote areas. Moreover, renting a jeep or hiring a local company to drive you is also possible, but more expensive.
Keep in mind that when planning your road trip through the southwest, many rentals and destinations can book 4-6 months in advance. Planning ahead is always a great idea, especially for rental cars and airbnbs.
First Stop: St. George Utah
From Las Vegas, we drove two hours to St. George, Utah. We chose this as our basecamp for the first two days as we wanted to visit Zion National Park and hikes in St. George. Hurricane, Utah is closer to Zion but we wanted to have access to more restaurants and bars.
We rented this double master suite in St. George, Utah. It was decorated in Southwestern aesthetics, extremely clean and spacious, I do recommend!
From here we visited Yant Flats trailhead
Yants Flat Trail
Located 45 minutes outside of St. George Yants Flat is a gorgeous trail that takes you to a stunning rock formation with layers of rocky colors. Its a relatively easy hike, depending on how much you explore once you get there. For photographers, its a stunning place to explore for quite a while, so give yourself enough time.
Keep in mind that the road on the way in is sand, so always check of road conditions and weather in advance. October through April are the best times to hike this trail before it gets too hot.
Length: 3.4 miles out and back
Elevation Gain: 337 feet
Dogs: Allowed on a leash
Zion National Park
Zion National Park is just an hour from St.George, Utah. We woke up early to head into the park on a Thursday. Getting into the park before 10AM is highly advisable due to how busy the park can get. During the busy season a shuttle runs through most of the park, so keep that in mind before your trip. March through December is when the shuttle operates. Due to the snow it was not running while we were there. This is a great way for the park to handle high traffic!
There are many places to hike around the park without a permit. All you have to pay is the $35 park entrance fee. However, some of the more popular hikes require a permit which I will talk about below here.
1. Canyon Overlook Trail
First thing in the morning we hiked the Canyon Overlook trail, just past the popular Zion tunnel. Parking is limited here, so you might have to drive onward and turn around to wait for parking to open up. This is a popular trail as the views are just as stunning as Angel’s Landing and the hike is rated easy.
Length: 1.0 mile out and back
Elevation Gain: 187 feet
2. Angels Landing
If you want to hike the infamous Angels Landing, there is now a permit required to complete the hike. This is the most popular hike inside of the park so getting a permit to hike is quite competitive. Angels Landing permits are dispersed seasonally where you get to pick a 7 day window of when you would want to hike.
Length: 4.4 Miles
Elevation Gain: 1,604 feet
Second Stop: Kanab, Utah
After exploring the St. George area for two days we drove two hours into Utah for our stay in Kanab. Unfortunately for us, a unseasonal rainstorm came in during our stay there, making it hard to access our original destination. Weather in Utah can change quickly so it is important to always know before you go.
We had planned to drive to White Pocket, a gorgeous land of red, pink, and sandy twirls. The drive involves an already rough road, so adding rain to it made it very unsafe to drive on. We had actually got to the road and saw a couple in a 4Runner tell us not to drive out there. Flash flooding in the desert is nothing to mess with. So we went with plan B-drive to Arizona!
Third Stop: Page, AZ
Luckily this area is full of a number of beautiful places to see-so our back-up plan wasn’t the worst. Kanab is an hour from Page and there are many places to see along the way. It’s almost overwhelming to choose when visiting the Southwest-but for us the flash flooding limited what we could drive to safely. So we stuck to paved roads!
1. Horseshoe Bend
Trust me when I say-regardless of how busy it is here, its completely worth it. For us, it was raining quite a bit so it wasn’t quite as busy as it would be on a sunny day. The moody weather actually made for a beautiful scene! Its a short walk on a paved path to the viewpoint. There are quite a few areas to see the bend from. Keep in mind that Horseshoe Bend isn’t entirely fenced so proceed with caution on rocks. It’s $10 to enter Horseshoe Bend and you can pay with a credit card or cash.
2. Lake Powell
On our way back to Kanab we stopped by Wahweap Overlook, a great place to drive and get different vistas of Lake Powell. We didn’t stop to swim due to the rainy, cold weather. It was beautiful nonetheless.
3. Lone Rock
Lone Rock is a rock that used to be surrounded by water. Due to droughts year over year, the what once was a lakebed has dried up. This is a great place for dispersed camping. There are composting toilets and plenty of space for quite a few vehicles. Keep in mind that because of the sandy ground, having an AWD vehicle is advisable if driving beyond the parking lot.
Fourth Stop: Las Vegas
On our way back to Las Vegas there are a number of places to stop for hiking and sightseeing. St. George was the perfect place to stop along the way and have lunch. Luckily for us the sun came back out for our final couple days. Next, we visited one of the most anticipated stops of our trip, Valley of Fire State Park.
1. Valley of Fire State Park
Driving out to this state park feels like your just driving out into the middle of the desert. After paying $15 to get in, the geological wonderland explodes! My mind was blown. Keep in mind that the park is open from sunrise to sunset unless your camped inside of the park and this is strictly enforced.
Hikes In Valley of Fire State Park:
- Mouses’s Tank (to get the infamous Instagram photograph)
- Pinnacles Loop
- Balancing Rock
- Rainbow Vista
- Petrified Logs Loop
2. Red Rock Canyon State Park
If you have the time, this scenic drive is entirely underrated! Red Rock Canyon requires a timed entry permit October through May for driving into the park, as it’s a one way road. This makes it a great road for biking too! We saw many e-bikes along the way.
There are many hiking trails inside the scenic drive. It’s a popular place for climbing as well!
3. Calico Basin
This was my favorite part of this area. It’s on the beginning of the scenic drive so be mindful that turning around is not an option here! We did some hiking and exploring around the rocks here while watching the climbers around. Incredibly stunning calico covered red rocks will take your breath away.
In summary, I cannot recommend this Southwest roadtrip more. Theres something special about the desert, truly bringing peace and challenge into every aspect of it. I cannot wait to come back and explore it more!
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