by Looking for the best active road trip around the Southwest? Below is our most complete itinerary of Utah’s Mighty 5 national parks – Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands – as well as the Grand Canyon and a few other amazing destinations along the way. It may look like a speedy trip, but you’ll do so much hiking in each park that you’ll feel like you know every corner of it. The only decisions you have to make is where to stay each night. Note that this road trip is best combined with campgrounds that are the closest to each destination.
Get our roadbook to experience the magic of Utah’s Mighty 5 parks in 8 days
You can download our mini-guidebook to save you time and energy in creating an itinerary from scratch. This personalized roadbook includes the most pertinent information about the parks, directions to trailheads, alternate activities in case your original plan falls through, fun facts about the area, and a few other helpful tidbits.
Of course you can do your own research on Google, Lonely Planet, TripAdvisor, Yelp, talk to locals, and use many other resources to decide where to go. But you’ll get an overload of information. That’s where DetourOn comes in. Choose to download only the itinerary or the entire personalized roadbook directly from the DetourOn Planner. You’ll have the most pertinent and interesting information for a stress-free travel experience.
Much value could be added to your travels when you have more time to enjoy your surroundings and waste less energy fretting about how to do it.
Itinerary summary
8 days to Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands, Monument Valley, Lake Powell, and the Grand Canyon. This itinerary is ideal as a camping road trip any time of year. Keep in mind that summer temps are scorching, so keep the longer hikes for early morning or late evening. In winter, you may be hiking and camping in snow in places like Bryce and the Grand Canyon. No matter the season, there’s something new to experience year-round. You may want to return to follow the exact same itinerary in a different season!
Highlights
- Zion: Half-day hike in Zion Canyon, combining multiple mythical trails in the park
- Bryce: Half-day hike in the Bryce Amphitheater, combining multiple alluring trails in the park
- Capitol Reef and the San Rafael Swell: Short stops and walks along the highway
- Moab area: Hikes in Arches, Canyonlands, and along the scenic Colorado River corridor
- Navajo Nation and Lake Powell: Visit Monument Valley, Antelope Canyon, and a tiny part of the immense Lake Powell
- Grand Canyon: Hike around the South Rim
- Other: Hidden gems along the way to stretch your legs and enjoy the views
Itinerary
Day 1: Drive Las Vegas to Zion and hike Angels Landing, Emerald Pools, and Riverside Walk. Total drive time 3 hours.
Day 2: Sunrise hike in Zion (Canyon Overlook) followed by drive to Bryce. Afternoon hike Figure 8 combo trails in the Bryce Amphitheater. Total drive time 2 hours.
Day 3: Drive to Capitol Reef, stopping to hike at Lower Calf Creek Falls in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. Total drive time 3 hours.
Day 4: Drive to Moab, stopping to hike in the San Rafael Swell at Little Wild Horse Canyon and Goblin Valley State Park. Total drive time 3 hours.
Day 5: Three fantastic hikes in one day! Start with an early morning walk under the Fisher Towers near Moab. From there, continue for a hike in Arches National Park, and finish the day with an evening stroll in Canyonlands National Park. Total drive time 1 hour.
Day 6: Start with a sunrise hike to the infamous Delicate Arch. Continue to Monument Valley for a million photo ops. In the afternoon, check out Navajo National Monument. Total drive time 4 hours.
Day 7: Join a morning guided tour to Betatakin, if available. From there, continue to Page to learn about Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon Dam. While there, visit Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend, and then set off toward the Grand Canyon South Rim.
Day 8: Morning walk at the Grand Canyon. In the afternoon, drive to Las Vegas with stops along the Route 66 and the Hoover Dam. Total drive time 4.5 hours.
Where to spend the night
Links for the nearest campgrounds to each destination:
Zion National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Capitol Reef National Park
Moab Area (Arches and Canyonlands)
Grand Canyon National Park
Campgrounds around Las Vegas
If you’re booking hotels:
Night 1: Reserve 1 night in Zion Lodge or hotel of your choice in Springdale, UT
Night 2 Reserve 1 night in Bryce Canyon Lodge or Ruby’s Inn
Night 3: Reserve 1 night in any hotel or B&B in Torrey, UT
Nights 4 & 5: Reserve 2 nights in any hotel or B&B in Moab, UT
Night 6: Reserve 1 night in any hotel or B&B in Kayenta, AZ
Night 7: Reserve 1 night in one of the lodges in Grand Canyon Village or hotel of your choice in Tusayan
Night 8: Las Vegas. Go with your gut.
Download the PDF roadbook for this itinerary. This 8-day loop itinerary that starts and ends in Las Vegas is our most complete itinerary of Utah’s Mighty 5 national parks: Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands – as well as Grand Canyon and more. This itinerary is ideal as a camping road trip any time of year.
How to download a roadbook
If you like the template itinerary as is, simply proceed to itinerary and click the PDF download icon in the upper righthand corner of your screen. You’ll have a choice between:
Simple download
Opens a PDF view of the itinerary with a short summary of each point of interest and average visit time
Premium download
Opens a DetourOn Roadbook with detailed information about each point of interest. This includes a short history of the location, fun facts, practical information to know before you go, restaurant suggestions in the area, and more. It is essentially a mini guidebook specific to your itinerary
Both options are currently FREE since DetourOn is still a prototype in its early stages of development. We therefore urge you to choose the premium download and hope you find it helpful.
How to edit and personalize itineraries
NOTE: You’ll need to use a desktop should you want to edit or create new DetourOn itineraries. The platform is not yet supported on smartphones or tablets.
To add and/or remove points of interest
From the DetourOn template itinerary, click the edit icon in the upper righthand corner of your screen. This will open the template in our interactive itinerary builder mode. You’ll find the template itinerary on the left side of the screen.
- To remove points of interest: Click the trash icon on the card you want to remove
- To change the order of events: Simply click and drag cards to their desired spot in the same day
- To move a point of interest to another day: Click the 3 dots on the card you want to move, hover over “move to” then hover over the day you want, and then click the time of day you’d like to move it to
- To add a new point of interest: You’ll need to search for it on the right side of the screen. First type “Las Vegas, NV” in the city search box at the top of the page. Then you can search for your desired destination from the suggestions that populate below. Once you find your desired point of interest, click and drag it to your itinerary on the left.
Rename and save the itinerary to your profile
In order to save or download your modified itinerary, the system will first prompt you to create and log in to your FREE DetourOn account.
In the interactive itinerary builder, click on the trip name and modify it as you wish. Then click the save icon in the upper righthand corner of your screen.
You don’t want to lose your work! Your edits will NOT save automatically. If you make any edits, remember to click “save” before exiting the screen or you will lose your work.
Return to your itinerary at a later time
Log in to your account and hover over your name in the upper righthand corner of the screen. Click on “Trips” and you’ll be redirected to your saved itineraries.
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See you on the trails!