by Looking for a rewarding road trip around the American Wild West? Below is our most varied itinerary of bucket list national parks between Las Vegas, NV, Salt Lake City, UT, and Bozeman, MT. You’ll explore Zion, Bryce, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone, plus a few other amazing destinations along the way. It may look like a speedy trip, but you’ll do so much exploring in each destination that you’ll feel like you’re part of the local culture. The only decisions you have to make is where to stay each night.
Get our roadbook to experience the magic of the Wild West in 10 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
10 days to Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Great Salt Lake, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone. Ideal any time between May 15-October 15. If you follow this itinerary in winter, note that much of Grand Teton and Yellowstone will be closed, and the remaining destinations may be under snow.
Highlights
- Zion: Full-day hikes 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: Short stops and walks along the highway
- Antelope Island: Swim in the Great Salt Lake and wildlife viewing
- Grand Teton: A choice of hikes in the breathtaking alpine environment
- Yellowstone: Hikes and scenic drives between hydrothermal features and canyons
- Other: Hidden gems along the way to stretch your legs and enjoy the views
Itinerary
Day 1: Drive Las Vegas to Zion and leisurely hike Riverside Walk. Total drive time 3 hours.
Day 2: All day hikes Zion – hike Angels Landing and Emerald Pools.
Day 3: 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 4: 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 5: Long but scenic drive to Salt Lake City, stopping at Fremont Indian State Park. Total drive time 4.5 hours.
Day 6: Morning visit to Antelope Island, then long drive to Grand Teton National Park. Total drive time 6 hours.
Day 7: All day hikes in Grand Teton – Taggart/Bradley Loop (easy) or Paintbrush/Cascade Loop (strenuous).
Days 8 & 9: All day hikes and scenic drives in Yellowstone.
Day 10: Drive to Bozeman.
Where to spend the night
Links for the nearest campgrounds to each destination:
Zion National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Capitol Reef National Park
Grand Teton National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Campgrounds around Las Vegas
If you’re booking hotels:
Nights 1 & 2: Reserve 2 nights in Zion Lodge or hotel of your choice in Springdale, UT
Night 3: Reserve 1 night in Bryce Canyon Lodge or Ruby’s Inn
Night 4: Reserve 1 night in any hotel or B&B in Torrey, UT
Night 5: Reserve 1 night in any hotel or B&B in Salt Lake City, UT
Night 6 & 7: Reserve 2 nights in one of the Grand Teton Lodges or any hotel or B&B in Jackson, WY
Night 8 & 9: Reserve 2 nights in one of the lodges in Yellowstone National Park or any hotel or B&B in Gardiner, MT
Night 10: Bozeman. Go with your gut.
Download the PDF roadbook for this itinerary. This 10-day one-way road trip is our most varied itinerary of bucket list destinations and national parks between Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and Bozeman: Zion, Bryce, Great Salt Lake, Grand Teton, Yellowstone. This trip is ideal between May 15-October 15.
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.
Have questions or want our help in modifying this itinerary?
Fill out the Contact us form at the bottom of our homepage.
See you on the trails!