Perfect Grand Canyon, Zion, and Bryce Canyon Road Trip Itinerary
Are you trying to plan an epic road trip to Grand Canyon, Zion, and Bryce Canyon?
I visited all of these national parks in 2021 on an epic camper van road trip with my best friend. We had a blast journeying through Nevada, Utah, and Arizona, and now I am sharing our exact itinerary with you!
In this guide, I’ll provide a day-by-day breakdown of this one week road trip that includes Grand Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, and Bryce Canyon, plus Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Lake Powell, and Valley of Fire State Park! How’s that for an action packed itinerary?
So if you are planning a trip to the American Southwest and are looking for the perfect one week itinerary, this post is for you!
Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link or book through an affiliate program, I receive a small commission at no cost to you!
One Week in Grand Canyon, Zion, and Bryce: The Ultimate National Parks Road Trip Itinerary
Itinerary Overview
The route for this national parks road trip is basically a big circle, starting in Las Vegas and covering the Grand Canyon, Zion, and Bryce, as well as Page, Arizona. I recommend starting with the Grand Canyon, as it’s the longest leg of the trip (4.5 hours). From there, you will continue on from the Grand Canyon to Page, then Page to Zion.
If you follow this itinerary, the second half of the trip in Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park will be much slower-paced than the first half of the trip. During the first couple days, you will be changing locations each day, so it’s a quick start to the trip!
However, this road trip can be reversed, starting with Zion and ending with the Grand Canyon before heading back to Las Vegas!
The drive times for this itinerary are as follows:
- Las Vegas to Grand Canyon: 4.5 hours
- Grand Canyon to Page: 2.25 hours
- Page to Zion: 1.5 hours
- Zion to Bryce (day trip): 1.5 hours
- Zion to Las Vegas: 2.5 hours
Pace of Travel
Before we get into the details, let’s talk about the pace of this itinerary, because it’s definitely not for everyone! Understanding your travel style and what you are looking for in a trip will really help your planning process, and I want to make sure anyone can use this itinerary and adjust as needed.
I would categorize this trip as fast-paced and for adventure travelers.. You will be driving over 1000 miles through 3 states in 7 days. You’ll get to experience the Grand Canyon, Zion, AND Bryce, plus a few other spots!
The first 3 days you will be changing locations every evening after exploring all day. I will say – we were a little apprehensive about this before our trip, but it ended up being totally fine! But we are also in our twenties with no kids, in a van, and knew what we were getting into.
If you are looking for a more relaxing, slow-paced national parks road trip, I would highly recommend either adding more days in or cutting out some stops. For example, you could easily spend a week exploring just Zion and Bryce Canyon. Or you could spend 3 days in the Grand Canyon and still not see and do it all!
This itinerary hits all the highlights of the American Southwest, which was our goal for the trip. We only had one week and wanted to see and do as much as possible. Please use this itinerary as guide and adapt as needed to your travel preferences!
Packing Essentials for Grand Canyon, Zion, and Bryce
Your packing list for a trip to the Grand Canyon, Zion, and Bryce will be very much dependent on the weather.
For example, summers in Zion National Park often see temperatures in the 100s and lows well below freezing in the winter. Bryce Canyon is typically 10-20 degrees colder than it is at Zion!
Regardless of the time of year you visit, these few items below will be essential for you trip:
1. Good Hiking Boots
This might seem obvious, but you definitely need to invest in a good pair of hiking boots for your trip to the American Southwest. I wore these boots every single day, no blisters, no pain. I am prone to tripping and spraining my ankle.. but had no issue in these.
2. Day pack with water bladder
I never owned a backpack with a bladder before, but I bought this one from Amazon for the trip! Not having to lug around a water bottle every day was great, and having hands free access to water comes in handy (see what I did there?!) when you are kayaking in Antelope Canyon or climbing the chains on Angel’s Landing! So I highly recommend this backpack – it was the perfect size and only $30!
3. Sunscreen
I will scream this from the mountain tops until I am blue in the face! If you are going to be outside, you need to wear sunscreen. Even if it’s cold. Even if its cloudy!! If you hate the feeling of sunscreen, I highly recommend Supergoop! It’s my favorite brand ever (not sponsored) but I will recommend them forever.
Starting Point for Grand Canyon, Zion, and Bryce Itinerary
This national parks road trip starts and ends in the beautiful Las Vegas, Nevada. You will be journeying over 1000 miles in a circle through Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. Las Vegas is the perfect place to start and end this itinerary for two reasons:
- Harry Reid International Airport is a very popular airport with direct flights from all over the country!
- After spending a week traveling through the desert, Las Vegas is the perfect place to bring yourself back to reality!
Now, I personally tackled this road trip in an Escape Campervan.. However, you can use this itinerary while traveling in a standard rental car and staying in fancy hotels. Or tent camping if that’s your thing. Or a combination of both – the possibilities are endless here!
This itinerary will focus on what we did each day and not so much details on our van trip or where we stayed. If you’re looking for more about #vanlife, check out my post here!
Things to Know Before You Go
You will be visiting 3 different national parks and one national recreation area on this road trip. The entrance fee to each national park is $30, so it makes the most sense to buy an America the Beautiful Pass for the trip.
This pass is only $80 per vehicle and gets you into an extensive amount of national parks for a whole year, including the Grand Canyon, Zion, and Bryce. If you forget to purchase it in advance of your trip, you can also grab one at any of the National Park entrance gates. We got ours at the Grand Canyon with no issues.
Aside from the pass, you should also know about time zones before the trip!
You will be going back and forth between Pacific Standard Time (PST) and Mountain Standard Time (MST) during this trip. Throughout the itinerary, I will note what time zone you start and end in for each leg.
It gets slightly confusing during Daylight Savings time, as the State of Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings time. More on that when we get to that portion of the itinerary!
Day 1: Arrive in Las Vegas & Drive to the Grand Canyon
Distance: 280 miles
Estimated Travel Time: 4 hrs 30 min
Departure Time Zone (Las Vegas): PST
Arrival Time Zone (Grand Canyon, Arizona): MST
Time Zone Note: During Daylight Savings Time (typically April – October), the time in Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon will be the same, as Arizona does not observe daylight savings. In the winter (November – March), the Grand Canyon is one hour ahead of Las Vegas.
As I mentioned, you’ll be flying into the Las Vegas airport to kick off your adventure. I recommend arriving as early as possible, as you’ll be tackling the longest leg of the trip today. After arriving in Las Vegas, you’ll be making the journey to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, about 4.5 hours away.
Before starting your drive, stop at a local supermarket and grab some snacks and drinks. If you’re going the camping route, you might need a full blown grocery shopping trip – so leave time for that as well!
After stocking up on food, start your drive to the Grand Canyon South Rim. The best route is US-93 South to I-40 East, and then North on US-180. The journey should take around 4.5 hours.. If you’re camping, I highly recommend trying to arrive to your campsite before dark. Make sure to look up the exact sunset time in the Grand Canyon for the date you are visiting.
If you make it in time for sunset, you can head to Hopi Point (the most popular), Mohave Point, or Pima Point to watch the sun fall behind the Canyon!
Where to stay in the Grand Canyon
For Camping: If you’re planning to camp, I highly recommend Mather Campground inside the park! There is a bus stop at the front of the campground that will take you to all the main stops throughout the park.
For Hotels: If you’re not camping, there are a few hotel and cabin options within the park itself, including the Yavapai Lodge, the Bright Angel Lodge, and the historic El Tovar.
Your other option is to stay outside the park in the nearby town of Tusayan!
Day 2: Explore Grand Canyon and Drive to Page
exploring the Grand Canyon
Today is the first day of actual adventure on this national parks road trip! The majority of your day will be spent exploring the Grand Canyon South Rim. How long you have here will depend on how early you wake up and how late you want to arrive at your next destination (Page, AZ).
There are tons of things to do in the Grand Canyon in one day, but here’s a quick list to choose from. If you are having trouble deciding what to do, you can also check out my one day Grand Canyon itinerary for help!
- Sunrise at Mather Point
- Helicopter Ride
- Mule Ride
- Bright Angel Trail
- South Kaibab Trail
- Drive Along the Rim Trail
- Hermit Road Shuttle
Since you only have one day in the Grand Canyon, you may want to spend as much time as possible exploring. However, this road trop itinerary includes a visit to Horseshoe Bend in Page, Arizona for sunset tonight.
If you want to include this in your itinerary, you’ll need to coordinate your departure time from Grand Canyon with the sunset time in Page, AZ. Again, this will depend on the time of year, so make sure to look up the sunset time for your specific date!
Drive From Grand Canyon to Horseshoe Bend / Page
Distance: 132 miles
Estimated Travel Time: 2 hrs 15 min
Departure Time Zone (Grand Canyon, Arizona): Arizona Standard Time
Arrival Time Zone (Page, Arizona): Arizona Standard Time
Time Zone Note: No matter what time of year you visit, the Grand Canyon and Page will always be on the same time zone.. I will call it Arizona Standard Time… Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, the time zones can get confusing.. mostly because of Arizona. So I will try to break it down further below.
Arizona Time Zones Explained
The state of Arizona falls within Mountain Standard Time but does not observe Daylight Savings. So from approximately April through October every year (Daylight Savings Time), Arizona will be on Pacific Standard Time (PST).
This is the same as California and Nevada, because Arizona does not “spring forward” like the rest of the states on Mountain Standard Time. To make it even more confusing, the Navajo Nation (in which part of Arizona falls) DOES observe Daylight Savings Time. So during these months, different parts of Arizona will be on different time zones... confused yet?!
Luckily, this national parks road trip does not enter the Navajo Nation. Even though the Antelope Canyon tours are run by the Navajo tribe, Page, AZ does not fall within the geographical boundaries of the Navajo Nation, so the time in Page will always follow the time of nearby cities like Phoenix and Flagstaff.
I highly recommend manually setting your phone to Phoenix, AZ as you near Page. This will ensure your phone is on the right time and does not pick up the cellular signal from nearby Utah which is on a different time zone during Daylight Savings..
So to summarize again, during Daylight Savings Time, the non-Navajo portion of Arizona (which includes the Grand Canyon, Page, etc.) will be the same time as California and Nevada (Pacific Standard Time, PST). During non-Daylight Savings Time, (November – March), Arizona is on the same time as Utah, on Mountain Standard Time (MST).
Driving from Grand Canyon to Page will never have a time change (this is true all year long), but this does affect your journey from Las Vegas to Arizona and Arizona to Utah (later in the trip!).
Ok.. back to the itinerary!
Horseshoe Bend for Sunset
You have just arrived at Horseshoe Bend in Page, AZ for sunset! The best part of visiting Horseshoe Bend is there’s no strenuous hike required.. You park in a small parking lot and from there it’s a 10 minute stroll on a paved walkway. Totally doable for kids and pets too! I recommend arriving about 30 minutes prior to sunset.
Where to Stay Near Horseshoe Bend in Page, AZ
After visiting Horseshoe Bend, it’s time to make your way to your lodging or campsite for the evening.
For Camping: We stayed at Wahweap Campground on Lake Powell. We visited in October, and the campground was pretty much empty.. In the summer, I’m sure this campground is extremely popular, as it’s right on the lake and has all kinds of water toy rentals. So keep that in mind if you’re planning a trip during the summer!
For Hotels: If you’re not camping, there are a lot of different hotel options in the town of Page, AZ. Staying in Page will put you in close proximity to Lake Powell and Antelope Canyon for tomorrow.
Day 3: Lake Powell, Antelope Canyon, and Drive to Zion
Fair warning.. this is an action packed day! You will be visiting Antelope Canyon by both land and water.. and then driving to Zion National Park after. Probably the busiest day of this trip! If you’re looking for something more slow-paced, I recommend choosing one of the Page activities – either kayaking or doing the walking tour.
In order to fit both in one day, you will have to sign up for a late afternoon Antelope Canyon walking tour. However, the peak tour times for lighting are between 10am and 1pm. So if your main goal of visiting Page is to photograph Antelope Canyon, I would skip the kayaking portion of this day.
Kayaking to Antelope Canyon
To maximize your time, plan to start your day around 7am and start kayaking by 8am. Grab some breakfast and make your way down to Antelope Point Marina (537 Marina Pkwy, Page, AZ 86040). If you’re planning this trip in advance (by a few months), you can try calling to see if they take reservations for kayaks.
If you cannot get a reservation here, and you are visiting during peak season, I recommend calling other kayak companies and trying to reserve in advance. It would be awful if you get to Antelope Point Marina and they’re all out. There are tons of companies in Page that rent kayaks, or you can go on a guided tour!
I have a full blog post on kayaking to Antelope Canyon, which will provide you with all the details you need for this activity!
Antelope Canyon Walking Tour
After finishing your kayaking tour, head to the nearby Antelope Canyon walking tour at your designated time slot. Note that this will require advanced reservations! The Lower Canyon walking tour with Ken’s Tours is only 10 minutes away from Antelope Point Marina.
There are actually two parts of Antelope Canyon with two separate tours: Upper and Lower. Upper Antelope Canyon tends to be more popular due to the shape of the cave walls, and the signature light beams that shine down. However, we visited Lower Canyon, which is slightly less popular and can be booked with shorter notice!
After your walking tour concludes, it’s time to make your way the next stop on this national parks road trip: Zion National Park in Springdale, UT!
Drive to Zion National Park
Distance: 105 miles
Estimated Travel Time: 1 hr 45 min
Departure Time Zone (Page, Arizona): Arizona Standard Time
Arrival Time Zone (Springdale, Utah): Mountain Standard Time
Time Zone Note: During Daylight Savings Time (typically April – October), the time in Springdale, UT (where Zion is located) and Page, AZ will be different, as the state Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings. Utah will be one hour ahead of Page during this time, so you will lose an hour on this drive. In the winter (November – March), Page, AZ and Springdale, UT will be on the same time zone (Mountain Standard Time).
So, in the summer, if you leave Page, AZ around 4:30pm local Arizona Time, it will be ~7:15pm MST when you arrive in Springdale, UT. Remember to set your phone back to the right time zone if you changed it manually while in Page! Once you arrive in town, grab some dinner and go to bed early.. tomorrow you hike Angels Landing!
Read more about the drive from Antelope Canyon to Zion National Park in my guide here! It also includes some of the best places to stop along the way if you are looking to add to this itinerary!
Where to Stay at zion national Park
Inside the Park: There are a two different campgrounds (South and Watchman) inside Zion National Park, all of which book up insanely fast and are nearly always full. There is one lodge inside the park, Zion Lodge, which typically books up 6+ months in advance.
Outside the Park: Staying inside the park definitely has its advantages (you can get right on the shuttle and don’t have to fight for parking). However, if you don’t manage to stay inside the park, it’s no big deal! In fact, most people stay in the town of Springdale, UT, right outside the park’s entrance. There are campgrounds, budget hotels, and upscale lodges here – something for everyone!
Don’t forget to check out my blog post on the 10 things you need to know before visiting Zion National Park to help plan for this trip to Grand Canyon, Zion, and Bryce!
Day 4: Hiking Angels Landing & the Canyon Overlook Trail
Hiking Angels Landing
For hiking Angels Landing, plan to be on the first bus leaving the Zion Visitor Center. You’ll ride the shuttle to Stop #6: the Grotto shuttle stop to begin your hike!
Note: As of April 2022, Zion NPS is requiring permits for the chains section of the Angels Landing hike. This requirement is to make the hike safer and more enjoyable for everyone! Speaking from experience, I think this was definitely needed. The Angels Landing hike is SO much more enjoyable with less people!
The Angels Landing trail is 5 miles round trip and can take anywhere from 3 to 5 hours to complete. The entirety of the chains section is a half mile, which can take between 30 minutes to an hour to complete, depending on your pace and the amount of people on the trail!
Read my full beginner’s guide to hiking Angel’s Landing here!!
Mt. Carmel Highway and Canyon Overlook Trail
If you start Angels Landing first thing in the morning, you’ll probably finish around lunchtime, and your legs will probably feel like jello! I recommend grabbing lunch at one of the many places in Springdale and relax for a few hours.
Once you’ve recharged, take a drive through the Mt. Carmel Highway in Zion and head to the Canyon Overlook Trail. The views along this road are absolutely gorgeous.. take your time to take them in! Right after you pass through the long tunnel, find parking on the road or in the small parking lot to the right and walk to the trailhead.
I promise this hike is doable after hiking Angels Landing. It’s only about a mile roundtrip, and relatively easy, but the views are absolutely gorgeous. It’s a great place to watch the sunset!
Pick Up the Narrows Gear
After you’ve watched the sunset at Canyon Overlook, on your way back to Springdale, make a stop at Zion Outfitter right outside the entrance to the park to rent your gear for tomorrow’s hike… the Narrows!! What time of year you are visiting will dictate what gear you rent. At a minimum, I highly recommend the shoes, socks, and the walking stick.
After picking up your gear, have some dinner and get some rest – you have another big day tomorrow!
Day 5: Hiking the Narrows & a Scenic Drive
Hiking the Narrows
Okay, you’ve got your gear and you’re up early (hopefully!). Like Angels Landing, hiking the Narrows will be SO much more enjoyable if you start early. The earlier you start, the less people there will be, and you get to take in the views all to yourself.
You can read my full Beginner’s Guide to Hiking the Narrows, but here is a short summary of what you can expect!
- Take the Zion shuttle to the last stop – Temple of Sinawava
- After getting off the shuttle, you will have a one mile hike along the river path before you get in the water. This is called the Riverside Walk!
- After a mile, the path will lead you down stairs and into ankle deep water
- From here, the trail will vary between dirt banks and the river! Be prepared to venture into thigh-deep water, depending on the time of year
- This hike is an out and back hike, which means however far you go in, you will have to hike the same distance out
- There are no bathrooms or water fountains on this trail. Make sure to pack enough food and water for your entire day, and be ready to be creative when you have to pee!
Scenic Drive + Photo Ops
Depending on how far you hike in, you could spend most of your day in the Narrows. Once you’re done, head back to Zion Outfitters to return your gear. After this, grab a coffee from Feel Love Coffee right across the street and relax for a few hours.. You will be pretty pooped!
In the late evening, take a drive through the east side park and stop at some of the pull offs for photo ops. If you have the time and energy, you can also visit Checkerboard Mesa on this side. The drive through Zion is so gorgeous and a perfect way to spend the afternoon after a long day of hiking. Put on some tunes and cruise!
Day 6: Day Trip from Zion to Bryce Canyon
On Day 6 of this national parks road trip, you’ll be venturing out of town to a new national park – Bryce Canyon!! Bryce Canyon National Park is just 75 miles northeast of the Zion area and makes the perfect day trip. It’s not a huge national park like Zion, so you can easily do it in one day. It’s also a very pretty drive, which makes it even easier! So grab a quick breakfast and then start your drive from Zion to Bryce Canyon.
Distance: 75 miles
Estimated Travel Time: 1 hr 20 min
Departure Time Zone (Zion National Park): Mountain Standard Time
Arrival Time Zone (Bryce Canyon NP): Mountain Standard Time
Time Zone Note: Bryce Canyon and Zion are both located in Utah and will always share the same time Zion (Mountain Standard Time, MST).
Bryce Canyon is at a much higher elevation than Zion, so it will probably be much colder! Depending on the time of year, it could be warm in Zion and snowing in Bryce, so make sure you to check the weather for both before your trip and plan ahead!
I am working on my one day guide to Bryce Canyon still, but here is a quick summary of what you should try to tackle while there!
- Sunrise Point
- Queens Garden Trail
- Navajo Loop Trail
- Inspiration Point
If you’re looking to avoid the crowds, try to arrive at Bryce as early as possible.. Pack a lunch so you can eat in the park, as there’s no food options. Once you feel like you’ve seen everything you can, make your way back to Springdale, Utah for your last day in Zion tomorrow!
Day 7: Zion + Fly Home OR Zion + Valley of Fire + Vegas
Today is *technically* the last day of your Grand Canyon, Zion, and Bryce Canyon road trip! But I am laying out a few different options in case you can spare one more day on your trip and want to see an extra park and city!
Option 1: Zion + fly Home
If you only have 7 days and today is the last day of your trip, you’ll be heading back to Vegas from Zion to catch your flight home. If you have a late flight out, consider knocking off one more hike in Zion in the morning before hitting the road, like the Emerald Pools trail. Make sure to give yourself plenty of time to catch your flight in case you hit traffic on the road or anything unexpected happens!
Distance: 165 miles
Travel Time: 2 hr 30 min
Departure Time Zone (Springdale, UT): Mountain Standard Time
Arrival Time Zone (Las Vegas, NV): Pacific Standard Time
Time Zone Note: This route is not affected by Daylight Savings. You will always gain an hour driving from Zion to Las Vegas. The drive is 2.5 hours, but you will gain an hour going from MST to PST.
Option 2: Valley of Fire + Vegas + Fly Home
If you can squeeze in an extra day to your trip and have never been, I highly recommend spending your last evening in Las Vegas! After a week on the road, it will feel great to have one more night and fly out first thing in the morning, especially if you’re tackling this itinerary in a van!
Another optional add on for the last day of your Grand Canyon, Zion, & Bryce trip is visiting Valley of Fire State Park on your way back to Las Vegas! There are a couple different hikes in Valley of Fire that you can tackle in just a few hours, and it only adds about 45 minutes to your drive from Zion to Las Vegas.
During our trip, we tackled both a morning hike in Zion and a few hours in Valley of Fire, and we ended up getting to Vegas around 5pm. If you’re wanting to see more of Vegas during the day, I recommend picking one of those two options, so you can be in Vegas by early afternoon.
Either way, if you decide to spend your last night in Vegas, there are a ton of fun things to see and do. Have a fancy dinner, try your luck gambling, see an iconic show.. there is something for everyone in Las Vegas! I’m working on a “One Day in Las Vegas” guide to help you pick!
Final Thoughts
That concludes my one-week US National Parks road trip itinerary for the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, and Page! As you can see, there is a ton to see and do on this itinerary, and you can easily add on more days and more parks.
If you have less than a week, I recommend cutting out Page and Grand Canyon and focusing on Zion, as you can easily spend 5 days exploring this park alone. If you’re looking to add on to this trip, I recommend checking out the following places!
- Sedona and Flagstaff (Arizona)
- Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Arches National Park (Utah)
- Joshua Tree National Park (Cali)
Don’t forget to pin this post for future planning!
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