US SOUTHWEST NATIONAL PARKS
8 Day Road Trip Itinerary
Trip Duration: 9 Days, 8 Nights
Day 1 - Sedona
Day 2-3 - Grand Canyon Raft Trip
Day 4-5 - Zion National Park
Day 6-7 - Bryce National Park
Day 8 - Road trip back to Phoenix (Horseshoe Bend & Sedona)
Day 9 - Travel Home
Time of Year: Spring (mid-April)
Traveled With: Just the two of us!
Highlights:
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Before you Go -General Tips/Knowledge:
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Trip Cost: $x,xxx
DAY 1–Sedona
As our flight got in late the night prior, we took it pretty easy our first day (for our standards :))! With so many amazing local hikes to choose from, it was easy to find a trail that suited our fancy! We chose to do Devil’s Bridge hike due to its length of XX miles which was perfect for our easy going afternoon. It took us xx hours to hike. We parked at xx alternate spot to avoid the potential parking madness at the Devil’s Bridge parking lot (we read there was limited space & knew we were short on time). This added 1 extra mile or so to our hike - relatively flat & low traffic area so we didn’t mind!
The hike was beautiful through the red rock scenery. When we got to the Devil’s Bridge itself there was a long line to take pictures (~30-45 min). This reminded us why we usually wake up early to beat the crowds! Worth it nonetheless. Views were awesome!
We ended the day in Sedona late afternoon, as we had a 2 hour drive to Peach Springs for our rafting trip the next day with an early start.
DAY 2 – grand canyon raft trip
We chose to do the 2 day Grand Canyon rafting trip through River Runners! This was our big splurge $ for the trip. We heard amazing reviews about the 5-10 day trips, but knew we couldn’t fit that into our schedule so the 2 day was the perfect alternative for us! We wanted to experience the Grand Canyon in a unique way vs. traditional view points along the rim & boy did this trip not disappoint! The company allowed us to rent camping gear & sent us a comprehensive packing list which made the experience pretty easy too.
For day 1 - We stayed overnight the night prior at the Hualapai Lodge, as it was the meeting spot for the tour at 6AM (discounts available through River Runners!).
We loaded up vans to drive to the raft launch site & geared up (1 hr or so). Our total group was ~18 people including guides, 2 paddling rafts & 1 supply raft.
Most of the first day was spent paddling & floating down the Colorado River. It was the perfect balance of floating & paddling to both enjoy the gorgeous river & canyon views, while also getting an exhilarating ride through the rapids. During the season we went, we hit 8.5 rapids (out scale of 10)! It was epic :)
We made stops along the way for short waterfall hike, swimming, lunch, etc! We switched to the motorized raft for the last few hours of the journey.
We arrived at our beach camp site & set up camp tents while the crew prepared a wonderful dinner. We were quite happy to have a fun group of fellow rafters who made the whole day fun & full of belly laughs.
After hours of fun & relaxation, we patiently waited for the sun to set to experience the beautiful night sky! This was surely one of the most unforgettable parts of the trip. A clear night with a bright moon & more stars we could ever imagine embedded within view of the canyons. We even saw several shooting stars! Truly spectacular.
For day 2 - We had an amazing breakfast & headed off on the motorized boat for the full day! More beautiful sites & plenty of relaxation in the sun with our new friends.
When we returned, we drove to our hotel near Hoover Dam to “break up” the upcoming day’s drive to Zion. Very glad we did this! Would have loved to check out the Dam, but we were running on a tight schedule & the hikes were calling our names!
DAY 4&5- Zion national park
So many hikes to choose from - but we chose to do Angel’s Landing & the Narrows. We were VERY happy with these choices! It is to be noted that due to the park structure & COVID protocols, we did have to plan this in advance. The Zion Park layout does not allow you to drive up to trail heads & park. Instead, you are required to take shuttles from the main Visitor Center (allot extra time for this!). Additionally, due to COVID, we were required to book a shuttle ticket in advance for a specific date & 1 hour time slot. The tickets sold out pretty fast, so check out recreation.gov for full details 1+ month in advance if you can!
Day 4 - Angel’s Landing
We had an early start around 7AM with ~3 hr drive Zion, including pit stop in Vegas area to pick up sandwiches for our afternoon hike! We were tracking for our 11AM shuttle bus until we realized that we were switching time zones & we lost an hour!!!! Luckily our shuttle bus ticket was from 11AM-12PM! The Visitor Center parking was also full at this time, so we parked in one of the alternate lots in Springdale ($15) & took the Springdale shuttle to the Visitor Center. Added another ~30 min or so.
We took the shuttle to stop #6 The Grotto where Angel’s Landing trailhead began. The hike is a challenging one, but rewarding indeed! X miles up including some brutal switchbacks leads you to a steep rocky incline where you hold on to chains to navigate & get creative with some of your footwork! You may not want to look down during this part :) before you know it, this adventure leads you to the peak with rewarding 360 views of the park. Gorgeous!!!!! We soaked in the views for as long as we could (noting the last shuttle bus is at 6pm!) before trekking down the steep trail. Our hiking poles were quite the blessing to support our knees on the way down!
Pro tip- the trail was pretty crowded the time of day we went, which made for some scary bottlenecks during the steep, narrow parts of the trail. I would recommend going early if you can!
Day 2 - The Narrows
For those of you who don’t know, I’ll start by saying this trail is not a traditional trail hike, but rather a hybrid hike with a significant portion of the journey trekking through the Virgin River. Yes - hiking through the water!!!
With that in mind, definitely do your research on the season you are going to know expected temperatures & appropriate gear! For us in April, it was obvious we needed legitimate waterproof outfits with neoprene so we rented through Zion Outfitters in advance ($55 pp with pants, bib, shoes, neoprene socks & pole). They also have options to rent waterproof bags, which I would definitely advise for your electronics (I brought one with me so did not need to rent). It was conveniently located by the Visitor Center, making it seamless for us to pick up the gear in advance of our 7AM shuttle!
It is to be noted there are 2 hiking trail options. Top Down (advanced) or Bottom Up (more intermediate/flexible lengths). We chose Bottom Up noting it would be 1 mile paved trail along the Riverwalk trail, followed by up to 3.5 miles through/along the River (popular view points in the water around the .5 mile, 1.5 miles & 3.5 mile marks - many people only go to earlier points & turn around). Our intent was the full 9 miles round trip which was perfect for us!
Take the shuttle to the last stop Temple of Sinawana & let the fun begin! Some other items to note:
-Definitely use the bathrooms at the trailhead since there are little to no hiding spots along this trail (especially for us ladies!)
-The water is mostly ankle to knee deep, but there are several spots it was waist deep & even chest deep (my height is 5’1). During the deepest part, water got into my bib through the hole under my arm :( I personally wish I had warn a bathing suit under my gear (vs traditional hiking wear)
After our ~6 hour journey, we headed to Springdale for dinner & browsing around shops. We were pleased with our takeout pizza from Pizza & Noodles!
