Travel Guide: Southwest Road Trip + National Parks
The road stretches out ahead of us, as far as the eye can see. A single lane in either direction, largely devoid of other vehicles, it gently undulates and curves beneath us as we make our way across a great swath of the American Southwest. There are long stretches of nothing to see. Stretches where the road seems to be leading to nowhere and we lapse into a sort of rhythmic silence, losing the plot of the podcast we are listening to, losing the focus of our conversation; then suddenly the landscape shifts and out of nothing emergings a place of such natural beauty that it seems to defy all logic.
As someone who has always called one of the coasts home, aside from a few weekends in Chicago and one trip to see relatives in the midwest as a child, there is much of this country I have yet to explore. As we set about to plan our end-of-year trip we looked at our ever-lengthening list of to-visit destinations and for once weren't immediately sure where we wanted to go. As we weighed potential itineraries locations against the backdrop of logistics and priorities, we hit on the idea of doing something different from our normal -- a roadtrip to see some of the great sites of the American Southwest.
There are countless ways to organize a road trip across the Southwest but we started by listing out all of the parks and sites we wanted to see and looking at the distances between them, organizing our route so that most days required no more than 3 hours of driving. You can do this route starting and ending in either Phoenix, Las Vegas or LA depending on where you can easily fly to.
Day 1: Arrive in Phoenix, drive to Sedona
- Overnight: Sedona
Day 2: Drive to Grand Canyon
- Overnight: Grand Canyon
Day 3: Grand Canyon
- Overnight: Grand Canyon
Day 4: Drive to Monument Valley
- Overnight: Monument Valley
Day 5: Drive to Page, AZ
- Overnight: Page, AZ
- See: Horseshoe Bend, Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon
Day 6: Drive to Springdale, UT
- Overnight: Springdale, UT
- See: Bryce National Park, drive to Zion National Park
Day 7: Springdale, UT
- Overnight: Springdale, UT
- See: Zion National Park
Day 8: Drive to Palm Springs
- Overnight Palm Springs
See: Joshua Tree
We purchased an annual National Parks pass for our trip. The pass is $80/year for a family and allows virtually unlimited access to all parks, so depending on how many parks you plan to visit this may be the more cost effective option as you otherwise have to pay entrance at each park individually.
We stayed one night at the Hyatt Sedona, which was fine for one night and conveniently located near the center of town. If I make my way to Sedona again I would splurge and check out L’Auberge.
{See & Do}
Hike: We hiked Brins Mesa trail which was a beautiful trail with nearly panoramic views of Sedona and the surrounding red rocks. Devil’s Bridge is the more famous hike but the trailhead is a bit farther away from town. Parking is $5 at the trailhead but the machine in the lot does take credit cards.
{Eat & Drink}
Check out SaltRock at the Kimpton Hotel. The outdoor patio is a lovely place to eat and has plenty of firepits and heaters for when the evening turns chilly. Try the cauliflower tacos and seared scallops.
{Grand Canyon}
You see countless images of the Grand Canyon but there is nothing that prepares you for the feeling you get standing on the edge of this incredible landscape.
There are a handful of lodges within the park and to maximize your time I would recommend staying at one of them. We stayed at Thunderbird Lodge which was on the relatively bleak end of the hotel spectrum but when you walk out your door and are literally on the Rim Trail to experience sunrise you soon forget about the dated interiors and lack of aesthetics. El Tovar Lodge is the most famous of the lodges within the park and likely a slight upgrade from the Thunderbird, however, it is right next door to Thunderbird and ultimately I’m not sure that the price premium gets you much. Note there is no reserved parking for hotel guests so you may be forced to park a ways away. Just don't be surprised by the giant deer in your path as we were the first evening.
{See & Do}
Soak it in -- true to its name, the Rim Trail runs along the southern edge of the canyon and is easily walkable. There are numerous lookout points along the Rim Trail on the southern side of the canyon and for your first outing I’d recommend just picking a direction and wandering without a specific destination in mind. For sunrise, Mather’s Point is nearest to the main entrance. It gets quite crowded but has a large parking lot. Yaki point is a bit further up from Mather’s and is supposed to be a great spot for sunrise but you must park along the road and walk, so plan accordingly from a timing perspective. For sunset, Hopi Point and Powells Landing are both spectacular. If you are using a DSLR I would highly recommend bringing a tripod.
Hike: The Bright Angel trail is the most famous and for good reason. It is jaw droppingly beautiful AND a challenging hike. The trailhead is right off the Rim Trail near the Bright Angel Lodge. There are turnaround points with primitive rest stops at 1.5 miles and 3 miles as well as further afield stops for those with camping permits.
{Eat & Drink}
In the start to a consistent theme from our trip, food options within the park itself are limited. El Tovar has a fine dining restaurant that requires reservations, and while it wasn’t to my specific preferences, it did have a relatively varied menu that will satisfy most. The bar in Bright Angel lodge double hats as a coffee shop. Just be forewarned that the smell of stale beer will accompany your Americano.
{Things to Know}
The Grand Canyon is HOT and crowded in the summer and COLD in the winter -- pack and plan accordingly!
{Monument Valley}
The Navajo, or Diné as the locals call themselves, named this vast and eerie landscape along the border of Utah and Arizona Tsé Bii Ndzisgaii, or “Clearing Among the Rock”. The site is not a national park but a Navajo-owned tribal park, filled with towering sandstone spires, buttes and other mythical formations. The area was made famous by early Hollywood blockbusters starring John Wayne, yet in spite of it’s big screen history it still feels untouched and otherworldly.
The View Hotel is the only hotel inside the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. While the rooms are nothing to write home about from a design perspective, they are decently modern and clean and waking up to sunrise over the incredible sandstone formations is unbeatable. : For $25 upgrade to a view room on the backside of the hotel.
{See & Do}
There is a 17 mile drive you can do around the ‘monuments’ but recent reviews note the road is in pretty bad shape so I would take care if attempting to do it yourself in a rental car. You can also engage a driver from one of the many concessions located in the parking lot of the Welcome Center. There are also horseback tours available. There is one hike, the Wildcat trail, which is 4 miles around Big and Little Mitten. Without a guide you cannot venture off the one driving path and one hiking path.
{Eat & Drink}
This is a very remote spot and food options are limited to the hotel restaurant adjacent to the welcome center/hotel. There is a meagre salad bar but other than that there are no vegetarian options on the menu. If you have any sort of dietary restrictions or preferences I would highly recommend bringing your own food. There are refrigerators in the rooms if you are staying.
{Things to Know}
You don’t need to the drive or take a tour to get great photos. There are plenty of scenic views to be had from the hotel and Welcome Center and something about the remote vastness of the space makes one want to simply stare and contemplate the incredible forces that converged to make such structures.
Follow AZ 163 past the turnoff for Monument Valley about 20 miles to get to Forrest Gump Point where you will have the iconic view over Monument Valley with the deserted road in the foreground.
Driving from the Grand Canyon you will pass through Kayenta, AZ. This is the last town before Monument Valley. There is a grocery store so grab any food you might want. The Burger King in Kayenta is home to a small museum to the Navajo Code Talkers.
{Page, AZ}
This town was created during the building of the dam at Lake Powell in the 1950’s and survives to this day due to its proximity to a series of slot canyons, the most famous being Upper and Lower Antelope, and Horseshoe Bend, a U-turn point in the Colorado River just south of the dam. The town itself boasts a number of mid-priced chain hotels, one grocery store and a handful of restaurants, but it is the best spot to stay to experience three landmark spots.
The Hyatt House in Page is new, clean and convenient. There are laundry facilities which come in handy if you’ve been doing a lot of hiking!
{See & Do}
Horseshoe Bend: This is a horseshoe shaped bend in the Colorado River just downstream from the Lake Powell dam near Page, AZ. It is quite an incredible site and has become quite Instagram famous in the past few years. It is an easy 15 minute hike off the side of the AZ 89 freeway but its relative accessibility is creating its own set of problems. When we visited the small parking lot was under construction as it is being expanded to deal with the influx of visitors and there were cars illegally parked along the freeway for at least a mile. Two enterprising families were offering parking on their plots of land and shuttle rides to the trailhead for $20 - which we ended up taking advantage of as highway patrol was actively patrolling and threatening tickets. Was it stunning in person -- yes. Was it worth all of the hype -- probably not. It is very crowded and beyond spending a few minutes soaking it in and taking some photos there isn't much to explore.
Antelope Canyon (Upper): Of the two, this is the more famous but was not my favorite. That’s not to say you shouldn't book a tour to see it but if you only have time or the inclination to see one I would recommend doing the lower canyon. We booked the #9 Tour with Adventurous Antelope. There are separate tours for photographers and each participant must have a DSLR and a tripod so we booked a regular tour at an off-peak time. Despite this, the tours are still very expensive and in my view something of a racket. You park in a dirt lot on the side of the road and are driven in open air converted trucks about 20 minutes, first down the freeway and then over very rough sand tracks to the opening of the canyon. The guide for your group of about 15-20 then rushes you through the canyon which is one way in and one way out. It is crowded and quite claustrophobic. If you are trying to take photos it is all but impossible as you are constantly being jostled from behind to keep moving. In an effort to speed things along the guides will randomly grab phones and cameras to get the shot for you which I found quite disconcerting. Once you walk out the other end you are literally herded around and forced back through the canyon and get back on the truck for the drive back. When we went it was incredibly cold and frankly not that enjoyable despite the beauty of the canyon.
Antelope Canyon (Lower): On the other hand, our experience at the lower canyon, literally across the road from the upper was a delight. While we waited for our our tour time with Dixie Ellis, there was a fun Native American dance performance in the parking lot and our very chipper guide Nikko took us down the path to the entrance to the lower canyon, which in contrast to the upper is underground and accessed via a series of metal stairs that have been mounted into the crevices. It isn't a lot of stairs but you should wear closed toed sneakers and its probably not ideal for young children. Nikko was full of interesting facts about the formation of the canyon and was great about pointing out famous formations. She also offered to take photos but wasn't pushy about it. To me the lower canyon also seemed longer and the light seemed better (though also probably due to time of day) but I found I like the photos I got in the lower canyon much more.
{Springdale, UT}
We stayed at the Cable Mountain Lodge which is right by the Springdale entrance to the park. The rooms are modern and there is a pool and laundry. The Zion Mountain Lodge is the only hotel within the park itself and has a decent restaurant that is open to non guests.
{See & Do}
Bryce Canyon National Park: Bryce is about two hours north of Zion and we made a detour to see it on our way from Page to Zion. Unfortunately it was bitterly cold and snowing and in the midst of a government shutdown so the roads and trails were untreated. Our visit was much shorter than we might have liked and this is definitely on my list to return to! The park is known for its bizarre sandstone formations called Hoodos which are formed when the curved top of sandstone arches erodes, leaving just the pillars. Sunset and Sunrise points are great lookout vistas over the main amphitheatre.
Zion National Park: Zion was a bit of a mixed bag for us. It was honestly too cold to really be outside for extended periods and many of the trails were very icy and we were not properly equipped to tackle them safely. That said, the scenery is jaw dropping and the dusting of snow made it even more picturesque.
Hike Zion: Angel’s Landing is the most famous hike but apparently quite treacherous at the summit. We passed in favor of the Observation Point hike which is supposed to boast even more amazing views but had to turn back halfway due to ice. The Narrows is also supposed to be spectacular but as the trail goes through the Virgin River is is best tackled in warmer weather. We did hike the Watchman, Grottos, Pa’rus, Outlook Point and Weeping Rock trails and enjoyed all of them.
{Eat & Drink}
Whiptail Grill
Deep Creek Coffee
Kanab Creek Bakery - in Kanab, UT on AZ 89 towards Bryce
{Joshua Tree}
After the crowds and logistics of Zion and the Grand Canyon (yes, even in the off season), Joshua Tree National Park felt deliciously off the grid. There were rock climbers of varying degrees of sophistication, campers, families with children of all ages hiking and tramping around the rock formations -- it all came together to give the impression of a large, free flowing playground populated with all manner of prickly vegetation. Parking is fairly limited so I would arrive early or plan to park outside the park and take the shuttle.
You can stay in nearby Palm Springs as we did or if you are in town for more of a desert retreat, the Joshua Tree House looks dreamy. We stayed at the Hyatt in Palm Springs which I would not recommend unless you find yourself there in a very crowded time of year as we did (New Year’s) when most other hotels were either booked or exorbitantly expensive.
{See and Do}
The park itself is fairly flat so unless you plan to do some rock climbing most of the hikes are moderate at best. We did the Hidden Valley loop and the Barker Dam trail. Next time I also want to attempt the Boy Scout trail as well as the North View and Ryan Mountain Trail. The Cholla Garden is also supposed to be a good stop if you have time.
The town of Joshua Tree is also worth a stop. It has a suspended in time vibe and a cast of unique residents as well as some great spots to eat.
The Joshua Tree Coffee Company
Crossroads Cafe
Natural Sisters Cafe
La Copine
Pappy & Harriet’s in nearby Pioneertown
{What to Pack}
Depending on when you are visiting the weather will play a big factor so plan accordingly! If you are visiting in the winter the nights and mornings are very cold and the summers can get very hot and crowded. Late spring and fall are likely the best times to visit. This easily packable backpack is a hiking staple for us, we each have one. Extra wool hiking socks are a must as is a warm hat to cover your ears.