7 Day American Southwest National Park Roadtrip - Nevada, Arizona & Utah

In the fall of 2022, my parents organized a trip to the Grand Canyon, and Dylan and I decided to join them. What began as a weeklong excursion during my mom's fall break transformed into the ultimate American Southwest road trip. Including plans of covering three of the most magnificent U.S. National Parks. Read on for a brief overview of our entire journey. Stay tuned for upcoming posts where I'll delve into each day and our activities at each of the American Southwest National Parks we visited.

My mom, a teacher in Southern Ohio, has a school break for the county fair the last week of September. Growing up, this week was busy with 4-H and FFA fair week activities for our family. Now that we are all adults and no longer participate in these activities, it provided my parents with a perfect opportunity for a crowd-free week of exploring a few of the wonderful American southwest national park. Unfortunately, my siblings couldn't join us on this adventure, but Dylan and I were grateful to be part of it. It was a great chance for my parents to get to know Dylan even better. This became crucial as Dylan ended up proposing just a month later ;)

Day 1: Las Vegas, Nevada

Early on Saturday, we waved goodbye to Cincinnati. After landing in Las Vegas around noon, we navigated through the airport, collected our luggage, and picked up our rental car. By this time we were all hangry! Despite my parents not being the typical Vegas visitors, we couldn't miss seeing some of the city's iconic landmarks. We spent the afternoon exploring the city and having lunch. We made a quick stop at the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead before embarking on a four-hour drive to Flagstaff for the night.

Notably, Flagstaff has its own airport, and depending on your Grand Canyon destination, it may offer a shorter commute. However, we found that flights to Las Vegas were considerably more affordable than those to Flagstaff. We learned this is because the Las Vegas casinos pay the airport to offer lower-priced flights. This attracts visitors to fly here instead, producing more visitors to their casinos. Quite the genius business idea!

Day 2: American Southwest National Park 1: Grand Canyon National Park - South Rim

We dedicated all of Sunday to exploring the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Despite only covering around two miles in total, we spent the entire afternoon marveling at the stunning views and absorbing the breathtaking beauty of the landscape. Before the day concluded, we made sure to collect our National Park passport stamp from the visitor center. Following a mesmerizing sunset behind the canyon, we embarked on a three and a half hour drive to Page, Arizona. 

The Grand Canyon is a wonderful American southwest national park option for those with limited mobility. Though there are still plenty of trails for avid hikers and outdoor enthusiasts, the rim trail provides an alternative for every member of your family to experience the Grand Canyon. 

Day 3: Page, Arizona

After enduring two days of flights and long car rides, we were all tired, with much more adventure ahead. As a group, we decided to take a much-needed rest day. We slept in, enjoyed lunch at a nearby restaurant, and went on a relaxed desert hike. Later in the evening, we visited Horseshoe Bend to watch the sunset with what felt like 500 other spectators. At the end of the day we were glad for the needed day to rest up for the remaining days ahead on our American southwest national park trip.

Day 4: Antelope Canyon

Tuesday started early for my mom and I as we set out on a paddle and hike tour of Antelope Canyon, filling our entire morning with excitement. This adventure turned out to be one of the most memorable experiences of the trip. Meanwhile, Dylan and my dad packed up and checked out of our rental home.  Then, they enjoyed some time at the shooting range. After a delicious lunch from a local gem, we said goodbye to Page and headed towards Zion National Park.

Day 5: American Southwest National Park 2: Zion National Park

On Wednesday, we experienced Zion National Park for the first time through an off-roading jeep tour. The afternoon was spent hiking The Narrows, one of the best Zion National Park hikes. A highlight was driving through the tunnel and emerging on the other side to witness the stunning view of the radiant red rock canyon walls right before us. Zion is a staple of the American southwest national parks, make sure you include it in your trip plans. 

Day 6: American Southwest National Park 3: Bryce Canyon National Park

On Thursday, we did the hour and a half drive from our cabin close to Zion to Bryce Canyon National Park. Once there, we marveled at the unique hoodoos, enjoyed a breathtaking sunset, and admiring the stars. Of all the American southwest national parks we explored on this trip, Bryce Canyon was designated as the darkest, with the least light pollution, providing the perfect setting for observing the night sky.

Day 7: Zion National Park

This marked the final full day of our trip. With that in mind, we spent a little more time in Zion National Park, savoring the breathtaking views. We hiked the Emerald Pools trail to the first waterfall. Then, explored the town of Springdale located just outside the park's south entrance.

The next morning, we woke up early and headed back to Las Vegas to catch our flight home, concluding our visit to the stunning American Southwest National Parks – at least for now. Our week was packed with incredible experiences, hikes, and breathtaking views. It turned out to be busier and more tiring than we had expected, yet there was still much more left undiscovered. The group consensus was that we will definitely have to make our way back in the future!

Keep an eye out for future posts that will further delve into the amazing experiences this trip to the American southwest national parks provided.