Road Trip: Arizona and Utah Edition

Happy fall everyone! This is definitely my favorite time of year to be home. School is back in full swing and the holidays will soon be approaching. While I love a good international adventure during the September shoulder season, now that we have a school age kiddo those excursions are definitely harder to pull off plus I hate missing out on all the sports and festivities back at home. So since we don’t have any big trips planned for a little while I thought I’d take the time to revisit some great places we’ve been to over the years and one of the first ones that comes to mind was our last minute get away to Arizona and Utah in 2022 where we drove around to multiple really neat destinations along the way.

Horseshoe Bend at sunset

Our road trip actually started off by flying into Las Vegas where we picked up our rental car for the week. We immediately hit the road and started off on our 4 hour drive to Page, Arizona for the first leg of our journey. We initially planned to just do some of the Utah National Parks, but with Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon so close, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make a stop.

Horseshoe Bend in Page, Arizona

After our long drive, we still found the energy to make it to Horseshoe Bend to catch a beautiful sunset! This also was a nice easy trail which was just what we needed after all those hours sitting in the plane and car.

Upper Antelope Canyon near Page, Arizona

The next morning, we spent a little time exploring the area before our guided tour at Antelope Canyon which we booked ahead of time through Antelope Canyon Navajo Tours. When you go to Antelope Canyon, you can choose an upper or lower canyon tour. We specifically chose the upper canyon tour at midday because it is known for its iconic light beams. It also is more easily accessible and for those reasons is more popular and more expensive but this has always been on my bucket list so it was totally worth it!

Cocktails at Wild Thyme Care in Kanab, Utah

Following our really cool experience at Antelope Canyon, we hit the road to Kanab, Utah which is just 1 hour from Page, Arizona. Once we got to Kanab for the night, we found a little restaurant called Wild Thyme Cafe which had the best food and most delicious Instagrammable drinks!

Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah

Sand boarding at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

The next day, we got up and drove another 1.5 hours to Bryce Canyon National Park where we did the Queen’s Garden/Navajo Loop (2.9 miles), saw the famous hoodoos, and earned our first National Park junior ranger badge (well our son did, but we had fun helping him along the way). After an afternoon break we headed out to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park where we went sand boarding and sledding. This was so fun and so different, but it was also incredibly hot and the walk out to the dunes was exhausting! We went just before sunset to try to beat the heat which also meant really great lighting for pictures too!

Zion Wildflower in Virgin, Utah

After 2 nights in Kanab, we got up the next morning and drove to Virgin, Utah which was only a little over an hour drive from Kanab. Here, our accommodations are definitely worth mentioning because we stayed at Zion Wildflower which is a fun little glamping site. Zion Wildflower has large canvas tents with comfortable beds and also bungalows that come with all the comforts of a typical hotel room including air conditioning and a private bathroom. They also have plenty of ways to stay entertained with yard games such as giant Jenga, live music, fire pits with s’mores, and since we stayed there they added a pool which would have been an amazing way to beat the heat during the day.

Scout Lookout Trail at Zion National Park in Utah

While in Virgin, we used Zion Wildflower as our home base for exploring the magnificent Zion National Park. The day we arrived to Virgin we did Canyon Overlook Trail which is a short 1 mile round trip with the trail head on Highway 9 just east of the Mount Carmel Tunnel. We reserved the next 2 mornings for the Scout Lookout Trail and the Narrows Trail. The Scout Lookout Trail is 4.2 miles round trip with the popular Angels Landing another half mile afterward. Angels Landing requires a permit and is considered strenuous with a significant elevation gain and exposed sections with chains, so plan a head and wear appropriate hiking gear if planning to partake in this part of the trail. But even if you decide to skip Angels Landing, which is what we did with our then 4 year old, the trail is still absolutely worth it for the views and you still get a great work out in with the 21 switchbacks at the end known has Walter’s Wiggles. The Narrows Trail is a unique hike IN the Virgin River through a narrow slot canyon and is truly incredible. This doesn’t require a reservation or a permit, but you should plan ahead and rent boots, neoprene socks, and a walking stick from Zion Outfitter or Zion Guru the day before. Most importantly, you also need to check the weather forecast for rain because this slot canyon is a flash flood area and can quickly become very dangerous. With the Narrows Trail you can hike up to 5 miles each way but can also turn around at any time, just note that the the well known Wall Street is approximately 3 miles in. During our time at Zion, we tried to hit the park early not only for parking purposes but also to get our hikes in before the hottest point of the day because the heat in Utah even while we were there in early September was brutal.

Narrows Trail at Zion National Park in Utah

From Virgin, we drove back to Las Vegas to return our rental car and fly back home. In total, we spent 7 days on this trip including 1 travel day on each end with 5 actual days of activities which was the perfect amount of time to make some lasting memories together!