This was by far one of my favorite trips I have ever taken. I've always wanted to see the Grand Canyon and there are so many stops along the way to see as well, which makes the road trip even more exciting. This itinerary is what worked for us, although I will say there are tons of ways to tweak it to make it your own. For example, we rented a car and did a one way road trip and flew back from Utah to utilize as much time as we had. I know many people who do this road trip by flying into Vegas or Arizona first and then renting a car for the rest of the way. This all depends on how much time you have and where you are wanting to go. Because our first stop was New Mexico, we knew the best thing for us was to drive all the way through and then fly back. So, let's begin the journey:
WHERE WE WENT:
We had a plan that we would go through 3 states and see these places:
1. White Sands National Park in New Mexico
2. The Grand Canyon in Arizona (South Rim)
3. Lake Powell in Page, Arizona
4. Horseshoe Bend in Page, Arizona
5. Moab, Utah (There is SO much to do in Moab, we'll get into it)
WHERE WE STAYED:
Each day we would Priceline a hotel based on where we ended up. We found great deals under $100 each night by going on Priceline.
THIS HOW HOW OUR ITINERARY WENT:
We left Thursday afternoon and drove 5 hours to the edge of the Texas and New Mexico border and stayed in Seminole, TX. We slept and got up early around 7a.m. and drove to the White Sands National Park in New Mexico. We arrived here around noon. You can drive through the entire park, sled down the hills, and do a few hikes if you're up to it. It truly was so beautiful! The price to get into the park is $30 per car.
OUTFIT DETAILS: DRESS
Because we went during COVID, if you stayed in New Mexico, you would have to quarantine there. We didn't have time to do this so we spent 2 hours at the White Sands and drove all the way to Arizona to avoid the quarantine. On Friday, we drove 6 hours to Scottsdale, Arizona. We arrived just in time for dinner and ate at Rehab Burger Therapy. It was a fun atmosphere and just what we needed after a long day of driving. Friday was our longest day in the car. We got a hotel for the night and planned to leave early Saturday.
On Saturday, we got up early again and had breakfast in Scottsdale at the Breakfast Club. It was delicious and I wish we would've had more time to hangout in Scottsdale since it's such a cute town. However, we were on a mission to get to the Grand Canyon, so we left after breakfast to get there by 4p.m.
We arrived at the Grand Canyon in the afternoon and stayed all the way until after sunset. Even though the buses weren't running because of COVID, we still managed to drive our car to the most perfect and beautiful spots for picture taking and watching the sunset. After we left, we drove 2.5 hours to Page, AZ where we stayed for the night.
On Sunday, we woke up in Page, AZ and had a Paddleboard Tour (exact tour linked here) booked for that morning. Lake Powell goes through Arizona and Utah so we drove into Utah to get to the lake which was about 15 minutes away. Our tour guide was amazing and took us through the most gorgeous slot canyons to paddle board our way through. This tour was for 3 hours from 9-12. Our other idea was to visit Antelope Canyon. This was so high on my list of what I wanted to do. However, it is currently closed due to COVID. If you plan this trip, check to see if Antelope Canyon is open because it is a MUST DO if you visit Page, AZ.
OUTFIT DETAILS: Swimsuit // Linen Shirt // Hat //
After the tour, we got dressed, had some lunch and went to the Horseshoe Bend. There isn't a lot to do here except stare at how gorgeous the view is. I will say that it's EXTREMELY hot here even though the hike to it is only a mile. But wow, be prepared to bring lots of water and wear protective coverings. We only stayed for a few minutes and left, but was still so happy to see the view. It's a must see if you're staying in Page, AZ.
After we left, we headed straight for Moab, UT. We got to Moab just in time for dinner and had the most fabulous meal at Zax! I was seriously blown away by how delicious the pizza is. After dinner, we wanted to drive through the Arches National Park just to see what we would be getting into the next day. I was so unprepared for what was in Moab. The Arches National Park is HUGE and there is sooooo much to see. It takes 30 minutes alone to even drive through the beginning of the park. After we saw a little bit, we Pricelined the HooDoo Hotel and this was the cutest hotel ever! We went to bed early since we had another long day here.
On Monday, we woke up early and had a Hummer Tour for the Hells Revenge trail. This tour was from 9am-11am. This was so fun and the perfect amount of time for this tour. The guides really know what they're doing and know how to make the trail fun and challenging for its riders. I was so glad we did this- but there are so many different tours you can take to do Hells Revenge- like different ATVs, side by sides and jeep tours. After the tour, we headed straight for our other tour- WHITE WATER RAFTING. We were so excited to do this because neither of us had been white water rafting before. Side note, if you are interested in doing this, research if the water is high enough because most of our trip was like floating a river, but we did have a few moments of being in real rapids. It was fun, but it takes a whole 4 hours to go a few miles in the Colorado River. After our tour was finished at 4pm, we headed to our hotel to get changed and grabbed some dinner at the local Mexican restaurant. We wanted to get to the Arches National Park before sunset so we could do a few of the different hikes. We picked out the stops we wanted to go to which included the Windows, Balanced Rock, and Delicate Arch. Each of the stops requires a shorter or longer hike. We chose to do Delicate Arch for sunset, but be warned this is NO JOKE of a hike. It says it's only 3 miles, but I swear it's a little longer!! Seriously, wear tennis shoes, a hat and bring lots of water. It takes about 50 minutes to hike up to the delicate arch, but the hike alone is very fun and beautiful! The other stops don't require this long of a hike- most are about 1/2 a mile.
Pictured Here: White Water Rafting Tour
Pictured Here: The Windows Arch at Arches National Park in Moab, UT
Pictured Here: Delicate Arch in Arches National Park (3 mile hike)
Pictured Here: Balanced Rock in Arches National Park
We stayed again at the HooDoo hotel and left for Salt Lake City in the morning. We only went to Salt Lake because that's where we had our flight back to Dallas from. It was a 4 hour drive from Moab. If you have more time, I would definitely stay in Moab longer since there is just SO much to do there!
If you have any questions about this itinerary, feel free to leave a comment. Or if you've done a similar trip with some of the same spots, what did you think?
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