Soutwest Utah National Park Road Trip

Our Southwestern Utah road trip prevails as one of our most adventurous and off-the-grid road trips yet.

On this trip, we practiced a balance of car camping to hit the major sites while also capitalizing on the opportunity to experience the wildness of the desert landscape through backcountry hikes and backpacking trips on the expansive BLM land in Utah.

Utah National Parks

In nine days we visited three national parks and one national monument, completed two backpacking trips, hiked nearly 60 miles, drank too many gallons of water to count, climbed 3,000+ feet of elevation in one day, and set up camp five times.

Overall, we improved our backpacking skills, gained experience in desert/extreme heat hiking and camping, and learned first hand the complexity of the desert and the importance of its ecosystem.

Southwest Utah Road Trip Overview

9 Days
5 National Parks/Monuments
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Capitol Reef National Park
- Zion National Park
- Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument
1,200 Miles Driven
- Las Vegas around Southwest Utah and back
58.5 Miles Hiked
- 2 Backpacking Trips
- 13 Day Hikes
$1,600 Total Cost (per person)

Transportation

This was our first vacation as working adults with limited vacation days. All previous national park road trips consisted of us finishing our summer jobs early to travel as long we we needed or wanted before school started. The bleak reality of the real world hit us this year when we could only take 5 days off for vacation.

We maximized our finite time and money by flying to Las Vegas and renting a car from Turo, a shared-economy car rental network. This saved us over 54+ hours and 3,500+ miles of driving and only cost a few hundred dollars more than if we drove from Milwaukee.

Usually we opt to drive in order to save money – however we both agreed the extra dollar amount would be worth the additional time we gained to explore more in Utah.

Southwest Utah Camping

One of the most exciting and liberating parts about this trip was that we did not make a single campsite reservation or pay for any accommodation.

We utilized the expansive BLM land in Utah to camp for free outside of all the major parks and destinations we visited. In most cases, we enjoyed it more than actually camping inside the park. Utah BLM land often proved quieter, less crowded, and more scenic campsites than well-established campgrounds.

By using a few online forums and resources from the BLM offices (listed below in the resources section) we were able to pre-plan our free campsites or find them last minute as our plans changed. This gave us the flexibility to explore at our own pace and easily adjust our trip as needed. After the positive experiences we had free camping on this trip, we will definitely utilize public lands more often in the future.

Southwest Utah Road Trip Itinerary

Below is a breakdown of our trip. All trip planning resources are located at the bottom of the post and all locations are indicated on the Google map.

Day 1: Travel Day / Bryce Canyon National Park

12:00 PM arrival in Las Vegas
Pick up rental car and drive to Bryce Canyon National Park with stops along the way for dinner and groceries in St. George
- 270 Miles, 4 Hours
Overnight: Utah BLM Land on Fire Road 090 just outside the park entrance

Day 2: Bryce Canyon National Park

Explore Bryce Canyon National Park
- Rim Trail – 2.5 miles round trip
  - Inspiration Point
  - Sunset Point
  - Sunrise Point
- Under the Rim Trail
  - Navajo Loop – 1.3 miles
  - Queen’s Garden Loop – 1.8 miles
Bryce Canyon Scenic Drive
- Fairview Point
- Ponderosa Canyon
- Rainbow Point
- Bristlecone Pine Loop – 1 mile
Overnight: Utah BLM land on Fire Road 090

Day 3: Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument

Pack up camp and drive Scenic Highway 12 to Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument
- 49 miles, 1 hour
Petrified Forest State Park
- Petrified Forest Trail – 1.9 miles
Prepare for backcountry trip to Coyote Gulch
- Obtain Coyote Gulch backcountry permits at the Escalante Visitors Center
- Purchase Coyote Gulch map, wag bags, and other backpacking supplies from Utah Canyon Outdoors
Drive down Hole-in-the-Rock Road
- Hole-in-the-Rock Scenic Drive
- Slot Canyon Hike – 1.5 miles
Begin Coyote Gulch backpacking trip
- Park at 40 Mile Water Tank Trailhead
- Hike through desert sand and slick rock to Crack-in-the-Wall entrance
  - 5 miles, 4 hours
Overnight: Coyote Gulch @ 600’ Sand Dunes

Day 4: Coyote Gulch Backpacking / Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument

Explore Coyote Gulch backcountry
- Desert Trail Junction to Jacob Hamblin Arch
- 6 miles, 8 hours
Overnight: Coyote Gulch @ Jacob Hamblin Arch

Day 5: Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument / Capitol Reef National Park

Coyote Gulch Backpacking
- Exit Coyote Gulch via the 150’ slickrock scramble at Jacob Hamblin Arch
- Finish desert hike back to the 40 Mile Water Tank trailhead
- 3 miles, 3 hours
Hole-in-the-Rock Road
- Peek-a-Boo and Spooky Gulch Slot Canyons
- 3 mile loop, 2 hours
Drive Scenic Highway 12 to Capitol Reef
- 75 miles, 2 hours
Capitol Reef National Park
- Dive Scenic Cathedral Valley Loop counter clockwise to the Temple of the Sun and Moon
  - 13 miles, 45 minutes
Overnight: Utah BLM land near the park border in Cathedral Valley

Day 6: Capitol Reef National Park

Cathedral Valley Scenic Loop
- 27.3 miles, 75 minutes
- Temple of the Sun
- Temple of the Moon
- Morrell Cabin – 0.4 miles
- Gypsum Sinkhole
Explore Historic Fruita
- Petroglyph Walk – 0.3 miles
- Blacksmith
- Fruita One Room Schoolhouse
- Historic Orchards
- Gifford Farm & Homstead – enjoy homemade pies & fresh vanilla ice cream
Capitol Reef Scenic Drive
- Uranium Mine
- Capitol Wash
- Capitol Gorge – 2 Miles
  - Fremont Petroglyphs
  - Mormon Pioneer Register & Water Tanks
Drive to Zion National Park
- 181 Miles, 3 Hours
- Stop at Kiva Koffeehouse along Highway 12
Overnight: BLM Land near Virgin

Day 7: Zion National Park

Visit the Zion Backcountry Permit Office to secure West Rim Trail permits for following day
Explore Zion Canyon
- Observation Point – 8 miles
- Hidden Canyon – 2.5 miles
- Weeping Rock – .5 miles
- Historic Zion Visitor Center
Drive the Scenic Zion-Mount Carmel Highway
Craft Beer and appetizers at Zion Brewery
Overnight: BLM Land near Virgin

Day 8: Zion National Park

Hike the Narrows
- 4 miles, 3 hours
Lunch at Zion Brewery
Hike the West Rim Trail starting at the Grotto Trailhead
- 6.6 miles, 6 hours
- 3,050 feet elevation gain
- We chose to hike this trail in reverse – the typical starting point is usually the Lava Point Trailhead
Overnight: Zion Backcountry Campsite #5

Day 9: Zion National Park / Travel Day

West Rim Trail return hike to Zion Canyon
- 6.6 Miles, 4.5 hours
Hike to Lower Emerald Pool
- 1.2 miles, 45 minutes
Shower at Zion Outfitters
- $5 for 6 minutes
Pack and organize gear in Zion Visitors Center Parking Lot
Drive back to Las Vegas
- 170 miles, 3 hours
- Stop for lunch at Jalapenos Restaurant in St. George
  - AMAZING Mexican Food
- Clean, wash, and refuel the Jeep
- Meet contract to return Turo Jeep rental at airport
7:30 p.m. departing flight to Milwaukee

It was a whirlwind road trip around Southwest Utah, but we loved everything about our trip. We just wish we had more time – but isn’t that always the case?

Below we included a few options and recommendations to customize your Southwest Utah trip to accommodate for more or less time and different interests or abilities.

If you have more time:

Bryce Canyon National Park

Fairyland Trail Loop – 8 miles
Mossy Cave – 0.8 miles
Under-the-Rim Trail (backpacking) – 22.9 miles (2-3 Days)

Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument

Hole-in-the-Rock Road
- - Zebra Slot Canyon
  - Devil’s Garden
  - Reflection Canyon

Cottonwood Road
- - Willis Creek Slot Canyon
  - Kodachrome Basin State Park
  - Grosvenor Arch

Scenic Highway 12
- - Anasazi State Park
  - Bowington Arch
  - Little Death Hollow (backpacking)
  - Escalante River Trail (backpacking)

Kanab
- Pahreah Ghost Town
- The Toadstools
- Lower Hackberry Canyon
- Paria Canyon – Vermilion Cliffs

Capitol Reef National Park

Grand Wash
Cassidy Arch
Hickman Bridge Trail
Drive the Burr Trail Road
Upper & Lower Muley Twist Canyons (backpacking)

Zion National Park

Kolob Canyons Area
East Rim Trail
La Verkin Creek Trail to Kolob Arch
Guided Canyoneering or Rock Climbing Trip
Snow Canyon State Park
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
Red Cliffs National Conservation Area

If you have less time:

Although we loved everything about our trip and don’t want to tell you any of these parks aren’t worth it, we understand that time constraints require tough decisions. If you’re short on time we recommend reducing or eliminating your time in the following ways:

Capitol Reef National Park

Visiting Capitol Reef tacked on a few extra hours of driving both there & back in 24 hours. With limited time we were not able to explore the park as extensively as the others in order to give it proper justice. We loved the park & our short time there, but we will need to go back on another trip. If you’re limited on time, it will probably be best to skip Capitol Reef and plan to return to it later so you can experience it the right way.

Zion National Park

We spent three days in Zion but could have easily fit it into two jam-packed days. One challenge you may encounter by reducing your time there is crowd avoidance. Since the best hike experiences are had first thing in the morning while the temperatures are cool & crowds are minimal, you will have to strategize your time in Zion to meet your hiking goals and expectations.

Coyote Gulch Backcountry

We lost some sightseeing time & opportunity by spending two nights and two days in the gulch. By only spending one night in the backcountry we could have had more time for other things. However, we did feel that two nights was the perfect amount of time to stay in Coyote Gulch & would still highly recommend it. Your backpacking skills & experience will also help determine how long you should spend in the backcountry.

Southwest Utah Road Trip Resources:

Free Campsites in Southwest Utah

A great resource for finding both public and private lands that offer free camping around the world. Crowd-sourced information sharing allows users to read and contribute campsite reviews and locations. We primarily used this to find Utah BLM land in new areas and look up camping regulations.

Utah BLM Land

We used BLM land as our main resource for our campsites and basing our trips. A brief overview of general camping and use rules is found here.

Information can be hard to find online about specific BLM questions you may have, so plan on stopping at a BLM office when you arrive to get more information and grab maps.

Southwest Utah has three BLM Visitor Centers:

Kanab Visitor Center – 745 East Hwy 89, Kanab, UT 84741
Cannonville Visitors Center – 10 Center Street, Cannonville, UT 84718
Escalante Visitors Center – 755 West Main, Escalante, UT 84726

Utah National Monument Regulations

Grand Staircase’s status as a national monument vs a national park adds some different rules and regulations to pay attention to. REI posted a great article describing the meaning of the national monument status and the current threats to Grand Staircase Escalante and Bears Ears.

Maps.me

Maps.me is an amazing offline map app. We’ve used this app in our travels around the world and found it particularly useful to loosely navigate in areas where we did not have cell service. It recognizes most major roads and trails and has navigation features similar to Google Maps.

As a bonus, most of the backcountry trails we used were indicated on Maps.me. Although they weren’t completely reliable, they served as a nice back up for double checking the trail while following cairns through the desert.

National Geographic Guide to Utah National Parks

We referenced this guide every day to look up park maps, history, and things to do at each location. Given the remoteness of most of the parks, we did not have wifi for most of the trip and relied on this book to be prepared upon arrival since we often arrived after the Visitors Center closed. It includes guides and maps for Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef & Zion from this trip.

Additional Utah Road Trip Resources

Check out our travel resources page for a complete list of our favorite travel planning resources. Or if you’d like personalized help planning your next trip – we also offer travel planning and consulting services and would love to help you organize the perfect trip to Southwest Utah!