My girlfriends and I relived moments of Britney Spears’ road trip movie when we hit the road through Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. Nothing beats girl bonding, carpool karaoke and breathtaking views all around you. This 5-day road trip took us from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Page, Zion National Park, and full circle back to Las Vegas. The road trip was super easy to plan and the route was very driver-friendly. Read about our journey highlights below.
Day 1 Las Vegas
The main destination for our trip was Page, Arizona and we decided to start from Vegas rather than Salt Lake City or Phoenix. My friends and I took evening flights to meet in Vegas. I was the last one to land due to a flight delay and missed out on our first dinner at Yardbird. Thankfully, the girls brought me takeout so I got to try it too!
Day 2 Las Vegas-Grand Canyon-Cave Dwellers-Horseshoe Bend-Page
Early the next morning, we picked up the rental car and started our epic 5-day road trip. First, we hit the I-15N (Las Vegas Freeway North). My favourite road trip tradition is breakfast at McDonald’s – we made this pit stop near Mesquite, Nevada.
From Mesquite, it was a 4 hour 41 minute drive (181 miles) to Grand Canyon National Park North Rim; this called for catchy tunes and carpool karaoke. We took the I-15N towards Salt Lake City and took exit 16 for State Hwy 9 to Hurricane, Arizona.
Then came a series of nauseating curves – don’t even try to read on your iPhone. The winding path took us through the Kaibab Plateau on Forest Rd 462. There must’ve been a wild forest fire in this neck of the woods since all that remained of the trees were the singed stumps for miles away. We were close to the Grand Canyon once we turned onto AZ-67S, which led us right to the entrance of the Park.
The vehicle permit fee is $30 USD, but we opted to purchase the annual National Park Pass for $80 USD, which allows you to visit any US National Park for the year. The North Rim Lodge has a restaurant, cafeteria, a gift shop and lookout points. We didn’t have enough time for any hikes, but enjoyed the lookout points and bowls of elk chili.
Back on the road, keep your eyes peeled on the stretch of I-89A towards Page. We passed a sign that read, “Cliff Dwellers” and curiosity made us turn back. It wasn’t the actual national monument of ancient cliff dwellers that we saw, but interesting mushroom shaped rocks.
At this point, we were racing against the sunset and we had another 50 miles left to go until Horseshoe Bend. The mountains around us were glowing in warm hues.
The parking lot entrance to Horseshoe Bend was hidden and we nearly missed it. A 15-minute hike brought us right to the edge of the Bend where people gathered to watch the sunset. See the Mini-Guide to Horseshoe Bend here.
After an ambitious day, we finally made it to Page. We checked into our hotel, which had a welcoming bonfire, and called it a day.
Day 3 Page-Zion National Park
The next morning, we had a 5:30 am start to watch the sunrise over Horseshoe Bend. After a few moments of zen, we rushed back to the hotel to prep for our Antelope Canyon tour. We visited Upper Antelope Canyon in the morning and Lower Antelope Canyon in the afternoon.
By late afternoon, it was time to say farewell to Page. With Starbucks and fro-yo in our cup holders, we headed for Zion National Park where we spent the night. Restaurants closed early at 10 pm so we went to Bit & Spur, a lively local restaurant and saloon (that had the best cilantro-lime dressing that I’ve since replicated at home).
Day 4 Zion National Park
Words can’t describe what it felt like to wake up to a 360° view of mountains and pure mountainous air. It just sets you in a good mood. We only realized in the morning, that the route we had driven the night before literally led us through the switchback roads of the National Park! So that’s what those dark ominous shadows were …
We used the annual National Park Pass to enter Zion. There was a long lineup of cars and just a lot of people in general. Zion was more touristy than I thought. We spent the afternoon soaking in the panoramic red cliffs. With trails named Emerald Pool, The Narrows and Angel’s Landing, I wanted to stay longer and explore the expanse of the park.
Day 5 – Zion National Park-Las Vegas
Booking it back to Vegas felt much faster. We made an obligatory pitstop at In & Out Burger. Rounding out our trip in Vegas, we made sure our night didn’t disappoint! Dinner at the 2-Michelin starred Picasso Restaurant at the Bellagio and a night out at Hyde and 1Oak was the perfect ending to our epic road trip.
Read my Picasso Restaurant, Bellagio review here.
Safe Travels!
xx Deb
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