Gretchen Stuppy Carlson
Here is the itinerary for I helped Annelle put together for her recent National Park Trip. Feel free to book your own adventure using the links on this page or if you want help customizing this trip, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me (Gretchen) with questions or to book a planning session!! You can reach me at gretchen@chasingadvntr.com. You can also find lots of resources on my National Park Page.
A few notes:
- This itinerary uses an RV Rental. You can also do this itinerary by renting a campervan or renting a car and staying at hotels along the way. One of the best ways to search for hotels is on booking.com
- This itinerary was for April. If you plan to visit at another time of the year, you will want to keep in mind the temperatures can be muchdifferent and there will be crowds in the summer
- Tours for this itinerary were booked mostly through viator but there are many other options that offer differen options and links – use these two links to search for tours: Viator and Get your Guide.
- If you are camping – you should make your campground reservation as soon as possible (depending on the campground 3-6 months in advance if possible)
- You should purchase an America the Beautiful Pass to get into all the parks.
Day 1 – Arrive and Drive to the Grand Canyon
Fly to Vegas
This trip starts and ends in Vegas. Since the first night is spent in the Grand Canyon, you should plan to arrive midday or fly into Vegas the night before.
Pick up Rental Car/RV/Campervan: RV Rental Pickup in Las Vegas or search for a car at booking.com
Drive to the Grand Canyon – 4 hour drive
Camp at Mather Campground – Maple Loop
Day 2 – Explore the Grand Canyon
Activities for your day at the Grand Canyon
Stop at the Visitor Center – get kid’s passport checked off!
Drive and Check out the Views (best ones near the Village)
- Mather Point – most popular viewpoint on the South Rim; expect huge crowds and decent views
- Yavapai Point – panoramic views with less crowds than Mather Point
- Yaki Point – Stunning views of the Grand Canyon and you can see the South Kaibab Trail weaving its way to the Colorado River
- Ooh Aah Point – located on the South Kaibab Trail and it is one of our favorite viewpoints of the Grand Canyon
Walk the South Rim Trail
The South Rim trail is a flat, mostly paved trail that heads along the edge of the rim. It is 13 miles (21 km) long, stretching from Hermit’s Rest to the South Kaibab trailhead.
Bright Angel Trail – hike just a part of it down into the canyon
There are a bunch of restaurants right near the village.
Recommended Tour – Helicopter Tour – this is a one hour tour of the canyon
Spend the Night at Mather Campground
Day 3 – Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend
Drive to Antelope Canyon – 2.5 hours
Do a Tour of Antelope Canyon. You can do an upper or lower canyon tour. The Lower Canyon is slightly more adventurous and the upper canyon has some of the most famous image locations.
Watch the Sunset at Horseshoe Bend – There is a short 1.5 mile easy trail to get to the view
Spend the Night at Wahweap RV & Campground in Paige, AZ
Day 4 – Boating on Lake Powell
Rent a boat and explore Lake Powell for the Day – Wahweap Marina Boat Rental
Boondock (dispersed camping outside Paige) for the night – Lone Rock beach
Day 5 – Explore Kanab
Drive to Kanab 1.5 hours
Explore Toadstool Hoodooes on the way: Explore the Toadstool Hoodoos Trail within Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This 1.7-mile out-and-back trail is generally considered easy and takes about 37 minutes to complete. The trail features stunning geological formations that are often described as otherworldly, making you feel like you’re on another planet. It’s a popular area for birding, hiking, and running, so expect to encounter other adventurers along the way. The trail is open year-round, and dogs are welcome as long as they are on a leash.
Sandboarding Pink coral sand dunes state park-$25 sand board rentals in the visitor center (1 mile hike) Check out the sand caves near the best friends RV park (1.2 mile hike) (Moqui caves)
Stay in Dark Sky RV park
Day 6 – Peekaboo and Great Chamber
Peekaboo Slot Canyon + Great Chamber Loop – UTV Tour- Book here.
Drive to Bryce – 1.5 hours
Stay at Sunset Campground
Day 7 – Bryce Canyon
Hike into Bryce Canyon. This is a more challenging hike. The Stuppy’s did the “Figure 8 loop” which is a “combo of Navajo-Peekaboo-Queens trails by going from Sunset to Sunrise points.
Here is my guide to Bryce Canyon with kids with ideas of other things to do.
Drive to Zion – 2 hour beautiful drive (if you are in a RV – double check the tunnel clearance coming into Zion)
Camp at Zion Canyon Campground
Day 8 – Zion Canyon
Hike the Zion Narrows
Here’s my guide to the narrows: https://chasingadvntr.com/hiking-the-zion-narrows/
Distance: 2.5 miles from Temple of Sinawave to Orderville Canyon and Wall Street. 2 additional miles to Big Spring. (give yourself 4-7 hours to enjoy this hike)
Difficulty: Moderate river hiking
The hike follows the Virgin River as it meanders up the canyon and you will walk across and through the river many times. It’s important to dress appropriately. You can read below for more details on what to wear on your Zion Narrows hiking trip.
WHAT TO WEAR
When you’re hiking the Narrows, what to wear depends on what season you are hiking. If you are hiking the Zion Narrows during the summer or warm months, you will want to wear layers, but plan to wear something on the bottom that can get wet and dry easily. We wore shorts and t-shirts with an extra layer in our bags. If you wear pants, they will get wet – so jeans are not a good choice.
If you are hiking in the cold weather months, you will want to rent waterproof layers for the bottom as the water combined with the cold can get downright chilly. You can rent dry pants right in town at several locations.
Another common question is what’s the best footwear for hiking the Narrows Zion. A lot of people rent shoes to hike the Narrows. Zion Outfitters right in towns rents shoes and walking poles as well as dry bags. These shoes have a sole that reduces slipping and closed toes to avoid stubbing a toe. In general, this is probably a good idea. YOU NEED THIS IN THE COLD MONTHS.
Other Things to do in Zion
- Choose another hiking Trail – like Emerald Pool (the hike is easy but there are some drop offs when hiking)
- Try Horseback Riding
Camp at Zion Canyon Campground
Day 9 – Vegas
Drive to Vegas – 2.5 hours
You can either plan to fly home this night or spend a night in Vegas – Stay at Mandalay Bay
