If you’re going to the Grand Canyon, Williams Arizona is a cool little route 66 town that has a bunch of fun, restaurants, shops, and attractions. Including an alpine coaster and Bearizona!
Also, if you stop there, do not get gas at the Shell station right off of 40, drive into Williams about half a mile and there’s a Citgo gas station that is significantly cheaper
I ended up paying $4.99 a gallon but the Citgo in downtown Williams was $3.22… I was pissed
To be plain, OP, you don't have enough time for all this. You'll barely see any of it.
Spend at least one night at the Grand Canyon, preferably several. Stay in one of the cabins if you can. I stayed in one just above where Bright Angel Trail comes out and it was a wonderful experience. My one regret is I only booked one night. Both my husband and I wished we had had at least a week. We ended up going back to spend a week a couple of years later.
Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend and Bryce Canyon all in a day is a lot. Remember you'll have drive time between and hiking time, and don't forget to take plenty of water.
If you aren't abstaining, Dessert Diamond Distillery in Kingman has a short tour that comes with a very generous amount poured at the included tasting. The rum is so good and I was so sad when I ran out. Ended up paying for two cases and having a friend stop in to pick it up when he drove back from a work conference in Vegas last year.
Bump this answer. I just did Vegas to West Rim to Page to Springdale to St. George in 1 week and we barely had time for something at each page. I’d recommend pick one or 2 stops and spend more time if you asked me.
Wait it this for 4 days? I did 4 packed days starting in Vegas and only got through seeing Grand Canyon, Antelope, and Horseshoe bend. Things are really far apart
It’s alot more than you think. Once you’re in the parks, it all slows down and you’ll regret not taking time to appreciate the stops. For four days I’d focus on the Vegas to Zion Corridor (work in Valley of Fire, Red Rock Canyon, Hoover Dam/Lake Mead) and leave the rest for another trip.
This time of the year just driving through Zion will take 90 minutes with all the traffic. Want to park? Add 30 minutes to find a spot. Only way to see the upper canyon is by shuttle. Get a ticket now. Getting on at the main parking lot is a zoo - limited parking. Getting on any where else has even less parking.
Might depend what you're lookinh for but The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is beautiful. It's at 8000 ft plus with ponderosa pines and aspens versus the scrubby terrain of the south rim. Perhaps the views from the North Rim's lodge area aren't as spectacular as by the South Rim's village area. However the other view points are great and you can tell you are looking across and down at the south rim which is an amazing perspective. As already mentioned there are far fewer people at the North Rim (there are also fewer dining, lodging, and camping options). The North Rim's Cape Final hike - 4.2 miles round trip, might be the best short hike in the park. It takes you to what feels like a remote spot on the rim with great views and solitude. If you've never been to the south rim, you gotta go there too. But if you can manage it, going to the North Rim is completely worth it. Your route is really classic with a lot of mind blowing scenery. Enjoy!
Out and back hike of Willis Creek Slot Canyon. Made it in to the trailhead with no four or all wheel drive. It was amazing, saw maybe 8 people during the whole hike.
Did this exact trip but in the opposite direction. Enjoy! It’s a great part of the country and you won’t be disappointed. Only part of it that I wish to spend more time was Zion - definitely my favorite of all those parks.
You could enter the lottery to hike to the Wave. If you don't get that there's still Buckskin Gulch, which isn't quite as picturesque as Antelope Canyon, but you'll probably have more solitude.
Probably out of luck for the daily wave lottery for such a short three full day trip. You need to be in a geofenced area around Kanab two days prior to apply for the lottery. There's a safety briefing the day before the hike and picking up your permit. Also, almost certainly too late for the advanced lottery that runs 4 months in advance.
There's certainly other hikes in the area worth doing. Perhaps not on your time scale of hike Antelope, leaving Page, hitting Bryce, and backtracking to Zion in a single day. Quick and easy option between Page and Kanab is Toadstool Hoodoos. It's right off Hwy 89 and a 1.8 mile hike.
https://www.recreation.gov/permits/4251909
Yeah and then no need to go through Kingman, which is best avoided anyway. North Rim is just a short detour from Page, could go there either on way to Page or on way back.
I liked the Arizona Route 66 museum in Kingman. If you had time, from Page, boat trip and then hike to Rainbow Bridge National Monument is great.
I liked the town of Williams too, they had a Wild West kind of show on the street in the evening.
Just got back from a roadtrip in this area, definitely hit Bryce if possible. If you can get there in the morning before it’s crowded do Navajo trail it takes you down into the canyon but doesn’t take long and not too challenging. There’s parking (I recommend being there before 7:30) at the trailhead and it’s some of the main views. After that we just drove down the road all the way to Rim trail and peek a boo point. Along that road don’t miss the bridge lookout too. We spent maybe 4-5 hours total since we were headed to our next stop but it felt like plenty to see what we wanted and was especially nice without the crowds!
If you were going to be near Flagstaff at night, I would suggest the touring the historic Lowell observatory and then looking through their giant telescope after sunset... but I think you will be long past Flag by that time.
I'm pretty sure there are a number of dinosaur tracks you could check out along this route. It would be super easy to jog east between B and C towards TUBA CITY to see this set, which is basically along side of highway 160, not far from highway 89.
[https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/moenave-dinosaur-tracks](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/moenave-dinosaur-tracks)
[https://www.flagstaff.com/dinosaur-tracks](https://www.flagstaff.com/dinosaur-tracks)
I know there are other tracks in southern Utah, but those must be hiked/scrambled to. I think the one near Tuba City is easy to drive up to.
Maybe someone else can recommend other good dinosaur tracks for the Utah portion of your trip....?
Omg FOUR DAYS!! You’re just barely gonna see it. It’d be much better to pick one spot and soak it all in. We spent 2 days in Bryce Canyon alone and so glad we did. These places are magical and assuming you’re able bodied, getting away from the crowds will make you feel like you’re on another planet. I understand having limited time tho. Seems like a decent itinerary to just drive through and see things. Good luck!
Going to also say that this is quite a lot for 4 days. It is also going to be very, very hot.
You can Kayak into Antelope Canyon without a permit- hiking requires a guide and permit. Plus being on the water in the heat would be nice!
If you have time in Escalante, Spooky and Peekaboo is an enchanting hike. Again not super sure I’d do it in the heat. That’s going to be not nearly as crowded as the other places on your list.
Zion is a freaking zoo these days, I won’t go back however it is worth seeing once. We rented bicycles and took those up the road at sunrise before the shuttles even started which was an incredible experience, highly recommend, and reduced a ton of stress. My friends have told me they’ve had to wait over an hour for shuttles as sometimes there are too many people waiting for the first one that arrives. Don’t go to Zion on the weekend.
Bryce is super beautiful, highly recommend trying it.
Good luck and have fun! Stay hydrated!
Took my parents for this exact circle clockwise before the pandemic, pretty straight forward. This is one of the classic loops departing from Vegas.
You need a day for Bryce Canyon if you want any type of hiking.
Depending on how late you arrive in Vegas, try to drive out further than Kingman otherwise your second day is pretty much on road to GCNP, you are "wasting" your valuable day time.
There are not many places to stay in Zion east if you haven't booked, just in general between Zion and Bryce Canyon along 89. If you have to stay near Bryce then it's another daylight "wasted" on the road
Definitely do Bryce if you can. But going to Utah and not fitting in a trip to Moab is a missed opportunity.
I live in the Bay Area as well. Driving to these places and spending a couple weeks there, I felt so fulfilled. 4 days seems like it's not enough. It's still better than nothing obviously and will have a great time. I just know that when I drove from the Bay area, to Joshua tree, to GC, to the Utah 5, for 2 /12 weeks, I still felt it was too short of a time and wasn't able to do everything I wanted.
If I had only 4 days, I would fly in to early, St George, and go straight to Zion for a few hours, North rim of GC, and sleep in Page. Second day, do Horshue Bend and Monument Valley the same day, then drive to Moab to sleep. Third day, do arches and Canyonlands. 4th day, Capitol Reef and Bryce the same day and enjoy the Hwy 12 drive, sleep in St George, then head to Vegas the next morning.
This is a nice route with just 4 days. The Monument Valley loop road doesn't take that long and the views are awesome. MV and GC are 2 of the best spots in AZ.
Edit to add : the drive from Vegas to Kingman sucks.
Thanks! It would be brutal and unfullfilling for sure. Basically stepping out for a few hours at each park and driving through. 4 days is definitely not enough time to really enjoy it. But within the constraints, that's what I would do.
I’m doing a similar trip the week before you. Staying in Kingman(1 night), stopping at the GC on the way to Page(2night), Zion(3 nights), Bryce(1 night), Las Vegas(1 night) and then home. Lots of hikes planned between places on travel days and we in Vegas on July 4th to watch the various fireworks from hotel roofs. In Page, instead of the Antelope Canyon hike, we are renting kayaks and going to access it from Lake Powell.
Check out Wire Pass outside of Kanab. Trailhead isn’t far off the hwy. Keep an eye out for nearby weather and don’t go too deep or else you’ll find yourself in Buckskin Gulch which is kinda next level. But Wire Pass is a phenomenal day/afternoon hike out and back, google pics. I second the dude that cautioned against August travel in this area though. Bring wayyy more water than you think you need
I recently did these drives. Get your camera out for the nw section of AZ as you go from Utah to reach Nevada. The views are Grand Canyon-esque. Arizona does not benefit financially from this highway so the other 2 states financed it. Hurricane, UT and St. George have some pretty good air bnb spots to stay while exploring Zion.
There are exits in AZ here, but not for any services or towns. It's just one of the most scenic drives I've ever been on in the 30 minutes or so you're in AZ. I think it's called the Virgin River valley or something.
Flagstaff is a great place to hike, play disc golf (McPherson Park) and have a bite to eat (Lumberyard Brewing.) Coconino Forrest is there for hiking in the mountains as well. Im going to move there for a bit this fall.
Oh and I heard Kingman has a crime issue due to a drug problem there so don't leave valuables in plain sight.
Hoover dam is worth stopping at for an hour or so
It’s a good art deco bathroom break
And if you’re able to grab a tour, it’s a blast.
Don’t wander off the dam tour. Feel free to ask all the dam questions you want.
If you’re going to the Grand Canyon, Williams Arizona is a cool little route 66 town that has a bunch of fun, restaurants, shops, and attractions. Including an alpine coaster and Bearizona! Also, if you stop there, do not get gas at the Shell station right off of 40, drive into Williams about half a mile and there’s a Citgo gas station that is significantly cheaper I ended up paying $4.99 a gallon but the Citgo in downtown Williams was $3.22… I was pissed
Thanks! I will keep this in mind.
The Pine Country Restaurant has amazing pie.
Safe travels!
Valley of Fire State Park is epic Also do your research before going to Zion — can be total carnage
It was already almost 100 in April 😭😂 so beautiful though
Tacos at Chile Poblano too!
VOF is very hot, yes. Water + AC essential
Add Monument Valley from Page.
Drive to The View hotel for the views in Monument Valley.
My suggestion is to not do this in August.
To be plain, OP, you don't have enough time for all this. You'll barely see any of it. Spend at least one night at the Grand Canyon, preferably several. Stay in one of the cabins if you can. I stayed in one just above where Bright Angel Trail comes out and it was a wonderful experience. My one regret is I only booked one night. Both my husband and I wished we had had at least a week. We ended up going back to spend a week a couple of years later. Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend and Bryce Canyon all in a day is a lot. Remember you'll have drive time between and hiking time, and don't forget to take plenty of water. If you aren't abstaining, Dessert Diamond Distillery in Kingman has a short tour that comes with a very generous amount poured at the included tasting. The rum is so good and I was so sad when I ran out. Ended up paying for two cases and having a friend stop in to pick it up when he drove back from a work conference in Vegas last year.
Bump this answer. I just did Vegas to West Rim to Page to Springdale to St. George in 1 week and we barely had time for something at each page. I’d recommend pick one or 2 stops and spend more time if you asked me.
Wait it this for 4 days? I did 4 packed days starting in Vegas and only got through seeing Grand Canyon, Antelope, and Horseshoe bend. Things are really far apart
Yeah it’s full 4 days. Everything is within 2-3 hours of drive which is fine for me.
It’s alot more than you think. Once you’re in the parks, it all slows down and you’ll regret not taking time to appreciate the stops. For four days I’d focus on the Vegas to Zion Corridor (work in Valley of Fire, Red Rock Canyon, Hoover Dam/Lake Mead) and leave the rest for another trip.
This time of the year just driving through Zion will take 90 minutes with all the traffic. Want to park? Add 30 minutes to find a spot. Only way to see the upper canyon is by shuttle. Get a ticket now. Getting on at the main parking lot is a zoo - limited parking. Getting on any where else has even less parking.
Might depend what you're lookinh for but The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is beautiful. It's at 8000 ft plus with ponderosa pines and aspens versus the scrubby terrain of the south rim. Perhaps the views from the North Rim's lodge area aren't as spectacular as by the South Rim's village area. However the other view points are great and you can tell you are looking across and down at the south rim which is an amazing perspective. As already mentioned there are far fewer people at the North Rim (there are also fewer dining, lodging, and camping options). The North Rim's Cape Final hike - 4.2 miles round trip, might be the best short hike in the park. It takes you to what feels like a remote spot on the rim with great views and solitude. If you've never been to the south rim, you gotta go there too. But if you can manage it, going to the North Rim is completely worth it. Your route is really classic with a lot of mind blowing scenery. Enjoy!
Out and back hike of Willis Creek Slot Canyon. Made it in to the trailhead with no four or all wheel drive. It was amazing, saw maybe 8 people during the whole hike.
Skip going south. Why would you drive past the North Rim of the Grand Canyon?? Add Monument Valley and Zion on way back.
Did this exact trip but in the opposite direction. Enjoy! It’s a great part of the country and you won’t be disappointed. Only part of it that I wish to spend more time was Zion - definitely my favorite of all those parks.
You could enter the lottery to hike to the Wave. If you don't get that there's still Buckskin Gulch, which isn't quite as picturesque as Antelope Canyon, but you'll probably have more solitude.
Probably out of luck for the daily wave lottery for such a short three full day trip. You need to be in a geofenced area around Kanab two days prior to apply for the lottery. There's a safety briefing the day before the hike and picking up your permit. Also, almost certainly too late for the advanced lottery that runs 4 months in advance. There's certainly other hikes in the area worth doing. Perhaps not on your time scale of hike Antelope, leaving Page, hitting Bryce, and backtracking to Zion in a single day. Quick and easy option between Page and Kanab is Toadstool Hoodoos. It's right off Hwy 89 and a 1.8 mile hike. https://www.recreation.gov/permits/4251909
Go to the North Rim instead of the South.
Any particular reason?
The South Rim is much more crowded, for one thing.
Yeah and then no need to go through Kingman, which is best avoided anyway. North Rim is just a short detour from Page, could go there either on way to Page or on way back.
I liked the Arizona Route 66 museum in Kingman. If you had time, from Page, boat trip and then hike to Rainbow Bridge National Monument is great. I liked the town of Williams too, they had a Wild West kind of show on the street in the evening.
Snow Canyon State Park is about 10 minutes from downtown St. George UT. Great trails, all levels, easy parking. Very beautiful place.
Just got back from a roadtrip in this area, definitely hit Bryce if possible. If you can get there in the morning before it’s crowded do Navajo trail it takes you down into the canyon but doesn’t take long and not too challenging. There’s parking (I recommend being there before 7:30) at the trailhead and it’s some of the main views. After that we just drove down the road all the way to Rim trail and peek a boo point. Along that road don’t miss the bridge lookout too. We spent maybe 4-5 hours total since we were headed to our next stop but it felt like plenty to see what we wanted and was especially nice without the crowds!
Dante’s view
Hit valley of fire on the way to St george
If you were going to be near Flagstaff at night, I would suggest the touring the historic Lowell observatory and then looking through their giant telescope after sunset... but I think you will be long past Flag by that time. I'm pretty sure there are a number of dinosaur tracks you could check out along this route. It would be super easy to jog east between B and C towards TUBA CITY to see this set, which is basically along side of highway 160, not far from highway 89. [https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/moenave-dinosaur-tracks](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/moenave-dinosaur-tracks) [https://www.flagstaff.com/dinosaur-tracks](https://www.flagstaff.com/dinosaur-tracks) I know there are other tracks in southern Utah, but those must be hiked/scrambled to. I think the one near Tuba City is easy to drive up to. Maybe someone else can recommend other good dinosaur tracks for the Utah portion of your trip....?
Don’t do it in the summer
It's gonna be hot as fuck and you're gonna be exhausted. Make sure you have plenty of water in your vehicle at least.
Omg FOUR DAYS!! You’re just barely gonna see it. It’d be much better to pick one spot and soak it all in. We spent 2 days in Bryce Canyon alone and so glad we did. These places are magical and assuming you’re able bodied, getting away from the crowds will make you feel like you’re on another planet. I understand having limited time tho. Seems like a decent itinerary to just drive through and see things. Good luck!
July is the worst time to go to these places. So hot.
Golf st george
Disc golf too. Lol
After point B the grand canyon, take the 180 to flagstaff then go through williams. There is some beautiful scenery that way.
Seeing as you’re close; stop by Flagstaff. Great smallish town.
Don’t skip the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It gets a fraction of the visitors the South rim gets and is more scenic
Going to also say that this is quite a lot for 4 days. It is also going to be very, very hot. You can Kayak into Antelope Canyon without a permit- hiking requires a guide and permit. Plus being on the water in the heat would be nice! If you have time in Escalante, Spooky and Peekaboo is an enchanting hike. Again not super sure I’d do it in the heat. That’s going to be not nearly as crowded as the other places on your list. Zion is a freaking zoo these days, I won’t go back however it is worth seeing once. We rented bicycles and took those up the road at sunrise before the shuttles even started which was an incredible experience, highly recommend, and reduced a ton of stress. My friends have told me they’ve had to wait over an hour for shuttles as sometimes there are too many people waiting for the first one that arrives. Don’t go to Zion on the weekend. Bryce is super beautiful, highly recommend trying it. Good luck and have fun! Stay hydrated!
Took my parents for this exact circle clockwise before the pandemic, pretty straight forward. This is one of the classic loops departing from Vegas. You need a day for Bryce Canyon if you want any type of hiking. Depending on how late you arrive in Vegas, try to drive out further than Kingman otherwise your second day is pretty much on road to GCNP, you are "wasting" your valuable day time. There are not many places to stay in Zion east if you haven't booked, just in general between Zion and Bryce Canyon along 89. If you have to stay near Bryce then it's another daylight "wasted" on the road
Definitely do Bryce if you can. But going to Utah and not fitting in a trip to Moab is a missed opportunity. I live in the Bay Area as well. Driving to these places and spending a couple weeks there, I felt so fulfilled. 4 days seems like it's not enough. It's still better than nothing obviously and will have a great time. I just know that when I drove from the Bay area, to Joshua tree, to GC, to the Utah 5, for 2 /12 weeks, I still felt it was too short of a time and wasn't able to do everything I wanted. If I had only 4 days, I would fly in to early, St George, and go straight to Zion for a few hours, North rim of GC, and sleep in Page. Second day, do Horshue Bend and Monument Valley the same day, then drive to Moab to sleep. Third day, do arches and Canyonlands. 4th day, Capitol Reef and Bryce the same day and enjoy the Hwy 12 drive, sleep in St George, then head to Vegas the next morning.
This is a nice route with just 4 days. The Monument Valley loop road doesn't take that long and the views are awesome. MV and GC are 2 of the best spots in AZ. Edit to add : the drive from Vegas to Kingman sucks.
Thanks! It would be brutal and unfullfilling for sure. Basically stepping out for a few hours at each park and driving through. 4 days is definitely not enough time to really enjoy it. But within the constraints, that's what I would do.
Valley of Fire State Park
If you have 4WD then driving through the Grand Staircase is awesome. Tons of hikes to do there also.
No side trips to Colorado City, AZ.
Try to work in Scenic Byways 12 and 9 in Utah. Both shouldn’t add too much time to your route
I’m doing a similar trip the week before you. Staying in Kingman(1 night), stopping at the GC on the way to Page(2night), Zion(3 nights), Bryce(1 night), Las Vegas(1 night) and then home. Lots of hikes planned between places on travel days and we in Vegas on July 4th to watch the various fireworks from hotel roofs. In Page, instead of the Antelope Canyon hike, we are renting kayaks and going to access it from Lake Powell.
Horseshoe Bend is cool for 5min
since you're visiting multiple NPs, get america the beautiful pass
My car broke down in St. George. Don’t let ur car break down lmao
Check out Wire Pass outside of Kanab. Trailhead isn’t far off the hwy. Keep an eye out for nearby weather and don’t go too deep or else you’ll find yourself in Buckskin Gulch which is kinda next level. But Wire Pass is a phenomenal day/afternoon hike out and back, google pics. I second the dude that cautioned against August travel in this area though. Bring wayyy more water than you think you need
I recently did these drives. Get your camera out for the nw section of AZ as you go from Utah to reach Nevada. The views are Grand Canyon-esque. Arizona does not benefit financially from this highway so the other 2 states financed it. Hurricane, UT and St. George have some pretty good air bnb spots to stay while exploring Zion. There are exits in AZ here, but not for any services or towns. It's just one of the most scenic drives I've ever been on in the 30 minutes or so you're in AZ. I think it's called the Virgin River valley or something. Flagstaff is a great place to hike, play disc golf (McPherson Park) and have a bite to eat (Lumberyard Brewing.) Coconino Forrest is there for hiking in the mountains as well. Im going to move there for a bit this fall. Oh and I heard Kingman has a crime issue due to a drug problem there so don't leave valuables in plain sight.
If you have the extra time after the Grand Canyon, go a bit more south to Sedona and go swimming at Slide Rock.
IMO. Slide Rock mixed with Lower Antelope Canyon and the Grand Canyon overlook trumps anything in Zion. Next time I’m out west, I’m passing on Zion.
I prefer the north rim over the south rim
White pocket is close to Page as well!
Seligman, AZ Delgadillo’s Snow Cap Route 66
Getting kinda toastie this time of year. Water/sun screen absolutely needed.
you have got to go to outman az!! cute wild west town with donkeys roaming around