Southwest United States Road Trip
. 9 days . 60 hours . 3,450+ miles .
Tips:
Prepare to have no service the majority of the drive.
We recommend renting an SUV with 4-wheel drive as you will likely be off road quite a bit.
In 2021 we were able to rent a 4runner for about $800 for all 9 days.
We started in Denver, CO but you could start anywhere along this route, or create your own using this as a template!
We recommend making this journey in the early or later summer months so that you get the best weather without too extreme of heat.
We also recommend mainly staying at hotels/motels as that will keep a lot of the pricing down, but we do like to splurge at least a night or 2 and stay at an Airbnb of our choosing.
Bring a good variety of snacks & things to make sandwiches! There are a lot of times you are in the middle of no where and cannot find food stops.
Fill up on gas as often as you can, try not to let your tank go below 1/4. There are some gaps along this route where there are no gas stations, so it’s always good to be prepared.
It is definitely safest to prebook all your hotels ahead of time but try your best to find places with free cancellation incase you decide to change up plans.
We suggest making yourself (or using ours) an itinerary of your plans for each day. There are so many places to explore you almost have to be on a schedule to make sure you will make it to your next destination at a decent hour. We were able to veer off schedule a little bit each day while knowing exactly how much time we had to adventure.
*On really hot days when you’re driving in the desert be sure to check your tires often! The high temps cause tires to expand, so you most likely will need to take air out at some point to avoid getting a flat.
Below is a general overview of the road trip. (Please note that this map does not include every stop)
Day 1
Total Driving: 8 hours 5 mins (454 miles)
Start:
Denver, CO —> Box Canyon Falls, Ouray, CO
5 hours 40 mins [334 miles]
(^if you’re looking for a lunch stop in-between these two, Hunger Shack in Salida, CO is a great stop & along the way!)
End:
Box Canyon Falls Ouray, CO —> Hotel in Cortez, CO
2 hours 25 mins [120 miles]
(If you’re looking for a dinner stop there’s a Mexican restaurant called Fiesta Mexicana in Cortez, CO. This is a delicious stop & they are open late which is helpful for long days on the road)
Day 2
Total Driving: 8 hours 25 mins (415.3 miles)
Start:
Cortez, CO —> Valley of the Gods, Mexican Hat, UT
2 hours [97.1 miles]
Valley of the Gods, UT
Mexican Hat, UT
Valley of the Gods, Mexican Hat, UT —> Monument Valley, AZ
56 mins [35.6 miles]
*Keep a look out on your travels between Valley of the Gods & Monument Valley. As your driving down the highway, to your left will be a rock structure that is called “Mexican Hat Rock”. You will understand why when you see it! You can get much closer to the rock structure if you’d like. This would add about 10mins to your drive.
Monument Valley, AZ
Monument Valley, AZ —> Mystery Valley, AZ
18 mins [7.7 miles]
(^If you’re looking for a lunch stop or even a place to stay the Goulding Lodge in Monument Valley is a yummy stop with a unique gift shop & and incredible views. We did not stay at this lodge but I can imagine it’s a beautiful place.)
Mystery Valley, AZ —> Navajo National Monument, AZ
1 hour [48 miles]
Mystery Valley
Hiking in Navajo National Monument: (we couldn’t get in due to covid regulations, not sure if this has changed since.)
Sandal Trail - 1 Mile Round trip
Canyon View Trail - .8 mile Round Trip
Navajo National Monument, AZ —> Elephants Feet, Tonalea, AZ
36 mins [38.1 miles]
Elephants Feet, AZ
Elephants Feet, Tonalea, AZ —> Sedona, AZ
2 hours 20 mins [129 miles]
Sedona, AZ
End:
Sedona, AZ —> Hotel in Williams, AZ
1 hour 15 mins [59.8 miles]
Day 3
Total Driving: 5 hours 12 mins (334.4 miles)
Start:
Williams, AZ —> Grand Canyon National Park (South Rim), AZ
56 mins [54.4 miles]
Grand Canyon, AZ
Skywalk - Glass bridge over the canyon
Helicopter Ride over the canyon
Desert View Drive - 23 mile scenic drive
Mule rides into the canyon
Tons of tours & hikes
Things to do at the Grand Canyon:
Mather Point - 0.7 mile round trip
Cape Royal Trail - 1 mile round trip
Ooh Aah Point - 1.8 mile round trip
Shoshone Point - 2.1 mile round trip
Grand Canyon, AZ —> Hoover Dam, NV
3 hours 38 mins [243 miles]
Hoover Dam, NV
Hoover Dam, NV —> Hotel in Las Vegas, NV
38 mins [37 miles]
(We stayed in an Airbnb @ Palms Place Hotel. It was stunning and the views from our 50th floor balcony were beautiful)
Day 4
Total Driving: 8 hours 26 mins (525 miles)
Las Vegas
Start:
Las Vegas, NV —> Death Valley National Park, CA
2 hours 9 mins [142 miles]
Things to do at Death Valley:
Artists Palette ~ 0.5 mile hike and / or 9.7 mile scenic drive
Natural Bridge ~ 1 mile round trip hike
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
Artists Palette
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
Death Valley National Park, CA —> Red Rock Canyon State Park, CA
2 hour 40 mins [146 miles]
Hike / Things to do:
Red Rock Canyon Loop Scenic Drive ~ 30 mins ~
Red Cliff Trail (Red Rock Canyon) 1 mile round trip ~ 30 mins ~
Red Rock Canyon
Red Rock Canyon State Park, CA —> Hotel/ Airbnb in King City, CA
3 hour 37 mins [237 miles]
End:
Day 5
Total Driving: 7 hours 24 mins (356.4 miles)
Start:
King City, CA —> Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, CA
1 hour 15 mins [68.6 miles]
Point Lobos
Hiking options:
Cypress Grove Trail (Point Lobos) - 0.8 mile hike
Partington Cove (Big Sur, CA) - 1.1 mile hike
South Plateau Trail to Bird Island (Point Lobos) - 1.6 mile hike
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, CA —> Bixby Bridge, CA
18 mins [11.1 miles]
Bixby Bridge, CA
Bixby Bridge, CA —> McWay Falls, CA
37 mins [23.6 miles]
Hikes at McWay Falls:
McWay Falls Overlook - 1.1 mile walk
McWay Falls, CA
McWay Falls, CA —> Yosemite National Park, CA
4 hour 30 mins [224 miles]
We didn’t have enough time to explore Yosemite so we went back the next morning.
Yosemite National Park, CA —> Airbnb or hotel near by, CA
End:
44 mins [29.1 miles]
We stayed at an Airbnb 40 mins out of Yosemite in Fresno Crossing in an adorable camper for less than $100 a night.
*Typically you will need a reservation to get into the park, so be sure to book ahead of time as slots fill up quickly!
Day 6
Total Driving: 6 hours 11 mins (293.4 miles)
Start:
Airbnb/hotel Fresno Crossing, CA —> Yosemite National Park South Entrance, CA
*Need Reservation
50 mins [28.9 miles]
Tenya Lake
Wawona Tunnel View
Yosemite Valley
Ribbon Falls
Hikes / things to do:
Verna Falls is here (317ft Waterfall)
Yosemite Falls (2,425ft Waterfall)
Washburn & Glacier Point Overlook
Wawona Tunnel View
View of Half Dome
Tenya Lake
Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias
Bridal Veil Fall (0.75 mile to base of fall)
Half Dome
Yosemite National Park South Gate —> Yosemite National Park East Gate
2 hours 23 mins [87.1 miles]
Including Yosemite Valley
Yosemite National Park East Gate —> Mono Lake Tufa State Reserve, CA
20 mins [14.4 miles]
Mono Lake Tufa
Hike of the Day Options:
South Tufa Loop Trail 0.8 mile
Mono Lake Tufa State Reserve, CA —> Hotel in Tonopah, NV
2 hour 38 mins [163 miles]
End:
Day 7
Total Driving: 6 hours 53 mins (402.1 miles)
Start:
Hotel/ Airbnb in Tonopah —> Lunar Crater Nat’l Natural Landmark, NV
1 hour 18 mins [84.1 miles]
Lunar Crater National Natural Landmark —> Great Basin National Park
3 hour [172 miles]
Lunar Crater, NV
Things to do:
Lehman Caves - 0.4 mile 1 hour guided tour
Wheeler Peak scenic drive - 12 mile scenic drive
Great Basin NP
Great Basin National Park —> Hotel in Scipio, UT
2 hour 35 mins [146 miles]
End:
Day 8
Total Driving: 5 hours 31 mins (343.7 miles)
Hotel in Scipio, UT —> Dead Horse Point State Park, Moab, UT
3 hours 10 mins [197 miles]
Start:
Hiking Options:
Dead Horse Visitors Center Loop- 0.2 mile round trip
Dead Horse Point State Park Short Loop Trail- 1 Mile Round trip
Colorado River Overlook Trail- 1.2 mile round trip
Big Horn Overlook Trail- 3 mile Round Trip
Dead Horse Point
State Park
Dead Horse Point State Park —> Canyonlands National Park Moab, UT
16 mins [11.5 miles]
Mesa Arch ~ Canyonlands
Hike of the Day Options:
Mesa Arch- 0.5 miles round trip
White Rim Overlook- 1.8 miles round trip
Upheaval Dome- 1 mile round trip
Canyonlands National Park Moab, UT —> Arches National Park Moab, UT
30 mins [26.2 miles]
Unfortunately we weren’t able to get into Arches due to crowds. If you are able to get in, here are a couple of the short hikes but there are too many to list:
Sand Dune Arch - 0.4 miles round trip
*Double Arch - 0.5 mile round trip
Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoint - 0.6 mile round trip
*The Windows & Turret Arch - 0.7 mile round trip
*Landscape Arch - 1.6 miles round trip
End:
Arches National Park, Moab, UT —> Hotel in Grand Junction, CO
1 hour 35 mins [109 miles]
Day 9
Total Driving: 3 hours 55 mins 244 miles
Hotel in Grand Junction, CO —> Dillon Reservoir
2 hour 45 mins [175 miles]
Dillon Reservoir —> Denver, CO
1 hour 10 mins [69 miles]
End:
Total Driving: 52 hours 2 minutes 3,368.3 miles