Arizona / Utah

Went on the road trip of a lifetime recently with my two friends from junior high. We went from Vegas to Arizona to Utah. It was such a kick ass time, a nice blend of relaxation and adventure packed in one week! There was no more than 4-6 hours of driving a day, which made it an easy going drive. I've had some requests for this itinerary so keep reading to check out what we did!

Day 1:

Cesar's Palace in Las Vegas

We started the trip off by meeting in Vegas and staying one night before our big road trip, I flew and my friends drove. We took it easy during the day and went to the Garden of the God's Pool Oasis since we had an early start the next day. There's two pools at Cesar's and plenty to do around the strip.

Day 2:

In order to make it time for kayaking through Antelope Canyon in Arizona, we had a 6:30am start the next day because you want to get on the water by 12pm so that you don't get too much wind while kayaking. We checked out of our hotel, grabbed some breakfast to-go and were on the road! It was about a 5 hour drive from Vegas to the Antelope Canyon Marina.

Kayaking through Antelope Canyon w/ Wazsup Kayaks

Currently, the walking tours through Antelope Canyon are closed due to Covid but you can still kayak through Antelope Canyon and do a short hike! We rented our kayaks through Wazsup Kayaks! Just book online and they deliver right to the Antelope Point Launch Ramp at the Marina and set up the kayak for you and everything! Kayaking through the canyons was probably my favorite part of the trip. It was beautiful and a very unforgettable experience, not to mention a great workout! Expect to kayak for about 3-5 hours. Again, make sure to make it there by 12pm so that it isn't too windy!

Stay at Lake Powell Resort and Marina

After kayaking, our hotel Lake Powell Resort and Marina is about a 30 minute drive away. This hotel had the most epic views of Lake Powell and it was awesome to relax by the pool and relax from the day on our balcony. Loved staying here so much! There's a bunch of places nearby the resort to get food and drinks or you can eat at the restaurant on site. Make sure to get a room with the balcony facing Lake Powell! You do have to pay $30 per vehicle to enter the Marina to get to the hotel.

Catch sunset at Horseshoe Bend

Make sure to catch sunset at Horseshoe Bend! It's the best time to visit in my opinion. It's about a 20 minute drive from the Lake Powell Resort and Marina hotel. It was epic to sit and marvel at this beauty. Although it's the most visited, it really did live up to the hype. Make sure you give yourself some time to get there early for sunset, it's a 15-20 minute walk from the parking lot to the spot and you don't want to miss it! Parking is $10 per vehicle.

Day 3:

Stay at Under Canvas Moab

The next day we drove 5 hours to Under Canvas in Moab. I have been wanting to stay at an Under Canvas glamping tent for a long time and I was so happy we were able to book one! There are a lot of different types of tents you can rent, we rented one with 3 twin beds. These glamping tents are already set up when you arrive, there's beds & linen, bathrooms, showers, USB chargers, fans, heater, and community areas with live music. This place was such a fun time and really made the trip, not to mention the stars at night were incredible! They really found a way to elevate camping with nice touches throughout the camp. We absolutely loved our glamping experience and now we want to visit all of the Under Canvas locations!

Day 4:

Visit Corona Arch and Bowtie Arch

Instead of heading to the Arches National Park where the main arches are. We decided to go off the beaten path a bit and go to the Corona Arch and Bowtie Arch instead. It's free to visit and there was plenty of parking when we got there versus paying $30 per vehicle at the Arches National Park and a 2-3 hour wait to get in if you aren't there super early. It was awesome! It felt like a hidden gem. It's a 1.5 mile in and 1.5 mile out hike with some adventurous sections with a ladder to help you climb up and a chain to hold onto it. There is so much cool stuff to see on this hike. It also wasn't that difficult and completely worth it! Highly recommend this hike.

Stay the night in Vegas

The hike took about 2 hours and we were back on the road! This leg of the drive took us about 6 hours from Utah to Vegas and we were back in Vegas by dinner time. We decided to stay at the Linq Hotel and ride the High Roller Ferris Wheel! It was such an epic way to end the trip with a bird's eye view of Vegas.

This trip was so amazing, it left me wanting more! Nothing beats being on the road. We have all lived in California and grew up there and never visited these national parks. They are right in our own backyard too! I am so glad we did it and I think everyone needs to check out the Wild West at least once in their lives! We did and we are definitely coming back and checking out Lake Powell again and maybe doing Zion next!

<3,

Laura C.