_{1,315+ miles, 10 days, and countless family memories that will last a lifetime.}

We try to explore God’s creations and what this wonderful planet has to offer as much as possible. One of our most recent trips was one that left us with so many great memories that we can’t help but share. I would HIGHLY recommend doing this one if you ever get the chance!

Itinerary:

Day 1: Las Vegas

We flew into Las Vegas on the first day and just explored some the countless options there. My daughter was especially excited to see all the lights and themed out casinos!

Confession: We originally had a big day planned here (shows, shopping, sightseeing, etc.) but we misjudged our arrival time at the airport and missed our flight = unhappy hubby. 😬 (sorry babe!!!)

Tip: Get to the airport just a tad earlier…⏰

Where to Stay: We stayed at the Paris Hotel, one of our faves. 🤗

Day 2: The Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon – 280 mi, 4.5hrs

Lotus Yurt – 34mi, 45 min

Total drive time: 5hr 15min, 314miles

The first morning we got up and drove into the Grand Canyon, South Rim which was about a 4.5 hr drive. We had rented bikes at Bright Angel Bicycles prior to arriving. We had lunch at the cafe which connects to the bicycle rental store. We rode our bikes a short ride to the canyon area where you can either ride your bicycle up, or take the bus which has racks. It’s mostly uphill at that point so we opted to ride then get off at the top and make our way back down stopping to enjoy all of the beauty of the canyon.

Tip: Ride the bus up to the top and coast down unless everyone is in great riding shape. The shuttle buses come up behind you and sometimes it’s hard to pull over when you need to especially if you have multiple people trying to pedal uphill.

Where to stay: We spent the night in a really cool AirBNB Lotus Yurt about 45 minutes out of the park. The stars ✨ were absolutely gorgeous.

Tip: Water!!! Wet wipes/towels, plastic bags for dirty shoes/clothes, first aid kit, extra warm PJs and maybe an extra blanket if staying in a yurt (those nights get chilly) and a lighter if campfires are permitted during your stay.

Day 3: Page, AZ (Lake Powell, Antelope Canyon, and Horseshoe Bend)

170mi, 3hrs to Page, AZ

Where to stay: When we got into Page, Az, we drove to the hotel first to get cleaned up after our yurt stay. We stayed at Hilton Home2 Suites . They offered nice clean rooms with a pool, hot tub, and grilling area.

Lake Powell: We had paddle boards and kayaks reserved from Lake Powell Paddleboards & Kayaks for noon so we grabbed a quick sandwich and headed over to get our boards. The rental process was easy enough just make sure your rental vehicle can haul them or have them delivered at the ramp. Then we drove to the launch and got busy paddling! There were a few directional signs once in the water but just follow the other traffic and you’ll eventually make your way to the part of the Antelope Canyons that you can hike into. The slot Canyon tours on the reservation were very limited due to covid but you can explore on your own like this!

We didn’t anticipate how long it would actually take us to paddle/rest/explore so we didn’t walk all the way into the canyons as far as we could, but we still felt like we got to see plenty and get some great photo ops! This was one of my main reasons for wanting to come here and it did not disappoint! Someone was a bit tired paddling back.. 😴

Horseshoe Bend at sunset 🌅 was awesome! We almost didn’t do it because we were so tired from our lake adventures but it was just breathtakingly beautiful and we were so glad we did!

Tips: We would have built in 2 days for this part of the trip to allow for more exploration, rest, and some actual sit down meals. We would have rented kayaks all day so as not be be in a big rush getting back. Also, the boards are quite heavy and difficult to strap back on top of your vehicle if you aren’t used to that so either ask a friendly citizen for help or have them delivered down there. The paddle out and back to the canyons is a workout, be prepared! Water/snacks/Etc.

Suggested alternate itinerary: Drive into Page, AZ, check into hotel, clean up/rest, lunch, explore locally, dinner/horseshoe bend sunset. Next day rent paddle boards for full day (delivered), pack a picnic, hotel, dinner/rest.

Day 4: Zion National Park

105mi, 1hr 45min

On day 4, we drove from Lake Page to Zion National Park. You had to have a shuttle ticket which was by request online and lottery style so we ended up just booking one of the private tours through Zion Jeep Tours to get us to the hiking trails. We did see some had rented e-bikes but again, it was a pretty long ride so I’m glad we took the route we did to get there. We decided to hike Angel’s Landing and it was a fun family hike up until we took a wrong turn and hiked about three miles out of the way (still nice views but something seemed off from what I had seen online about the hike). On our way back, we realized we missed a turn and saw the rest of the Angel’s Landing hike (where the chains start and the hike starts getting very adventurous). We attempted to squeeze it in with what time we had left but we were so exhausted we did the first very steep leg of the chained section and decided it wasn’t safe to continue on after our extra three miles… We had a fun day though and got to experience the beauty of the park which again, just absolutely unexplainable.

Where to stay: We booked at the Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort (about 15 minutes from the park) that had all sorts of cool sleeping options. We chose a conestoga wagon through AirBNB to spend the night in. They had several available activities including a couple of pools/hot tubs, and an onsite restaurant where we had dinner and breakfast the next morning.

Tips: Angel’s Landing hike – there’s a lot of steps to get up to the chain portion, take a RIGHT at the top of that section to finish the hike! The chains sections are steep and very narrow! Be prepared to pull over to let people shimmy up and down the mountain. Mule deer 🦌 are EVERYWHERE!!! Be careful when driving!! The city outside of the park (Springdale, UT) is really cute. I could have spent an additional night there to eat/listen to some music and maybe hike the narrows also.

Day 5: Bryce Canyon Park

Bryce Canyon – 75mi, 1.5hrs

Bedrock Homestead – 80mi, 1hr 45min

Next we drove on to Bryce Canyon Park where we did the 1.5 hr trail ride into the canyon. It was so cool to see the different types of mountains and formations from park to park. Bryce Canyon was so beautiful as well!! The horse/mule ride down was just icing on the cake to complete this visit!

After our awesome Bryce Canyon experience, we continued on to our next AirBNB which was probably the coolest one we have ever stayed in! Normally, I only choose ones where you have the entire place to yourself but this one was just too intriguing to pass up!

Where to stay: The Bedrock Homestead AirBNB – We cannot say enough about how awesome this place was! The host, Grant and his girlfriend Gina were so welcoming and really left us to explore the property as much as we wanted. And there was PLENTY to explore! We had one of few sit down meals before we went to the AirBNB, Burr Trail Grill. It was delicious!

This house was actually blasted and built by the owner, Grant himself! It was beautiful and soooo cool! He homesteads and sells his garden goodies to local restaurants. We got to hang out and help fire roast some poblano peppers. He even blasted his own swimming pool! There were some beautiful horses, a cool rope swing, and some awesome stargazing and conversation from the top of the rock house at night! We could have spent at least 3+ days here to thoroughly enjoy. My husband and I celebrated an anniversary while there so our sweet daughter set up a vowel renewal for us on top of the house before we left the next morning. 🥰

Tips: Make sure your vehicle can drive a short ways through the creek if you choose this AirBNB! (pictured above).

Day 6: Peeky Boo & Spooky Gulch Hike

Hikes – 50mi, 1.5hrs

Red Sands Hotel – 85mi, 2hr 15min

As mentioned before, I’m a sucker for some slot canyons so we back tracked a little to do the Peeky-Boo & Spooky Gulch hikes. It was meant to be a fairly easy hiking day but being the expert trail navigators we have proven we are… we turned what should have been a 3-mile hike turned into a 10-mile hike! Once we finally got there though, it was really cool and we thought worth it (at least once in a lifetime).

Tips: When you turn onto hole-in-the-rock road, BE PREPARED to be bumped to death for about an hour!!!! The road to the trails was VERY ROUGH to say the least! This is really the only negative thing about this part of the trip. Also make sure you can read a trail map and study up before you go! Suggested research material here. Leave early to give yourself plenty of time to get there, explore, and get out! And one more time… WATER 💦!!!

Where to Stay: We drove into Torrey Utah after our hike and stayed at Red Sands Hotel for a good nights rest.

Day 7: Moab, UT

155mi, 2hr 30min

Next we drove to Moab, UT. We had planned a sunset ATV tour here through Moab Cowboy Tours. It was a really fun day and the ride was pretty exciting! And of course…those VIEWS!!!

We stayed at: Moab Valley Inn which provided a good nights sleep for the rest of our journey.

Day 8: Arches National Park, and Glenwood Springs, CO

200mi, 3hr

We got up super early before the sun and drove to Arches National Park for a sunrise hike. It was chilly to start but quickly warmed once the sun came up so layer up! Once again, simply BEAUTIFUL!

Next, we drove into Glenwood Springs, CO for some rest and relaxation before we flew home. We stayed at the historical Glenwood Hot Springs Resort and soaked for a while in their giant hot-spring-fed pool before walking around the cute little town and eating/exploring.

Day 9: Denver, CO

160mi, 2hr 50min

Our last day we took our time and drove into Denver, CO where our flight would be back home. We are fortunate that we have some very awesome friends that live there and we were able to spend some time with them before heading back to Tennessee! Thanks DJ & Drew!! ❤

Day 10: Back Home to Tennessee

We simply cannot say enough about this trip. We joked and called it our “Amazing Race” style vacation because of how much activity, lack of sleep, and lack of good sit-down meals we had time for but hands down it was one of the best vacations we have ever taken. We drove a lot of miles but at every turn was a new gorgeous view and it really made the driving part very bearable. We definitely plan to go back and find new things to explore. Ten days was just the tip of the iceberg of what these parks and areas have to offer and there really was something magical about the deserts and canyons!

I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into our little family vacation!

#DabblerChick