National Parks Road Trip – See the Western Parks in One Week

Here’s a road trip everyone should take at least once.

Take a tour through the National Parks in the Western United States. It’s a great way to see just how big the American West really is.

You’ll also see some serious natural wonders – and you’ll get to enjoy some of the best hikes in the world

You’ll need about a week to drive a representative loop through Nevada, Utah and Arizona.  The actual starting point for the loop listed in most guides is Las Vegas.  For the loop through the western National Parks we’re describing here, you will be driving about 1,050 miles (1,690 km).

You can fly directly to Las Vegas from many cities in the U.S.  You probably will want to spend a day or two in Las Vegas to gamble, see some shows, or just satisfy your curiosity about “Sin City,” so allow time for that, too.

The first stop on this drive is Zion National Park. Zion is a deep canyon carved by the innocuous-looking Virgin River. You can take a wonderful hike up this river into a slot canyon (called “The Narrows Hike”). The canyon actually narrows to just 20 to 30 feet across in places. You’ll be spending about 60 percent of your time IN the river as the canyon walls soar above you. (So, of course, you’re going to want to check on conditions at the visitor center. Flash floods are possible.)

If that hike sounds a little out of your comfort zone, there are plenty of other less strenuous hikes that will allow you to see much of what the park has to offer. There are also scenic drives if you wish to seem the sights through your car window. There is a Lodge in Zion National Park as well as additional accommodations outside the park. Campgrounds are available in the area, as well.

Bryce Canyon National Park is the second stop on your National Parks Road Trip.  Bryce Canyon is a small National Park, but some visitors come away saying this was their favorite park.  It’s famous for its colorful spire-shaped “hoodoos.”

A hike into the canyon will make you feel you’ve entered a fairy wonderland.  This park has a Lodge in the Park and good lodging nearby.  Two campgrounds are near the visitor center.

Next up is Capitol Reef National Park. The drive to Capitol Reef follows along Route 12 and is very picturesque.  The main feature in this park is the formation known as the “Waterpocket Fold”: an ancient wrinkle in the earth’s crust.  No lodging is available in the Park, so plan to find lodging in an area about 12-15 miles (20-25 km) from the park entrance.  Some camping is available in the park.

Following Capitol Reef, you can pass though Natural Bridges National Monument.  A scenic drive will take you to overlooks to view each of the three bridges that were formed by meandering streams.  Allow a couple of hours for this.  Lodging is about 30 to 40 miles away.  There is a small campground available.

Now, if you’re up for a long day of driving, you can get to Monument Valley Tribal Park. This huge valley has those iconic wild-west sandstone formations that you’ve seen in the movies. “The Mittens” are the most photographed, but there are other pinnacles and arches, bluffs and buttes.

You can get guided tours from Navajo tour operators.  There are accommodations in the area; the only one in the Tribal Park is the new hotel called The View.  Bring your camera.

We’re saving the most famous of the western National Parks for last: The Grand Canyon.  Clearly this is one western National Park that you must see.  There is accommodation and camping available in the park and many options nearby with shuttles into the Park itself.

This is such a popular destination that driving is restricted in the park in some areas.  Parking can be a nightmare, so just use the shuttles.

Another day of driving will have you back at Las Vegas.  By driving this loop instead of staying in town, you will have kept Las Vegas from getting too much of your money, and you’ll be far richer in experiences – with your Western National Parks Road Trip.

Here are a couple of things to check out before you go:

NPR Road Trips: National Park Adventures [With Earbuds] (Playaway Adult Nonfiction)
Price: $34.99
Grand Canyon National Park is one of the planet s Seven Natural Wonders, with 4.4 million visitors each year. Who keeps them safe, fed, and happy? When the wind blows at White Sands National Monument, legend says the centuries-old ghost of a Mexican maiden appears in the shifting sands. In Yosemite National Park, there s a guy who tracks road kill with a clipboard and a shovel to pry flattened victims from the blacktop. This colorful collection goes behind the scenery at America s most popular national parks. It also visits lesser-known parks with thought-provoking tales to tell.

National Parks Road Trip Combo
Price: $116.99
Description Ken Burns: The National Parks: America’s Best Idea THE NATIONAL PARKS is the story of an idea as uniquely American as the Declaration of Independence: that the most special places in the nation should be preserved for everyone. The series traces the birth of the national park idea in the mid-1800s and follows its evolution for nearly 150 years, chronicling the addition of new parks through the stories of the people who helped create them.
Directed and produced by Ken Burns Special Features:
Disc One – The Making of The National Parks (Includes Spanish Audio and Subtitles)
Disc Two – Capturing the Parks (A behind-the-scenes look at filming of The National Parks: America’s Best Idea)
Disc Three – Musical Journeys through the National Parks (National Parks Timeline, Peace at Last/ Across the Ocean, Horizons, Green Groves of Erin, The Shores of Ogygia, Teddy Bears’ Picnic)
Disc Four – Outtakes (An Interview with Nevada Barr, author and former National Park Service ranger; and The Boss, the story of Frank Pinkley and Casa Grande. Narrated by Ken Burns)
Disc Five – The National Parks: This Is America (Mini Documentary, Includes Spanish Audio and Subtitles)
Disc Six – Contemporary Stories from America’s National Parks (San Antonio Missions: Keeping History Alive, Yosemite’s Buffalo Soldiers, Mount Rushmore: Telling America’s Stories, Manzanar: “Never Again,” City Kids in National Parks, Includes Spanish Audio and Subtitles)