With travel being pretty restricted to the U.S. due to COVID-19, we like many others had to cancel our international vacations and shift our focus to something inside the borders. After chatting and planning, we officially landed on a road trip adventure out west with some of our friends. I CANNOT recommend this enough! It was such a blast and we got to see so many things. So here is our 7-day itinerary for our Southwest Road trip through Arizona & Utah.
Day 1: Travel Day
Day 1 was primarily a travel day for us. We booked a direct flight with Southwest Airlines from Little Rock to Phoenix. From there we picked up our rental car with Enterprise and grabbed some lunch at Pizzeria Bianco. This is a MUST if you are in Phoenix! It was literally the cutest little Pizzeria and had some killer food! After we got our bellies full we took off for the long drive to Zion. The drive was about 5-6 hours so we didn’t get to the hotel until 10:30 P.M.
The biggest *TIP* I can give you and the one thing I would have done differently on this trip would have been to book a flight to Las Vegas instead of Phoenix. Vegas to Zion is 2 hours and 20 minutes and the Grand Cayon to Las Vegas is about 3 hours 30 minutes. It would have saved us SOO MUCH time.
Day 2: Explore Zion National Park
Day 2 we explored Zion National Park. We booked the earliest shuttle pass we could because we knew it would be hot by midday and we were only there for the day. Our goal was to get in a hike at Angel’s Landing and the Narrows. This is a lot of hiking for one day so if you are not in decent physical shape I do not recommend it. We hiked over 10 miles between the two hikes and we didn’t even finish the Narrows. We started with Angel’s landing since it was cooler in the morning and then finished with the Narrows since we would be hiking through the cool water. The views from both are spectacular. If you have more time I would recommend breaking the hikes up and doing one each morning. The Narrows got pretty crowded by the afternoon. After we got done hiking we grabbed a late lunch and headed back to our hotel to relax and catch the season finale of Yellowstone.
For more tips on Zion National Park, check out my Guide to Zion here.
Road Trip Pit Stop Views 
Looking Out at Angel’s Landing
Day 3: Boating Lake Powell
On day 3 of our Southwest road trip, we woke up and grabbed some breakfast before heading to Page, AZ. Page is home to Lake Powell, which is a stunning man-made lake that is surrounded by canyons. The drive from Zion to Page is about 2 hours and 30 mins. Once we checked in to the hotel and dropped our bags, we headed straight for the marina. At the marina, we were able to grab ice and food for the boat. Then we hopped on the boat and headed out to explore. We went to Navajo Canyon and cruised through the canyon. It was such a cool experience and so amazing to see! It was honestly one of my favorite things we did. On the way back we stopped at a little sand beach to do a little swimming and then headed back to the resort for some dinner and sleep.
Day 4: Horseshoe Bend & Antelope Canyon
Day 4 we woke up early to try to catch the sunrise at Horseshoe Bend, but when we woke up, the sun was already coming up. OOPS! haha. Regardless it was still such a beautiful view and there were no crowds which was awesome. From here we grabbed some breakfast and planned out our next stop. The original plan was to go explore Antelope Canyon but it was unfortunately closed due to the coronavirus. So, we checked out the Vermilion Cliffs and hiked a trail called Wire Pass which actually lead to a little slot canyon that was as similar to Antelope Canyon as we could get.
*TIP* Make sure to bring cash for the Vermilion Cliffs hike. You have to have a permit and there is no one there giving change. It is $6 per person. Also, if you are staying in Page and looking to do Wire Pass, I recommend putting “Wire Pass Trailhead” in your phone for directions, if not it will take you way out of the way.
For a more detailed guide on Page, Arizona check out my blog post here.
Wire Pass Slot Canyon 
Views at Horseshoe Bend
Day 5: Grand Canyon
On day 5 of our Southwest road trip, we woke up and headed for the Grand Canyon. We stopped in Flagstaff on the way and grabbed some breakfast at Brandy’s. It is a small little restaurant but the food was AMAZING and we ate way too much! After that, we finished the drive to the Grand Canyon and took off hiking. We hiked the South Rim Trail. We chose to hike it slowly taking our time, popping in and out of all the lookout spots. When we got to the end we grabbed some ice cream, checked out some gift shops, and then grabbed dinner at El Tovar Dining Room. After dinner, we booked it to a lookout point. Our main goal was to catch the sunset and it did not disappoint. It is a MUST!!! The Grand Canyon is so huge and getting to watch the sunset was beautiful and allowed you to see even more details of it.
For more on our stay at the Grand Canyon, check out my blog post here.
Day 6: Phoenix
On day 6 we woke up and grabbed breakfast at the resort and then headed out to Phoenix. We stayed at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort. It was so nice, it had a lazy river so we just chilled and floated around until dinner. Before dinner, we stopped at the Desert Botanical Gardens to check out all the huge cacti and pretty desert plants. For dinner, we went to Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. in downtown Phoenix. I got the pretzel sticks with their homemade cheese sauce and they did not disappoint. So yummy!!
Desert Botanical Gardens 
Grand Canyon Views
Day 7: Home
Day 7 was our last day so it was our day to get back home. We packed up and headed for the airport and waited patiently to be reunited with our pups.
Overall the trip was a blast! The biggest thing I would have changed would have been the airport we flew into and out of. It would have saved us so much more time and I think we would have felt a little less rushed. But, this is definitely the best way to mark a bunch of stuff off your bucket list. So many magical places to see!
For a more in-depth look at our Southwest road trip, be sure to check out my other blog post.
