We did this trip at the beginning of 2019 with the goal of five weekdays and two weekends to visit as many national parks and major attractions as possible. The entire adventure is a round trip that starts at Los Angeles and goes through Joshua Tree and Grand Canyon National Parks, Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon, Bryce, and Zion National Parks, Las Vegas, and back to LA again.

This trip was designed mainly for families with children and not so much for experienced hikers. For example in Zion most if not all must-see attractions require more than a few hours of hiking. That with small children is somewhat problematic. Our son was four and a half when we did this trip and we had zero issues enjoying it. The trip ends in Las Vegas by design since after all that walking and nature you need a little bit of Las Vegas 🙂

Breakdown

Now each day you have plenty of options where to go and what to do. What we did is one example but you should not be afraid to deviate. For example, you might want to spend fewer days in Grand Canyon and more in Zion or Las Vegas. Also, note that since it is a family-based trip almost all drives from and to the parks and hotels are to be less than a four-hour drive. The exception is the last day’s return from Las Vegas to Los Angeles.

Day 1 – LA to Joshua Tree National Park, CA ~3 ½ hour drive

We left LA quite early in the morning so we can have more time in Joshua Tree National Park. The idea was to get to the park spend the majority of the day there and around 5-6 PM to start driving to the hotel, which is in the middle of the way between Joshua Tree and Grand Canyon (~3-hour drive). In this case that is the city of Laughlin, Nevada (hotels in Laughlin, NV via Booking.com). Here is a more detailed blog post about our Joshua Tree visit.

You can also book your hotel closer to Joshua Tree park but the day after you would have to drive more and we wanted to spend as much time as we can in the Grand Canyon. Since we were visiting it during the winter season it really was the crown jewel of the trip. We also did not plan to climb any rocks at Joshua Tree so about six hours were plenty to see most of the attractions/viewpoints.

Day 2 – Laughlin, NV to Grand Canyon, AZ ~3 ½ hour drive

We centered our trip around the Grand Canyon. Because of that, we had two half days there and one full (Day 3). The first half was coming from Joshua Tree after which we spend the next day and half of the following one in the park. That was also needed since we visited the park during the winter season. You really never know what would be the weather there around that period. Half of the time we spend at the canyon we had fog and mist. Only after the second half of the second day, we started to get clear views. However, it was absolutely worth it!

The hotel we booked was The Grand Hotel. Ten minutes drive to the park entrance and located in the grand canyon village just before the park. We loved our stay there! The “Plaza Bonita” restaurant across the street also made the best breakfast & lunch we had on the entire trip.

Here is a more detailed blog post about our Grand Canyon visit and some tours you might like while there.

Day 4 – Grand Canyon, AZ to Page, AZ ~3 hour drive

The city of Page, AZ (hotels in Page, AZ via Booking.com) is the best location to stay for the Horseshoe Bend & Antelope Canyon. The parking lot for the Antelope Canyon was 15 mins from the hotel. The Antelope Canyon can only be visited via a tour booked months in advance. It is not possible to drive there by yourself and just walk around. We booked our tour at noon and there were quite a few other tours there with us.

Here is a more detailed blog post about our visit to the Antelope Canyon. The canyon is an absolute must-see! Tour lasts about one hour and after that (or before based on your tour booking) is the Horseshoe Bend.
The drive between them is approximately fifteen minutes. Another choice you have here is to go explore Lake Powell. Something we decided to do on future trips.

If you want to know more about the Horseshoe Bend check out our blog post about it. Although these two places are so close to each other the Antelope Canyon is only accessible via guided tour where the Horseshoe Bend is completely open. Here are some guided tours you might like while in that area.

Day 5 – Page, AZ to Bryce Canyon, UT ~3 hour drive

The drive from Page, Arizona to Utah, and the Bryce Canyon is very picturesque. Lots of hills and mountains around you. Just beautiful. We got another very conveniently located hotel right next to the park. The Best Western PLUS Ruby’s Inn is practically outside the park entrance and right next to a gas station as well as various small stores.

Bryce Canyon did not disappoint. As we said in our detailed blog post about it, it was as beautiful as the Grand Canyon. Just amazing views and “molding” by mother nature!

Day 6 – Bryce Canyon to Zion, UT ~1 ½ hour drive

The thing about Zion National Park is that it is absolutely insane in terms of the views and hikes. So this to me would be the biggest deviation from this trip and plan. Zion is absolutely worth the trouble to see the Angels Landing and the other viewpoints. Just the hikes there take hours. So plan accordingly. The hotel we stayed at in close vicinity to the park was The Majestic View Lodge in Springdale, UT. There are other hotels there as well.

Since we were with our 4-year-old son we drove through Zion and stoped at a few of the stops on the road. We did not hike much there and just admired the views from the bottom. However, we absolutely are coming back to hike and to experience the park to the fullest. If you are into hiking you should consider having an extra day or two in Zion.

Day 7 – Zion, UT To Las Vegas, NV ~3 hour drive

After all those amazing views and scenery our senses were overwhelmed and we needed some rest. Ironically we were headed to the place where rest is not exactly what you want to do there 🙂 We did our best, however! Enjoyed the crazy lights at the Strip as well as the fountains of Bellagio. Explored the many great places to eat and just chilled for one and a half days there. We stayed at The Cosmopolitan since luckily for us around that time of the year they have amazing deals for a five-star hotel.

Day 9 – Las Vegas, NV to Los Angeles, CA ~4 ½ hour drive

After the end of day eight which was spend entirely enjoying Las Vegas, we headed back to the one and only Los Angeles. Overall we think the trip has everything you would want from a family adventure. Plenty of national parks each with its own unique views and attractions. You get to explore nature and relax at the end in one of the craziest cities in the world – Las Vegas.

If you think we missed or should add something to this trip let us know in the comments. Hope you enjoyed our adventure and thank you for reading.

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Formed by erosion of Navajo Sandstone, primarily due to flash flooding and secondarily due to other sub-aerial processes. Rainwater, especially during monsoon season, runs into the extensive basin above the slot canyon sections, picking up speed and sand as it rushes into the narrow passageways. Over time the passageways eroded away, making the corridors deeper and smoothing hard edges in such a way as to form characteristic “flowing” shapes in the rock.

Nature finds a way and the Antelope Canyon is a true testament of what it can do with just two ingredients: time and water. Note that the canyon is not harmless and you need to pay attention during which season you visit it. It has had a deadly accident during a summer storm which swept a group of people enjoying the views.

Antelope Canyon Tour

The canyon is not directly accessible and the only way to visit it is via a tour. It is very nicely preserved and controlled by the local Navajo Tribe. In order to visit you need to schedule a tour with one of the local companies. Have in mind that the best time is around noon for pictures. If you are a photographer you should consider a photography tour. On these tours, only a few people are allowed in the park at the same time. On the regular tours, more than 10 people go inside at once and it does get crowded. Also, it is not only one tour at a time in the canyon but many. They just go one after the other etc.

Things to keep in mind is that taking good pictures is really hard on the regular tour. Also flash is a no-no. We would absolutely try to go again soon and be on a photography one with tripods etc. No tripods of any kind are allowed on the regular tour. They are pretty strict on the rules. Depending on the tour company you get to ride on a nice and fully closed minibus or on modified open pickup trucks with benches. During the winter it does get cold on the open ones so have that in mind.

Upper Antelope Canyon

Upper Antelope Canyon is called Tsé bighánílíní, ‘the place where water runs through rocks’ by the Navajo. It is the most frequently visited by tourists for two reasons. First, its entrance and entire length are at ground level, requiring no climbing. Second, beams or shafts of direct sunlight radiating down from openings at the top of the canyon are much more common in Upper than in Lower. Beams occur most often in the summer months, as they require the sun to be high in the sky. Winter colors are more muted. Summer months provide two types of lighting. Light beams start to peek into the canyon March 20 and disappear October 7 each year.

We visited the Upper Antelope Canton due to its ease of access and we travel with a small child. The lower one is already in our to-do list in bold. Overall it is an experience like no other and you should absolutely consider this adventure. Also, have in mind that Horseshoe Bend is very close and this is another unbelievable place to experience and you could visit them both in one day (like we did). Hotels at the city of Page, AZ overall ware quite nice so you can plan to stay there for a night.

Links

1. Antelope Canyon Official Web Site
2. Antelope Canyon Tours
3. City of Page

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