Imagine a world with endless sunrises and sunsets that are so beautiful they leave you feeling enchanted and unworthy of their presence all at the same time (kidding). The only world capable of this magical kind of spell is the USA Southwest. And if you’ve never been to this part of the States before, there’s no better introduction to some Southwest magic than a proper Arizona Utah road trip.
As an Arizona resident, I’ve done a Phoenix to Utah road trip or two or ten, and I am so excited to present you with the ultimate AZ, UT itinerary!
Who knows, maybe you’ll love it so much that you’ll find yourself moving here ;).
This trip is special because it it comprised of a Utah National Parks road trip and a Phoenix to Sedona to Grand Canyon National Park trip—both of which I have blogs on!
Let’s not waste any more time! Before getting into the Utah Arizona road trip itinerary, I want to take a minute to discuss a few planning “must-knows.”
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Planning Your Road Trip Itinerary
When planning, you’ll want to keep the below details in mind.
- 🌵When to Go: Winter to early summer is a great time to road trip Utah and Arizona. Winter may require some extra prep, but it’s a gorgeous time to visit!
- ⏰Trip Length: 10 days
- ✈️Fly: For the best tickets, check KAYAK. Fly into Phoenix Sky Harbor (a popular choice).
- 🚗Rental Car: KAYAK can also help you find cheap rental cars! You will not need a 4×4 for this trip.
- 🚐Rental Campervan: Want a campervan instead? You can rent one using Outdoorsy.
- 🏨Stay: We’ll cover where to stay too.
- 🎟Park Fees: You will be visiting national parks on this trip. The standard entrance fee is about $35 per park. To save, snag the America The Beautiful Pass ($79.99).
It’s worth noting that while you might be able to do this trip in less than 10 days, you’ll end up rushing through it!
A 10 day itinerary will give you enough time to actually enjoy all the attractions we discuss.
Utah Arizona Road Trip Itinerary at a Glance + Map
- Day 1 – Sedona
- Day 2 – Monument Valley and Valley of the Gods
- Day 3 – Moab, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park
- Day 4 – Moab, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park
- Day 5 – Capitol Reef National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park
- Day 6 – Zion National Park and Page, AZ
- Day 7 – Grand Canyon National Park
- Day 8 – Flagstaff and Phoenix, AZ
- Day 9 – Phoenix and Scottsdale, AZ
- Day 10 – Depart
Here’s what your route will look like!
Click here to view a live version of the map!
You will be hitting the best National Parks in Utah and Arizona, so no need to fret about that!
Below, each day is split into morning, afternoon, and evening itineraries, complete with specifics on places to see.
Day 1 — Phoenix to Sedona, AZ
- Total Drive Time: 2 Hours
- Time Exploring: 1 Day
- Stay: Courtyard Marriott, Sedona, Baby Quail Inn
- Eat: Picazzo’s Healthy Italian Kitchen Sedona, Whole Foods, Casa Sedona, Elote Cafe
- Fees: Red Rock Pass ($5) or America The Beautiful Pass
Morning & Afternoon
Once you’ve landed in Phoenix and picked up your rental car, start making your 2 hour drive up to Sedona.
This is where you will spend the night and your first day in AZ before continuing up your road trip from Arizona to Utah!
When you get there, you can head off on a Sedona hike. There are some fantastic trails in Sedona.
Below is a quick list of my favorites:
- Birthing Cave – One of the best caves in Sedona and relatively easy to get to. The hike is 1.5 miles round trip.
- Sugarloaf Summit – 1.6 mile round trip hike to the top of a beautiful mountain that’s perfect for sunrise!
If you want to do something a bit different, you can book a tour!
Below are some popular choices for your day in Sedona:
- Pink Jeep Tour – Go off-roading in Sedona in, you guessed it, a pink jeep!
- Hot Air Balloon Ride – Book a sunrise hot air balloon ride to see Sedona in all its golden light glory!
- Sedona Helicopter Tour – Perfect for adventure lovers and thrill-seekers who want to see Sedona from a different perspective.
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Evening
You can certainly end your day with a Sedona sunset hike, but I say opt to watch the sunset at Airport Mesa vortex for ease.
This beautiful 360 vortex is extremely easy to get to.
You’ll park in the designated lot and take a .1 mile (if that) path to a plateau where you’ll be greeted with a 360 view of Sedona. Pick a spot to watch the sunset and enjoy!
Wanderer Tip: Alternatively, you can check out Cathedral Rock Vortex.
Day 2 — Monument Valley, Valley of the Gods, Moab, UT
- Total Drive Time: 6 Hours
- Time Exploring: 1 Day
- Stay: Under Canvas Moab
- Eat: Moab Diner, Quesadilla Mobilla, Desert Bistro
- Fees: Monument Valley entry ($20)
Morning
From Sedona, make the 3 and a half-hour drive to Monument Valley. If you’re feeling super adventurous, you can get here for sunrise, which is one of the prettiest times to be there!
Monument Valley is where you can see the famous “Forrest Gump Road.”
You can also see the large mitten-like formations towering over the Arizona Utah border.
Because Monument Valley is a Navajo Tribal Park, you must comply with park rules and regulations.
Wanderer Tip: I recommend visiting NavajoNationParks.org to read into the hours and the current vehicle restrictions for the famous 17-mile loop road through the Valley!
Afternoon
Next up is Valley of the Gods!
Valley of the Gods is a scenic sandstone formation area located in Mexican Hat, Utah.
The drive here from Monument Valley is about an hour.
You’ll enter a dirt road that takes you through the Valley when you arrive.
It’s a gorgeous place to explore and admire Utah’s famous views!
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Evening
The drive to Moab, Utah will be about 3 hours.
Moab is home to some Utah National Parks like Arches and Canyonlands.
Once you arrive here, you’ll stay in Moab for 2 days before setting off again!
Wanderer Tip: Spend your first evening getting something to eat and settling in.
Days 3 & 4 — Moab, Arches, Canyonlands
- Total Drive Time: You’ll be getting a break from driving!
- Time Exploring: 2 Days
- Stay: Under Canvas Moab
- Eat: Moab Diner, Quesadilla Mobilla, Desert Bistro
- Fees: National Park entry ($35 each) or America The Beautiful Pass
Morning to Evening (Arches National Park)
A visit to Arches will be a great intro to all the UT Park goodness to come.
Here are some things to do in the park:
- Hike to Delicate Arch
- Visit the Windows Section
- Get a permit for Fiery Furnace
- Visit Sand Dune Arch
You can spend an entire day exploring these attractions and the surrounding Moab area.
Wanderer Tip: To help with your trip planning, I recommend reading my one day in Arches guide.
Morning to Evening (Canyonlands National Park)
Here are some things to do in Canyonlands:
- Visit Mesa Arch
- Catch sunset at Grand View Point Overlook
- Admire Green River Overlook
To see the “best” of the park, you really only need a day in Canyonlands.
If you want to take things a step further, you can always plan for a more “unique” adventure like a packrafting trip.
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Morning to Evening (Optional Moab Adventures)
Moab is an adventure hub full of things to do.
Aside from the parks, I recommend checking out Dead Horse Point State Park for an epic sunset or sunrise!
But here are some great tours and excursions you can embark on, too:
Wanderer Tip: You might find my complete Moab Utah travel guide helpful for this portion of your trip!
Day 5 — Capitol Reef to Bryce Canyon
- Total Drive Time: 4 Hours 40 Minutes
- Time Exploring: 1 Day
- Stay: Under Canvas Bryce Canyon, Bryce Valley Lodging
- Eat: Try to do a grocery run near Moab because there are not many food options near Bryce Canyon!
- Fees: National Park entry ($35 each) or America The Beautiful Pass
Morning & Afternoon
At around the 2 hours and 30-minute mark is when you’ll get to Capitol Reef National Park!
When you arrive, I recommend stopping at the Gifford House and getting a fresh-baked item.
They have bread, pies, jellies—it’s pretty amazing.
Wanderer Tip: Then if you’re up for it, you can drive the park’s Scenic Byway and take in some of the surrounding views.
Evening
The drive to Bryce is about 2 hours from Capitol Reef National Park.
Once you arrive in the Bryce Canyon National Park area, you’ll see towering orange hoodoo formations that let you know you’re in the right place!
You’ll most likely arrive in Bryce National Park during the late afternoon or just in time for sunset.
If so, head to Sunset Point before going to sleep!
If you have time, you can also hike the Navajo Loop! It’s a 3-mile trail that brings you into Bryce Canyon NP to get up close and personal with some of it’s famous rock formations.
Expect it to take about 2 hours to complete.
Wanderer Tip: If you don’t have time, you can save this trail for the morning or hike part of it!
Day 6 — Zion National Park to Page, Arizona
- Total Drive Time: 2 Hours and 30 Minutes OR 4 Hours (with Zion)
- Time Exploring: 1 Day
- Stay: Best Western in Page
- Eat: BirdHouse, Big John’s Texas BBQ, El Tapatio, Fiesta Mexicana
- Fees: National Park entry ($35) or America The Beautiful Pass
Morning (Optional)
Along your route to Page, AZ, you’ll pass Zion National Park. You can certainly stop here, but note that doing so will make your drive to Page 4 hours.
You may want to extend your trip a day.
In that case, you’ll want to read my 2 day Zion National Park itinerary blog.
Wanderer Tip: On your way down from Bryce, you can stop in Kanab, UT, and try to get permits to explore The Wave.
Afternoon & Evening
Page is full of texture and wide-open landscapes that you can’t miss!
Some of the best activities in Page, AZ can be accessed by booking a tour.
So here are some tours in Page, AZ that are worth your time!
- Book a Lower Antelope Canyon Tour — Explore the rainbow-colored canyon walls of Lower Antelope Canyon or Upper Antelope Canyon.
- Horseshoe Bend Overlook — Best at sunrise or sunset. Entry is $10. You can also book a helicopter flight over Horseshoe Bend for a different perspective!
- Jeep Tour — Explore more canyons and hidden gems in Page with a Jeep tour.
- Lake Powell — While you’re up this way, you can explore the Lake Powell surrounding area or Rainbow Bridge National Monument.
Wanderer Tip: If you only have time for one thing, my suggestion would be to check Antelope Canyon off your list!
Day 7 — Grand Canyon National Park
- Total Drive Time: 2 Hours and 30 Minutes
- Time Exploring: 1 Day
- Stay: Under Canvas Grand Canyon
- Eat: In the park!
- Fees: National Park entry ($35) or America The Beautiful Pass
Morning to Evening
The South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park will be worth the stop.
The drive from Page is about 2 hours and 30 minutes. This will be your last major stop before heading back down to Phoenix.
Once you arrive at the Grand Canyon National Park, surely you’ll want to explore a bit!
Here are some things to do when you get there:
- Hike Bright Angel Trail
- Hike over to Ooh Aah Point
- Book a helicopter tour over the Canyon
- Watch sunrise at Hopi Point
- Book a hiking tour
Wanderer Tip: If you want more details on how to best plan your day in the Grand Canyon, I suggest reading my Phoenix to Sedona to Grand Canyon trip blog!
Day 8 — Flagstaff, AZ to Phoenix, AZ
- Total Drive Time: 4 Hours
- Time Exploring: 1 Day
- Stay: Royal Palms Resort and Spa, The Scott Resort & Spa
- Eat: Canal Club, Diego Pops
- Fees: None
Morning & Afternoon
You’ll have about a 4 hour drive to PHX from the Grand Canyon, BUT as with all of the other long drive days, you’ll break it up!
At about the halfway point in your drive, you’ll reach Flagstaff.
Stop here for a coffee at Macy’s European Cafe!
Wanderer Tip: If you’re up for a bit of detour, you can drive up the Snowbowl area to get a nice view of Flagstaff’s tallest mountain, Humphreys Peak, and the San Francisco Peaks!
Evening
Once you arrive back in the Phoenix area, you’ll probably be tired from all of your driving and might want to crash in your hotel.
BUT, if you’re up for exploring a bit more, stay in the Scottsdale area and explore some of the local outdoor spaces, hotels, and restaurants!
Scottsdale is about 15 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor airport, so staying here then flying out the next day won’t be a difficult journey!
Make sure you hit up the best Old Town Scottsdale happy hours when you arrive in the city!
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Day 9 — Phoenix & Scottsdale
- Total Drive Time: 30 to 40 Minutes
- Time Exploring: 1 Day
- Stay: Royal Palms Resort and Spa, The Scott Resort & Spa
- Eat: Canal Club, Diego Pops
- Fees: None
Morning to Evening
This is an optional day, but you can explore a bit before leaving while you’re back in the Phoenix area!
If you stay in here, there are some great day trips from Scottsdale that may be worth your time, like visiting Lake Pleasant, Superstition Mountains, Downtown Phoenix, and more!
These are all a 30 to 40 minute drive from the city.
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Day 10 — Wrapping Up Your Utah Arizona Road Trip Itinerary
Should you choose to spend a relaxing last day in Phoenix, you would then depart on day 10, concluding your Arizona Utah itinerary!
And that’s all folks! While you might not have gotten to see EVERYTHING in these Southwest states, hopefully this itinerary was enough to give you a little intro into all the amazingness just waiting for you in the desert!
If you enjoyed this blog, you’ll probably want to check out my other Southwest guides like my Phoenix Sedona Grand Canyon itinerary.
And with that, happy exploring :)!
Planning my first trip to Utah and Arizona in April. I am from Georgia. Thanks for the great tips.