You may also find that certain tourist attractions might be closed too. For the first day, start from LA (we flew into LAX and went straight from there after picking up our rental car) and take State Highway 14 up to Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park near Agua Dulce. Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino Day 1: Los Angeles to Palm Springs Here, youll find the main trailhead to hike Mt. Rent a boat or a jetski and explore the inlets of the lake - most of the best scenery is only accessible by boat and this could be really fun way to break up the trip and all of the Mountains, canyons, and hiking with a fun day out on the water. Valley of Fire is SO stunning, and was one of our highlights! If you have time on your way back, on the other side of Las Vegas, stop by the art installation Seven Magic Mountains for a sunset shot. 1 hour from downtown Las Vegas, 5 hours from Los Angeles; Amenities: There are a number of different campsites with tables, and BBQs. A note on Zion during the pandemic: We visited Zion over the fourth of July weekend, shortly after they re-opened. This legendary hotel, seen in movies more than most actors, offers the best of the best when it comes to a stay in Sin City. If you consider flying in and out of SLC as suggested by Valiant in post #6, I suggest a slightly different approach. The biggest two I recommend are the: Day Three: Ridgecrest to Death Valley via Alabama Hills, 20 Photos That Will Make You Want to Book a Trip to Morocco, 11 Things to Do in Mesa: The Quick Guide to Mesa, Arizona, 7-Day Idyllic Aegean Cruise with Celestyal Cruises: Greece Cruising, Onboard the Schooner J&E Riggin, A Maine Windjammer Sailing Adventure. because there's an entire community of travelers talking What's the best time of year to hike in Zion? a frozen banana and deep-fried Oreo for a dollar each at Mermaids Casino. Stay at Bryce Canyon for a bit after the sun goes down. I had quite a few questions on Instagram and Tiktok that I think will be helpful for your planning! U.S. Southwest Road Trip - Zion, Bryce, and Arches National Parks (2020) You can read more about the drive here. , Stop by Balanced Rock for a quick photo op! Enter a city to drive through, or find all, trips from Los Angeles to Arches National Park, Family road trip for 6 days in early August. This itinerary is a photographer's dream, designed to give you two chances to experience every park at it's best - both in late afternoon and sunset, and early morning, when the crowds are the lowest and the light and temperatures are at their best. 9. . Cardinals look to end road trip, avoid sweep in series finale with travelers and answer their questions about Los Angeles! The tour guides work hard for tips and are always showing you spots to take good pictures from. This Southern California road trip route includes driving parts of the iconic Highway 395 route, visiting at least two US National Parks (Death Valley and Joshua Tree). Since you will have to drive through the town again on your way to Page, I would recommend stopping at Milts Burgers on the way out of town. Youll probably want some time here to explore and photograph, because the entire area is absolutely gorgeous and filled with red rocks, just like its name would suggest. Las Vegas realistically requires two days if you want to see the sites and dine at their Michelin-star restaurants. It's okay, you can start planning your . Driving Time: 3.5 hours to Las Vegas, 7.5 Hours to Los Angeles. If you haven't had enough of the Southwest parks and geology. When youre ready, head to Las Vegas for the nearest major airport option to Death Valley National Park. The ultimate road trip planner to help you discover extraordinary places, book hotels, and share itineraries all from the map. Road Trip from St Louis to Los Angeles, California - LazyTrips Next, we headed over to Devils Garden and made the one-mile hike to Landscape Arch, which is the longest arch in the entire world. Located in Southern Utah, Bryce Canyon is most well-known for its bright colored red hoodoos. . Day: Stop by Lake Powell for a couple hours of relaxing in the sun and swimming. After getting in late, we still decided to set our alarm and head into Arches for sunrise at Delicate Arch. This museum is one of the best things I found on my trip, it only costs a few bucks to get in, and it has an insane amount of cool stuff. There's an incredible amount of natural scenery, iconic landmarks and fascinating cities to . Read more about it here. From the parking lot, you can choose several path options to walk up or down for views along the edge. Ive crowned 2020 the year of road trips (and avoiding air travel). I did this on the Fourth of July weekend, so I only had to take two days off of work, and I got to have such a fantastic adventure. This was my first time to T, Lets go visit a real elephant sanctuary just ou, Lets go check out the newest addition to @ausai, Scenes from exploring Thailand with @efultimatebre, Lets go to Thailand! From the parking lot, you can get amazing shots overlooking the rainbow hills, aptly named for the pastel colors formed from minerals that look like an artist splashed paint all over the mountains. For the latest news on Zion visittheir website. Or get a full Los Angeles to Arches National Park flight plan. Add a Day: Page, Arizona and Antelope Canyon Save. Hi there! This will take you on US-287 and then WY-220, where you will have the opportunity to admire Casper Mountain. We didnt have the time, but we drove around the area totake a few pictures before continuing on. drive for about 4 hours. Created 150 million years ago during the Jurassic Era, Valley of Fire is named after the red sandstone formations. drive for about 2 hours, 10:03 am Zion National Park For our visit, we stayed at The Inn at the Oasis at Death Valley in Furnace Creek, a historic, 4-diamond hotel that is perfect for anyone looking for a bit of luxury during their Death Valley stay. Green River (Utah). There is apermanent food truck that is probably my favorite spot in Moab for a meal. Located about 5 hours and 20 minutes from Los Angeles (via either route), Las Vegas is the perfect stop for an overnight stay. Day 3: Sedona to The Grand Canyon South Rim stay for about 1 hour and leave at 10:58 amdrive for about 3 hours, 2:03 pm Bryce Canyon National Park There are tons of other goofy things here too, like a cactus made of bowling balls and a Bigfoot sighting. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. Top things to do in Las Vegas that don't include gambling? and your hotel. There is usually a lot of people here for sunset, so be warned. to each other and sharing tips and advice. Drive, make stops, and enjoy the views! If youre visiting in the summer, go as early as possible, as it is dangerous to walk out onto the flats in the afternoon when temperatures soar above 100 degrees and the sun beats down on you. Death Valley has so many iconic photo spots, its hard to pick what to see in Death Valley if your time there is short. By joining our email list, you give LazyTrips permission to use your email for sending you newsletters, emails and updates including for marketing purposes. We only have 10 days to do this in the latter part of July this year. It also helped that its such a short drive from where we were staying at the Oasis at Death Valley! Next, we headed over to Devils Garden and made the one-mile hike to Landscape Arch, which is the longest arch in the entire world. 12 Best Road Trips From Los Angeles For an Adventure Behind the Wheel You can drive on a short dirt road to see it or just take a photo from the road. Visiting really does feel like stepping into an older and different world. Delicate Arch needs no introduction, and I highly recommend visiting at dawn as it was much less busy. Los Angeles and Mount Rushmore are separated by a distance of 1,310 miles which will take you 19 hours and 30 minutes of nonstop driving before reaching the famous national memorial in South Dakota. Beaver (Utah) (2 answers) Moab Diner- A fun diner that always seems to have locals in it. Again, this one was new as well, so it was another nice place with a good location in town. If it is your first time in Palm Springs, spend a couple of hours exploring downtown and the iconic architecture. If you're taking this trip in the spring, you might encounter some gorgeous Superblooms on this route. Start the morning off with a drive about 45 minutes out to the surreal landscape that is the Trona Pinnacles. Arizona Weekend Getaway Itinerary: Things to Do , Your Ultimate Guide to 15+ Fun San Diego . We absolutely loved our experience in the elevated and unique yurt. As you can see below, sunset is definitely one of the best times to visit Zabriskie Point, as the sun lights up the hills in shades of orange and pink. Let me know what spots I left off in the comments, and be sure to ask any questions you have about this trip as well. I wore sandals and wished that I had regular shoes on the walk. After leaving Canyonlands,take a quick right into Dead Horse State Park. What time of year is the best for scoring a cheap deals in Las Vegas 6 of the best road trips to the Grand Canyon - Lonely Planet 5 Best Road Trips. Atsunset, we ended up at the windows area of the park, and I highly recommend it. MGM Grand Las Vegas It is especially beautiful when golden hour lights the whole area up. Road Trip Route Planner, Map and Trip Guides | Roadtrippers Yes, even this step is optional, because if you're on vacation Keep your outfit neutral to not conflict with the colors! The best views are on the first couple of miles (the above photos are from this trail.) A road trip from Los Angeles to Mount Rushmore can be completed all year round. I, for one, planto be in places at sunrise, which is why you will see every day starts with sunrise. Our Volkswagen ID4 Teaches Us the Right Way to Road Trip With an EV What's the best neighborhood in Barstow for a first time visitor? It also offers opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking and rock climbing. I did this trip in 2016, and all information is from that time, read more about my trips outside of California here. Is it better to stay on or off the Las Vegas strip? Arches National Park to Los Angeles drive, or go to the main page to plan a new road trip. Best tips and casinos for first time gambler? You can take a longer loop on the trail and make it a big morning hike, or turn back earlier to make this a quick stop. What's the best neighborhood in Barstow for a first time visitor? They also have a full gelato area. Alta Ski Area is one of the most popular winter sports centers in Utah and is only about 30 minutes' drive from the hotel. Bring plenty of water and a hat! 8 Epic Weekend Road Trips from Los Angeles, California There are very, very limited options once you enter Navajo Territory, especially right now. But, make sure to stick around for awhile longer, as the sky comes alive with the Milky Way after dark, and Zabriskie Point is a great spot for shooting the stars. Haley is the blogger behind Ready Set Jet Set, a travel blog based out of Austin, Texas featuring all the best in solo female travel, adventure travel, weekend getaways, and so much more. Rent e-bikes in the morning to explore Zion's scenic route. LA to Moab. The one in the Palms is much easier to get inand out of, so I would recommend stopping at that one. The Northern Route for this road trip from Virginia to California is shorter with respect to distance but takes the same time to cover, i.e., 45 hours. I always stop whenever I see it as it is fantastic. Day 4: Grand Canyon. This post is my five-day road trip to some of Utahs and Arizonas best spots, and it has all of the details for you to do it as well. 11. The famous Monument Valley road (pictured above) is not within Monument Valley, it's actually a bit east of it. Start New Trip. Some of the things you can see are full dinosaur bone recreations, plaster mold dinosaurs to scale, old meteors, and petrified wood. Day: After breakfast, drive East through the Navajo Nation to Monument Valley. drive for about 1 hour. Pin it for later and share it with others! For more information on things to do in Bryce Canyon, read the article here. suggest every local activity or attraction, we'll leave it While it was 80 to 85 degrees in the middle of the day, night temperatures dropped to 35 degrees! Day 4: Grand Canyon to Monument Valley It can get busy and can be slow though, so if you are in a rush note that. These are both on the way to the Grand Canyon from the main town of Sedona. If you can, book the Upper Antelope Canyon tour in advance from 10:45 AM 12:45 PM as this is the only tour where light beams shine into the canyon. Related Read: 11 Best Scenic Drives in Southern California. The area, located about 130 miles from Los . Los Angeles to Antelope Canyon - 11 ways to travel via train, plane The 1,310-mile road trip from Los Angeles to Mount Rushmore takes about 19 hours and 30 minutes to drive. Drive to Springdale, Utah/Zion NP 4 hour drive. Walk around, get low, get high, try different things. Get the reverse directions for a Los Angeles to Arches National Park via Bryce Canyon National Park The whole day is spent in the park and in the town of Moab, which is right next to it. This main road you can drive through and park at turns outs easily. It is a fantastic spot with great food and unique charm. rent a one-way rental car and fly home). a travel blog based out of Austin, Texas featuring all the best in solo female travel, adventure travel, weekend getaways, and so much more. A full blog post is coming on this soon, however, a few quick tips: Our first stop from San Diego (our starting point) was the Seven Magic Mountains art installation, located outside of Las Vegas. We visited in the afternoon, at sunset, and at night, and of the three, my favorite was definitely sunset. because it is some of the most stunning geology youll find in Southern California.