The ULTIMATE Vacation | Utah + Vegas

One word – Utah. An incredible state with endless adventures. It’s beautiful, it’s majestic, it has so many places that just blow your mind and say “wow.”

Our vacation this summer was to the southern part of the state. We’ve been to Utah before – Moab, Arches National Park, the Colorado River. This trip was focused on three [3] national parks – Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Capitol Reef.

It’s mind-blowing that a state that is by no means the largest state in the country has such a vast amount of national parks… and we haven’t even hit them all.

I’m going to dive in & give you our itinerary for a perfect & ultimate trip to Utah. Below is an overview. Thanks for reading and keep scrolling down for an in-depth itinerary.

STOP 1: ZION NATIONAL PARK 🥾

DAY 1:

As far as major airports go, our options were to take off from Indianapolis and fly into Las Vegas or Salt Lake City.  We opted for Las Vegas, renting a car, and driving to Utah.  Don’t worry, I’ll get to my Las Vegas recommendations later 😉

The drive from Las Vegas Airport to Zion National Park was about 2-2.5 hours.  Not bad at all.  When we arrived, we had to drive through the park to arrive at our Airbnb (located in Glendale, linked here).

Zion’s beauty overwhelms you as you drive through the park.  Immediately upon entering the admissions gate (don’t forget to buy your national park pass!), you are greeted by big, beautiful mountains and large hilltops.  Words are almost impossible to describe it, so that’s why I’ll include plenty of pictures. 😊

Upon unloading our stuff at the AirBnb, there was still plenty of time for a hike that day.  We went to the Canyon Overlook Hike.  It’s AllTrails link is here.  About 1 mile roundtrip.  I would’ve very much enjoyed this hike if it hadn’t been so hot.  It was a mid-afternoon, no wind, sun beating down on you – kind of hot.

After catching my breath, the view at the end of the hike was magnificent.  Quite a few people, but there was plenty of space to snap pictures, catch your breath, and take in a beautiful, classic Zion view.

We ate at the Thunderbird Restaurant our first night.  It had a cool, classic hometown feel style to it.  However, we did not love it.  It was okay, but service was slow, nobody was there, and food was not the best ever.  But, be warned… it was one of the few restaurants out there, so slim picking.

DAY 2:

This was one of my favorite days of the entire trip.  Scratch that, of my entire life.  We hiked the Narrows!

My number one tip is GO EARLY.  We woke up at probably 4:30 / 5:00 AM.  And we arrived at the park around 6 AM.  The first shuttle bus takes off at 6, so we probably caught the second bus out.

My other tip for the Narrows: Rent your gear the night before.  We rented our socks, boots, and hiking sticks the night before at Zion Outfitters.  These are a NECESSITY.  The boots and socks are waterproof and slick-resistant – they’re a game-changer in the water.  The hiking stick was a must for balance purposes.

You hike probably like a .5 mile before you get into the water.  And when we arrived at the water, we got in with a few other people who took the same shuttle bus as us.  But after you initial start hiking through the water, you quickly lose the other hikers and it’s just you and the trail.  It was so peaceful.

Going early also allows for so many more photo opportunities.  We were able to peacefully hike, stop for pictures, stop for snacks, and walk through the water without falling due to no crowds.

We also went in mid-July, so the water was cooler, but the air is so warm that it was the perfect combination.

I’m putting some photos below.  It was seriously the most spectacular hike I’ve ever been on.  The warm water, the orange valley, the difficulty of maintaining your balance, the peacefulness of being in one of the most beautiful places – it made for an amazing day.

And I’m promise, I’m not kidding about the crowds.  It was a whole different hike on the way back.  We probably went in around 4 miles and turned around – making for an 8-mile hike roundtrip.  It was about 11:30 AM when we were getting back to where we started, and holy cow… there were a TON of people entering the hike.

STOP 2: BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK 🌞

DAY 3:

On our third day of the trip, we woke up from our AirBnb in Glendale, UT and headed to Bryce Canyon National Park.  It was about an hour drive to get to the park.

We woke up early and did our first hike at Bryce – the famous Wall Street trail.

It was picture-perfect.  The zig zag down the canyon was a smooth and easy hike.  And you can’t go wrong for any pictures.  It had incredible views once you were down inside the canyon itself.

After making our way through Wall Street, we continued the hike to the Navajo Loop.  The Navajo Loop is about a 1.5-mile trail that has spectacular views of hoodoos.  This will lead you right to the junction to either go towards Two Bridges and Sunset Point OR you can go towards Queen’s Garden.

We went towards Queen’s Garden.  It’s about a 1.6-mile hike from that point to get back to the entrance of these trails.  The trail itself was spectacular.  The views from within the canyon were beautiful.  Blue skies, orange hoodoos, and warm temps.

By the end of the hike, it was a tough on the way back up.  The hike was uphill at the last half, and it was around 12 PM – it started getting hot. 😅

This was a jam-packed day.  After we left those trails in Bryce Canyon, we stopped at i.d.k Barbecue.  10/10 recommend.  It had delicious barbecue foods, friendly staff, and wonderful mac n’ cheese!

After that, Mitch and I hopped out and completed a short .9-mile hike called the Mossy Cave Trail.  This trail is perfect for families and children.  It’s labeled as an “easy” hike and has a beautiful waterfall at the end.  The waterfall is perfect for pictures, and we actually got out there at a time with hardly anyone on the trail – so we definitely recommend this hike!

STOP 3: CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK 🏜

DAY 4:

Our fourth day was another early morning. We took off from our AirBnb in Glendale for a 2.5 hour drive to Capitol Reef National Park.

After we entered the park, we stopped for an early morning slice of pie. There’s this delicious little store in Capitol Reef that is a must-see.

Called the Gifford House Museum & Store, they have some historical pieces for guests to look at and a nice selection of sweet treats for purchase. Your one stop shop for pies, cinnamon rolls, and other delicious treats before you begin your hikes. It really was a great stop for food before we got started on our excursions for the day.

Our first hike of the day was Hickman Bridge. The drive out to this trailhead is really cool – lot of opportunities to stop to look at petroglyphs along the way.

Hickman Bridge Trail is a 1.7 mile hike out to a beautiful, natural bridge. The hike itself was moderate, a bit challenging at times – especially with the heat. But the bridge itself was worth it.

The photos above show its grandness. Photography opportunities here were plentiful. Once hikers got to the bridge, there was plenty of shade. So, we took the opportunity to take in the view, eat some snacks, and just soak in the beauty of this park.

After Hickman Bridge, we drove to Panorama Point to snap some pictures. This view gave a great scenery landscape of a huge part of the park. We then kept going up the road to Sunset Point Trail and hiked up to the viewpoint there. Mitch and I decided to hike further to Sunset Point – the trail end. We were all by ourselves out there. It was magnificent scenery, an easy hike, plenty of sitting space on the rocks, and lots of opportunities for pictures. The only thing I’ll warn you about is the wind. It got pretty windy up there, so I had to be careful with my phone tripod.

STOP 4: VALLEY OF FIRE STATE PARK 🔥

DAY 5:

We left for Vegas this morning. Packed up at our AirBnb and headed to Nevada. We wanted to check off one more hike before settling into Vegas for a couple of days.

Valley of Fire State Park is on the way to Las Vegas from Utah. Valley of Fire is about an hour outside of Las Vegas.

To be fully transparent, a big reason why we stopped at this state park was to see and hike the Fire Wave & Seven Wonders Loop. We really wanted to see the Fire Wave, as it is said to be a phenomenal sight. BUT, it was actually closed to the public. So, even though that was a bummer – we still made the most of it and really enjoyed seeing this park!

What we did instead ➡️ We ended up doing the Rainbow Vista Trail in Valley of Fire.

And let me tell you… it was HOT.

It was a 1-mile hike.  There and back.  And it was miserable.  The temperature was 112 degrees, and I was dying.  It hurt so bad, I had to drench myself in water twice. 😂

We made it, but it was actually the hike that ended up ruining my hiking shoes.  Luckily, it was our last hike of the trip.

I would definitely recommend this state park – but not in July.  It was miserably hot, and we just didn’t enjoy the hike as much due to the heat and no shade anywhere.

When we left the state park, we headed to Vegas!  This is where we stayed for the rest of our trip. 😊

STOP 5: LAS VEGAS 🤑

DAY 5 (continued):

After wrapping up at Valley of Fire State Park, we made our way to Las Vegas.  Again, it was about an hour drive from the park.

We checked in at the hotel – staying at the Best Western Plus Casino Royale.  We freshened up and headed straight out to adventure around Fremont Street.

Fremont Street was crazy as usual.  And that’s how we spent most of the rest of the evening.  Just having a couple of drinks, enjoying the music, and watching the craziness that is Vegas.

DAY 6:

For the rest of the trip, Vegas was a pretty open book.  A couple of things left on the schedule, but a lot of free time to explore and do things on our own.

We spent the sixth day taking on a few different fun activities in Vegas.  We took an Uber to the Shelby Museum south of the strip.  Mitch is a big car enthusiast, and I have to admit… as someone who doesn’t know much about cars, the showroom was beautiful.

Next, we spent the early afternoon at Area15.  Area15 is an immersive experience that has a collection of restaurants, bars, and shopping diversions for both locals and tourists.

It was certainly an interesting experience.  Beautiful artwork, really wild lights, fun games for both adults and kids.  Just a heads up – much of the experience was a “pay to play” sort of set-up.  We didn’t have to pay to get into the building, we just had a reservation for a time to go in.  BUT, once you got in, almost everything cost money.  We had margaritas at one of the bars in the building, and it was like around $30 for two drinks.

I’m not sure I’d go again, but it was interesting to see!  And a cool place to kill some time, if needed.

Mitch and I finished up at Area15, and we went to the Bellagio Resort to see the Botanical Gardens.  It was brief but also very busy!  It’s a beautiful hotel, we enjoyed seeing it.

The last thing for the day was we were scheduled to go see our first Cirque de Soleil at the Mirage.  We saw The Beatle’s Show: LOVE.  It was INCREDIBLE.  I definitely seeing a show in Vegas, and this one would be hard to beat.  Beautiful acrobatics, wonderful story-telling, and of course, amazing Beatles songs.

No photos or videos allowed, but trust me – it’s a “can’t miss” show.

DAY 7:

Our last full day of vacation started with an early appointment for Mitch and my dad to race some fast sports cars at Exotics Racing.  The guys LOVED it.  If you have race fans, car fans, or even just speed racers in your group – we definitely recommended this.

There were go-kart tracks available for driving too.  Mitch and Dad got to each choose their vehicle and ride with an experienced driver a few laps around the track.  They kept time and presented them on the scoreboard.

It was such a cool opportunity to see them drive their dream cars.  Depending on the car, it costs about $300 for the drive (5 laps around the racetrack), but we thought it was well worth the experience.

Mitch and I spent a big chunk of the afternoon at a bar called American Beer & Cocktails.  We killed some time drinking some drinks before our appointment for the High Roller.

The High Roller is the largest observation wheel in North America.  It takes you 550 feet above the Strip.  It was INCREDIBLE.  As someone who is afraid of heights, it was the perfect Ferris wheel.  It was slow-moving, a 360 view, plenty of time to take pictures, and very spacious for guests.

The last visit on our trip as the Bellagio Fountain at the Bellagio Resort.  It’s a must-see in Vegas.  There are plenty of chances to see them – they go off:

  • Weekdays:
    • Every 30 minutes between 3:00 – 7:00 PM
    • Every 15 minutes between 7:00 PM – 12:00 AM
  • Weekends:
    • Every 30 minutes between 12:00 – 7:00 PM
    • Every 15 minutes between 7:00 PM – 12:00 AM

OVERALL:

Overall, it was a great trip.  Lots of beautiful views, exciting excursions, and wonderful memories.

I recommend an Utah / Vegas vacation in the late summer, or early fall.  Always be watchful of weather when visiting national parks.

If you have any questions, comment below or submit a contact form!  Follow my Instagram: @_awaywithalli for videos, photos, and more travel details!

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