Plan Your National Park Trip to Utah & Arizona

Full itinerary for an 8-day road trip + day hiking

I’m extremely lucky to have two friends (and a sister) who are on the same page in all the ways that matter.

And the thing that matters most is travel style.

We are all moderately outdoorsy, carry-on packers who won’t say no to a good glass of wine or a city break, either.

We’ve had our fair share of bucket-list adventures over the years (Wyoming, Alaska, Adirondacks, abandoned houses near our hometown), but we just came back from one of the best trips we’ve taken. Spoiler: Angel’s Landing was a highlight.

The Summit of Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park. We did it!

Steal our itinerary so you can have an amazing friend trip, too.

8-Day Road Trip + Day Hiking in The Golden Circle

Where to Stay

Kanab, UT

Kanab is located in the middle of The Golden Circle—a collection of National Parks, National Monuments, and other scenic areas in southern Utah and Northern Arizona. 

All of the parks in this itinerary are within 1-3 hours of Kanab, making it a perfect home base. And the town of Kanab itself has a fun history as the backdrop for some old Western films.

We had a GREAT experience with this Airbnb. The pool was a lifesaver in the scorching August heat!

What To Do

Day 1 - Fly In + Drive to Kanab

You can fly into either Salt Lake City or Las Vegas for this trip. Vegas was about $100 cheaper for us, so that’s where we went. Both are 3.5-4 hours from Kanab.

If you’re flying from the east coast, try to get an early flight. Unfortunately, the best price got us into Vegas at 6 pm PT, so after a stop at the grocery store in St. George, we didn’t make it to the Airbnb until 1 am MT.