The Ultimate Grand Circle Loop
Fourteen days through the heart of the American Southwest, hitting the "Mighty 5" of Utah plus the heavy hitters of Arizona and Colorado.
LAS → Zion → Bryce → Escalante → Capitol Reef → Moab → Mesa Verde → Monument Valley → Page → North Rim → South Rim → Kingman → LAS
Desert Start
(5km, 0.5h drive)
Harry Reid International Airport (LAS)
Grab your bags and head straight to the rental car center. You'll want a high-clearance SUV for some of the gravel roads we might encounter later.
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is the newer main street of Las Vegas, offering boundless entertainment opportunities through gambling, restaurants, shows and more. Visitors with money to spend and the energy for nightlife will get the most out of The Strip, although since the 1980s attractions have developed for families and travelers on a budget as well.
High Roller
Get a bird's eye view of the valley at sunset to get your bearings before the neon lights take over.
Into the Sanctuary
Leave early to beat the heat and the crowds heading northeast.
Depart Vegas
Leave early to beat the heat and the crowds heading northeast.
Zion Canyon Visitor Center
Park here and hop on the shuttle. The canyon is car-free most of the year. Walk the Riverside Walk to see the start of the Narrows; the sheer 1,000-foot walls are mind-blowing.
Canyon Overlook Trail
The historical buildings and structures of Zion National Park represent a variety of buildings, interpretive structures, signs and infrastructure associated with the National Park Service's operations in Zion National Park, Utah.
Hoodoos and Heights
This drive is an attraction itself. Watch for bighorn sheep on the slickrock.
Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway
This drive is an attraction itself. Watch for bighorn sheep on the slickrock.
Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park is a national park in Utah's Canyon Country. Some 35,835 acres (14,502 ha) or 56 mi² (145 km²) in extent, the designated area around the spectacular Bryce Canyon (not actually a canyon, but rather a giant natural amphitheater created by erosion) became a United States National Monument in 1923 and was designated as a National Park in 1928.
Inspiration Point
The best spot to see the vastness of the Bryce Amphitheater as the shadows start to stretch.
Scenic Byway 12
This is one of the most beautiful drives in America. Take it slow.
Grand Staircase-Escalante
The Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument (GSENM) is a United States national monument protecting the Grand Staircase, the Kaiparowits Plateau, and the Canyons of the Escalante in southern Utah. It was established in 1996 by President Bill Clinton under the authority of the Antiquities Act with 1.7 million acres of land, later expanded to 1,880,461 acres (7,610 km2).
Lower Calf Creek Falls
A 6-mile round trip hike that leads to a hidden 126-foot waterfall in the desert. It’s a flat walk but sandy, so bring plenty of water.
Kiva Coffeehouse
Stop here for a late afternoon brew with a view over the Escalante River canyon.
The Waterpocket Fold
Drive over Boulder Mountain, reaching 9,000 feet with views of the desert below.
Boulder, Utah
Boulder is a town in Garfield County, Utah, United States, 27 miles (44 km) northeast of Escalante on Utah Scenic Byway 12 at its intersection with the Burr Trail. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 227.
Capitol Reef National Park
Capitol Reef National Park is a national park of the United States in south-central Utah. The park is approximately 60 miles (100 km) long on its north–south axis and just 6 miles (10 km) wide on its east-west axis, on average. The park was established in 1971 to preserve 241,904 acres of desert landscape and is open all year, with May through September receiving the most visitors.
Hickman Bridge
Hickman Natural Bridge is a 125-foot-tall natural bridge located in Capitol Reef National Park, Wayne County, Utah, United States. The formation spans 133 feet, making it one of the largest rock spans in the park.
Red Rocks to Arches
Highway 24
Drive through the "Mars-like" landscapes of Caineville and Hanksville.
Arches National Park
Arches National Park is a national park that is in Utah's Canyon Country near the town of Moab. It is home to the world's greatest concentration of natural arches, including Delicate Arch, one of the state's most famous icons.
Delicate Arch
Delicate Arch is a 52-foot-tall (16 m) freestanding natural arch located in Arches National Park, near Moab in Grand County, Utah, United States. The arch is the most widely recognized landmark in Arches National Park and is depicted on Utah license plates and a postage stamp commemorating Utah's centennial anniversary of admission to the Union in 1896.
Canyons and Rivers
Canyons and Rivers (60km, 1h drive)
Canyonlands National Park (Island in the Sky)
It feels like standing on the edge of the world. Visit Grand View Point for a look at the "maze" carved by the rivers.
Dead Horse Point State Park
Dead Horse Point State Park is in Utah, near the city of Moab. It offers a panoramic view of the Colorado River far below as it makes its way toward the Grand Canyon.
Mesa Arch
Mesa Arch is a pothole arch on the eastern edge of the Island in the Sky mesa in Canyonlands National Park in northern San Juan County, Utah, United States. Mesa Arch is a spectacular natural stone arch perched at the edge of a cliff with vast views of canyons, Monster Tower, Washer Woman Arch, Airport Tower, and the La Sal Mountains in the distance.
The Ancient Ones
Head south toward the Colorado border.
Depart Moab
Head south toward the Colorado border.
Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde National Park is a United States national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the southwestern corner of the state of Colorado. Mesa Verde was the first park in the United States dedicated to preserving archeological remains rather than nature itself. The park is world-renowned for the incredibly well-preserved cliff dwellings it protects.
Spruce Tree House
View one of the best-preserved cliff dwellings. Check the visitor center for ranger-led tour tickets if you want to climb the ladders into the ruins.
The Four Corners
240km, 3h drive
Four Corners Monument
The Four Corners Monument marks the quadripoint in the Southwestern United States where the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet. It is the only point in the United States shared by four states, leading to the area being named the Four Corners region.
Monument Valley
Monument Valley (Tsé Bii' Ndzisgaii in Navajo) is perhaps the most famous example of the classic American West landscape. In the Navajo Nation close to the border of Arizona and Utah, the valley has been the backdrop for many movies and advertisements, ranging from Marlboro cigarette ads to the films of John Ford to Back to the Future 3, Forrest Gump and Easy Rider.
John Ford’s Point
The quintessential view of the valley. Grab some Navajo Fry Bread from the local vendors.
Slot Canyons and Great Lakes
Home to some of the most photographed spots in the world.
Page, Arizona
Page is a city in Coconino County, Arizona, United States, near the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. As of the 2020 census, Page had a population of 7,440.
Antelope Canyon
Page is a city of 7,600 people (2018) in northern Arizona. The city is best known for its two main attractions, Antelope Canyon and Lake Powell.
Horseshoe Bend
A short walk to a 1,000-foot drop-off where the Colorado River turns 270 degrees.
The North Rim
250km, 3h drive
Lee’s Ferry
See where the Grand Canyon officially begins and touch the Colorado River.
Grand Canyon North Rim
Only 10% of visitors come here. It's higher, cooler, and much quieter than the South Rim.
Bright Angel Point
The Bright Angel Point Trail is a hiking trail located on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona.
The South Rim Grandeur
You have to drive all the way around the canyon to get to the other side.
Long Drive Day
You have to drive all the way around the canyon to get to the other side.
Desert View Watchtower
Desert View Watchtower, also known as the Indian Watchtower at Desert View, is a 70-foot (21 m)-high stone building located on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon within Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, United States. The tower is located at Desert View, more than 20 miles (32 km) to the east of the main developed area at Grand Canyon Village, toward the east entrance to the park.
Grand Canyon Village
The Grand Canyon is in northern Arizona, and is one of the great tourist attractions in the United States as well as one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The massive canyon encompasses several distinct areas, most famous of which is Grand Canyon National Park, a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Route 66 Nostalgia
Day 13｜Route 66 Nostalgia (280km, 3h drive)
Mather Point
Mather Point is a 7,119 foot (2,170 m)-cliff-elevation Point located in the central Grand Canyon, Coconino County of northern Arizona, United States. It was named in honor of Stephen Tyng Mather, an American industrialist and conservationist.
Seligman, Arizona
Seligman is a census-designated place (CDP) on the northern border of Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. The population was 446 at the 2020 census. It is one of the stops on historic U.S. Route 66.
Kingman
Visit the Route 66 Museum to see how the "Mother Road" shaped the American West.
The Dam and the Departure
170km, 2h drive
Hoover Dam
Boulder City is a city of 15,000 people (2021) in Southern Nevada, which was built for construction workers of the nearby Hoover Dam. It is one of only two cities in Nevada where gambling is prohibited.
Boulder City
Boulder City is a city of 15,000 people (2021) in Southern Nevada, which was built for construction workers of the nearby Hoover Dam. It is one of only two cities in Nevada where gambling is prohibited.
Return to Las Vegas
Head back to Harry Reid Airport (LAS) to drop off the car.
- Buy the "America the Beautiful" National Parks Pass ($80) at your first stop; it covers every park on this list and saves you a ton of money.
- Day 7: 6h driving — plan rest stops
- Day 8: 9h 37m driving — plan rest stops
- Day 9: 8h 7m driving — plan rest stops
- Day 10: 7h 58m driving — plan rest stops
- Day 11: 5h 41m driving — plan rest stops
- Day 12: 12h driving — plan rest stops
- Day 14: 12h driving — plan rest stops
- Day 9: 8h 6m driving — plan rest stops