How To Spend 3 Days In Utah And Arizona: Ultimate Road Trip Itinerary

I just got back from a little road trip through the red rock states – Utah and Arizona. It was my second time going to Arizona, but the first ever visiting Utah.

Traveling within the US usually doesn’t excite me as much as going abroad, but this trip was a lot of fun and I definitely recommend others do it.

I spent 3 days in Utah and Arizona exploring some its most scenic parts. Everything from the drive to the national parks is beautiful here!

Continue reading to find out how to spend 3 days in Utah and Arizona.

DAY 1 – Zion National Park 

My family and I embarked on this road trip at 3am on Tuesday. We were driving from Palm Springs, California and the drive was about 6 hours to Zion. We stayed in a hotel in the nearby town of St. George, however, there are plenty of gorgeous hotels around Zion that I recommend you check out instead. We had the best lunch at Viva Chicken, an Americanized Peruvian restaurant in St. George. Much to my delight the only thing Americanized about this place was the decor and some extra plates, but overall it is one of the best Peruvian spots I have tried outside of Peru. Try it if you’re into Peruvian food – it’s voted some of the best in the world ;).

After lunch we grabbed a coffee at an organic cafe right by Zion and then headed into the park. There is free parking all around the Zion National Park and shuttles that take you inside. You do have to pay an entrance fee, but if you’re planning on visiting multiple national parks and are in a group it’s best to buy the year pass. This pass is $80 and allows you to get into ALL of the National Parks in the U.S. for an entire year. The best part is that you only need 1 for the entire group, as others guests that are with the pass holder get in free!

Once inside the park you will be completely in awe of the scenery. Giant red rock mountains and greenery surround the park and the combination is stunning. There are many trails to choose from in terms of hiking and none seem to disappoint. You can even hike down the river if you don’t mind getting your shoes wet!

DAY 2 – The Grand Canyon, Arizona

After having just arrived in Utah we were already on our way to Arizona. We left our hotel at around 11am and made it to The Grand Canyon in time for sunset. We had all been to the Grand Canyon before (with the exception of my brother) so we didn’t care about spending all day there. The drive was another 5 or so hours to get here, so if you do want to spend all day exploring the canyon I definitely recommend leaving in the early morning. Once we got here it was around 5pm and we were starving. We had skipped lunch as much of the drive here was emptiness, aka no restaurants. We ate at “the village” and then took a shuttle to the best spot to watch the sunset. Unfortunately, I can’t remember the name of the stop, but if you ask the shuttle drivers they will take you there. Watching the sunset over the Grand Canyon was just as surreal as it sounds. Make it happen!

DAY 3 – Sedona, Arizona

After leaving The Grand Canyon we headed out to Sedona where our hotel was located. We stayed at the gorgeous Hilton Sedona Resort and it had the most majestic view of the Red Rock Mountains. Even though we didn’t visit any parks here, this was my favorite stop of them all. Sedona as a town is just gorgeous and I would definitely like to come back and spend more time here enjoying the resort and taking in the scenery. We didn’t do much here in Sedona, but did take a scenic drive around Red Rock State Park where we got some great photos of the red mountains. A perfect ending to our road trip!

Have you ever been to Utah or Arizona? What did you see? Let me know in the comments below!

xx, Karen