A week in Zion & its surroundings
This is an itinerary that really focuses on Zion and being only a week long leaves out many of the other things to do in the area. It is possible to spend less time in Zion and add on different parks like Bryce Canyon or the Grand Canyon which are also close by. You could also spend less time in Zion and visit some of the other National Parks nearby in the same amount of time.
Day 1: Drive from Las Vegas to Zion national park.
Take in the views as you pass through canyons after crossing in to Utah. Make sure to stop at a store like Trader Joes or other grocery store along the way to stock up on some good snacks for hiking and your hotel room. When you get to Zion National Park go to the visitors center, to get information on hikes and maps. We did the Watchman Trail, which starts from the visitors center to soak in our first views of the park. Then we continued the drive into the park to the Zion National Park Lodge, which allows you to stay in the park even if camping isn’t your vibe. The lodge is located right near many of the park’s top trails. We went on a short late afternoon hike to the Emerald Pools (a three mile loop trail) before grabbing dinner at the lodge.
Day 2: Angels Landing Hike
Wake up and get an early start up the iconic Angels Landing hike. It is a little less than 4.5 miles round trip, but gains about 1,800 feet in elevation. It is a pretty steady uphill climb the whole way, with lots of switchbacks, so pack plenty of water and snacks, and don’t be afraid to take lots of breaks and take in the views during the climb. After reaching Scouts Overlook, the trail narrows significantly and there are cables to hold on to as you navigate the narrow trail with large drop offs on the side of you to Angles Landing overlook. It is certainly not for those with extreme fear of heights. For those a little less easy on their feet Scouts Overlook is a good turn around point and still rewards you with fantastic views of the valley.
After relaxing a bit post hike jump in the car and drive further up the park stopping at viewpoints and parking at the end of the road at the Temple of Sinawava. Here there is a nice riverwalk trail that leads to the start of the hike to the Narrows. At the time that we went there was the presence of flesh eating bacteria in the creek and it was winter, so we opted against doing the whole narrows hike. It was still possible to do at the time by renting waders, but we decided against it and just did the short Riverside Walk trail that leads to the entrance of the Narrows hike. If you want to do the full Narrows hike be sure to give yourself all day to complete the hike and check the weather to make sure there is no rain and the potential for flash floods in the forecast.
Day 3: Another day hike in Zion
There are several options for longer day hikes in Zion popular ones are the Narrows and Observation Point. We opted for the Sand Bench trail, a five and half mile loop, instead of one of the more popular park trails based on a recommendation from someone who worked at the lodge. It had great views, fun variety in terrain, and we saw very few other people. A large portion of the trail is also a loop, which gives it more variety than the standard out and back. The trails were not overly crowded because we visited in winter, but in the summer when the park does get really busy, I bet this is wonderful alternative trail.
Day 4: Drive out Zion to Kanab
Get an early start, so you have plenty of time for stops and hikes along the drive. Begin the morning with a couple quick hikes still in the park. Stop at the Pine Creek Canyon Overlook hike, which is a short hike with great views of the canyon you just spent a few days in. Then head over to the Pine Creek Gorge Slot Canyon for another quick stroll. I also highly recommend stopping at the the Checkerboard Mesa View Point.
Once you get out of the park there are still lots of great stops and hiking trails. A quick fun place to stop just off the side of the highway is the Belly of the Dragon and walk through this incredible tunnel that runs under the highway. Then head to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, which is a short drive off the main road and wander across the sand dunes. We made one last stop before getting to Kanab at the the Sand Caves, which are just off the side of the road, but involve a little steep hike to get up to the actual caves. Finally you’ll arrive in Kanab, where you can pick up some snacks downtown before settling in to a cute vacation rental or hotel.
Day 5: Hike Buckskin Gulch & the Toadstools
Kanab is an awesome base for exploring southern Utah and northern Arizona. You could easily spend a couple weeks here and not run out of parks and trails to visit. From Kanab you can easily access Zion, Bryce, Horshoe Bend, the Grand Canyon, the Grand Staircase- Escalente, the Wave and so many other incredible sights and parks.
We opted to hike the Buckskin Gulch slot canyon. From Kanab it is about an hour drive to the trailhead. You start at the Upper Buckskin Gulch Trailhead, which is just a short drive on a dirt road off highway 89. The hike starts wandering through the desert a bit as you make your way towards the slot canyon. You can walk through the canyon for miles. You’ll end up at a large opening with some petroglyphs, where you can link up with the wire pass trail and weave through a narrower slot canyon. We hiked in a ways on this and turned around as we were doing the hike as an out and back, but if you have multiple vehicles you can walk in one way and out the other. If you don’t turn down the wirepass trailhead you can also continue down the other wider slot canyon. The best part of this hike was we saw very few people. During peak season and a weekend the trail would likely be busier, but this is still a wonderful alternative to some of the National Parks in the area, which are stunning, but do attract more crowds. It was really incredible to feel like we had this area mostly to ourselves. All together we hiked about ten miles, but you do not have to go all the way to wire pass and further to still get to enjoy time in a slot canyon. It is also pretty flat making the longer mileage very manageable for someone in decent shape.
Just a few miles down the highway from the turn off for buckskin gulch is the toadstool hoodoos trail, so after our hike we continued down the road and walked the short trail in to see the toadstools (it is about 2 miles round trip and flat). The toadstools are super interesting rock formations that were worth the little detour. An hour or two if you want to take your time is plenty of time to explore this area.
Day 6: Back to Vegas via the Valley of Fire
On the drive from Kanab to Las Vegas, I recommend taking the slightly longer route on highways 167/169 which take you along Lake Mead. It is much prettier than the main highway, but does add a little time. To break up the drive I recommend making a stop by the Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada for a couple of short hikes. First we stopped at Elephant rock and the arrowhead arch. Then we hiked the full white domes loop, which wasn’t long, but went through a small slot canyon and past the fire wave and pink canyon. We continued the drive along lake Mead stopping at one of the Oasis with palm trees seemingly growing out of nowhere and taking in the views.
You can of course spend some time in Las Vegas at the start or end of the trip going to shows, gambling and enjoying all the restaurants, but after a week of hiking we weren’t in the mood for serious city vibes, so instead we stayed out at the Hilton at Lake Las Vegas, which is just outside the city. It is a super beautiful hotel along the lake with beautiful grounds to walk around on and nice restaurant options on site. It was a nice relaxing way to end the vacation.
Day 7: Wander Lake Las Vegas & Depart for home
Wake up and wander the hotel grounds, visit the lake, take a dip at the pool or head to the spa to make the most of the last day of your vacation. The hotel is only about half an hour drive from the airport
