8 Days Exploring Utah and Arizona in a Campervan

Las Vegas, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Lake Powell, Flagstaff, Grand Canyon National Park

Have you been thinking about renting a campervan for your next adventure? If so, consider checking out this 8 day itinerary that starts and ends in Las Vegas, Nevada with stops at Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Lake Powell, Coconino National Forest, and Grand Canyon National Park.

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About the Escape Campervan

We rented “Chameleon,” an artist painted converted passenger van from Escape Campervans. Escape has rental depots throughout the United States and Canada and gives you the option to rent their vans for one way trips between depots or round trip. We opted for a round trip rental out of Las Vegas, Nevada for 7 nights. Escape offers multiple van types ranging in size and amenities. We chose the “Mavericks” model, which has both a queen bed and pull out kitchen complete with a two burner stove and solar powered refrigerator drawer. We also added the rooftop pop-up sleeper to the top of the van, which was a game changer for us due to the heat in the U.S. Southwest.

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Know Before You Go

• Make sure to coordinate your flights into and out of Las Vegas with your rental van pick up and drop off time slots. We flew into Las Vegas the night before we had to pick up our van so that we were ready first thing in the morning.
• Escape rents add-ons in addition to their vans like camping dishes, a folding table, camp chairs, etc. Don’t forget to factor in a quick stop to Target or the local grocery store to stock up on staples for your trip. The vans have plenty of storage for you to unpack and get situated before hitting the road. We purchased a few cheap organizing bins to store dry food and clothes in order to keep the van clean and organized throughout our trip.
• Consider buying an $80.00 annual America the Beautiful Pass, which is a National Parks & Federal Lands annual pass that allows the pass owner and accompanying passengers in a single, private, non-commercial vehicle to enter Federally operated recreation sites across the country. The pass is available online HERE, at your local REI, at any National Park entrance, or at the Escape depot when you pick up your campervan. If you follow this itinerary, it’ll pay for itself in no time!

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Day 1: Pick up the Van, Zion National Park

Escape offers a variety of time slots to pick up your campervan.  The earlier in the day you pick up your van, the earlier you can get on the road for Zion National Park. 

Insider Tip: After picking up your van and stocking up on groceries, take a few minutes to organize everything before you get on the road. You will thank yourself later.  This means, unpack your suitcases into the storage bench, organize your dry food, refrigerator items and toiletries. Consider picking up a few cheap bins or containers to store frequently used items like toiletries, easy to reach snacks, and games/books.

If you have enough time, consider stopping at Valley of Fire State Park on your way to Zion.  The drive from Las Vegas to Valley of Fire is approximately an hour and then the drive straight through to Zion National Park takes about 3 – 3.5 hours depending on traffic and the how comfortable you are driving the van.  We opted to drive straight to Zion from Las Vegas so that we could check into our campsite before it got dark.

We chose to stay right outside the South entrance to the park in Springdale at Zion Canyon Campground.  The beauty of the Mavericks campervan model is that you can fit the van into regular parking spots so you can usually get away with renting tent sized camping spots! At Zion Canyon Campground, each camping spot has a fire pit and a picnic table.

Once you settle in to your camp spot, walk to the Whiptail Grill to enjoy Mexican food and a beer before your first night sleeping in the van.

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Day 2: Hike Angels Landing and Explore Zion

Due to modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Zion National Park requires shuttle tickets to ride to the shuttle bus that serves Zion Canyon and takes you from the Visitor’s Center to the popular trailheads.  Shuttle reservations can be made at reservation.gov.

Base your day around your shuttle ticket time. Our shuttle bus pass was for 7 am so we were up early to pack up the van and drive to the Visitor’s Center, where we could park and catch the shuttle further into Zion Canyon.  To drive into the park, you will need to pay the $35 entrance fee or show your Annual Park Pass.

After parking at the Visitor’s Center, board your shuttle and head to the Grotto (Stop 6) in order to begin your first hike of the trip.  The West Rim Trail to Scout’s Lookout and Angel’s Landing can be very crowded and get very hot. I recommend going as early as you can to avoid crowds and heat. COVID-related restrictions caused the Angel’s Landing portion of the hike to be closed while we were there but it’s still on my bucket list.

The hike is approximately 4 miles round trip to and from the trailhead and takes anywhere from 3-6 hours to complete.  The hike is filled with steep switchbacks, shaded canyons and includes the well known “Walter’s Wiggles,” a series of twenty tight, steep switchbacks that let you know you are almost to Scout’s Lookout.

Continuing on from Scout’s Lookout to Angel’s Landing is one of the most popular hikes in the Western United States!

Depending on the weather and your hiking experience, you can either explore another trail within the park, like the Lower and Upper Emerald Pools Trails or if it’s too hot out like it was for us when we were there in July, then head back to your campsite to stretch, rest, and enjoy lunch.

We spent the afternoon by the Virgin River that runs along the Zion Canyon Campground. The river was packed with groups sitting along the river’s edge, listening to music, reading books, and snacking.  It was the perfect activity to cool off before showering and cooking dinner over the campfire.

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Day 3: Hike the Narrows, Explore Springdale

Again, let your Zion Canyon shuttle tickets guide how you plan your day. We had 6 am shuttle tickets plans to spend the day hiking the Narrows.  The Narrows is a popular hike at Zion where hikers walk along and in the Virgin River.  There are two ways to hike the Narrows, either from the Bottom-Up or the Top-Down.  The more popular Bottom-Up hike starts at the Temple of Sinawava shuttle stop and allows hikers to hike upstream as far as Big Spring.  The Top-Down hike requires a permit and transportation as it begins 16 miles upstream at Chamberlain’s Ranch and is often completed with an overnight stay along the way.

We completed the Bottom-Up hike beginning at the Temple of Sinawava shuttle stop going as far as we could to Big Spring and back, which is approximately 9 miles and took about 8 hours to complete.  Don’t forget to pack snacks and even lunch to eat along the way and take frequent breaks.

Insider Tip: You can rent wet gear to include dry pants and jackets, dry bags, water hiking boots and a walking stick from multiple stores in Springdale. We rented water proof boots and walking sticks from Zion Outfitters and picked them up the night before so we were ready for our hike.

The water depth varies from shallow to at times waist and chest-deep though the majority of the hike was in knee-deep or lower water.

After spending a full day in the Narrows, head back to your campsite to relax in the river, shower and get ready for dinner. It was extremely hot out while we were in town, so we made our way into Springdale to enjoy a steak dinner at the Stage Coach Grille. If you go, I definitely recommend the Calamari Twist with a side of fresh lemon basil aioli and their home made cocktail sauce.

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Day 4: Explore Bryce Canyon with a Night Hike & Ranger Talk

After 2 full days at Zion National Park, it is time to head to Bryce Canyon National Park. The drive is approximately 2 hours and tours beautiful scenery. Don’t forget that you can use your annual park pass to enter the park!

Insider Tip: Bryce Canyon National Park is an International Dark Sky park, which means that it has an exceptional quality of starry nights so consider exploring around the rim during the day and hiking into the canyon at night to take advantage of the unparalleled views of the night sky.

Since you will only be at Bryce Canyon for one day/night, I recommend staying inside the perimeter of the park for easier navigating. We stayed at Sunset Campground, which was conveniently located near Sunset Point. Sunset’s check-in wasn’t until 1:00 pm so consider driving around the perimeter of the canyon on Highway 63 stopping at all of the various viewpoints. Definitely recommend making it all the way to Rainbow Point for expansive views of the canyon.

After driving around the park, check into your campsite so you can enjoy lunch and relax until it it’s time for your night hike later in the evening. If you don’t want to hike at night, consider an early evening hike when the sun isn’t as high. We hiked the Queens Garden / Navajo Loop trail via Wall St. which is approximately 3 miles and took about 2 hours. The hike begins at Sunset Point. If you start your hike while the sun is setting, you will likely finish in complete darkness. Don’t forget to hike with your headlamp and a spare flashlight!  

Don’t forget to check out the Ranger Programs so that you can try and time your hike with a night time Ranger talk. When we finished our hike, we stumbled into a ranger talk discussing the milky way, constellations and all that was visible in the night sky. 

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Day 5: Relax at Lake Powell

After enjoying breakfast, prepare to make the drive from Bryce Canyon National Park to Lake Powell, Arizona to spend the day relaxing on the water.  The drive takes roughly 3.5-3 hours. We detoured through Grand Staircase Escalante and while it was very scenic, it was some of the scariest driving we’ve ever done.

There are multiple campground around Lake Powell but Wahweap campground is in a very convenient location, close to the beach, boat rentals and resort. Lake Powell has so much to offer including boat rentals, kayak rentals, swimming, relaxing on the beach and so much more. You can even rent houseboats on the lake!  

We rented a kayak for a few hours and explored the lake. We packed snacks and drinks and docked the kayak on the far side of the lake to relax and swim. It was still close to 100 degrees as it approached the early evening so we decided to treat ourselves to a room at the Lake Powell Resort. We also enjoyed dinner at the on-site restaurant, the Rainbow Room, which I would go to again in a heartbeat.  The food and drinks were amazing and the restaurant has panoramic views of the lake and surrounding mountains. Even if the weather is nice enough to camp in the van, definitely recommend checking out the Rainbow Room.

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Day 6: Horseshoe Bend, Cathedral Wash Canyon and The End of the World

Before leaving Page, Arizona to get on the road towards Flagstaff, don’t forget to visit Horseshoe Bend.  Though I must admit, after everything you have already seen on this trip, it may not live up to the hype.

Before ending the night camping at the End of the World, consider stopping in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area to hike the Cathedral Wash slot canyon. Your annual national park pass will work here too! The hike is a 3.3 mile out and back hike beginning at the trailhead on the side of the road and going out to the Colorado River and back. This hike is not for the faint of heart. This trail is rated Hard on AllTrails and does require some scrambling over large rocks.

Insider Tip: Make sure you check the weather before entering the slot canyon as there is the possibility for flash flooding if rain is in the forecast and don’t forget to pack more water than you think you will need as this hike isn’t covered at all.

While I’d like to say that I conquered the hike on my trip, we ended up turning back shortly before the Colorado River. I’m talking we were so close to the end that we could hear the rushing sounds of the river but we were getting low on water, it was extremely hot out and we wanted me make sure we had enough energy to get back to the van.  This hike was by far the most strenuous yet exhilarating activity of the trip and unlike anything that I’d experienced before.

After making it back to the van, take a few minutes to rest and then head to Flagstaff, Arizona. You will drive through parts of the Navajo Reservation where you will see dozens of roadside stands selling hand made goods. We stopped at one of the stands, chatted with the stand owner and purchased some of his hand made goods that he was selling on behalf of his family.

Once in Flagstaff, re-stock on gas and food if needed before journeying into Coconino National Forest to your final destination for the evening, the End of the World.  The End of the World is a free campsite located along the edge of a mountain deep in Coconino National Forest.  Once you enter the Forest, you will drive approximately 23 miles until a clearing in the trees on the right hand side. You can then pull over anywhere and find a spot to set up camp! It took us over an hour to drive through the Forest because of how windy the road was thought once we got there, it was perfect.  There was no one around, the views were unlike anything we’d seen before and we were able to relax and enjoy a van cooked meal and a few beers.

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Day 7: Grand Canyon National Park

If you sleep on top of the van, you can wake up with the sunrise. Enjoy homemade breakfast sandwiches and then packed up the van to make the hour plus long trip back to civilization. It will take approximately 4 horus or so to drive to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Since will be your last full day exploring the great American Southwest and you’re making our way back to Las Vegas to return your van, you likely won’t have time to hike the Grand Canyon at all. We didn’t have plans to hike the Grand Canyon but that is definitely still on my bucket list!

Once you arrive at the South Entrance, you can check out the Grand Canyon Village and General Store. Drive over to the Visitor’s Center where you can park and enjoy the views from Mather Point. After exploring the South Rim, head to your campground to relax and get the van organized for your drive back to Las Vegas. We stayed at Ten X Campground right outside the South Entrance and highly recommend it. The campsites weren’t right on top of each other and there was a ton of wildlife. We saw multiple Elk roaming the campground!

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Day 8: Return Van in Las Vegas

You’ll need to get up early on your last morning to make the 4.5-hour drive back to Las Vegas, Nevada to return your campervan.  Depending on when you are traveling, consider spending a day/night in Las Vegas before getting on your flight home.  We dropped our van off at 10 am and were taking a red eye flight back to Philadelphia that same night so we spent the day by the Waldorf Astoria pool and took our first real showers in days before heading back to McCarran International.