Southwest Utah has some of the most popular National Parks in the United States. It’s no wonder that hikers and other travelers have it on their bucket list.
We spent five days in the region, starting in Las Vegas and visiting both Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park. It was a whirlwind of adventure, but we got to see and do everything on our “must-do” list!
If you are thinking about visiting southwest Utah, you can follow our 5-day Las Vegas to Utah hiking itinerary to learn about where we stayed, what we did (and couldn’t do), and what we would do differently.
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Prepare For Hiking Trip from Nevada to Southwest Utah
Where to Stay
You have several options for which town to stay in when doing a hiking trip in Southwest Utah.
We opted for Cedar City due to its location and proximity to places we wanted to visit. Although it was a bit further from Las Vegas (our starting point), it was only an hour to Zion and 1.5 hours to Bryce.
Other popular towns to stay in are:
- St. George: Less than an hour to Zion, over two hours to Bryce
- Kanab: Just over an hour to Zion and 1.5 hours to Bryce
- Duck Creek Village: 1.5 hours to Zion and less than an hour to Bryce
Weather
Because you will be changing elevation from around 1300 feet to over 9000 feet, the weather will vary during your trip. We visited in early April and packed warmer hiking clothes, including winter hats and gloves, for our mornings at Bryce and Zion. And we wore shorts and T-shirts while hiking at Valley of Fire State Park.
So, like any trip, check the weather at every location you’ll be!
Seasonal Closures
When planning your trip, keep seasonal closures in mind. Most of the trails at Valley of Fire State Park are closed from mid-May through September. Trails at Bryce Canyon can close due to ice and snow. Visit the website of each park for more information.
Make Realistic Plans
We all want to make the most of our money and vacation time and see and do as much as possible! But that isn’t realistic. For each day, plan one or two must-do activities. And then have some other options that would be fun to do if you have time, but you wouldn’t be brokenhearted if you don’t get to them.
For my family, between adjusting to the time change and the higher elevation, we didn’t have as much energy as usual and needed to rest in the afternoons and evenings. That meant we didn’t get to some of the trails I had on my list. But that was okay! We did everything that was on our must-do list.
Las Vegas to Southwest Utah 5 Day Hiking Itinerary
Day One: Arrive in Las Vegas and Drive to Cedar City (Plus a Fun Stop on the Way)
We arrived in Las Vegas (thanks to a flight delay) at 2 am (5 am Philadelphia time!). So of course, we wanted to sleep. I already had a reservation at the Homewood Suites next to the airport, which offered a free shuttle, so that was our first stop.
After a few hours of sleep, we walked about 10 minutes to the car rental center. After picking up the car, we went back to the hotel, loaded our gear, and were on the road!
My initial thought was to stop at Valley of Fire on the way to Utah, but I’m glad we didn’t. We were exhausted from traveling and the little sleep we got. Plus, I knew we’d lose an hour as soon as we crossed the border into Utah.
Instead, we took a quick break in Mesquite, NV, to check out the carvings on the side of the road. Since 2016, Pete Karns, a cross-country skiing Olympic athlete, has carved images into the sandstone. At first, without the city’s permission, but then they eventually allowed him to continue.
As you drive along Lower Flat Top Drive in Mesquite, you’ll encounter multiple carvings. We missed Little Mount Rushmore, but got to see the Statue of Liberty, Easter Island Heads, and more.
After that, we drove to our Airbnb rental in Cedar City, UT, stopping at Culver’s in St. George for lunch and then picking up our grocery order at the Smith’s in Cedar City.
And I’m sure you can believe it, we went to bed early, given the lack of sleep the night before, the time change, and the fact that we had to get up early the next day.
Day Two: Zion National Park
First things first, if you are planning to go to Zion National Park, you need to arrive before 8 am! And probably even earlier in the summer. We got to the park just after 7:30 am and were able to snag one of the last parking spots.
If you can’t find a parking spot in the designated lot, don’t try to park illegally. We saw several cars marked for towing when we were leaving the park. That’s the last thing you want to deal with on vacation! Instead, you’ll have to park at one of the lots in town and take the shuttle from there.
After parking, we waited in line for the park shuttle. We waited in line about 30 minutes before boarding. It definitely had a Disney World feel to it!
While at Zion, we hiked the Emerald Pools trail, ate our packed lunch in front of Zion Lodge (there is a cafe there if you’d rather not carry food with you), and then hiked the Watchman Trail. By this time, the family was feeling tired, so we left the park (around 2:30 pm).
I would have liked to add Canyon Overlook Trail to our day, one of the best trails at Zion, but knowing how tired everyone was and not wanting to deal with finding parking near the trailhead, we skipped it.
We returned to Cedar City and wrapped up for the day. The fatigue from hiking, plus still dealing with the time change, made us turn in early for the night. For dinner, instead of cooking, Instead of cooking that night, we ordered from Seven Brothers Burgers, which was very tasty.
I debated about doing an after-dinner hike, looking at the Timber Creek Overlook Trail in the Kolob Canyons section of Zion, only about 20 minutes from Cedar City. But we were really just too tired.
Day Three: Red Cliffs National Conservation Area and Silver Reef Museum
After the longer drives the last two days, we were happy for the shorter drive to Red Cliffs National Conservation Area. It was 40 minutes from Cedar City, which might feel far on a normal day! But the views along the way were beautiful, so the time passed quickly.
This is another place you’ll want to visit on the earlier side. Not as early as Zion, but it’s still best to get there first thing in the morning. We parked just before 10 am and grabbed one of the last legitimate spots in the parking lot. That didn’t stop people who arrived later from parking on the sand and along the sides of the road, even though signs indicated it was prohibited.
While we were here, we completed the Red Reef Trail, checked out the dinosaur footprints, and ate lunch at one of the picnic tables not far from the parking lot. It’s such a gorgeous park and definitely worth visiting during your road trip to southwestern Utah.
While checking Google Maps for directions to Red Cliffs, I saw the Silver Reef Museum and Ghost Town marked on the map. The family was willing to check it out, so we stopped there next.
It’s a small museum, but it shares some cool history about the area’s silver mine. You can also walk around some of the old buildings on the property. It was the perfect quick stop after our morning hike.
After the museum, we went back to the rental in Cedar City. I had some other hike ideas in case we had time, like Spring Creek Canyon or Kanarra Falls. But my family opted for downtime, which I honestly didn’t mind. You can see that was kind of a theme during our trip!
We did treat ourselves to FiiZ. The churro bites and the dough bites were delicious, and the soda combinations were a lot of fun.
Day Four: Bryce Canyon National Park
Like Zion National Park, you want to arrive early at Bryce Canyon National Park. We arrived just after 9 am and secured a parking spot at the Sunset Point parking area. However, it was filling up pretty quickly. My backup plan was to park at the Lodge or Sunrise Point, and I think we would have found something there at that hour.
Thankfully, it wasn’t busy enough that we needed to park in town and take the shuttle into Bryce.
After arrival, we walked the Rim Trail and completed the Navajo/Queen’s Garden Loop. We were lucky that the Wall Street section of the Navajo Trail was open, even though there had been a rock slide about a month prior.
After the hike, we ate our packed lunches at the picnic tables at Sunset Point. After that, we went to the Visitor’s Center to watch the film and learn more about the park.
We debated about driving to the southern end of the park to Rainbow Point to the Bristlecone Loop Trail, but ultimately, we decided to check out the Mossy Cave Trail instead. Mossy Cave is about a 10-minute drive outside of the park. The trail was short and easy, and it was very pretty, but the waterfall was dry. Still worth it, though!
After that, knowing we had a long drive back to the house and that we had to pack up for our departure the next day, the group decided to leave the park. I wouldn’t have minded staying longer, but everyone was tired and ready to go home and rest.
Day Five: Valley of Fire State Park and Seven Magic Mountains
Valley of Fire State Park is about two hours from Cedar City. However, because you cross a time zone border, you’ll arrive about an hour after you left.
We wanted to get to Valley of Fire Early for two reasons. One, I knew it would be a popular destination. And two, I knew it would be HOT later in the afternoon. We arrived at the park at 9 am (Nevada time), but didn’t get to the trailhead until closer to 10 am. That’s because Valley of Fire is a HUGE park! It takes about 30 minutes to drive from the Lake Mead North Shore Entrance to the Fire Wave Trail. Plus, we stopped at the old Visitor Center for a quick bathroom break.
We hiked the Fire Wave/Seven Wonders Loop, which took about an hour. Let me tell you, even in April, the weather was almost 90 degrees, so it was HOT on the trail. I understand why they close the trail in the summer and warn visitors about heat exhaustion and heatstroke (know the symptoms!).
The Fire Wave Trail is incredible, though. You feel like you’re on another planet! Just bring plenty of water and know your limits. We also found shade along the trail to cool off.
After hiking, we drove to the new Visitor Center. There, we ate our packed lunches and learned a lot about the park.
From there, we drove to Las Vegas to check into our hotel. However, before we did that, we made sure to stop at the very cool art installation, Seven Magic Mountains by Ugo Rondinone. The seven towers of stacked stones are painted in various colors, giving a stark contrast to the surrounding desert. It was cool to see and worth the stop before the hotel.
After that, we stayed at Homewood Suites again, using their free airport shuttle to get to our early morning flight the next day. Because it is so close to the car rental center, we dropped off our car after checking in, walked to dinner, and then walked back to the hotel. It was very convenient!
5 Days Las Vegas to Utah Hiking Trip Wrap-Up
Overall, I really enjoyed our trip hiking around southwest Utah. We got to do everything that I wanted to do. And although the time change (and honestly, probably the elevation) made us a little too tired to check out other trails, it was still an incredible trip. And now we have more to see the next time we visit the area!
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