Looking to plan your next adventure on wheels, but are unsure which route to take? This road trip throughout the Western USA checks off four states, five national parks, and a dozen of unforgettable views! Pack your bags because you're in for a trip of a lifetime!
Before heading out, we strongly recommend buying the "America The Beautiful" Annual pass. It only costs about $80 and gives you access to all the National Parks and Lands for a year! It's hands down the best purchase Dylan and I have made. If you use it more than four times, you're getting your money's worth! You definitely be saving money for this roadtrip!
Of a distance of about 892 miles give or take, you'll start your Western USA roadtrip in Yellowstone National Park and end it at the Grand Canyon. Along the way you'll stop at three other national parks: Grand Teton, Bryce Canyon, and Zion. This road trip only took us a total of five days, with about one day for each destination.
We wouldn't recommend making it any shorter, but by all means, make the trip longer if you'd like. We would've liked to extend our trip longer to do more exploring, however time constraints limited us.
The best times to make this Western USA road trip would be summer or early fall. The sweet spot lands in late September to early October. During this time, the summer rush has died down and the fall leaves are absolutely gorgeous. Go anytime after the second week of October and you're at risk for road and park closures due to snow.
Let's get to it! Our itinerary went as follows...
Destination One: Yellowstone National Park
Our first destination for this Western USA road trip was Yellowstone National Park. We were coming from West Yellowstone, so we took HWY 20 into the West park entrance.
(If you're starting your road trip further north, consider beginning your journey at Glacier National Park!)
Yellowstone is a huge park, and unfortunately since we had limited time, we only got to see the southwest corner of it. We decided with the time that we had, we would go towards Old Faithful, and exit at the south exit.
If you end up taking this route, there are plenty of great places to stop for photo ops. We saw plenty of bison on the side of the road minding their business while they grazed. The fall season is when you're most likely to see wildlife - anything from bison, bears, elk, bighorn and moose.
Shortly before Old Faithful, you'll find the Midway Geyser Basin. It is home to the largest single hot spring in Yellowstone - The Grand Prismatic Spring. A wooden pathway stretches across multiple geysers for your viewing, and it certainly does not disappoint. We did the walk during sunset, and it was an experience of a lifetime.
After admiring all of the breathtaking geysers at Midway Geyser Basin, we decided to continue on with our journey. Our next suggested spot is Old Faithful. This historic site is one of the most visited in the park, and for good reason. Its eruptions are highly predictable, and since 2000, it has gone off every 44 minutes - 2 hours.
Dylan and I had already seen Old Faithful, and we decided to skip it this time around. We continued on the route towards West Thumb. If you have more time than we did, we highly recommend stopping to take in the views at Yellowstone Lake. It's a completely different view than the rest of the park, and it truly is astounding - especially with the fall leaves in the background. Unfortunately, we had to swing a right at the junction onto HWY 89.
If you're planning on camping, there are two campsites on this route. The first is Grant Village campground that is close to Yellowstone Lake. The second campsite - Lewis Lake - is further south on HWY 89. Either way, you'll take HWY 89 all the way to your second destination... The Grand Tetons.
Access to Yellowstone park is prohibited in the Winter. If you'd like to explore the park, the only way is by guided tour. Mammoth Hot Springs is the only exception, and is open year round. You can access it through the north entrance. Make sure to plan ahead so that you'll be able to see the park while it's still open!
Destination Two: Grand Teton National Park
One thing that we found super convenient about this western USA road trip is that the southern exit of Yellowstone is actually the same road that enters the northern entrance of Grand Teton National Park. It doesn't take long to make the transition, either!
As the highway transitions from 89 to 191 / 287, the landscape begins to change. The mountain landscape paired with aspen and pine trees makes this an adventurers dream.
Unfortunately we didn't get to spend too much time in this park, but we did take Teton Park road down to Jenny Lake. A stroll around the lake gave us a taste of what this National Park was all about!
During the summertime, Jenny Lake Visitor Center has a river launch where visitors can take a boat shuttle to the base of Mount Teewinot. There you can find a handful of trailheads that hike around the famous Teton peaks.
Trails near Jenny Falls
Cascade Canyon Trail - 9.1 miles, moderately challenging, out & back, average time of 3 hours 45 minutes to complete, 1,102 ft elevation gain.
Inspiration Point - 1.8 miles, moderately challenging, out & back, average time of 57 minutes to complete, 410 ft elevation gain.
Hidden Falls - 1.1 miles, moderately challenging, out & back, average time of 31 minutes to complete, 187 ft elevation gain.
Technically, you can make the two mile walk around the lake to access the trailheads at the base of Mount Teewinot. However, if you want to save some energy and time, the boat shuttle is a great option!
It's important to note that they do not take reservations - you will need to physically go to the river launch site to purchase your fare. The shuttle runs every 10-15 minutes. More information can be found here.
Campgrounds are by RSVP only, and car camping is not allowed anywhere other than designated camping spots. Luckily, most campgrounds are on this road trip route. Jenny Lake offers camping, but there are plenty of campsites before the lake. From north to south they are 1) Headwaters, 2) Lizard Creek, 3) Colter Bay (RV sites available), and 4) Signal Mountain.
Grand Teton National Park is open year round, but a handful of vicinities are closed. When we visited, many of the visitors center weren't open to the public. Skiing Grand Teton is open during the winter months, usually from late November to the beginning of April.
Destination 3: Bryce Canyon
Destination 3 of your western roadtrip across the USA is by far the most underrated National Park. This neck of the drive takes up to nine hours, so I'd suggest taking a driving day. Don't worry - the view on the way it totally worth it! Utah mountains are one of a kind. However, if you don't want to drive that long of a stretch, Salt Lake City is right on the route.
Bryce Canyon might be out of the way, but it's totally worth it to visit this National Park. Bryce Canyon has the largest concentration of Hoodoos (sporadic rock columns) on earth. The red rocks and irregular shapes make you feel like you're on a different planet.
After HWY 12, you'll turn off on HWY 63, and into the only entrance into Bryce Canyon. It's a smaller national park, but there isn't a spot that isn't breathtaking.
Right at the entrance you'll find the Visitor Center, dump station, and general store. Shortly after, you have plenty of trails to choose from.
We decided on stopping at Sunset Point, and explored Thors Hammer, one of the parks main attractions. There is plenty of hikes, but remember to bring shoes with good grip! It can get steep!
Popular hikes in Bryce Canyon
Navajo Loop and Queens Garden Trail - 3.1 miles, moderately challenging, loop, average time of 1 hour 34 minutes to complete, 649 ft elevation gain.
Rim Trail - 10.7 miles, moderately challenging, out & back, average time of 4 hours 43 minutes to complete, 1,587 ft elevation gain.
Fairyland Loop Trail - 7.6 miles, moderately challenging, loop, average time of 3 hours 51 minutes to complete, 1,545 elevation gain.
Sunrise to Sunset Point - 1.1 miles, easy, out & back, average time of 24 minutes to complete, 82 ft elevation gain.
The trails around Thors Hammer are breathtaking. Walking through the sandy trails while being surrounded by towering rock formations was a dream. We spent most of the daylight we had around that area. After exploring around the "heart" of the park, we drove to Inspiration Point to catch the sunset. It was by far my favorite national park on this road trip! We will definitely be back to explore more of it!
There are two camping grounds in Bryce Canyon. The North campground (near the entrance) and the Sunset campground (near Sunset point). If you want more of a "cabin" stay, there are the cutest log cabins a few miles outside of the park! Check out Bryce Canyon Log Cabins for more information! Book online in advance for cheaper prices!
After watching the sun set over the Hoodoo's, we decided to drive close to Zion National Park so that we could do a morning hike. We ended up driving to Cedar City and rented a hotel for the night. In the morning, we ended up at our fourth destination!
Bryce Canyon is open 24 hours throughout the year, and no reservations are required to camp. Look out for alerts on the national park website though, because during the winter months some areas may be closed.
Destination 4. Zion National Park
After our overnight stay in Cedar City, we headed to the west entrance of Zion National Park, where we checked in at the Kolob Canyon Visitor Center. There are plenty of hiking options from the western entrance, but if you're planning on driving through the park, you're out of luck.
Dylan and I hiked Taylor Creek Trail and fell in love. This 4.9 mile out and back led us to the double arch alcoves... a real life artistic masterpiece. Considered moderately challenging (probably because walking on red sand does a number on the calves), it took us about 2 and a half hours to complete.
You can also drive up to the Kolob Canyons Viewpoint to overlook the beautiful bright red, sandy mountains. We appreciated Zion for the small portion we saw of it, but we know that there is so much more to see!
Entering Zion from the south or east entrance offers a variety more of hiking opportunities, however, the views from the west entrance didn't disappoint. Plus, our morning hike in the west entrance allowed us some seclusion from the crowd and have the trail to (mostly) ourselves!
Zion has always been hyped up, and for good reason. We hope to go back one day - The Narrows is on my bucket list!
There are three campgrounds in Zion:
1) Watchman Campground. Located in Zion canyon - Open year round.
2) South Campground. Closed in the winter.
3. Lava Point Campground. Kolob Terrace Road - Closed in the winter.
If you want to camp overnight, we wouldn't recommend the west entrance.
Zion is open year round. However, vicinity operating hours and shuttle schedules change depending on which season you visit. Make sure to check the websites before you leave to check for any weather alerts! Also - be careful of Mountain Lions on the Taylor Creek Trailhead!
Destination 5: The Grand Canyon
I shouldn't have to explain why the Grand Canyon is the last destination on this road trip. Known for its natural geological formation of layered rocks, this is arguably one of the USA's top western road trip destinations. It spans almost 10 miles wide, 277 miles long, and is about a mile deep.
We took HWY 89 South, turned onto HWY 64 and entered the Grand Canyon from the west entrance which is considered the canyons "south rim." We arrived close to sunset once again, and decided to end the day near on Bright Angels Trail.
The trail goes from the top of the Grand Canyon all the way to the bottom, and is a total of 9.9 miles long. There is a campground - Phantom Ranch - located at the bottom, but a permit is required. You can apply online or request a permit at the Information Center. We didn't get to hike the entirety of the trail - far from it, but we would like to, eventually. It's another bucket list item!
The Grand Canyon is a huge national park, and there is no way I would be able to cover it all in one blog post. However, I do know that there are only 3 visitors center. The North Rim Visitor Center is - obviously - located by the north entrance coming from Lake Powell. The Grand Canyon & Verkamp's Visitor Center are both located in the south rim. There are plenty of camping options depending on if you choose north or south rim.
Other Popular South Rim hikes
Rim Trail Mules to Mather Point - 6 miles, easy, out & back, average time of 2 hours 8 minutes to complete, 413 ft elevation gain.
South Kaibab Trail - There are multiple destinations on this out & back trail. Roundtrips can range from 1 hour - 2 days depending on how far you choose to go. You must use the free shuttle bus to access the trailhead from the Bright Angel Lodge. Permit required for backcountry camping.
South rim is open 365 days a year, including the Grand Canyon village and Desert view. Most, but not all services are available year round - some close during the winter. Reservations are strongly recommended in every season except the fall. The North rim is open for the season - usually between May and October. Check the dates before leaving!
There you have it! A roadtrip throughout the western USA that hits five totally unique National Parks! Add any stops or route modifications as you please. We actually drove through Arizona down to Tucson... Flagstaff and Sedona are definitely sights to be seen!
Unfortunately, many of the trails I listed on this post don't permit pups. Always make sure to look up rules and regulations for trails before leaving!
No matter what route you take, remember to be respectful of native lands and practice Leave No Trace principles wherever you go!
Happy Trails!
Comments