alliekmarie | lifestyle and travel

Day 1

Morning

Fly into Salt Lake City and pick up your rental car. We tracked the best prices for rental cars here.

Afternoon

Drive to Bryce Canyon (which takes about 4 hours). Once you arrive I suggest buying the U.S. National Park annual pass. This will give you access to all U.S. National Parks (including the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park) and ends up being cheaper than paying for each entrance fee individually.
Hike the Navajo Loop Trail. It's 1.3 miles roundtrip, with spectacular views. The hike back up can be challenging so take your time and enjoy the mars-like landscape.
Drive to Virgin, UT (which takes about 2 hours). Our GPS took us through Zion National Park so I suggest timing this drive so you arrive before the sun sets.

Evening

Check into Zion Wildflower Resort. This resort is described as a glamping destination minutes away from the entrance to Zion National Park where you can book a canvas tent, covered wagon or bungalow! We were extremely impressed with the accommodations. Here's a summary of resort FAQ's:
- We stayed in one of their canvas tents which came with an extremely comfortable king size bed and air conditioning- what more can you ask for!
- We felt safe the entire time and did not see any wildlife. Each tent is double lined with very sturdy zippers so the thought of snakes or scorpions never crossed our minds.
- The bathrooms are community bathrooms but they were extremely clean and had private stalls/showers. I recommend bringing slip on shoes and something you can put on in case you need to use the restroom in the middle of the night.
- The grounds have a fire pit and various sitting areas. However, nothing beats the night time star views.

Day 2

Morning

Head into Zion National Park but make a pit stop for coffee at Feellove Coffee because their lemon white mocha is to die for! This is about a 15 minute drive from Zion Wildflower Resort.
Check in at the shuttle that will take you to The Narrows. This is about a 30 minute drive from the shuttle check in to The Narrows. Make sure you book the shuttle in advance through Zion National Park. I also recommend reserving water boots/hiking sticks through Zion Outfitter. We reserved the "warm water package" which included everything we needed for a comfortable water hike. The boots are made for slippery conditions and come with neoprene socks that prevent blistering and keep your feet nice and insulated. The rocks are extremely slippery so the hiking sticks helped with balance.

Afternoon

Hike The Narrows. There is a 1 mile walk to the water which you can then hike for as long as you want. We made it about 2 miles in before we turned back around.
If you have time you can also check out Angels Landing since it is a shuttle stop along the route. Just remember to bring a change of shoes and socks because yours will be wet.
Drive to Page, AZ. This is about a 3.5 hour drive so I recommend leaving 4.5-5 hours before sunset so you can 1) make it to Horseshoe Bend at sunset and 2) have enough time to take a picture in front of the Utah sign on the way in. Note: this sign will be on the other side of the road since you will be leaving Utah and going into Arizona. The Utah sign is more photographable than the Arizona sign which is why I recommend it over the other.

Evening

Go to Horseshoe Bend. There is a $10 entrance fee with a paved parking lot. The walk from the parking lot to Horseshoe Bend is about a mile on a flat path. The view is incredible during sunset so I really really recommend aiming to go then and then sticking around until the sun completely sets - I promise you won't be disappointed!
Check into Airbnb. We stayed here and really enjoyed it.

Day 3

Morning

Grab a coffee and breakfast at Hot N Sweet Coffee and Donut Shop and explore Page. Options include Antelope Canyon, The Wave, Lake Powell, etc. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to do much in Page besides drive to Lake Powell. If I were to do this trip over again I would add an additional day, rent a kayak and spend the day on Lake Powell. I have been following Ashley Bell for a while and she has some of the best itineraries! Here is one all about kayaking on Lake Powell - I strongly encourage you to take a look if you would like to add another day in Page.

Afternoon

Drive to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. This drive is about 2.5 hours and the roads can sometime close due to forrest fires so make sure you check road closures before leaving.

Evening

Check into the Grand Canyon Lodge - North Rim. This hotel is incredible. There are a ton of smaller trails you can do and the canyon looks beautiful during sunset. We bought a pizza from the hotel restaurant and took it one of the attached look out points and it was picture perfect.

Note: If you plan to do the rim to rim to hike you have two options to get back to your car after the hike. Option 1) There is a shuttle that will take you from the south rim back to the north rim. It was closed because of COVID when we went which brought us to Option 2) Through a rim to rim facebook group, we found and hired a local in Page, AZ to drive and drop us off at the north rim. He then took our rental car and left it for us at the south rim. It ended up saving us a ton of time in the car (which is crucial after a long hike) and I'm really glad we went with this option.

Day 4

Morning

Wake up early (we left around 4:30am) to begin the rim to rim hike. The tempature is cool in the morning so wear layers and begin to mentally prepare for the 28 miles ahead. Take the North Kaibab Trail down and enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way.

Afternoon

Stop at Phanton Ranch for lunch and rest. There's a beautiful river nearby where you can dip your sore feet in and cool off. You can also stay here for a night if you want to split up the hike.

Evening

Take the Bright Angel Trail up to the south rim. We chose this trail because there is significanly less sun exposure which is important if you do this hike in the summer.
Check in at Yavapai Lodge in the south rim. Everything in the area closes around 10pm so try and solidify dinner before then.

Note: An alternative option to the rim to rim hike is to stay in the north rim and hike the North Kaibab trail down for about 3 miles. The views are spectacular and it's a moderate hike.

Tips if you are hiking rim to rim: Fill up at every water station. Even if you have water, fill it up. I also suggest packing some electrolight tablets and salty snacks (Pringles, Pretzles, Fritos, etc.). Even if you're not hungry, make sure you are eating. Some other packing recommendations: hiking poles, toe socks to wear under your regular socks (thank me later), sunscreen, a hat and a headlamp.

Day 5

Morning

Make the 2 hour drive to Sedona, AZ

Afternoon

Explore Sedona! Hiking options include:

Birthing Cave - This moderate 2 mile hike is where the Hopi tribe used to send pregnant women before going into labor and wait and pray until the child was born.
Seven Sacred Pools - An easy 1.1 mile hike
Devils Bridge - moderate 4 mile hike