Las Vegas to San Francisco 6 – A wonderful highly recommended route in southwestern United States that focuses on the states of Utah, California, Nevada and Arizona, and includes Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands, Grand Canyon and Yosemite National Parks, the Monument Valley, Page/Lake Powell area and a glimpse of the California coastline (around the city of Monterey), as well as the cities of Las Vegas and San Francisco. This trip includes driving the Tioga Pass road in Yosemite that is open for a relatively short period every year (see opening and closure dates here).
Day 1 – Land in Las Vegas and spend the afternoon in the city
Lodging location: Las Vegas
Day 2 – Drive to Zion National Park and visit the park, 2.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Springdale
Day 3 – Drive to Bryce National Park on scenic route 9 and visit the park, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Bryce
Day 4 – Drive to Moab through Capitol Reef National Park (it is highly recommended to drive via scenic roads 12 and 24 and on the way visit Goblin Valley State Park), 5 hours drive
Lodging location: Moab
Day 5 – Visit Arches National Park, 1 hour drive in each direction
Lodging location: Moab
Day 6 – Go on a half day rafting tour on the Colorado River (out of Moab) and then visit Canyonlands National Park (Island in the Sky district), 1 hour drive in each direction
Lodging location: Moab
Day 7 – Drive to the Monument Valley spend the day in this magnificent area and in the afternoon drive to Page, 4.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Page
Day 8 – Drive to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and on the way visit Antelope Canyon (reserve in advance) or hike to the Horseshoe Bend, 5 hours drive
Lodging location: South Rim or Tusayan
Day 9 – Visit the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and drive to Las Vegas, 4 hours drive
(on the way to Las Vegas stop in Hoover Dam and if you have time – drive a portion of Route 66 and stop at Seligman)
Lodging location: Las Vegas
Day 10 – Spend the morning in Las Vegas and them drive west to Mammoth Lakes, 5 hours drive
Lodging location: Mammoth Lakes
Day 11 – Cross north Yosemite National Park along the scenic Tioga Pass HWY (route 120) towards the Yosemite Valley and spend the second half of the day in the Valley, 4 hours drive
(the Tioga Pass HWY is usually open from the end of May/June until October. See status here)
Lodging location: near Yosemite Valley
Day 12 – Visit Glacier Point and Mariposa Grove in south Yosemite and drive to Monterey, 5 hours drive
Lodging location: Monterey
Day 13 – Spend the day in Monterey and drive to San Francisco. 2 hours drive
Lodging location: San Francisco
Day 14 – Spend the day in San Francisco
Lodging location: San Francisco
Day 15 – Fly home
– In order to fill this route with content – see our California and Southwest USA destinations pages, where you can find articles that include suggestions what to do in various locations along this route.
