Los Angeles to Salt Lake City 9 – A beautiful breathtaking, diverse route that features spectacular scenery – perfect for nature lovers. This route combines a visit to the one and only Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks in addition to a in-depth visit to the red sandstone, high altitude deserts and marvelous canyons of Southern Utah and the following National Parks – Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands, and the Grand Canyon and a visit to Yosemite, California. This route also includes the Monument Valley, the Lake Powell are, a drive along Route 1 and a visit to the cities of Las Vegas, San Francisco and Los Angeles. 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 Los Angeles and spend a few hours in Venice Beach and Santa Monica
Lodging location: Santa Monica or Venice Beach
Day 2 – Spend the day in Los Angeles or visit Universal Studios
Lodging location: Hollywood or Santa Monica or Venice Beach
Day 3 – Drive north to southern Route 1 and visit sites along the way, 4 hours drive
Lodging location: Morro Bay or Cambria
Day 4 – Drive and travel north along Route 1, 3 hours drive
Lodging location: Monterey
Day 5 – Visit Monterey and drive to San Francisco, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: San Francisco
Day 6 – Visit San Francisco
Lodging location: San Francisco
Day 7 – One more day in San Francisco
Lodging location: San Francisco
Day 8 – Drive to Yosemite National Park and visit Glacier Point and Mariposa Grove in south Yosemite, 5 hours drive
Lodging location: near Yosemite Valley
Day 9 – Travel and hike in Yosemite Valley, short drive
Lodging location: near Yosemite Valley
Day 10 – Cross north Yosemite National Park along the scenic Tioga Pass HWY (route 120) and go on short hikes along this route, 3 hours drive
(the Tioga Pass HWY is usually open from the end of May/June until October. See status here)
Lodging location: Mammoth Lakes
Day 11 – Drive east to Las Vegas and spend the afternoon in the city, 5 hours drive
Lodging location: Las Vegas
Day 12 – Spend the day in Las Vegas
Lodging location: Las Vegas
Day 13 – Drive to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and visit the park, 4 hours drive
(on the way to the Grand Canyon stop in Hoover Dam and if you have time – drive a portion of Route 66 and stop at Seligman)
Lodging location: South Rim or Tusayan
Day 14 – Visit the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and stop at sites along HWY 64 in the east part of the rim on the way to Page, 2.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Page
Day 15 – Visit the Antelope Canyon (reserve in advance) and hike to the Horseshoe Bend and then drive to the Monument Valley, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Goulding’s or The View Hotel
Day 16 – Visit the Monument Valley and drive north to Moab, 2.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Moab
Day 17 – Visit Arches National Park, 1 hour drive in each direction
Lodging location: Moab
Day 18 – 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 19 – Drive to Bryce 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: Bryce
Day 20 – Visit Bryce National Park, short drive
Lodging location: Bryce
Day 21 – Drive to Zion National Park on scenic route 9 and enjoy the afternoon in the park, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Springdale
Day 22 – Spend the morning in Zion National Park and then drive to Park City, 5 hours drive
Lodging location: Park City
Day 23 – Drive to Grand Teton National Park and enjoy the afternoon in the southern part of the park, 4.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Jackson
Day 24 – Drive north through Grand Teton National Park to Yellowstone National Park stop for a visit to West Thumb Geyser Basin (on the shores of Lake Yellowstone), 3 hours drive
Lodging location: Canyon (or Lake Yellowstone)
Day 25 – Visit the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and tour the canyon’s wonderful waterfalls and views and then drive north to the Lamar Valley and tour the valley and continue to Gardiner, 1.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Gardiner
Day 26 – Visit Mammoth Hot Springs and bath in the Boiling River and then drive south to Norris Geyser Basin, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: West Yellowstone
Day 27 – Visit the Midway and Upper Geyser Basin, 1 hour drive in each direction
Lodging location: West Yellowstone
Day 28 – Visit the Lower Geyser Basin and then drive to Salt Lake City, 6 hours drive
(you may move the visit to the Lower Geyser Basin and to day 16 – instead of visiting Norris Geyser Basin, in this case 1 hour drive will be deducted to the total hours in this day)
Lodging location: Salt Lake City
Day 29 – Fly home
– In order to fill this route with content – see our California, Southwest USA and Northwest USA destinations pages, where you can find articles that include suggestions what to do in various locations along this route.
