Salt Lake City to Los Angeles 12 – 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 Salt Lake City and spend a few hours in the city
Lodging location: Salt Lake City
(if you land early you may start driving north on this day, lodging on the way, for example here)
Day 2 – Drive to West Yellowstone and in the afternoon visit West Yellowstone’s Nature Center or Zipline Park, 5 hours drive
Lodging location: West Yellowstone
Day 3 – Visit the Midway and Upper Geyser Basin, 1 hour drive in each direction
Lodging location: West Yellowstone
Day 4 – Visit Lower Geyser Basin and drive north to Mammoth Hot Springs and tour the springs, in the afternoon bath in the Boiling River, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Gardiner
Day 5 – Drive east to the Lamar Valley and tour the valley and then drive to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and tour the canyon’s wonderful waterfalls and views, 1.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Canyon (or Lake Yellowstone)
Day 6 – Drive south to Grand Teton National Park through West Thumb Geyser Basin (on the shores of Lake Yellowstone), 3 hours drive
Lodging location: Jackson
Day 7 – Visit the southern part of Grand Teton National Park and enjoy activities around Jackson, less than 1 hour drive in each direction
Lodging location: Jackson
Day 8 – Enjoy activities around Jackson, in the afternoon start driving south to Park City, 4.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Park City
Day 9 – Continue driving south to Zion National Park, and in the afternoon visit the park, 5 hours drive
Lodging location: Springdale
Day 10 – Enjoy the morning in Zion and drive to Bryce National Park on scenic route 9, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Bryce
Day 11 – Visit Bryce National Park, short drive
Lodging location: Bryce
Day 12 – 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 13 – Visit Arches National Park, 1 hour drive in each direction
Lodging location: Moab
Day 14 – 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 15 – Drive to the Monument Valley spend the day in this magnificent area, 2.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Goulding’s or The View Hotel
Day 16 – Drive to Page, visit the Antelope Canyon (reserve in advance) and hike to the Horseshoe Bend, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Page
Day 17 – Rent a boat and enjoy Lake Powell, short drive
Lodging location: Page
Day 18 – Drive to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and visit sites along HWY 64 in the east part of the rim, 2.5 hours drive
Lodging location: South Rim or Tusayan
Day 19 – 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 20 – Enjoy the day in Las Vegas
Lodging location: Las Vegas
Day 21 – Spend the day in Las Vegas’s Water Park
Lodging location: Las Vegas
Day 22 – Drive west to Mammoth Lakes, 5 hours drive
Lodging location: Mammoth Lakes
Day 23 – 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: near Yosemite Valley
Day 24 – Travel and hike in Yosemite Valley, short drive
Lodging location: near Yosemite Valley
Day 25 – Visit Glacier Point and Mariposa Grove in south Yosemite, 1.5 hours drive in each direction
Lodging location: near Yosemite Valley
Day 26 – Drive to San Francisco and enjoy the afternoon in the city (or spend the morning in Yosemite), 4 hours drive
(on the way you may go on a rafting trip here)
Lodging location: San Francisco
Day 27 – Spend the day in San Francisco
Lodging location: San Francisco
Day 28 – Enjoy one more day in San Francisco
Lodging location: San Francisco
Day 29 – Drive to Monterey through HWY 1 and the coastal towns of Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz (which has a unique amusement park) and Capitola, 3 hours drive
Lodging location: Monterey
Day 30 – Spend the day in beautiful Monterey
Lodging location: Monterey
Day 31 – Travel south along the most famous portion of HWY 1, 3 hours drive
Lodging location: Cambria or Morro Bay
Day 32 – Drive to Los Angeles and visit sites along the way, 4 hours drive
Lodging location: Hollywood or Santa Monica or Venice Beach
Day 33 – Spend the day in Los Angeles or visit Universal Studios and drive south to Anaheim, 1 hour drive
Lodging location: Hollywood or Santa Monica or Venice Beach
Day 34 – Visit Disneyland
Lodging location: Anaheim
Day 36 – Visit Disney’s California Adventure Park or drive to Legoland Park (1 hour south of Anaheim)
Lodging location: Anaheim
Day 36 – 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.
