Utah & Arizona National Parks: Small Group 7-Day Tour

Overview

Day by day itinerary

1. 1Salt Lake City, USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum, Canyonlands National Park, Dead Horse Point State Park and Moab⌄

   If Salt Lake City is chosen as the pick-up location, we will start the tour at the USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum. At this museum, you can discover what life was like thousands to millions of years ago in Southern Utah. This museum contains over 700,000 archaeological artifacts, ranging from complete sets of dinosaur bones to pictographs left by the Fremont people more than 2,000 years ago. No matter your interests, you are bound to find something you enjoy.

   Located only a few miles from Canyonlands National Park, Dead Horse Point State Park offers a unique view of the Colorado River 2,000 feet below. While driving around, your tour guide will tell you the unusual story of how this park got its name.

   Canyonlands National Park is made up of three distinct regions: the Island in the Sky, the Needles, and the Maze. We will be touring the Island in the Sky region which is situated far above the Colorado River. From this vantage point, we will see deep into the virtually untouched canyons below, giving us a glimpse into the region's ancient past.

   Located between Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park, Moab is seen as the gateway to many of Utah’s greatest natural landscapes. You’ll love your stay here just as much as the parks themselves! We will stop here to eat and explore the town before dropping you off at your hotel.

   Overnight: Best Western, Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Archway Inn or similar quality hotel

2. 2Arches National Park, Potash Road and Moab Adventures⌄

   With more than 2,000 arches, Arches National Park has the densest concentration of natural sandstone arches in the world! With only a short hike, many world famous arches can be seen up close, including landscape arch, delicate arch, and double arch. This is a national park you won’t want to miss!

   Choose your own adventure! After returning to Moab from Arches, you'll have the opportunity to choose one of the following complimentary activities, such as river rafting, speed boating, or a helicopter ride, subject to availability, weather, and operating conditions. One complimentary activity may be provided during the tour. If a selected activity is unavailable, an alternative activity may be offered based on availability. If you would like to book more than one activity, please contact us in advance to discuss available options and any additional costs. Afterwards, if time permits, you'll be able to explore the town, go hiking, or enjoy other activities.

   Located right outside of Moab, Potash road winds along the Colorado river with water on one side, and a huge rock cliff on the other. Along this road, your tour guide will show you ancient petroglyphs and dinosaur tracks, as well as additional arches that can be accessed by foot.

   Canyonlands Jet Boat Tour with Dinner, Sound, and Light Show Experience the stunning beauty of Canyonlands as you cruise along the Colorado River on a scenic jet boat tour. After the ride, enjoy a delicious riverside dinner. The evening concludes with an unforgettable Sound and Light Show, where the canyon walls come alive with stories of the region’s history, projected under the stars.

   Meals: Breakfast · Dinner: Enjoy a cowboy-style Dutch oven dinner

   Overnight: Accommodation included: Best Western, Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Archway Inn or similar quality hotel

3. 3Monument Valley and Goosenecks State Park⌄

   Goosenecks State Park offers stunning views of a river that cuts deep into the landscape, creating a canyon full of tight turns. You’ll also be able to see Mexican Hat, an incredible sombrero-shaped rock.

   Composed of vast buttes that tower over 1,000 feet in the sky, Monument Valley is the perfect place to stretch your legs from the long car ride and take some pictures. These buttes have made appearances in many movies, the most famous of which being the running scene in Forrest Gump.

   For the last leg of the day's journey, we’ll drive towards Flagstaff, Arizona which is perfectly situated between Sedona, Southern Utah, and Grand Canyon National Park. Located in one of the world's largest ponderosa pine forests, this city is the perfect place to relax after a long day's journey.

   Monument Valley Safari Jeep Tours Discover Monument Valley through the eyes of the Navajo with this family-friendly, Navajo-owned tour company. Perfect for cultural explorers and photographers alike, these tours take you beyond the public routes to sacred sites, ancient petroglyphs, and dramatic sandstone arches. Led by expert Navajo guides, you’ll hear stories of history, tradition, and personal experience that bring the landscape to life. Families will love the drumming and singing inside the arches—an unforgettable moment for kids and adults. Photographers will enjoy exclusive access to stunning, lesser-seeing locations bathed in golden sunset light. Highly recommended: the 3-hour sunset tour, with time for photos, shopping, and meaningful cultural connection.

   Meals: Breakfast

   Overnight: Hilton Garden Inn, or similar quality hotel

4. 4Petrified Forest National Park, Meteor Crater and Sedona⌄

   Petrified Forest National Park is an ancient 225 million year old forest composed of what appears to be stone trees. Petrified wood is made when a tree is buried by sediment, protecting it from organisms that would cause it to decay. Over time, minerals in the groundwater replace the wood, turning it into stone. You'll be amazed as you think back to what this forest once looked like millions of years ago.

   Meteor Crater is a 550 feet deep, 1 mile wide hole that was created from the impact of a meteorite that struck earth more than 50,000 years ago. Due to the appearance of the crater and the lack of plant life, Meteor Crater looks more like the moon than the earth. In fact, NASA used this crater in the 1960s to train the early Apollo astronauts due to it's similarity to the moon.

   Nestled amongst towering red cliffs, Sedona is the perfect place to relax and observe the sunset. We’ll start by exploring the local landscape and hiking some of the beautiful trails outside of Sedona. Afterwards, we’ll return to Sedona and check out some of the beautiful architecture that the town has to offer, such as the Chapel of the Holy Cross, a brilliant structure built into the surrounding red rock. As the sun sets, you'll eat dinner at one of the incredible restaurants in town. Finally, we'll return to Flagstaff.

   Meals: Breakfast

   Overnight: Hilton Garden Inn, or similar quality hotel

5. 5Grand Canyon National Park and Kanab⌄

   The Grand Canyon is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Arizona with an estimated 5.9 million people visiting yearly. This canyon was carved out of the surrounding rock by the Colorado River over a period of 6 million years, resulting in an astonishing panoramic view. We will specifically be visiting the North Rim of the Grand Canyon which is often less busy than the popular South Rim. Be sure to bring your camera, you will not want to miss this destination!

   Following our tour of the Grand Canyon, we’ll drive along highway 89, passing by the incredible Vermillion Cliffs.

   This region, located in the Southwest corner of Utah, has both a beautiful landscape and a rich history. Due to its spectacular red sandstone cliffs and unique plants, Kanab has been used as the set of many famous Hollywood shows and movies, including the Lone Ranger, Planet of the Apes, and Arabian Nights. While in Kanab, if time permits, you will see the Coral Pink Sand Dunes and the impressive Moqui Sand Caves.

   Meals: Breakfast

   Overnight: Hilton Garden Inn, or similar quality hotel

6. 6Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park⌄

   Zion National Park offers gorgeous wind-sculpted canyons and hikes along incredible trails. This park has something for everyone: for those who would rather stay in the car, you will love the intricate patterns found on Checkerboard Mesa and Weeping Rock. For amateur hikers, you’ll enjoy the stunning views from the Canyon Overlook Trail and the Riverside Walk. For experienced hikers, you’ll have the choice to hike to either through the Narrows, or up to Angel's Landing.

   From its beautiful pink and white cliffs to its thousands of hoodoos, Bryce Canyon National Park is sure to leave a powerful impression on you. This park features many incredible, easily accessible viewpoints that provide excellent locations to take photographs. For the more adventurous, your tour guide will take you down into the canyon along the Navajo-Queen’s Garden Trail, passing through breathtaking rock formations that took thousands of years to shape.

   Meals: Breakfast

   Overnight: Capitol Reef Resort, or similar quality hotel

7. 7Capitol Reef National Park, Goblin Valley State Park, Highway 12 and Salt Lake City/Las Vegas⌄

   Capitol Reef National Park has a rich history and a unique geology. Over 1,000 years ago, the Fremont people lived in this region, making pictographs on the cliffs that can still be seen today. We’ll also explore the remnants of Fruita, a small town established in the 1880s.

   The “goblins” in Goblin Valley get their name from the thousands of unique hoodoos, or columns of weathered stone, that dot its surface. In this State Park, there are no official paths, allowing you to walk up close to the hoodoos and take pictures. If time permits, your tour guide will take you on a hike to Goblins Lair, an incredibly tall cave.

   If you choose to depart from Salt Lake City, your tour guide will drop you off either at the airport or a hotel of your choosing. Settled in 1847 by a group of pioneering Mormons, Salt Lake City has blossomed into the vibrant capital of Utah and gateway to the west. If time permits, your tour guide will take you to see the twin hearts of this city: Temple Square and the Capitol Building.

   If you choose to depart from Las Vegas, you'll unfortunately be unable to see Goblin Valley State Park. If you choose to depart from Las Vegas, your tour guide will drop you off at either the airport or a hotel in Las Vegas around noon. Following this, your tour guide will drive 6 to 7 hours back to Salt Lake City.

   The 1.88 million acres of land that make up Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is considered some of the most remote in the US. Although we won’t be stopping, you’ll appreciate the vastness and beauty of this region.

   Meals: Breakfast