State Parks and Scenic Drives: Family Road Trip Through the American West

Rise and shine, it’s your first full day of this epic road trip in the American West and there’s not a moment to waste. After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, hop back into your hire car and begin the journey to your next destination: St. George, a small city surrounded by red sandstone cliffs in the extreme southwest of Utah. The journey takes about four-and-a-half hours, however we recommend making a slight detour at the start of the drive to visit Antelope Island State Park, the largest island in the prehistoric Great Salt Lake. The landscapes here are like no other in the region – think piercing-white salt pans, reflective waters, rolling mountains and white-sand beaches. Wildlife is also a big draw to the park, as it is home to the largest concentration of bison in the state. On arrival in St. George, check in for the night in a contemporary hotel with great views across the city and mountains. The rest of today is yours to spend relaxing after a busy day of travelling and exploring.

Your journey across the arid landscapes of the West continues today. However, before you hit the road to Kanab, a lovely town on the Utah-Arizona border, make sure to visit Sand Hollow State Park. The park is one of the most popular and picturesque in Utah owing to its dramatic red stone cliffs, azure waters and extensive ATV and hiking trails. If the younger members of your clan aren’t up for a hike, then we recommend enjoying the many water activities on offer: you can swim, boat, fish and even jet ski in the beautiful reservoir. Continue on to Kanab and to your next accommodation: a grand Victorian guest-house in the heart of the city.

You have a full day to explore the region surrounding Kanab, which is necessary given the amount of natural wonders on display. The main attraction here is the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, an unusual landscape that evokes the Sahara Desert with its ever-changing sea of red and pink sandy dunes. This is a great place to surf down the dunes, hike in the wilderness and head out on an ATV tour. We could also arrange for you to spend today visiting White Pocket, a collection of swirling, multicoloured formations of Navajo sandstone in the heart of the remote Paria Plateau, with an experienced guide.

After a hearty breakfast this morning, hop back into your hire car and join the very scenic Highway 9, which winds through the enchanting red rocks, arches and tunnels of Zion National Park. After an hour you’ll reach your next stopover: the picturesque town of Springdale and gateway to the park. You can stop off along the way to enjoy the scenery at your own leisure, or, if you’re keen to dazzle any young budding palaeontologists in the family, then our team can arrange for you to walk in the footsteps of dinosaurs in the heart of the Utah wilderness. Your home for the next two nights is a modern hotel surrounded by the majestic Red Rock Canyon in the heart of Springdale. The rest of today is yours to enjoy at leisure. We recommend heading out for a stroll through town to admire the soaring cliffs that surround you, before heading back to the hotel for a dip in the pool and a relaxing evening.

Famous for its deep canyons soaring high above the Virgin River and its tributaries, Zion National Park spreads over 350 square miles and acts as an impressive sanctuary of towering mountains, sandstone cliffs and maple forests. Today is yours to spend getting active in the park and savouring the beauty of one of Utah’s most picturesque natural landscapes. There are plenty of hiking and cycling trails (that vary in difficulty), breathtaking viewpoints, river swimming spots and birdwatching opportunities. If you can’t quite peel yourself away from the park this evening, then we can arrange for you to swap your hotel for a night glamping in the heart of the park.

It’s time to get moving again. Today you’ll be travelling four hours through the mesmerising landscapes of central Utah to Torrey, the gateway to Capitol Reef National Park. Make sure to stop along the way at Bryce Canyon National Park, which is home to the world’s largest collection of hoodoos: tall, thin spires that soar high above the golden planes of the desert. You could also push a little further on to Kodachrome Basin State Park, which displays its own fabulous collection of colourful rock spires. From here you can join the Scenic Byway 12 for the second part of today’s journey. This route is also known as ‘Highway 12 – A Journey Through Time Scenic Byway’ due to how beautiful the scenery is; think multi-coloured rock formations, majestic archways and rolling hills. On arrival in Torrey, check in for the night in a quiet comfortable hotel near the entrance of the Capitol Reef and overlooking marvellous geological formations. The rest of today is yours to spend visiting the national park on your doorstep with its endless scenic delights: white sandstone domes, towering monoliths and rugged pink cliffs.

The time has come to swap the rugged mountains of Utah for the vast desert plains of Arizona. We recommend making an early start on today’s drive south, as there’s lots on the agenda. You’ll be driving four hours through the orange-tinted monoliths and mounds that look as if they’ve been plucked straight out of western movie. Along the way, you can opt to deviate from the GPS in Hanksville and join the very scenic Route 24, which winds through exceptional panoramas over the Colorado River. Your home for tonight is a beautiful estate set in the heart of the sacred plains of Monument Valley. Once you’ve settled in and freshened up, it’s time to get adventurous. This afternoon you’ll be exploring the breathtaking red mounds that featured in the 1939 John Ford movie, Stagecoach, a great American Western that has a small museum dedicated to it here. We’ve arranged for you to head out with an experienced private guide on an off-road drive through the valley. This is a great opportunity to discover popular viewpoints, but also to visit areas closed off to regular tourists, such as Native American dwellings, Anazazi remains, ceremonial sites, petroglyphs and other scenic spots. Make sure to have your camera at the ready for sunrise and sunset, as the golden glow that lights up the burnt orange landscape is spectacular.

Today you’ll be driving back up into Utah, travelling three-and-a-half hours through the marvellous red-rock landscapes of Scenic Byway 211 to Moab, a lovely town and gateway to both Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. The town was also made famous for being a filming location for blockbusters set in the great outdoors of the American West, such as Star Wars and Mission Impossible. The drive itself is the activity for today, as it really is breathtakingly beautiful: we’re talking canyons, plateaus, valleys and lunar landscapes as far as the eye can see. On arrival in Moab, settle in for the next three nights in a charming hotel and spend the rest of today savouring your new environment. We recommend going out for a little walk around town before plunging into the hotel’s lovely pool for a refreshing afternoon dip.

The next two days are dedicated to exploring the two fabulous national parks on your doorstep. Arches National Park is named after the more than 2,000 natural stone arches that call this slice of Utah home. Besides its otherworldly scenery, the park also attracts outdoorsy adventurers with its array of opportunities for hiking, biking and rock climbing. Canyonlands, Utah’s largest national park, dazzles with its dramatic desert landscape carved by the Colorado River. Here you’ll be embarking on a family-friendly whitewater rafting adventure down the river, enjoying the thrill of drifting with the choppy currents while admiring the postcard panoramas of the rock formation and scenic sights of Professor Valley. You’ll also have the opportunity to stop for swimming breaks and to practice manoeuvring in different sizes and intensities of rapids. If you want to round off your time in the Utah wilderness with something extra special, our team would be happy to arrange a scenic helicopter flight over Canyonlands.

Today you’ll be leaving the wild landscapes of Utah behind and heading back to Salt Lake City. The journey takes around five hours, passing through red-rock landscapes, arid desert plains and eventually to the snow-capped peaks and lakes of northern Utah. Check in for your final night in the same hotel you started in and spend the rest of today enjoying the hustle and bustle of the state capital before heading back home tomorrow.