Utah’s Big 5 + Monument Valley + Grand Canyon

Manager Special:
A Tour of “Utah’s Big 5 +
Monument Valley + Grand Canyon”

Manager’s Southwest Special Sample Itinerary

All adventures are fully customizable, from duration to the parks we visit to our activities. The following is a generalized itinerary for a full 14 day experience, meant to simply give you an idea of the possibilities:

Note from the Owner: This one is special because it’s where it all started for me. 10 years ago I flew into Las Vegas and drove to St. George for a marathon and spent the next two weeks exploring the very area we’ll cover on this trip. After that I was hooked, and I’m confident you will be too.

Day 1 (Valley of Fire State Park/Las Vegas):
Viva Las Vegas! Right? While this city in the desert has almost anything money can buy, the real gems are within a day’s drive. We’ll make sure we’re packed with everything we need, and start the trip with a drive through Red Rocks NCA, just outside of the city. Red Rocks offers numerous hiking opportunities, and is a great introduction to the desert environments we’ll be encountering over the coming weeks. From Red Rocks, we’ll drive to Death Valley and camp in the backcountry. Depending on the cloud cover, this may be an ideal night for astrophotography. Our final day will be spent in and around the Las Vegas area. Coming back from Monument Valley, we will stop at Valley of Fire State Park, an area that’s almost a mix of Red Rocks and The Wave. Valley of Fire offers numerous hiking and climbing opportunities.

Day 2 (Zion):
If you want a cherry on top of an incredible trip, there’s nothing better than Zion. This park can tend to get crowded, and permits are needed if the group wants to climb Angel’s Landing. Our goal will be to get there as early as possible for Angel’s Landing, then spend the rest of the day using the in-house tram to visit the 7 main sites on the valley floor. Depending on weather we will be able to hike a portion of The Narrows at the top of the valley.

Day 3 (Bryce Canyon):
Starting the day with a hike up Chimney Rock, we will finish this trip strong. Capitol Reef offers a northern mountainous section, and a southern “Grand Wash” section. After hiking the mountainous area, we will be able to visit the wash for most water in the area, so big we will be able to drive our car down it.

Day 4 (Capitol Reef):
A short drive down the road is Bryce Canyon. Technically more of a valley than a canyon, Bryce looks like another planet. Filled with hoodoos, trees seemingly growing out of sandstone, and views stretching for miles, Bryce can be enjoyed in a number of ways. If attempting to get permits for Angel’s Landing at Zion tomorrow, we will likely do the world-famous Wall Street hike and need to leave the park earlier. If permits aren’t required, Bryce can be explored in more depth through sundown. 

Day 5 (Canyonlands):
Canyonlands is “sneaky good”. What I mean by that is I think it’s incredible and doesn’t get the credit it deserves. Canyonlands is broken into two sections, Island in the Sky and The Maze. We will spend our time primarily in Island in the Sky, taking in vast buttes and deep canyons as far as the eye can see.

The maze section can be hiked upon request. This section, going into the actual canyons, is extremely dangerous due to 1) higher temperatures in the canyon/higher water needs and 2) how easy it is to get lost without any points of reference from the canyon floor. If attempted, this will be a highly planned portion of the trip.

Day 6 (Arches):
Utah’s “Big 5” parks each have their own unique features. Driving north from Monument Valley, we will stop at the giant Wilson Arch (seen on Utah license plates) for a stretch of the legs. Arriving at Arches, we will be treated to thousands of sandstone arches scattered throughout the park. Starting at the back and working forward, we have all day to explore until the sun sets. 

Day 7 (Canyons of the Ancients/Cortez):
Utah’s “Big 5” parks each have their own unique features. Driving north from Monument Valley, we will stop at the giant Wilson Arch (seen on Utah license plates) for a stretch of the legs. Arriving at Arches, we will be treated to thousands of sandstone arches scattered throughout the park. Starting at the back and working forward, we have all day to explore until the sun sets. 

Day 8 (Mesa Verde):
Utah’s “Big 5” parks each have their own unique features. Driving north from Monument Valley, we will stop at the giant Wilson Arch (seen on Utah license plates) for a stretch of the legs. Arriving at Arches, we will be treated to thousands of sandstone arches scattered throughout the park. Starting at the back and working forward, we have all day to explore until the sun sets. 

Day 9 (Shiprock/Canyon de Chelly):
We will spend today in Navajo Nation, visiting two of my personal favorite places in the entire country. Navajo Nation is sovereign soil, under the jurisdiction of Navajo police. While we always practice “leave no trace” principles, this is not the time to do something stupid. Think of it as if you were visiting an international country.

Day 10-11 (Monument Valley):
We will spend today in Navajo Nation, visiting two of my personal favorite places in the entire country. Navajo Nation is sovereign soil, under the jurisdiction of Navajo police. While we always practice “leave no trace” principles, this is not the time to do something stupid. Think of it as if you were visiting an international country.

The parks themselves are home to some of the largest, highest concentration of sandstone buttes in the world. Formed over thousands of years of a “flood/freeze/melt/dry/repeat” process, this unique landscape has served as a background for numerous westerns, HBO’s West World, and the famous location where Forest Gump stops running. We will visit “Forest Gump Point” to recreate the photo. Canyon de Chelly will serve as a continuation of Monument Valley, with fewer but often times more dramatic sandstone peaks.

Day 12 (Page/Horseshoe Bend/Antelope Canyon):
Today is all about the grandeur of mother nature, as shown by the Colorado River. Starting in Page, we will visit Horseshoe Bend (less than an hour) and take a tour of Antelope Canyon. Tours are mandatory, but do very much provide a great deal of additional detail regarding the formation of the slot canyons.

Day 13 (Marble Canyon/Vermillion Cliffs):
Today is all about the grandeur of mother nature, as shown by the Colorado River. Starting in Page, we will visit Horseshoe Bend (less than an hour) and take a tour of Antelope Canyon. Tours are mandatory, but do very much provide a great deal of additional detail regarding the formation of the slot canyons.

Day 14 (Grand Canyon North Rim):
Today is all about the grandeur of mother nature, as shown by the Colorado River. Starting in Page, we will visit Horseshoe Bend (less than an hour) and take a tour of Antelope Canyon. Tours are mandatory, but do very much provide a great deal of additional detail regarding the formation of the slot canyons.

From Page, we will take a short drive to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The North Rim is typically less visited than the South Rim, though only due to simplicity of access, not quality of views. We will tour the highlights from “Roosevelt Point” to a lunch at the North Rim Lodge. That afternoon we can hike down into the canyon, but remember: “Down if Optional, Up is Mandatory”.

If we have a particularly motivated group, I have completed a Rim 2 Rim hike (approximately 22 miles and 3000 feet down/up). I did it in one go, which was not pleasant. While hiking to the bottom of the canyon and seeing the Colorado River is well worth the experience, I would suggest that it is done over the course of, at a minimum, two days. It’s amazing what happens when you leave something alone for a couple millennia.

I’m usually not one for man-made objects, but the Hoover Dam is one where you say, “Ok, that’s pretty impressive”. Just south east of Vegas, we will explore this dam holding back Lake Mead/the Colorado River, and providing water to most of Nevada/Southern California.

Finally, we will check into a hotel near the airport, clean up, and cap the trip with a nice group dinner. While Vegas can provide any type of dining that groups could desire, specific requests must be discussed ahead of time due to 1) reservations and 2) dress code planning. After dinner, I will wish you the best and leave your group to travel to the airport the next day. 

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