Three Weeks on a USA Southwest Road Trip

Utah's canyons

Leaving Las Vegas, the road reaches Zion National Park in under three hours. A park shuttle runs along the main canyon for much of the year, giving access to the Riverside Walk, the Narrows (wading upriver) and the exposed Angels Landing trail, which now requires a permit through a lottery. Bryce Canyon, a short drive north-east, is a high plateau rim above a natural amphitheatre of orange hoodoos; the Navajo Loop and Queens Garden trails drop among them.

Scenic Byway 12 to Moab

The drive from Bryce to Moab follows Scenic Byway 12 and passes through Capitol Reef National Park, one of the most varied drives in the region. Moab is the base for Arches National Park, where the hike to Delicate Arch is the best known walk, and for Canyonlands' Island in the Sky district with its overlooks above the Green and Colorado rivers. Arches has used a timed-entry reservation system in peak season in recent years.

Navajo Nation and the Grand Canyon

Heading south into the Navajo Nation, Monument Valley's sandstone buttes can be seen from a dirt loop road or on a guided tour with a Navajo operator. Page, on Lake Powell, is the base for Horseshoe Bend and for Antelope Canyon, which is visited only on guided tours run by Navajo-authorised companies. The road then follows the Desert View drive into Grand Canyon National Park's South Rim, where rim trail walks and sunrise viewpoints fill two days. The route ends among the red rocks of Sedona, with hiking trails right out of town, two hours from Phoenix airport.

实用说明

Visas: Visa Waiver Program travellers need an approved ESTA before travel; others need a US visa, so check the official source. Transport: A rental car is essential; one-way drop-off from Las Vegas to Phoenix usually costs extra, and distances between fuel stops can be long. Weather: Spring and autumn are the most comfortable; summer brings extreme heat at lower elevations and flash flood risk in slot canyons, while winter can close high roads at Bryce and the Grand Canyon North Rim. Budget: The mid figure assumes two people sharing a car and motel or hotel rooms, park entry fees, a guided Antelope Canyon tour and Monument Valley entry; non-US residents now pay higher national park fees, so check the NPS site. Safety: Heat, dehydration and flash floods are the main risks; carrying ample water and checking ranger forecasts before canyon hikes is standard practice.