BabuSoge

Overview of our trip

Day 1 — We flew from MSP to Las Vegas by Sun Country Airlines and arrived on a >100 F mid-afternoon in Vegas. We grabbed lunch at Pancho’s vegan tacos and went to the Mac King Comedy Club show at Excalibur. We left Vegas around 4:30 p.m. and reached our hotel in St. George, UT around 8 p.m. local time.

Day 2: Angels Landing —Our day kicked off bright and early, with a 4:30 a.m. wake-up call, setting us on course to reach the Zion Visitor Center by 7 a.m., fully equipped for our Angels Landing hike. We hopped onto the shuttle bus, making our way to Stop 6: The Grotto, the starting point for our adventure. The early start proved essential because this trail tends to fill up rapidly, and the blazing sun after 10 a.m. adds an extra layer of challenge to the already demanding trek. We had secured permits for the chains section of the hike back in April.

Upon finishing the hike, we returned to the visitor center, ate our packed cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches, and then joined a super-informative ranger program that shed light on desert bighorn sheep found on the east side of Zion National Park.

We explored the visitor center and bought souvenirs. It’s also a good idea to check out/rent any gear needed for the Zion Narrows hike.

As the day drew to a close, we had an early dinner at Red Fort Indian Cuisine in La Verkin (what better way than to end the day with a buttery garlic naan and curry! ). To recharge for the following day’s hike, we made our way to St. George, where we had accommodations at the Hampton Inn.

Day 3: Zion Narrows— We got to the visitor’s center a bit later, around 8 a.m., and then took a shuttle to the last stop, the Temple of Sinawava. From there, we embarked on the riverwalk trail, which took us to the beginning of the Zion Narrows hike. We hiked until Wall Street, then turned around, retracing our steps back to the shuttle stop and the visitor’s center.

After a quick lunch from our packed supplies, we ventured to the east side of Zion at the Mt. Carmel entrance to catch a glimpse of desert bighorn sheep and enjoyed the scenic Zion Canyon overlook trail. For dinner, we headed to Cedar City, where we ate delicious wood-fired Pizza at Pizza Cart. After dinner, we made our way to Panguitch, Utah, for a comfortable night’s stay. Panguitch has various bed and breakfast accommodations primarily geared towards visitors to Bryce Canyon NP.

Day 4: Bryce Canyon National Park—Our morning at the Panguitch AirBnB began with a delightful complimentary breakfast served by the hosts. Unfortunately, our plans for a sunrise adventure had to be postponed due to thunderstorms and thick fog. We patiently waited until 11 a.m. for the fog to disperse from the Bryce Amphitheatre, passing the time in a cozy coffee shop and watching the Song of Seasons documentary at the visitor center.

Once the weather cleared, we marveled at the stunning hoodoos from various vantage points like Bryce Point, Inspiration Point, Sunrise Point, and Sunset Point. Starting from Sunrise Point, we began our hike along the Queen’s Garden trail. At the end of the trail, instead of retracing our steps, we continued onto the Navajo Trail, eventually returning to Sunset Point via the strenuous Wall Street section.

With the hike behind us, we hit the road and headed to Page, Arizona, where we settled in for the night. Our day concluded with dinner at Fiesta Mexicana in Page.

Day 5: Slot Canyon and Monument Valley— Our day began with a tour of the Upper Antelope Slot Canyon. In this narrow, twisting canyon, the sun’s rays make their way through the narrow slots upon the smooth sandstone walls, creating mesmerizing patterns of light and shadow. It was like stepping into a magical world.

Afterward, we decided to continue our journey by driving to Monument Valley, a place known for its striking mesa and butte formations. We went on the Monument Valley loop drive (a dirt road that requires 4 x 4 when it is muddy and wet from rain), which took us through rough and winding roads. The views were absolutely breathtaking, with these towering rock formations standing tall against the vast desert landscape.

Just as the sun was about to set, an arc of a rainbow appeared in the sky, adding a burst of color to the already stunning desert landscapes. After sunset, we made our way back to Page, Arizona, and ended our day with a hearty dinner at a Mongolian grill.

Day 6: Horseshoe bend and Grand Canyon— Our day began early with a beautiful sunrise at Horseshoe Bend. We stood on the edge of a big, curved canyon with the Colorado River below us, and watched as the sun slowly climbed into the sky, filling everything with warm light.

Next, we hit the road and drove to the Grand Canyon. Once we entered the park via the East entrance, we stopped at different overlooks to take in the breathtaking views. The Grand Canyon is huge and the scale of it is both breathtaking as well as daunting. We reached the visitor center, had lunch, and then walked along the rim trail for some distance. We then took the shuttle to other overlooks. We had some snacks and refreshments from the cafe near Bright Angel Lodge. As the day wore on, we found ourselves at Hopi Point, where we enjoyed a mesmerizing sunset over the Grand Canyon.

After the sunset, we made our way to Flagstaff and settled in for the night. Even though we didn’t do a major hike, this was the day where we walked the most, close to 20000 steps. It was an amazing day filled with natural wonders, from the sunrise to the sunset, we went to bed still dreaming of everything we saw during the day!

Day 7: Souvenirs, Drive back and Fly back home —We didn’t do much on the final day except stop to buy some souvenirs at Flagstaff. We originally planned to stop by Sedona on the way to Phoenix but were much too exhausted for that. We ended up driving to Phoenix, enjoying a delicious vegan lunch at Green New American Restaurant, and got something packed for our dinner as well. We dropped our car off at the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport and boarded our flight back to MSP. Some may also find it convenient to make it a full loop and fly back from Vegas, but Phoenix worked out cheaper overall for us despite the one-way car rental.