Hiking Utah’s National Parks

Uncover the rugged beauty and rich Indigenous history of Utah – a vast state with some of the USA’s most famous national parks. On this nine-day hiking trip, you’ll get to see their many highlights with an expert guide. Leave Las Vegas behind to marvel at Zion National Park, explore Monument Valley with a specialist Navajo guide, see the inspiring scenery of Moab and explore the spires of Bryce Canyon National Park – the land of the Navajo people. Catch the sunset in Arches National Park and head to the Island in the Sky in Canyonlands National Park before your last hike to Horseshoe Bend.

Itinerary

Day 1: Las Vegas

Welcome to Las Vegas, Nevada! This glitzy city might be known for its casinos, but there’s plenty more to discover in this neon metropolis. Your trip starts at 6 pm tonight with a welcome meeting. After, why not join your fellow travellers for an optional dinner and indulge in some nightlife?  Maybe wander along the famous strip, past impersonators, billboards and hotels to the choreographed Bellagio Fountain show. Hit the chain stores or lose all sense of time exploring the gaudy interiors of hotels like The Venetian, Caesars Palace and New York-New York.

Day 2: Zion National Park

Be up bright and early this morning for the drive to Zion National Park. Arrive in Springdale, your base for the next two nights, check into your accommodation, then head to the park for your first hike – the famous Virgin River Narrows. Begin with a stroll down the paved River Trail, buttressed by water on our left and a 3,000-foot cliff face on the right. After walking along hanging gardens and under the dappled shade of cottonwoods, the sidewalk ends and you will enter the river. Hiking in moving water can be a new and exciting experience so you’ll have time to get your ‘stream legs’ before walking another 1.5 miles upriver to the turnaround point at Orderville Canyon. Before heading back downstream, get a few more photos of the Narrows’ beauty. Tonight we'll head out on an included group dinner at a local restaurant in Springdale.

Day 3: Zion National Park

Today after breakfast, head out nice and early for another hike in Zion National Park. You’ll be heading out on the West Rim trail to Scout Lookout. This is a steep hike, but don’t worry, we'll take plenty of breaks. Anyone in good physical condition can make this trek! You'll cross the Virgin River, enter Refrigerator Canyon and ascend up Walter’s Wiggles, before being rewarded with stunning views of Zion Canyon's 270-million-year-old rock layers. Then, head back to your hotel and rest any weary legs.

Day 4: Bryce Canyon National Park

After breakfast this morning, drive to Bryce Canyon National Park, where wind and water erosion have formed the park's crimson hoodoos – uniquely shaped rock spires rising out of the desert. The park’s main road leads past the expansive Bryce Amphitheatre – a hoodoo-filled depression below the Rim Trail hiking path. It overlooks Sunrise Point, Sunset Point, Inspiration Point and Bryce Point. After checking into your accommodation, you’ll hike the iconic Navajo Loop Trail, which begins and ends at Sunset Point. Travelling by switchbacks between narrow walls of colourful limestone with views of towering Douglas-fir trees, this trail takes you to the park's most famous hoodoo – Thor's Hammer. This trail has two sides, Two Bridges and Wall Street, so the trip out and back is different, with unique scenery on each side of the loop.

Day 5: Moab

After breakfast today, you’ll hit the road for Moab. On the way, stop in Capitol Reef National Park to explore the historic orchards of the park’s Fruita district. Then go way, way back in history as you wander along boardwalks to see petroglyphs left by the ancient Fremont Culture, who lived in the park from 300 – 1300 AD. Continue on to your accommodation in Moab, and enjoy a free evening to rest and recharge.

Day 6: Moab

Today you’ll head to Canyonlands National Park and head out on the Island in the Sky hike – resting on sheer sandstone cliffs, the Island in the Sky lookout point, Grandview Point Overlook, has spectacular sweeping views of the park. Take in the landscape below of the canyons and winding streams and then head to Arches National Park – home to more than 2,000 natural stone arches, rock formations and giant, balancing rocks. Head out on a sunset hike to visit the Delicate Arch – a stone icon of the park that has become the unofficial symbol of the State of Utah! Along this trail, you’ll see the Wolfe Ranch cabin and Ute Indian petroglyphs, too. Watch the landscape change colours as you enjoy a picnic dinner, then head back to your hotel in Moab.

Day 7: Bluff

Travel south to Bluff, stopping for a very special experience along the way – a guided hike with an expert Navajo guide in Bears Ears National Monument. Explore the beautiful country filled with abundant native plants, animals, incredible geologic features and archaeology and learn some of the fascinating Indigenous stories and history of the area.

Day 8: Page

This morning after breakfast, head to Monument Valley, where a Navajo leader – one of the Keepers of Monument Valley – will take you around their lands on a hike off the beaten track. Learn about the history of the ancestral Puebloans as you take in the beauty of Monument Valley’s famous arches and learn about the history and culture of the Navajo peoples. For lunch, you’ll enjoy a picnic with your group. Tonight is the last night of your trip, so you might like to head out and celebrate your incredible Utah adventure with a night out with your group.

Day 9: Las Vegas

Today after breakfast, head back to Las Vegas. On the way, you have an option to book a visit to Antelope Canyon, before stopping for one last hike at Horseshoe Bend in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. This horseshoe-shaped incised meander of the Colorado River is the perfect place to wrap up your trip. There will be unlimited options for incredible photos, so make sure you squeeze the most out of every last moment. Arrive in Las Vegas at around 5 pm, where your trip will come to an end. If you’d like to stay in Las Vegas for longer, just speak to your booking agent.

Departure Dates