Usually, we travel by air but decided to change it up this time and take on a Road Trip adventure! We started our trip by driving from San Diego to Santa Clarita (California) where we picked up all our camping supplies from my boyfriend’s parents house.
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Grand Canyon South Rim
Leaving Santa Clarita we took the 15 freeway down to highway 40 then merged onto highway 64 which lead us to the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.
The entrance fee is $35 to enter the National Park which is about the same for most national parks.
Hiking
We hiked Bright Angel Trail which is 8 miles. I would rank this hike difficult. There are two rest spots, one at the 1.5 mark and a second at the 3.0 mile mark. These rest stops are perfect for a light snack or quick bite to eat. There are many other hiking trails but unfortunately we didn’t have time to go to them. I highly recommended checking out this hike. Don’t forget to stay hydrated and bring lots of water!
Dispersed Camping
We camped in forest service 305 and didn’t have to pay since it’s considered dispersed camping (camping on public land). If you don’t know which areas are best for free camping you can look up the BML lands or dispersed camping online. The spot was pretty secluded in the forest and no wifi service. Great if you’re looking to digitally disconnect.
Grand Staircase Escalante
Back on the road to our next destination, we drove on Cottonwood Road to Escalante. Grand Staircase Escalante is such a beautiful park. It’s one of the best places to get away from civilization and explore nature. There’s a lot of amazing hikes and you don’t need to pay to stay here. Yes, you read that right you can stay there for free which is a huge plus if you are on a budget.
Hiking
Hole-in-the-Rock was a difficult hike but so worth the drive and hike. It took us about 1 hour to hike down. I suggest bringing snacks and lots of water!! The drive to Hole-in-the-Rock hike was about 3 hours and about 2.5 hours to get out back to the main road.
Popular Hikes: Spookie and Peekaboo
Dispersed camping
We drove along Hole-in-the-Rock Road to find our campsite. Site 275 was available thankfully. Another camp spot that is awesome is Ref 65. Really any camping spot along Hole-in-the-Rock Road is great and you won’t be disappointed. I recommend having a four-wheel-drive car to take on this adventure.
Escalante Petrified Forest
Leaving Grand Staircase Escalante to Escalante Petrified Forest, we drove on Cottonwood Canyon Road then merged right onto Freeway 12 which lead us to Petrified Forest. This drive took about an 1.5 hours.
We explored the forest which turned out to be a unique experience. Entrance fee is only $8 dollars. And it’s only a small hike to get to the top of the mountain.
Bryce Canyon National Park
Leaving Escalante Forest we took Freeway 12 until we reached highway 63 which led us to Bryce Canyon National Park. This took about one hour.
Bryce Canyon has an 18 mile drive which is perfect if you want to drive around the park and stop at specific view points. The park fee is $35 but so worth it to see the magnificent views.
Dispersed Camping
We found a beautiful campsite spot right next to a stream. We even spotted a family of deers. This spot is located on East Fork road past the Tropic reservoir (campsite #7) (087). It’s close enough to the road yet secluded from other campers.
Zion natIONAL park
Getting to Zion from Bryce National Park is about 1.5 hours of driving. The best way to go is to take highway 64 then make a left on highway 12 until you get to highway 89. At this point you’ll want to merge left and take highway 9 which leads right into Zion National Park.
Zion is such a beautiful nature reserve. The entrance fee was $35 and valid for 7 days. There’s a lot to explore here.
Hiking Trails
We hiked Zion Narrows Riverside Walk which is 1.9 miles. It’s such an amazing hike. I rank this hike easy. Another trail that is popular but we weren’t able to hike is Angels Landing Trail a 4.4 mile hike. There are so many hikes to check out, you definitely need a couple of days in Zion to check them all out.
Dispersed camping
I highly recommend staying at Smithsonian Butte if you’re looking for a great view. It’s close in distance to Zion National Park. I also suggest having a 4-wheel drive car to get this amazing point. It’s truly is breathtaking, don’t miss out on this. The best part, is we didn’t have to pay for this spot since it’s public land – meaning you can camp here for free.
Salt Lake City
From Zion to Salt Lake City we drove on Highway 9 to Highway 17. Then we took a right on Highway 15 until we got to our destination in Salt Lake City.
HYATT HOUSE SALT LAKE CITY
We decided to get a hotel for a night so we could recoup, have a nice bed to sleep on and also take a shower since we didn’t have that luxury shower regularly while camping. We stayed at Hyatt House Salt Lake City/Downtown. Good service and affordable.
June Lake
Getting to June Lake from Salt Lake City took us roughly 8 hours and 17 minutes. It was quite the drive. We enjoyed fishing and rented a boat while we were out here. It was a relaxing time at the lake before returning home.
DispeRSED Camping
We found a spot to stay along the Owen River Road. There were a lot of dispersed spots in this area. Again we didn’t have to pay or reserve a spot because it was free which is a huge plus.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We had quite the adventure taking on this road trip! We drove so many hours across California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah. If you can, I say do it! But make sure you have all your camp gear ready and with you. Planning out your drive and where to camp ahead of time is key BUT hopefully this travel post helps with that part. Whether it’s a short or long trip, it’s worth road tripping across the states.