The Best 7-Day Road Trip Itinerary Through Utah

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This might be the post I’m most excited to write thus far. I had done hours of research and still had no idea what to expect out of our 7-day road trip through Utah. I knew I was going to come back with tons of advice for other travelers, but even more incredible memories.

Being from Boston and having limited amount of vacation days, we of course needed to fly out to the west coast. We chose Vegas as our starting point and from there we planned to travel throughout the Southern tip of Utah into Colorado to reach our destination, Denver.

Then we had two choices – we could get a rental car and airbnb’s/hotels OR we could rent a campervan and live out of that. Realistically, we wanted a totally new experience which would be living out of a van, but cost wise, did it make sense? So I turned to the handy dandy excel spreadsheet and started looking into what each would cost and below is what I got.

So for an extra $165, we could have an experience we’ve never had before and also have the flexibility to change our itinerary as we go. While I am a HUGE fan of Airbnb, in traveling situations like this one, you don’t have the freedom to adjust because you already have the home booked. That’s why we made the decision with going with the campervan.

Escape Campervans

There are quite a few companies that have campervans throughout the US. We looked into a few, but after finding out about Escape Campervans from a friend, we decided to move forward with them. We had absolutely zero regrets. They not only have promotions going on often (we got $200 off ours & if you’re a repeat user, they offer a discount there too), their customer service was unreal. They have a few versions of their vans and accessories that you can add on. Ours was named Riva – a beautifully painted van with a dining room/bed and a small kitchen in the back. Everything we truly needed.

The kitchen had a sink, a solar powered mini fridge (that can actually hold a good amount) and a propane stove. We bought about $180 worth of groceries that lasted us the entire trip. You guys, that’s about $5 a meal per person. Talk about saving some serious money…

If you’re interested in Escape Campervans, check out my blog post here to read about my experience!

Alright, let’s now get into the itinerary of a 7-day Utah road trip.

Day 1: Drive from Las Vegas to Zion National Park

The pick up time to get your Escape Campervan is around 1pm. However, I was anxious and called that morning to see if there was any way we could pick it up earlier. We got lucky and were able to start our haul at noon. The check in process was pretty simple – just signed a few papers, went over rules then toured the van and we were off. We went straight to the grocery store – there was a Wholefoods just a few miles away. We ended up spending about $180 on groceries. This was our plan:

  • Breakfast: Yogurts (4), Avocado toast with a fried egg (had this every day)
  • Lunch: Peanut butter and jelly (or banana) sandwiches, protein bars
  • Dinner: Chicken salad, pasta, fruit, applesauce

Recommendation: buy what you need once you get your van. Escape Campervans often has leftover stuff such as toilet paper, wipes, salt/pepper, etc. from the previous drivers. Then you can get what you need after you see what they already have.

Getting to Zion

Once we were all stocked up, we got on the road to head to Zion. We wanted to drive through the Valley of Fire, so we put that into our google maps and headed that way. There is a different path that brings you through without going on I-70 – I recommend going that way as I believe it is more scenic. Valley of Fire was a quick hit for us. It was the middle of the day in August heat so we drove through, saw some mountain goats, took some beautiful rock pictures, and kept going.

About 2 1/2 hours later, we got to Zion. We bought the National Parks Pass at the gate ($80), which ended up being a huge saving for us. We went straight into the park to go to Canyon Overlook Trail for sunset. For such an easy hike, it had an unreal view.

7-day road trip through Utah, Zion National Park Overlook Trail

Then it was off to find our camping spot for the night. We had heard from multiple people that it’s simple to find free camping in Utah. To be honest, if I hadn’t done my research, I don’t think it would have been as simple as it seemed. Planning a road trip ended up being difficult because there weren’t many resources on how to boondock camp. I did end up finding my saving grace with a website called freecampsites.net. It is a very easy way to find free campsites and each one has reviews and pictures from others who have stayed there. In Zion, I found one on Sheep Bridge Road just 20 minutes away.

Unfortunately, the beauty of camping came to a complete halt on our very first night. As we were driving down the dirt road, we heard a burst of air coming from outside. Ah yes, then our low tire light came on and the heart started pounding. We quickly pulled off to the side of the road but were lucky enough to be in a beautiful area. We decided to call it a night and deal with our flat in the morning. I do want to note that Escape Campervans were extremely helpful as they got us in at a body shop just down the street. We got up, (Tom) changed the tire, got a new spare then were off to Zion.

7-day road trip through Utah with Escape Campervan in Zion National Park, Utah

Day 2: Hike at Zion National Park

Our original plan was to hike Angels Landing. Since it was closed, we decided to hike Observation Point which had a very similar view. Because of our flat tire, we couldn’t get on the mountain until about 1pm – which of course in August – is the hottest time of the day. We brought what we thought was a ton of water, but note that you are going to need more than 5 liters to trek this 8-mile hike in the 95 degree heat in the summer. Be well stocked with water and food!

7-day road trip through Utah, Observation Point, Zion National Park, Utah

There are several hikes at Zion that I wish we would have done – Angel’s Landing, the Narrows, Watchman trail – but with the heat, we had to move on to the next spot (especially since we were sleeping pretty much outside). So we decided to drive straight to Bryce, which is about 2 hours away from Zion. We found a free campsite at the very beginning of Bryce Canyon which was incredible! There were multiple camping spots – big and small – that were in fact free. The weather is literally perfect in the town Bryce is in, so we got a great sleep and were ready to attack the day.

Day 3: Bryce Canyon National Park

We woke up around 7AM, cleaned our camper, made some breakfast, then headed into Bryce around 8:30AM. Bryce has a bunch of trails that connect to one another and very easy to navigate. The hikes we did were:

  • The Navajo Trail
  • Which led to Peek-a-boo trail
  • Went up to Bryce Point
  • Then hiked back
7-day road trip through Utah, Bryce National Park, Kels Converse
7-day road trip through Utah, Bryce National Park, Utah

In total all of these hikes added up to be about 5 miles. Very doable! We wanted some relaxation time so we decided to head back to the campsite and read, nap and cook some dinner before sunset. It was a perfect day to unwind.

Day 4: Arches National Park

We woke up around 5:45AM because we wanted to make sure we saw the sunrise at sunrise point. It was absolutely beautiful and very cool to see the sun peak up over the mountains. Then it was off to our next stop: Arches National Park. If there is some time, I  would recommend also stopping in Canyonlands and Capitol Reef National Park. However, because of the heat, we decided to skip these and just do the Arches for the day.

Since we left Bryce around 8AM, we didn’t get to the Arches until around noon. The Arches National Park is amazing. The road is extremely long with tons of pit stops with the different arches and hikes all along it. Below are the ones we were able to get to in just the day.

North Window / South Window / Double Arch / Balanced Rock (all in same area)

7-day road trip through Utah, Arches National Park, Moab Utah

Devils Garden (where most of our day was spent).

Tip: my friend recommended me to head to the left first towards landscape arch and then continue clockwise around. I second this recommendation!

7-day road trip through Utah, Devil's Garden, Arches National Park, Moab Utah

Skyline Arch

Tip: looking at the arch, you don’t know if you can get on it or not. I’m not sure if this is allowed, but I saw two men on it and got confused on how! We walked all the way around to the very back to get to the other side and there was a simple way to get onto the arch for the image you see below.

7-day road trip through Utah, Skyline Arch, Arches National Park, Moab Utah

Delicate Arch

Unfortunately we didn’t do the hike, which I regret! However, we did go to the viewpoint where we could see the arch from afar for sunset.

We fit a lot into one day, but once again, the heat got the best of us and we had to tailor our itinerary to that. So we watched sunset at delicate arch viewpoint, ate a quick chicken salad sandwich, and headed on our 3 hour drive to Telluride.

Free camping in Telluride: Our free camping spot was State Highway 145 – GPS: 38.027816, -108.091237 OR the other one that had amazing reviews is Last Dollar Road GPS: 38.004718, -107.950721. However, State Highway is extremely convenient, right on the river, and just 20 minutes from town.

Day 5: Exploring Telluride

We heard incredible things about Telluride, so we were excited to have a few days to spend there. We went straight into town, parked the van and walked into the visitor center. There were a few younger people working there that grew up in Telluride, so we knew we were going to get the best information.

Here are a few things they told us that were helpful.

  • There are free parking lots on West Pacific Street
  • There is a free gondola ride that will take you from Telluride into Mountain Village – which is a newer park of the town with shops and restaurants
  • Best coffee shop in town – Ghost Town
  • There is public showers at the state park
  • Since we only had two days – he recommended us two hikes
    • Bear Creek Falls – easy 3-mile roundtrip
    • Blue Lake – moderate 8-mile roundtrip (but actually hard)
    • Tip: For other hikes in Telluride you can visit the link here or download the app AllTrails. The app has ratings and all about every hike there is.

So naturally we headed to Ghost Town to grab a coffee and they were right. With the hipster and all natural vibe, it was probably some of the best we’ve ever had.

We then decided to spend the day going on the gondola ride, then hike Bear Creek Falls.

Gondola ride – A beautiful ride. You can overlook all of the town and the mountainous view is just jaw dropping. We ended up going all the way down into the Mountain Village and walked around for a few minutes. It is definitely more in the higher class vein with nice restaurants and a rich vibe.

Bear Creek Falls Our next stop of the day. While just a simple hike at about 3-miles roundtrip, this hike was beautiful. At the end you reach a giant waterfall and an incredible view of the mountains. Highly recommend this hike.

7-day road trip through Utah, Bear Creak Falls, Telluride, Kels Converse

The other thing that got us excited was the showers. At this point, our showers had been from these towel wipes we bought. Although they were doing a fabulous job, there’s nothing like feeling completely clean after a nice 5 minute shower (yes that’s what you get with $3).

Last but definitely not least, we decided to treat ourselves and go out to dinner. We wanted to walk until we found something that caught our eye, and Brown Dog Pizza did just that. They’ve won multiple global pizza awards and I now understand why. I highly recommend  getting their Detroit style pizza! So good.

Day 6: Telluride – Blue Lake Hike

Blue Lake was the young gentleman’s favorite hike that we talked to at the Visitor Center. He said it was tough but beautiful, so we decided to make this our last day in town. We got up early, ate breakfast, then drove to the hike.

Note: there is a LONG way up to the actual hike, and unless you have 4 wheel drive, you are walking up it. Since our van already got a flat tire, we decided to walk. After about 5 minutes of walking, we agreed to flag the next person that drives by down and kindly ask them to bring us up. Luckily, 2 minutes later, a truck came up and allowed us to sit in their bed in the back. It saved SO much time, so I highly recommend doing this!

To get to the hike, you have to go through a gate and past Bridal Veil Falls (which is a big white house). The hike itself is beautiful with so many views. It was tough, but we were so excited to get to the top to finally see the Blue Lake. When we passed over the hills to the view, we were pretty bummed. It may have been the time of day we were there, or maybe wasn’t the right season, but it definitely wasn’t as beautiful as it was in the pictures. However, the hike was great and would do it again for that! We ended up getting a ride down the mountain as well. Don’t be afraid to ask people!

7-day road trip through Utah, Blue Lake, Telluride, Colorado
7-day road trip through Utah, Blue Lake hike in Telluride, Colorado

I was contemplating writing about this because it might not be an experience anyone else would have, but I also thought it was good learning and motivation. My boyfriend had a friend in the area that he hadn’t talked to in years. He ended up reaching out and we met up with her and her boyfriend at a roof top and had some drinks. We caught up and talked about their adventures and love for Telluride. It made us fall even more in love with the town. To embrace the local culture, we ended up going with them to their local soccer game. The moral of this story is don’t be afraid to reach out to people even if you haven’t talked to them in years. You never know what you can learn from others – bad or good. In this case, it was one of the best nights of the trip.

Day 7: a long ride to Denver

Day 7 was a Thursday, and we needed to have the van back in Denver by 10am on Friday. With a 6 hour drive, we knew that we needed to make the drive the day before. We arrived at 5pm and decided to crash with a friend for the night.

Now I’ve done “road trips” before, meaning driving through in a car and sleeping in a hotel or Airbnb. This is the first time I’ve truly lived on the road – in a van – and I’d do it a million times over. This was one of the busiest, but on the contrary, most relaxing trips I’ve ever been on. Being outdoors all day, every day cleared my mind and rejuvenated my body. I would highly recommend making a trip like this one to see the beauties of the west coast – except I would do it in the Spring or Fall to avoid the heat!

Overall Tips & Tricks

  • Absolutely buy the National Parks Pass – for $80, you will absolutely get the most out of your money. Some of the parks were around $35 per car, which is a lot. You can buy the pass right at the Zion gate or online.
  • Download the “AllTrails” if you plan to do a lot of hiking.
  • If you have the ability to road trip – do it. It’s a lot of money up front, but it actually will save you in the end.
  • Make a grocery list beforehand. This way, you know exactly what your meals are going to be and so you don’t over/under buy.

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That sounds like an awesome trip. I’m thinking about doing something similar to that in a few months. I was wondering if it was hard to find gas stations? I’ve never tried van camping and I guess I have a fear of running out. Anyway thanks for your article, it has given me some ideas!!

Hi Daniel! Thanks so much for reading! Good question on the gas stations… we didn’t find it too difficult, but just to be safe we just made sure we always had at least a half a tank of gas. It was an absolute blast and I’d highly recommend doing it!

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