2 weeks road trip in Utah/Arizona (july)

bucephale,
From Southern Calif. we have often visited the national parks and areas you want to see. There is no one place to base yourself for them all. I don't have any specific recommendations to make, but plan on staying at more than one location. (Not one for each park, but definitely more than one for all of them.) Bryce Canyon NP is also beautiful. If you check a map, driving from Las Vegas you go in a "line" from Zion, to Bryce, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, then Arches. Monument Valley/Four Corners would come after them. And nearby is Mesa Verde National Monument (amazing cliff dwellings!) The Grand Canyon could preceed or follow the big fve in Utah and Monument Valley. Check your distances from place to place before you try to do all of these within two weeks. With almost three weeks, you could do them all. And I might recommend, if there is time, from Monument Valley/Four Corners, the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. Then the Grand Canyon. Also, if time, the Grand Canyon Caverns and Meteor Crater, both in Ariz., are west of the Grand Canyon. They can both be done on the same day. Also, when leaving Las Vegas, I think you may be able to drive through the Valley of Fire State Park in Nv. on your way to Zion. (Do you see the "loop" here?) So much to see and do! You will have to pick and choose, probably. I highly recommend getting a paper map, spread it out, then plan. (I have left out some other great places in the four states that are part of the Four Corners, but this is a good start.)
Some of the drives are not freeway speed drives, so give yourself plenty of time to enjoy the striking southwest scenery.
We always get a map at AAA and plot out our stops, then search places to stay at Booking.com. Ideally, you would see all of these places on two different trips, or more, so as to be able to spend more time at each location.

In 2018 we based ourselves in Moab (Red Cliffs Lodge) and went to Arches, Canyonlands, and Bears Ears.

Judy: Many thanks for that answer !
I was not looking for a place from where to go but was looking for the best sport for each of the parks. It;s a lot of National parks in three weeks. Are each one different enough or they are more or less the same (canyons and red rocks) ?

I know sumemr will be hot, but is it crazy to do it anyways ? I'm a teacher and our kids are in school so we dont have to choice to travel in summer.

Moab is your best bet for lodging near Arches and Canyonlands. Springdale is best for Zion, there are some options on the Eastern side of Zion. Don't miss Bryce it is beautiful and will be a respite from the heat @8000 ft, 2500 m. Hwy 12 from Capitol Reef down to Bryce is not to be missed, Calf Creek Falls is an easy day hike. Torrey Escalante and Boulder are nice small towns that have some lodging. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is closest to Zion. Don't overlook smaller Utah state parks. Monument Valley is a long way from anywhere, beautiful though. Lots of info on the web. Brad

Arches and Canyonlands are best visited from Moab. There are lots of hotels in the town, Many with swimming pools. We stated at the Best Western Canyonlands last time, in a big suite (a free upgrade) that would accommodate your family very well. But I see the Gonzo Inn has a larger pool, and we might try that next time.

Hint: I use Google maps satellite view to check out features like pool size, trees or gardens on the property, etc.

For Zion, we find the best place to stay in in the town of Springdale, right at the entrance gate. There is a nice national parks lodge inside the park, but it is likely full, and they do not have a pool.

We like the Desert Pearl, but if that is above your budget, there are the usual chain hotels like Springhill Suites, Hampton Inn, and Holiday Inn Express, all with pools, and the newly-renovated Lodge at Zion Country which is new to me.

for Grand Canyon South Rim, I highly recommend staying inside the park. There are four lodges lined up right on the rim of the canyon—-walk out the door and you are there. These range in price from the budget Bright Angel Lodge (which to my recollection has no rooms to accommodate a family of 4) to the pricy El Tovar, with the motel-like Thunderbird and Kachina Lodges in between. These latter 2 have rooms with 2 queen beds to sleep 4 but do not allow an extra bed. Maswik Lodge is an additional lodge back from the rim, which often has rooms when the rim lodges are booked. I believe they will allow a rollaway in a 2-queen room if you need separate beds for the teens.

Book these on the official website:

https://www.grandcanyonlodges.com/

Your best option might be Yavapai Lodge, which is run by another company. They have tru “family rooms” with a queen bed and a set of bunks. Book on their website:

https://www.visitgrandcanyon.com/stay/lodging/yavapai-lodge/

Capitol Reef is tough; we have not stayed in anyplace I would recommend there. But we have avoided the high-end lodges there, and perhaps one of those will suit. It is a beautiful park, less crowded than the others.

None of these lodges inside the park offer pools, but with the elevation at the rim being 7000 feet it is not nearly as hot as the other parks. However, if a pool is a “must”, then look in the town of Tusayan outside the park entrance.

I forgot to mention the Grand Canyon North Rim. We much actually prefer it to the South Rim—-it is higher (9000 feet) and therefore cooler, and less crowded than the more popular South Rim. There is only one lodge there, the eponymous Grand Canyon Lodge, with sits right ON the rim—-from the patio you con look over the edge right into the canyon.

This is usually booked up, but I was surprised to see cabins available on a couple of random dates in July. So have a look on their official website:

https://www.grandcanyonnorth.com/

I suggest you look here before trying the South Rim. There is a spectacular viewpoint a short walk from the lodge (Bright Angel Point), and lovely trains along the side canyon known as the Transept, where you will often see deer. And if the kids are interested in a mule ride, I recommend the North Rim over the South. The forest rides are n;ice and cool, and you also have the option of a short ride down into the canyon itself.

https://canyonrides.com/grand-canyon-mule-ride/

I did not see Brad’s post as I was writing but there is great information there.

If you are concerned about duplication and Red Rock overload (which is a valid concern), you might consider eliminating Arches and Canyonlands, and heading south on on Highway 12 to Boulder and Escalante instead. Call creek Falls is a great suggestion for a nice little hike with a reward at the end (swimming). It is along drive up to Moab and visiting Arches and Canyonlands each involve more driving around, in areas with little shade.

In addition, you need a timed entry permit to visit Arches. July permits were released April 1 and may well be all gone.

https://www.nps.gov/arch/planyourvisit/timed-entry-reservation.htm

Zion and the North Rim pair well with each other and each offers a great experience. At Zion, be sure and do the hike in the river into the Narrows, what is known as the “bottom up” hike which does not require a permit. You do need to check with the rangers to make sure the conditions are right as the area is prone to flash flooding when tit has been raining in the area. Visit the Zion Adventure company in Springdale for information and to rent water shoes. This hike in the water is great fun all ages. It is likely to be crowded so get an early start if you can.

https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/thenarrows.htm

https://www.zionadventures.com/the-zion-narrows.html

Here is more general information on Zion—which fortunately for you does not require an entry permit. Those are required for Angel’s Landing, but I would advise against that in any case. Scroll down for more ideas on what to see and do in Zion:

https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/permitsandreservations.htm

Just a thought, but maybe consider flying into LV, picking up your car there, touring the parks in Utah and Arizona that you've mentioned, and then if you have the option of extending a bit include one or two parks in Colorado ... eventually flying home out of Denver.
Rocky Mountain NP is one of true jewels of our National Park system - it would be a shame to miss it if you could manage to work it in. There are a few others you could consider as enroute stops along the way that would still make it a manageable trip.
All of the places you've mentioned will be hot - in some cases punishingly so. Daytime highs in Zion in July can typically exceed 100 degrees. Thing is, they're all high altitude destinations which means that temps will go down in a hurry once the sun goes away. Getting an early start (am talking close to the crack of dawn here) will be one strategy to beat the heat - do your hikes in the morning, and then retreat to the hotel pool in the afternoon.
Buying an annual US National Parks Pass will save you a lot of money I think.

I can't recommend Zion anymore. too crowded and you can only get around by bus. Arches is great but you really need to walk/hike, and it's beastly hot in July/August. I cannot say it enough, carry a lot of water.

Hi, you are rather late on planning this. We leave in 2 weeks for all of the national parks in Utah, but I reserved lodging last August because I knew we wanted to stay in the park lodges. For Capital Reef we are staying 2 nights at an Airbnb. For Canyonlands and Arches we are staying 3 nights in Moab at Moab Springs. I am happy to share my detailed itinerary if you PM me. I have done a lot of research. We are also taking our young adult kid and teenager, but plan on just one hotel room, which will be a challenge for us. Best of luck!

This looks like a great trip, though it will be hot in July. It's very late to find rooms in the lodges within Zion, Bryce, and Grand Canyon, but you might check periodically for cancellations. They make up for the lack of pools with superb surroundings and proximity to the trails and other sights. The north rim of the Grand Canyon would be a better choice than the south rim, because of altitude and less crowding, as noted above.

Springdale, Utah has lots of motels if you can't get into Zion Lodge. Ruby's Inn is just outside the entrance to Bryce, if its lodge isn't available. We like Torrey, outside of Capitol Reef, very much, have stayed in several places there. Moab is the base for Arches and Canyonlands, with many accommodations, though it will be very busy and crowded. For Monument Valley you could stay in Bluff, Utah, or at Goulding's right outside the tribal park entrance. Jacob Lake AZ is the nearest town to the north rim, if you can't get into the lodge on the rim.

You could "do" all those parks in two weeks, but you'd spend a lot of time driving and less time enjoying them. If you can push it to 18-20 days, rather than going farther, give more time to the parks that interest you most. And, by the way, they are all quite different -- it's amazing how many variations red rocks can have!

Just a head's up....in case you want to see about the availability of in park lodging in any of your destinations. Be SURE to use only the authorized concessioner to book. Lola gave you the link to the Grand Canyon one but there is also lodging at Zion - the others' you'd stay in gateway towns.

There are 2 "looks official" websites that are 3rd party bookers who charge a 10% booking fee and have terrible cancellation policies.

To find the official concessioners for any US National Park, go to it's official website at www.nps.gov/ find your park and then look under Plan Your Visit/eating sleeping. For Zion it's www.nps.gov/zion

BTW, even though many parks book out a year ahead, over the weekend I picked up 2 nights in my favorite Yellowstone lodging for June. I'd been looking and often there are cancellations right at the 30 day mark.

Here is a link to the information about the timed entry reservations for Arches. None needed for Canyonlands. Zion or Capitol Reef

https://www.nps.gov/arch/planyourvisit/timed-entry-pilot.htm

To follow up on the mention of water above: Stash some 5-gallon bottles of water to have in the car. And I'd recommend buying a good-sized cooler at the beginning of the trip so you can keep some cold beverages available at all times. Maybe also fruit and yogurt.

And don't forget the sunscreen.

I would suggest that you consider visiting Lower Antelope Canyon, which would be a great stop on the way from the Grand Canyon to Zion and Bryce. The views are breathtaking and it is truly magical. It is on a Navajo Reservation, so you must make a reservation for their guides. We used "Dixie's" and the young Navajo woman who guided us was terrific. https://www.antelopelowercanyon.com/ Bryce Canyon is one of my favorite national parks with its gorgeous hoodoos. Many of the trails in Zion were closed during our visit due to the aftermath of torrential rains, so I can' speak to much of the park. We stayed in Moab for our visit to Arches and Canyonlands. I was able to snag a deal for a great stay at the Fairfield Inn and Suites and I believe they have a pool. We reserved tickets for several days at Arches, since they are only $2, but you need to do that as soon as you have dates determined, as they will sell out. There is a great food truck in Moab, called Quesadilla Mobilla; hands down the absolute best quesadilla you will ever eat. They are large enough to share. For our time in Arches & Canyonlands, we packed lunch in a small, soft sided cooler. You can order delicious sandwiches the night before from Sweet Cravings, and they will have it ready for pick up early in the morning. https://www.cravemoab.com/ We had a small Blue Ice pack for the cooler, and the hotel kept it in their freezer for us. If you decide to do the hike to Delicate Arch, then do that as early as possible in the morning, as there is absolutely NO shade. But we found the hike to be totally worth it. Capitol Reef is our least favorite of the Mighty Five Parks in Utah, so if time required that I skip a park, that would be the one. On our trip, we drove a big loop from Las Vegas, so on our return to Vegas, we stopped at the Valley of Fire State Park to see the petroglyphs. Have an amazing trip!

For Bryce we stayed in the town of Tropic. Consider also visiting Kodachrome Basin State Park which is clise to Tropic.

If your route takes you anywhere near Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, visit it.

Many thanks for all those very helpful answers ! They really help us to make some plans.

We would have 17 nights for that trip.

What about that loop?
Las Vegas for 2 nights
Tusayan or Flagstaff (stop Hoover dam)
Monument Valley
Mésa Verde + Durango
Moab
Torrey for Bryce canyon
Zion
Return car to Las Vegas

Anything that we should drop/add ?

Consider renting a sprinter camper van. This will make it easy to move from one park to another. You’ll have your transportation- accommodation and meals in one place which saves a heap of money!

But then they would need campsite reservations, which are not easy to get for the national parks.

bucephale,
Your loop sounds good and practical. I concur with difficulty finding campsite reservations. Suggestions regarding heat, water, shade (or lack of) are important. Pay heed. And have a great time! The Southwest is filled with magnificent places of beauty!

Your revised loop looks pretty good to me too.
My only suggestion would be to skip Durango - nice enough but not worth the detour IMO.
Time and interest permitting you might want to check out the drive along Utah Route 12 - it's one of America's great scenic drives and, sadly, one that not many people are aware of ... higher priorities for most travelers I guess. I would, quite frankly, sacrifice the day at Mesa Verde in favor of carving out extra time just to do the drive - it really is terrific. One particular little gem off Rte. 12 is Kodachrome Basin State Park.

Don't stay in Flagstaff for visiting the Grand Canyon. It's an hour and a half drive just to the entrance of the park, and you really should be there for either sunrise or sunset. Don't try to make that drive in the dark either; animals on the roads are a very real thing in the West.

My husband and I just spent two weeks doing this trip. We drove from Texas so went Albuquerque (to sleep), then Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, Capital Reef, Canyonlands, and then Grand Junction to visit relatives.

We stayed in the park at Monument Valley in a cabin and had a great view. We took a Jeep tour in the morning with Dinah Bekeyah Tours and would highly recommend! The Navajo guide was so interesting and made the whole experience more than just looking at beautiful scenery.

We stayed in Grand Canyon Village and really loved that we could just walk out the door and walk along the rim for both sunrise and sunset. We rented ebikes at the Grand Canyon (we are NOT bikers) and it was the highlight of our trip. Got away from the crowds, could stop at any time, and was just a great experience.

We also rented them at Zion but while still fun, it wasn't quite as good for biking. We stayed at the Driftwood Lodge in Springdale and it was great. We had an exceptionally nice room facing the back on the first floor - we had a patio with a view that was beautiful. We also enjoyed a restaurant in town - Bit & Spur. Nice outdoor patio and really excellent southwestern food. We went both nights!

Stayed at Ruby's Inn right outside Bryce. Absolutely nothing special but not a lot of choices nearby.

Stayed at Capital Reef Resort in Torrey. Had a nice view out the back balcony - make sure you get a room on second floor or foot traffic uses your "patio". They had Llama rides and horseback rides - we didn't do either.

I was especially fascinated with Navajo culture and history. We stopped at several interesting museums worth a visit if you are passing by - the Navajo Code Talkers Museum in Gallup AZ, the Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock AZ, and the Red Pueblo Museum and Heritage Park in Fredonia AZ.

Have a great trip!