American West road trip: our 10-day itinerary, stage by stage

A loop out of Las Vegas, five Utah national parks, Monument Valley and the curves of the Colorado River at Page: in ten days and roughly 1,900 km, this American West road trip packs in the best of the Colorado Plateau without turning your holiday into a rally. We built, drove and fine-tuned this itinerary ourselves: here is the stage-by-stage breakdown, with real distances, the bookings that are decided months in advance, and an honest budget from Luxembourg.

Why this loop rather than another? Because it strings the landscapes together without ever doubling back: the red canyons of Zion, the amphitheatres of Bryce, the solitude of Capitol Reef, the arches of Moab, the buttes of Monument Valley, then Lake Powell before closing the loop in Las Vegas. No driving day exceeds three hours, except the final run back. That leaves time every day to walk, take photographs, and pull over whenever a viewpoint truly deserves it.

The itinerary, day by day

1. Day 1: arrive in Las Vegas, pick up the car, overnight in town to absorb the jet lag.
2. Day 2: Las Vegas to Springdale (260 km, around 2h45), a first taste of Zion in the late afternoon.
3. Day 3: a full day in Zion: the canyon shuttles, The Narrows, or Angels Landing if you have secured the permit.
4. Day 4: Zion to Bryce Canyon via the Mount Carmel tunnel (120 km, 1h45), sunset over the amphitheatre.
5. Day 5: sunrise at Sunrise Point, then Scenic Byway 12 to Torrey via Escalante and Boulder (180 km).
6. Day 6: morning in Capitol Reef (Hickman Bridge, the Fruita orchards), then on to Moab (235 km).
7. Day 7: Arches early in the morning (Delicate Arch, Devils Garden), then Canyonlands and Mesa Arch on the Island in the Sky side.
8. Day 8: Moab to Monument Valley (240 km), Valley Drive at the end of the day, a night facing the buttes.
9. Day 9: sunrise over Monument Valley, drive to Page (200 km): Antelope Canyon then Horseshoe Bend.
10. Day 10: Page to Las Vegas (440 km, around 4h30), return the car, fly home or treat yourselves to a bonus night.

Zion: walking comes before driving

Zion is a park you explore on foot, not through the windscreen: the main canyon is closed to cars for most of the year, and free shuttles serve the trailheads from Springdale. The Narrows, a wade up the river between 300 m walls, remains our favourite hike of the whole trip: hire neoprene boots and a pole in town (around $30), and set off before 9am to avoid the queue at the trailhead.

Bryce and Scenic Byway 12, the stretch we never cut

Bryce Canyon is best lived at dawn: the hoodoos, those chimneys of orange rock, catch fire at sunrise seen from Sunrise or Sunset Point. Then drop into the amphitheatre on the Queen's Garden and Navajo Loop circuit (4.5 km, allow 2 hours): it is down there, among the stone towers, that the park reveals its true scale. What follows is a gift: Scenic Byway 12, a designated All-American Road, snakes across a plateau between Escalante and Boulder. The coffee stop at Kiva Koffeehouse and the ridge-top stretch of the Hogback are reason enough never to "optimise" this segment with a faster road.

Moab: Arches and Canyonlands in a day and a half

Good news for 2026: the timed-entry reservation at Arches, trialled in previous years, is suspended this year. No slot to secure, but the trade-off is clear: aim to enter before 8am or after 3pm, or you will queue at the gate and hunt for a parking space at Delicate Arch. The walk to Utah's emblem arch (5 km there and back, no shade) is best savoured in the late-day sun. The next morning, head for Canyonlands, Island in the Sky district: Mesa Arch at sunrise, then Grand View Point, a balcony 1,800 m above the meanders of the Colorado.

Monument Valley and Page: the bookings that make the trip

Monument Valley sits on Navajo land, and two bookings change everything. The first: a room at The View Hotel or one of its cabins, the only places to stay facing the buttes; book 3 to 4 months ahead, as the rooms with a view go fast. The second: Antelope Canyon, near Page, can only be visited with a Navajo guide, on a slot booked several weeks in advance (expect $90 to $120 depending on the canyon, Upper or Lower). Finish with Horseshoe Bend at sunset: $10 to park, a fifteen-minute walk, and that perfect curve of the Colorado 300 m below.

Real budget and practical details from Luxembourg

• Flights Luxembourg to Las Vegas with one stop: €750 to €950 per person in September-October, booked 4 to 6 months ahead.
• A mid-size car for 10 days, full insurance included: €550 to €700, so around €300 per person for two.
• Accommodation: €90 to €160 for a double room depending on the stage (Springdale and Moab push prices up), around €650 per person for the trip.
• Parks: the America the Beautiful pass at $80 per vehicle; note that from 2026 foreign visitors pay an entry surcharge at the busiest parks, including Zion and Bryce Canyon. Build that extra cost into your budget.
• Fuel, meals, the guided Antelope tour, tips: €600 to €700 per person, with petrol still far cheaper than in Europe.

All in, expect around €2,700 per person from Luxembourg, everything included, based on two travellers. As for timing, September-October remains our choice: the heat is bearable again in Zion and Moab, the light sits low and golden, and the crowds are thinning. One last detail that matters for calls home: Utah is 8 hours behind Luxembourg, while Las Vegas and Page are 9 hours behind, as Arizona does not observe daylight saving time.

“Ten days, five parks, zero backtracking: what makes this loop work is its rhythm, not the length of the list of stops.”

Tempted by this loop, but shaped around your dates, your budget and the way you like to travel? That is exactly what we do: an itinerary built for you, with the critical bookings flagged, and a travel journal you can actually use out there.