7 Day Southwest Road-Trip Itinerary: Colorado Utah and Arizona

Hey everyone - This was my first time in any of these states, and I’m sharing some insight from traveling here especially during pandemic times, late march of 2021.

We had two amazing friends who picked us up in their car from Colorado Springs. We drove together the whole trip which saved us the hassle of renting a car. The weather was perfect for hiking at 55F in the mornings, around 70F in afternoon; then it would get very cold at nigh(bring a good jacket!) I’m not sure how I would have survived the hiking in the summer. Also, Covid regulations are def not as strict as NYC so that took some getting used to. My friends were able to get vaccinated in Arizona though as 16 and up are easily able to get appointments. Enough of the logistics, and now onto the itinerary!

Great Sand Dunes National Park

About 1.5 hour drive from Colorado Springs airport, we stopped at the Sand Dunes. It took us 45 painful minutes to climb the sand, but once you reach the top you are able to see just how big and expansive these dunes are with the beautiful Colorado mountains in the background. This was probably the most exhausting hike we did, but so worth it.

Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa Verde is Spanish for Green table, we drove here to see the villages of the ancient tribes who used to live on the cliff. We drove the 30 minute path and stopped along the view points for pictures. It took us about 2 hours. Make sure you have your America the Beautiful pass, so that you can access all the parks for a one time fee of 80$.

Arches National Park

Moab, Utah

We took a 2.5 hour drive to Moab from Mesa Verde. I was very excited about Arches National Park, and apparently so was the rest of America. When we got there, we had to wait in line for 30 minutes to get in. It was very crowded, but there are many hikes you can go on. We chose Balancing Rock(10 mins), Double Arch(30 mins), and Delicate Arch(1.5 hours). We went to Delicate Arch around sunset and it was beautiful. None of these hikes are strenuous, and Delicate Arch has a secret cave look through right before you get to the main view point. Make sure you go in that cave to get the views.

Page, Arizona

This was our biggest drive at 4.5 hours to Page. Page is where everyone stays to access Antelope Canyon and HorseShoe Bend(picture above). It is pretty inexpensive to stay in Page as well! Horseshoe Bend is a must see, it’s a small hike to the canyon, but once you reach it is massive! It is 10 dollars to park so make sure you have cash.

Antelope Canyon

Due to Covid, Tours of lower and upper canyon are closed! But, I was not about to let that stop me from seeing the Canyon. You can rent a Kayak on Lake Powell for $35(rental place here), and paddle your way to a beach on the canyon. From there you can hike into the lower canyon for miles. You will not get the same exact photos that upper and lower canyon tour give you, but it is a really amazing experience. It took 2 of us 1 hour to paddle to the canyon, then we hiked for 2 hours. If you hike for over 20 minutes then the canyons start to turn that pink/sand color and the rocks are smooth. It was the coolest hike i’ve done in the United States. I recommend going EARLY(8AM) on a week day because it is very hard to kayak when motor boats and tour companies are blasting through. I also wish I brought some water shoes, to beach your kayak, it gets very muddy.

on way to get kayak on Lake Powell!

when you beach

Grand Canyon

This was my least favorite destination, but probably something you have to see because of how touristy it is! The reason I didn’t like it is because you have to go really early, before 9 am to get in the south entrance without a huge line. We waited over an hour in line to get to the park and we were staying only 20 minutes away. Once we got there, I recommend if you don’t have a-lot of time, then do Hermits Road. This is a 15 mile scenic route with a hike and shuttle service along the rim of South Canyon. We took the shuttle(had to wait about 20 minutes to get on) to Hopi Point and then walked to the end of the Road which was about 6 miles. Hopi Point is the most scenic place to see the sunset but its also the most crowded. After we reached the end of the trail, we were able to take the shuttle back to our parking spot which was really convenient. Along the hike you are on the rim of the canyon, a forest, and see live animals like mules. Its a nice day hike. We spent 4.5 hours there.

Sedona

I LOVE Sedona! It was such a cool town that looks like Mars. The main thing to do is hike, then in the afternoon there are great restaurants and pools to hang out at. Our favorite hikes were:

Cathedral Rock: This is a challenging, steep, but short climb to an amazing look out. It was my favorite hike of Sedona

lol why did we wear jeans on this hike

Birthing Cave

I didn’t like birthing cave mostly because to get to the “instagram” viewpoint you have to scale these rocks and sit on this small indent in the cave(shown beside). It’s really annoying and not worth it. I liked the hike to birthing cave though, it was very scenic and easy.

Devils Bridge

This is the most popular hike in Sedona, and we waited about 45 minutes for this picture haha. If you go in peak season, you will wait 2 hours. It’s a nice hike, I enjoyed it. I do think there are better hikes in Sedona though. Parking is very hard here so be prepared to park a mile away from your car which will make this a 6 mile hike.

Boynton Canyon Trail

Secret Cave

The best part of this 6 mile trail is definitely the Secret Cave. It is a hidden trail but still popular off of regular trail. The entrance to this trail is about 2.5 miles down the path, then you will see an alligator tree and a sign on the right to go down a path. Definitely keep asking people along the trail for help on how to get there. Once you get to the cave you have to scale the rocks to get to the mouth of the cave, but it is so worth it! There is an area to explore around the caves where it looks like ruins from ancient tribes. We went back down after we saw the cave because it is tiring to get there.

Verde valley wine trail

We were flying out of Phoenix so on our way out of Sedona we stopped at Cottonwood. They have a part of the Verde Valley Wine Trail, which is a street of vineyards who all have special flights and variety of wine to drink. It was really fun, and I was impressed with how affordable and high quality all of the wine was here. I would definitely come back to do the whole wine trail one day!

fINAL THOUGHTS

I loved my first time in the southwest, and I think it is a perfect vacation for this pandemic time.

Restaurants Recs:

Page - Fiesta Mexicana, Bird House

Sedona - Thai Spices(take out and pool situation), Chocolate Tree

Cottonwood - Burning Tree Cellars

Thanks

Megna