Las Vegas to Phoenix: A Four Day Road Trip Itinerary

To celebrate my 30th Birthday, I took a rather exciting trip across to America for two weeks. I have a lot of content to catch you up but I thought I would do a blogpost on the road trip that we did after spending four nights in Las Vegas. The four day trip took us from Las Vegas to Phoenix via Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon. Whilst the typical route from Vegas to Phoenix would take around 5 hours and head south via Kingman, our route takes us north.

I’m going to share our itinerary and details on hotels and routes but it’s definitely a customisable route. In all honesty, 2 or 3 more days would’ve been better but we were limited on time.

DAY ONE: LAS VEGAS TO PAGE

Our road trip started in Las Vegas, after four nights exploring sin city we collected our rental car from Hertz at Harry Reid International Airport. Day one was the longest day of our road trip with the most miles covered.

Valley of Fire State Park

The first stop of the road trip after leaving Las Vegas was the Valley of Fire State Park. At just around an hour’s drive out of the city you will be greeted with red rocks and a soaring heat. It was a $15 entry fee and whilst we didn’t do a big hike we enjoyed the landscapes and stopped off at the visitor centre.

Valley of Fire State Park is a detour off the main route we were taking and adds 1 hour to the route plus the time spent at the state park. As you are leaving Valley of Fire you’ll see the toll entrance to visit Lake Mead which is another destination you could add to the itinerary if you had more time.

Lunch in St.George 

To break up the journey we stopped off on the outskirts of St.George for lunch. There is a mass of chain restaurants along the I-15. We opted for Longhorn Steakhouse as it’s a favourite of Stefan. If we had more time to explore, I’d have certainly done a detour to The Inn at Entrada which is where they filmed the iconic High School Musical 2.

Kanab

We then drove another 90 minutes to Kanab which is actually just in the state of Utah. This stop was by request of my Dad who is a big fan of the Western movies. Kanab has been known as “Little Hollywood’ for its movie making past especially with western movies. I’s  home to the Little Hollywood Museum which housed some old movie sets and lots of souvenirs in the trading post. If you’re hungry their barbecue restaurant smelt heavenly.

We had a little wander around Kanab and had a little look around the shops. Alongside the main street was their version of a walk of fame with western movie stars which have a connection to Kanab. We also stopped by Parry Lodge which is a historic motel where the stars would stay when filming locally. If we had been staying in Kanab, we certainly would have booked here.

Kanab is a great hub if you are visiting the local national parks with Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon on it’s doorstep. As I said before this road trip could’ve certainly been extended and I think this is where we would’ve added another night in.

Sunset at Horseshoe Bend 

Our final stop of the day was Page, Arizona. This is where we were staying but we headed straight to Horseshoe Bend for sunset. Honestly, this was the most breathtaking view. We arrived around half an hour before the sun was due to set and the walk from the car park is around a 15 minute walk (slightly longer on the way back as it’s up hill). The walk is pleasant though, it’s a proper path and mostly flat.

Once we got down to the viewpoint, it was prime time for the sunset. I’ve got to say it was very busy so if you do want the best spot it’s better to get there earlier. Whilst the view was incredible, a lot of people don’t seem to have manners (especially on a cliff’s edge) with  lot’s of pushing and shoving. I do have to say it was completely worth it and the view was insane. Our timing was impeccable in terms of catching the sunset and would very much recommend viewing at sunset. I’m very pleased to have ticked this one off my bucket list.

Spending the night in Page

There is a fair few hotels in Page and it seems a very popular stop off for road trippers. We booked the Motel 6 which was around £60 per room. In hindsight, we should’ve spent a little bit more money. It was very loud and the beds were ever so uncomfortable. However, just down the road was the Gone West restaurant which seemed like a low key place but there was live music in the back. It got quite lively in there and I’d actually recommend – especially on a Friday evening!

Total driving time: 5hr 10mins & 300 miles 

DAY TWO: PAGE TO MONUMENT VALLEY

Walmart in Page

We started day two of our road trip with a little trip to Walmart in Page. This was only across from our hotel and we managed to pick up a fair few snacks and drinks. I’ve got to say the Walmart chocolate chip cookies are life changing. I’ve spent the last week dreaming about them.

Kayenta 

The drive to Kayenta was just over 90 minutes away where we stopped at Burger King. Kayenta is the gateway to Monument Valley and where you will find the nearest hotels and restaurants. You may think that to stop off at Burger King in Kayenta specifically is slightly random but theres method to the madness. The Burger King is actually home to a little Navajo code talker exhibition which makes it very unique. Next door is also another Navajo museum and trading post. From here, it’s another 30 minutes to Monument Valley itself and there’s nothing really in between except stunning scenery.

Forrest Gump Point

We drove slightly past the turning point for Monument Valley and headed towards a place called Mexican Hat. Along this road is known as the Forrest Gump Point. Fans of the movie will recognise this iconic view from the movie which is where Forrest decides to stop running. It’s one of my favourite films so I was over the moon to go here. Be careful though, there’s lots of traffic passing through if you are trying to get a photo on the road.

Monument Valley Tour 

We then turned back on ourselves and went back to Monument Valley and the main visitor centre. Entry into Monument Valley is $8 per day. We were actually staying at The Cabins at The View right overlooking Monument Valley, so we went to check in before going for our 3 Hour Valley Sunset Tour which we had also booked. We had booked our tour via Get Your Guide with the operator Tribal Tours.

The Monument Valley Tour was on the back of those open Jeep style cars and it was one hell of a bumpy ride. It really is one of the most amazing things you can do though. You’ll literally see all of wonderful sights of Monument Valley including John Ford Point, The Three Sisters, Artist’s Point and much more. We also went to an authentic hogan and learnt more about the Navajo way of life. The tour was over three hours long and the sun was setting on the valley as we left. It was a really magical experience.

Following the tour, we had dinner at The View hotel right at Monument Valley. The views were stunning but the food was average at best. You are quite stuck with dinner options out there as there’s only a handful of places to eat out without venturing back towards Kayenta.

The Cabins at The View

As I mentioned we stayed at The Cabins at The View. Situated overlooking Monument Valley, it was a truly special experience. Our cabin could accommodate up to 5 people with a double bed, bunk beds and a sofa bed. The cabin has it’s own balcony overlooking Monument Valley which sure what a treat to wake up to the most incredible sunrise. It’s 100% worth spending a little extra for this experience. I’ll be doing a full review soon on our stay.

Total driving time: 2hr 4mins & 126 miles

DAY THREE: MONUMENT VALLEY TO FLAGSTAFF

Golding’s Lodge

The first stop of the day was to Golding’s Lodge which isn’t too far from the actual Monument Valley Visitor Centre Area. Goulding’s Lodge is the other main place to stay in the immediate area and although it’s set back and over the main road, it still provides visitors with stunning scenery over Monument Valley. Goulding’s Lodge has it’s own museum and trading post which is why we visited. My Dad was very keen to visit the museum as it was all about Harry Goulding and how he essentially brought Hollywood to Monument Valley. He was a key factor in why so many western movies was made in the area. After exploring the museum, trading post and even John Wayne’s cabin it was time to get on the road to our next destination.

The Grand Canyon – South Rim

We drove for around 2 hours 30 minutes (although taking into consideration the time different, we were good for time) and made our way to the South Rim, East Entrance of The Grand Canyon. Stefan hasn’t been to the Grand Canyon before so it was something I really wanted to add into the trip. It was $35 for the entrance fee and randomly the lady serving us had been on holiday to our neck of the woods in Yorkshire!

We stopped off at the first point where we could which was the Desert View Watchtower. This had all sorts of little shops, cafes and of course, our view of the incredible Grand Canyon landscape. It’s so hard to explain that photographs do not do this place justice. The enormity of it all is just insane.

We then drove around and parked at the South Rim Visitor Centre before making our way to Mather Point Amphitheatre and walking round the South Rim. The walk from the Amphitheatre to Bright Angel Lodge took nearly two hours at a slowish pace. We took in the views, took loads of photos, stopped by the Yavapai Geology Museum and grabbed a drink at the El Tovar Hotel. Then we jumped on the free shuttle bus back to the car. I would’ve like to have stayed a little bit longer and visited the Marketplace but the heaven’s opened with the most crazy torrential rain!

Williams on Route 66

After leaving the Grand Canyon, we headed towards Flagstaff which is where we were staying for the night. We made a little impromptu detour to the town of Williams. I’m glad we did as it was pretty cool as it was on Route 66, everything was so retro and Americana. It’s also known as the gateway to the Grand Canyon. Stefan can now say that he’s drove along Route 66 which a fun addition to the road trip.

Flagstaff

Our final stop for the day was Flagstaff. We were staying at the High Country Motor Lodge which was such a gorgeous hotel. It wasn’t expensive at all and just located a 20 minute walk to Downtown Flagstaff (although I’d recommend an Uber for like $5). As it was a Sunday, it was rather quiet around Downtown Flagstaff. Me and Stefan opted to visit Pizzicletta which served the most unreal Neapolitan style pizza and I also tried Mexican coke for the first time! My parents went to an Irish Sports Bar for food and to watch the NFL before heading to the Rendezvous Bar in the Hotel Monte Vista. There wasn’t too much more open to be honest.

Total driving time: 4hr 53mins & 270 miles

DAY FOUR: FLAGSTAFF TO SCOTTSDALE/PHoeNIX

Sedona

Our final day on the road led up to Sedona. We took the N State Route 89A which was ever so scenic going through the forestry and red rocks. Sedona was actually a place I really loved, I’ve never visited before and I would have loved to explore more. We spent most of our time in the Uptown area exploring all the little shops and boutiques. We also got an early lunch at Canyon Breeze which seemed popular with bus trips. Everywhere in Sedona just had the stunning red rocks in the back drop.

As we were leaving Sedona, we actually stopped by the only blue (well, turquoise) McDonald’s in the world. There is five McDonald’s restaurants in the world which do not have the golden arches and the one in Sedona is one of those few. The turquoise arches are supposed to be so the restaurant fits in better with surrounding buildings and not take away from the natural red rock beauty in the area.

Scottsdale

We were flying out of Phoenix and returning the car to Sky Harbour Airport but we actually opted to spend the final sort of 24 hours of our time in Arizona in Scottsdale. We booked the Hotel Adeline which is a true Portfolio Hotel. Again, this was a stunning hotel and not that expensive at all (I think, around £90). I’m going to an in-depth review but I was really happy with this hotel. Once we got settled in Scottsdale, we checked out the Fashion Square Mall before getting ready for the evening.

To watch the sunset we headed to the Outrider Rooftop Lounge on top of the Canopy by Hilton Hotel. Let me tell you the views were incredible. We all know I love a good sunset and this was definitely optimum point for spectating a sunset in Scottsdale. Afterwards, we then went to a place called Belle’s Nashville Kitchen for dinner which served an incredible steak with country tunes in the background. Getting ready for our next destination! We did go to a few bars for drinks, some more welcoming than others but it was pretty lively for a Monday evening.

Stefan & I actually ended up in the ‘secret’ speakeasy bar at our hotel. One of those that require a password which was a very interesting experience with the most delicious cocktails.

Total drive time: 2hr 50mins & 152 miles 

The next day we headed to the airport to our next destination which was Nashville! Stay tuned for more content around the trip as we got up to so much! I don’t think we could’ve fit anything else into the two weeks we had in the US!

I also want to reiterate that the above road trip route is not the most direct route. We tailor made the route to the things we wanted to do and see.

Have you ever been on a road trip? Let me know in the comments what else you’d like to see about my road trip.

XOXO

Read more: Everywhere We Stayed On Our California Road Trip