Notes From the Road

Part 1: Days 1-3 (Phoenix → Grand Canyon → Zion)

Day 1: Phoenix, Montezuma, Sedona, Grand Canyon

We arrived in Phoenix late the night before the first day of our road trip, where we had already booked our rental car weeks in advance, picked it up at the airport, and rested for the days ahead at our hotel nearby. Our plan was to fly into Phoenix and fly out of Salt Lake City, Utah, which would allow us to drive all around Arizona and Utah and leave the car at the end.

The next day we woke up early and stopped at a local grocery store to stock up on food that would sustain us during hikes and between meals. This was a great trick that saved us money in the long run. Then we headed toward our first stop of the day, Montezuma Castle National Monument, which is only about an hour and a half from Phoenix.

We had thought ahead and bought the America the Beautiful: National Parks Pass, which only cost $78 and allowed free entry to all the National Parks and Monuments. Having this pass paid for itself very quickly, as some parks can be costly, and it lasts for the entire calendar year! Montezuma Castle contains a set of dwellings built into the cliff wall, which was built by the Sinagua people most likely around the middle 1100s AD. It was an incredible sight to see and worth the visit!

After collecting our pictures and stickers we got back on the road and headed just slightly further north to stop for a late breakfast in Sedona. This was a last minute add on, but enough people recommended we visit that we fit it in and were so glad we did! Driving down the road leading to Sedona with the towering red rocks, bikers and hikers, and spiritual shops fit the image of this area of Arizona in my mind. We arrived in downtown Sedona and ordered delicious smoothie bowls from Wildcraft Kitchen, which we were able to eat on their patio looking out at the view. When we were back in the car we drove past rivers, forests, camping areas, and more massive rocks, and vowed to return to spend more time in Sedona.

We arrived at the Grand Canyon by early afternoon, our major destination for the day, and filled up on water and souvenirs for our families. There is a view of the canyon just a short walk from the visitors center, if you want to see view and need something more accessible. We decided to the hike the South Kaibab Trail to Ooh Aah Point, which could be reached from a short shuttle ride. There was already an incredible view just steps from the trailhead where we had to stop to get pictures before we started our hike. The trail we chose was a 2-mile out and back hike, which included some switchback declines in the beginning but was fairly manageable. It’s recommended to come prepared with lots of water and you can make your hike as short as you need since there are views at every turn.

What they say about the Grand Canyon being massive and so hard to capture on film is true, but what a sight to get to behold in our lifetime! After driving through the Kaibab National Forest after leaving, we arrived at our stay at the Moenkopi Legacy Inn & Suites, which is set on Hopi Tribal Lands and was such a nice place to rest after a busy day and hiking. The most interesting part of our stay was that Arizona is in one time zone (since they do not observe daylight savings time) and Navajo Nation/Hopi Land is in another time zone, so we were constantly trying to figure out the time.

Day 2: Horseshoe Bend, New Wave, Coral Pink Sand

After an incredible rest in Tuba City (within the Hopi Reservation), we headed back on the road and passed signs for Dinosaur Tracks but decided to carry on. Our first intended destination for the day was The New Wave, but it would be a couple hours on wide-open Arizona roads in the meantime.

As we drove the terrain became even more fascinating and ever-changing. We stopped for gas on one of these open roads where I met a desert dog looking for handouts from kind travelers, and I can never resist a dog’s sweet eyes so I gave her a slice of bread in pieces and noticed she had likely given birth to puppies not that long ago. We were back on the road again and driving between massive rocks where the street split right through until we reached an incredible view at the Antelope Pass Vista. We stopped for a break and pictures, and there were even people selling art and jewelry. As we were driving to reach The New Wave, a less-known hiking spot with wave-like rocks, slot canyons, and a pebble marked trail, we saw a few signs for Horseshoe Bend and realized we had completely forgotten about this destination and noticed it was right on our route, so we decided to stop.

We were so glad we made the pitstop because it only cost $10 for the car and was a short hike on an accessible trail that the gate attendant said takes a maximum of 20 minutes to reach the view. This location was certainly busy with tourists who came from all over, but it made for a beautiful experience of hearing a multitude of languages while we walked and sharing in a remarkable view. We reached this horseshoe-like rock structure (above) where the Colorado River snakes around a canyon and is way bigger than can by captured in a photo. Down below we could see people kayaking in the river, but they looked like tiny bugs from above. After some photos and climbing on rocks, we got back in the car to head toward The New Wave.

When we were originally planning this trip we heard about The Wave, which is a picturesque and Instagram-able destination in this area, but to visit you need to win a lottery in advance or enter in to win a day-pass a couple days prior (but you must be close by). Neither of these ended up being an option for us, but in doing research we found there was a placed called The New Wave that had similar rock formations and cost only a small fee or nothing. We decided to try our luck and check this out instead. Reaching the location for The New Wave it is not very well marked, but google maps will take you right to the trailhead and parking, and it ended up being completely free. There was a trail that was about a 2-mile loop around the wavy rock formations that were just marked by small rocks, but we were also able to explore on our own and take our fun pictures. Recommend as an alternative!

After so much hiking and being out in the hot desert sun for so long, we really needed a hardy lunch and refreshing drink. We didn’t want to go backward on the route so we decided to wait a little while longer until we crossed over into Utah and could stop in a town called Kanab, Utah. The shops and restaurants in this town were exactly what we thought of when we pictured “The Wild West” and we were not disappointed. We ate at a place called the Iron Horse Restaurant, complete with saloon doors, a fake wild west town and playground, and enormous chair for photos. We opted to sit outside on their shaded patio and enjoyed ice water and a great meal, brought to us by the friendliest server ever! There was a gift shop attached that we stopped into before getting back onto the road.

Our last stop of the day before traveling to the Zion area was the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, an expansive sandy desert area that turns orange-pink around sunset. On our way there we passed a place called Nomad Cafe that I really wanted to stop at because of its life-size UFO and funky vibes, but it was not open the day we went. Since the Coral Pink Sand Dunes is a State Park and not a National Park our Parks Pass did not work there, but luckily it only cost $10 for the car and hours of exploring. It was an experience way worth the money! There were families that had rented sand sleds to sled down the massive dunes that seemed to be having the time of their lives. We were just happy to be there and run around this enormous sandbox, look out at the views we had never seen before, and run down down the hills before heading out for the night. Again, bring lots of water!

After another couple hours of driving we reached our final destination for the day, Virgin, Utah where the towering red rocks mountains glowed in the sunset while we had a drink and we even had the chance to feed baby goats at our Airbnb, which was a tiny cabin situated on a small family farm. Needless to say, we rested soundly after a long journey that day.

Day 3: Zion National Park, Grafton Ghost Town, etc.

When we woke up the next day we were excited to drive the 20 minutes down the road toward Zion National Park! We had breakfast in our little cabin and then stopped in the town right outside of Zion, Springdale, UT, for some good coffee before our day ahead. We went to FeelLove Coffee & Cafe Zion, which had the cutest aesthetic and adventure equipment to rent. We then went through the entrance gate toward the Zion Visitors Center.

I cannot stress this enough: Zion National Park is an absolute paradise! We loved just about every park and place we went to on our trip, but nothing compared to Zion and it quickly became my favorite. We decided to do the Emerald Pools Trail, which included waterfalls, excellent views of the valley, and places to rest in the shade. There were many families and people of all ages on this trail, so I would consider it fairly moderate and accessible.

Nowhere else on our journey did we find a place that truly has everything like Zion: greenery, towering rocks, tunnels, waterfalls, rivers, and more! After our hike we went on the Scenic Drive, which goes through a fairly iconic tunnel with beautiful views and continues for miles to other trails and picnic areas. We turned around after awhile and found a place to eat in Springfield called the Hangry Goat, which had incredible pulled pork sandwiches to refuel us and an even better view!

After lunch, we drove toward a place I randomly found while searching on Google Maps called Grafton Ghost Town. This actually happened to be a real former settlement of a Mormon community from the 1800s which was abandoned over time, and restored and preserved in more recent years. You can now visit the property and even go inside some of the buildings, which includes a few houses, a church which was also a school and meeting hall, and a cemetery showing some of the history of early settlers and their tragic past. We recommend stopping by if you are in the area!

We were craving ice cream after our stop in Grafton, so we headed to a quirky place called Fort Zion back in Virgin which had a general store, gift shop, fake ghost town and petting zoo (pictured), and an ice cream parlor modeled like a wild west saloon. This place had everything and more and we were delighted. We enjoyed our ice cream outside while enjoying the view. That evening we stopped in for a drink at River Rock Roasting Company in La Verkin and watched an incredible sunset over the valley. Important to note: Utah has some interesting laws around alcohol sales, so if something is not exclusively considered a bar (restaurants or cafes) you must buy a food item with your drink purchase. We stopped by Hurricane, UT after for some takeout to enjoy back at our cabin and said goodbye to the Zion area.

Stay tuned for 6 Day Guide to Arizona & Utah: Part 2 coming soon!