The Perfect American Southwest Trip

Travel Onion · 1:58

One loop of road through Utah and Arizona, about a week, and none of the drives is longer than a few hours. Zion, where the best trail is the river itself — the Narrows, between walls a thousand feet high. Bryce Canyon, with more hoodoos than anywhere else on Earth, carved by ice on about 170 freezing nights a year. Antelope Canyon, a slot cut by flash floods on Navajo land, entered only with a Navajo guide. Horseshoe Bend, where the Colorado River turns almost all the way around a thousand feet below you. Monument Valley — the West the movies invented, where John Ford filmed Stagecoach in 1938, and still Navajo land where Navajo families live. And the Grand Canyon: a mile deep, with rock at the bottom that's nearly two billion years old. Save this for the trip you actually take. Follow for more places worth the trip. 📍 PLAN YOUR VISIT — THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST ✈️ Getting there: fly into Las Vegas, drive the loop, fly home from Las Vegas or Phoenix — about a week 📅 Best time: spring (Apr–May) or autumn (Sep–Oct); summer is very hot and winter closes some roads and trails 🎯 The route: Zion · Bryce Canyon · Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe Bend · Monument Valley · Grand Canyon