50 State Journey- Southwest Road Trip

Our family is attempting to travel to all 50 states through creative road trips. We prefer to choose a route which may have several destination stops throughout the trip. This often results in spending a short amount of time in one city. We love to get the flavor of the place that we are visiting by experiencing dining experiences, seeing a well-known icon from that area or simply experiencing the understated charm of that particular area.

Our Summer 2024 took us to the beautiful Southwest. We flew into Las Vegas and then made a loop through Arizona and Utah returning to Las Vegas to fly home. We also stopped in Four Corners so our kids say we crossed off New Mexico as we technically ate in New Mexico. We also traveled into Colorado to visit Mesa Verde once we realized how close we were. We allow extra time in our itineraries so that we can make these impromptu decisions if we choose to do another activity. Technically, this trip allowed us to cross off five new states as a family: Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah. We knew we wanted to spend our time exploring this area so our trip spanned 12 days.

Overview:

Day 1: Flight, explore Las Vegas, travel to Flagstaff, Arizona

Day 2: Montezuma Castle, Jerome, Sedona, Lowell Observatory

Day 3: Grand Canyon, Lake Powell area

Day 4: Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend

Day 5: Bluff Fort, Four Corners, Mesa Verde, Monument Valley

Day 6: Arches National Park

Day 7: Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Treehouse stay

Day 8: Bryce Canyon and Glamping

Day 9: ATV ride at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, Arrive in Zion

Day 10: Zion National Park

Day 11: Drive back to Vegas, explore Vegas, Mat Franco show

Day 12: Flight home

Day 1: We flew from Indianapolis to Las Vegas and touched down in Las Vegas around 6:30 AM. We picked up our rental car. (We booked through Avis via Costco. We always price compare for the best rates.) We knew it was time for some breakfast and a little bit of sightseeing. We stopped for breakfast at Hash Hash a Go Go inside the Linq. We found it to be good food at a reasonable price. We left the car parked at the Linq and went for some brief sightseeing. We primarily visited the Bellagio, Forum Shops at Caesars and found some Flamingos which made for some fun pictures.

After an afternoon in Vegas, we headed to Flagstaff. I should note that we passed the Hoover Dam, but did not stop. You could easily add this to your itinerary if you desire. We loved seeing the iconic Route 66 locations along the way. We made a fun stop at a Mr. D's Route 66 Diner for an afternoon treat. (We had had an early brunch and were definitely ready for a snack.)

We arrived in Flagstaff. We love a mural picture that documents where we have been. This mural can be found on the Lumberyard Brewery.

Our stay in Flagstaff was at the Drury Inn and Suites. We love Drury hotels for their evening Kickback menu. After a long day of travel, we enjoyed the evening Kickback as our dinner. The breakfast offered at Drury in addition to the evening Kickback menu saves us money every time.

I also made a quick trip to the grocery store. Be aware that if you complete this road trip, there are many areas without access to gas or food. You WILL need to have food and water with you to protect from the heat. We chose to pack a collapsible cooler with us for the trip and we were very pleased with it. The ability for it to collapse into out luggage helped a lot with space. We also had an extra cooler bag with us as well. We purchased this exact Titan cooler at Walmart. You can also price compare a similar cooler at Amazon.

I chose Fry's for a quick grocery trip in Flagstaff. I primarily shop at Kroger in Indiana and Fry's is an affiliated grocer. This meant that I was familiar with the products and gaining loyalty points was an added bonus. We got some rest and were ready to tackle another day.

Day 2: The next day we fueled up on the Drury breakfast and headed out for some sightseeing. My girls have National Parks Passport books so we wanted to collect as many stamps as possible and see the sights. We checked out the Montezuma Castle National Monument. This was about a 50 minute drive from Flagstaff. It was very unique to see the castle built into the cliff.

Next, we explored Jerome, Arizona. It is famous as a well-known ghost town. It used to be a mining town, but has now become a tourist destination with quirky attractions. We did decide to do the self-guided tour of the Gold King Mine and Ghost Town. Our kids panned for gemstones and gold which turned out to be fun experiences. They also had the opportunity to open a geode. All-in-all it was an interesting stop.

Following our stop in Jerome, we knew we wanted to explore Sedona. (Sedona is about a 30 minute drive from Jerome.) We chose to have a late lunch at Mesa Grill. This restaurant is next to the Sedona airport and offers the opportunity for a fun lookout point. The food was great and reasonably priced. We did call ahead for a reservation. After lunch, we took in the sights of Sedona. We also did some window shopping at the Tlaquepaque Art and Shopping Village. My girls loved looking around and the vibes of the open shopping center.

After sightseeing in Sedona, we headed back to Flagstaff. (About a 30 minute drive.)

After a brief rest, we took part in the Drury Kickback and then visited the Lowell Observatory at dusk. We chose to get the membership package as the membership offers reciprocity to other science centers and (most useful to us) the Indiana State Museum. My family enjoyed learning about astronomy and checking out all the telescopes.

Day 3: On the third day, we headed to the Grand Canyon Southern Rim. (About an hour and half from Flagstaff.) We aren't huge hikers, and the height freaks me out. But, we walked the paved rim path and saw the canyon from several viewpoints. We visited the NPS visitor's center and also enjoyed the bookstores and gift shops. Plenty of opportunity to enjoy the vastness even for those who don't venture on a hike.

After our time at the Grand Canyon, we traveled to Best Western Plus at Lake Powell. We enjoyed dinner at the restaurant in the hotel. Try the fry bread!

Day 4: The next day we headed to our tour of the Lower Antelope Canyon. This was the highlight of the trip for me. We booked our tours through Ken's Tours. This was such a fun experience and well worth the splurge.

After finishing our tour in Page, we ventured to see Horseshoe Bend. We also explored Lake Powell and visited the Carl Hayden Visitor's Center to get an NPS stamp.

Horseshoe Bend

We continued on to our stay at the Hampton Inn Kayenta for the evening.

Day 5: The next day we decided to head to Four Corners. On the way, we stopped in Bluff, Utah to see a pioneer settlement at Bluff Fort.

Bluff Fort

Four Corners was a fun experience. My family thought this was a fun way to see the scenery and get pictures by each state sign. We had more fry bread at Four Corners so that was a hit!

We also took a detour once we realized how close we were to Mesa Verde. It was compelling to us to do an activity in Colorado and to add another national park to our NPS Passport books. I will add that the drive looks closer on the map than it is in actuality. Once you arrive, you must drive up the mountain to see the park. Despite this, we still enjoyed the impromptu detour.

During our travels, we were also able to get some pictures of Monument Valley.

Monument Valley

We ended our day with a stay in Holiday Inn Express Moab. We had a lovely stay here and my girls enjoyed the fun pool with the surrounding red rock! Highly recommend a stay here!

Day 6: We explored Arches National Park on this day. At the time of our trip, you needed a timed entry to enter so check for the details on the NPS page. Arches is a beautiful park! We packed picnic lunches and enjoyed lunch in the park.

After the park, we enjoyed dinner at the Moab Diner. After being hot all day, it was nice to have some comfort food and ice cream options!

We returned for another night at the Holiday Inn Express Moab for more fun pool time!

Day 7: The next day we visited Canyonlands National Park and Capitol Reef National Park. Both were beautiful. I love the red rocks, but I was so happy to see some green grass at Capitol Reef! We had a picnic lunch at Capitol Reef and bought an apple pie from the Gifford Homestead which is in the park.

After a day of sightseeing, we arrived at our accommodations and grabbed some dinner nearby. We stayed in a "treehouse" at the Stone Canyon Inn. This was such a memorable stay! While the cabin was not truly in a tree, the cabin was elevated and had a firepit underneath.

We grabbed dinner at Showdowns Restaurant. We really enjoyed this restaurant. The food was good and the atmosphere was fun. My daughters loved that there was popcorn. We returned home to make s'mores at our treehouse.

Day 8: The next day we explored Bryce Canyon. We loved seeing all the Hoodoos!

For our accommodations that night, we had chosen another fun experience. This time it was glamping! We stayed at one of the tents at Cave Lakes Canyon Resort. This was another memory-maker. We were able to have another s'more night- this time in a cave.

Day 9: The next day, we decided to explore Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. We had some extra time and my husband decided that an ATV experience would be fun so we obliged him with an early Father's Day gift. It was a unique experience for sure! It is a guided tour as you follow behind a guide in another ATV. The tour ends with sand surfing! Be aware that the sand can get very hot. It can also get very messy if your surfing goes awry. Luckily, we had towels and extra clothes in the car.

After this experience, we continued on toward Zion National Park. We stopped for a couple pictures as we entered the park.

We continued on to our accommodations and some much-needed pool time! We stayed at the Desert Pearl Inn. This stay was pricier than we usually choose, but it balanced convenience and was highly recommended by a friend. The views were breathtaking! And, deer came to visit every evening on our back veranda.

Day 10: On this day, we explored Zion National Park. Plan ahead and read the NPS site as there are buses that transport people into the park. Make sure you have a plan! We enjoyed exploring. I loved the scenery at Zion!

After the park, we enjoyed dinner at Oscar's Cafe. We returned for another night at Desert Pearl Inn and were visited by more deer.

Day 11: On this day, we packed up and headed back toward Vegas to close out our trip. Of course, we needed a stop and In-N-Out and a picture at the iconic Las Vegas sign. We spent some time exploring "Old Vegas" and had dinner at La Mona Rosa. We ended the night with a magic show with Mat Franco in the Linq. The show was great! We were able to score reasonable tickets on Groupon. (Always check activities on Groupon!)

Our accommodations for the night were at the Hilton Garden Inn Las Vegas Strip South. We headed to bed for an early flight home!

We loved our Southwest Trip! We saw five states and saw seven National Parks!