The American Southwest has always been a place of exotic beauty and intrigue for me and I have enjoyed making stops here since family vacations as a youngster. This most recent trip was rather last minute but we managed to get quite a bit in that was new to me over the 4^th of July holiday. I encourage you to check out previous blog posts that cover Canyonlands National Park, Durango, Arches National Park, Mesa Verde National Park and Great Sand Dunes National Park as well. We did not cover these this trip, but I did a few years back and also highly recommend adding those stops to your itinerary if possible.

EXPEREINCE

We flew into Phoenix despite the record breaking temps and made a quick stop for breakfast in Scottsdale the moseyed along to Sedona for our first night. In Sedona we checked out the Red Rocks State Park and town area. We mostly relaxed this trip, but I have done the Red Rocks Pink Jeep Tours, Balloons Over Red Rocks and Sliding Rock State Park in the past. These are all great activities, particularly with kids.

From here we ventured to the Grand Canyon National Park for a quick visit to the rim and then onto Antelope Canyon near Lake Powell. Antelope Canyon was a stunning trip and we did Rattlesnake Canyon nearby as well with a Navajo guide which was required. From here we made a quick stop to take in the views at Horseshoe Bend near Page and then passed Lake Powell en route to our Airbnb in Big Water, Utah.

On our final full day we pushed on to Bryce Canyon National Park where we limited exploration to the various rim views. This was a quick stop but impressive. This day ended in Zion National Park, where we hiked The Narrows. We certainly did not have enough time to do Zion justice and we plan to return to hike Angel’s Landing, hopefully on a day when it is under 120 degrees. Our trip rounded out with a quick stop at the Seven Magic Mountains art installation outside Las Vegas before flying home.

EAT

We started our trip with a wonderful brunch with a friend in Scottsdale at a place called Hash Kitchen. They have a killer Bloody Mary bar and DJ along with a wonderful breakfast selection. In Sedona we had a lovely cocktail and dinner at The Enchantment over-looking the Red Rocks, I highly suggest a stop by this resort for dinner at sunset though it’s a little off the beaten path. On our way out of Sedona we had one of the best meals of our trip at Indian Café. This place has authentic roasted green chilies which made my New Mexican fiancé happy. After a day of traversing the Navajo Reservation we ended the day in Page, Arizona. Page was pretty shut down on a Sunday but we managed to find a fairly impressive Mexican dinner at Fiesta Mexicana. The next evening, we indulged in Mexican again in Springdale, outside Zion National Park. This restaurant was not worth mentioning, but breakfast the next morning at Oscar’s Cafe certainly was. Be sure to eat here and try a burrito if you have a day of hiking ahead!

STAY

We booked the entire trip and our accommodations last minute but were very pleased with our stays. In Sedona we enjoyed the Marriott Courtyard. In Big Water, we stayed at one of the best Airbnb’s I have ever encountered. Our hosts greeted us with wine and beer, chatted with us about life as park rangers and sent us off with a beautiful multi-course brunch and a bottle of prosecco to congratulate us on our upcoming nuptials. Our last night was spent at a slightly outdated, but still charming lodge called Majestic View Lodge at Zion National Park. While the rooms conjured visions of the 90’s the hotel certainly is worthy of it’s name and has a very impressive animal museum in the lobby.

All around this was an affordable and very easy long weekend trip. I would highly recommend this route to anyone looking to explore the southwest. Be sure to check the weather if you are sensitive to the heat, we managed to survive, but fall might be a better time to visit.