A Two-Week Grand Circle Road Trip Itinerary

What the Grand Circle is

The Grand Circle is a road trip loop through the Southwest. It links the national parks of Utah with parks in Colorado and Arizona. This grand circle road trip itinerary covers Utah's five national parks, plus Mesa Verde, Grand Canyon and Petrified Forest. Visit Utah says each of those five parks anchors a travel region. It also says Utah is a hard state to beat for scenic road trips.

The five Utah parks are Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches and Canyonlands. Mesa Verde National Park is in Southwestern Colorado, and Grand Canyon National Park is in the northwest corner of Arizona. This guide walks through it in order, with the town named for each park.

The classic two-week loop

Day 1 and 2: Las Vegas to Zion

Many visitors to Zion come from Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, or nearby parks. Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) is in Las Vegas, Nevada, 170 miles from Zion. Zion National Park is in southwest Utah, and Zion Canyon sits next to the town of Springdale. To reach Zion Canyon from the south, travel to Springdale. Zion's East Entrance is 13 miles west of Mt. Carmel Junction.

Day 3 and 4: Zion to Bryce Canyon

From the south, Bryce Canyon is reached on UT-9 east through Zion National Park to US-89. Zion's page says the Highway 20 route to Bryce Canyon is roughly 150 miles and takes 2.5 hours. Visit Utah lists Bryce as the town for Bryce Canyon National Park. Visit Utah describes Bryce Canyon as an alpine forest with as many red rock hoodoos as trees. The park has one main 18-mile road that runs north-south, and the Bryce Amphitheater sits along its first 3 miles.

Day 5: Bryce to Capitol Reef on Highway 12

Utah Highway 12 is a 123-mile highway that connects US-89 near Panguitch to Torrey. A highway to Torrey crosses Dixie National Forest and goes by Bryce Canyon National Park. The drive between Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef takes about three hours on SR-12. Visit Utah lists Torrey as the town for Capitol Reef National Park. The Capitol Reef visitor center is in the center of the park, off Utah Highway 24.

Day 6 and 7: Capitol Reef to Moab

Visit Utah lists Moab as the town for both Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. Arches National Park is in southeast Utah, 5 miles north of Moab. From Moab, drivers go north on US 191 for five miles to reach the Arches entrance.

Canyonlands is Utah's largest national park. The Green and Colorado rivers split it into three major districts, and no roads inside the park cross the rivers to link them. Traveling between Canyonlands districts requires two to six hours by car. The Island in the Sky is the most accessible district. From US 191 north of Moab, UT 313 leads to Island in the Sky. From US 191 south of Moab, UT 211 leads to The Needles.

Day 8 and 9: Moab to Mesa Verde

Mesa Verde National Park is in southwestern Colorado. The entrance is along Highway 160 between the towns of Mancos and Cortez, and about 35 miles west of Durango. The park's Visitor and Research Center is the first visitor contact location after exiting Highway 160.

Day 10 and 11: Mesa Verde to Grand Canyon South Rim

Grand Canyon National Park is in the northwest corner of Arizona. The Colorado River divides the park into a north rim and a south rim, and the canyon is a mile deep. The South Entrance is 6 miles north of the town of Tusayan, Arizona. It takes about 90 minutes to drive from Flagstaff to the South Entrance, or about 60 minutes from Interstate 40 and the town of Williams.

The South Rim has two visitor entrances. One is the South Visitor entrance and the other is the East Visitor entrance at Desert View. The East Entrance at Desert View is 25 miles west of the Navajo Nation town of Cameron.

Day 12: Grand Canyon to Petrified Forest

Petrified Forest National Park is in northeastern Arizona, about 50 miles from the New Mexico border on Interstate 40. The park stretches north and south between Interstate 40 and Highway 180. Westbound travelers take Exit 311 and drive 28 miles through the park to Highway 180. Eastbound travelers take Exit 285 into Holbrook, then go 19 miles on Highway 180 South to the south entrance. The Painted Desert Visitor Center and park headquarters are at the north entrance, and the Rainbow Forest Museum is at the south entrance.

Shorter loops and detours

With less time, you can do the Utah five alone and save Mesa Verde and Grand Canyon for a second trip.

Zion's page says the Highway 59 route to Grand Canyon's North Rim is roughly 128 miles and takes just over 3 hours. The North Rim Entrance Station is 30 miles south of Jacob Lake on State Route 67. The drive between South Rim Village and North Rim Village is about 212 miles and takes about 4 1/2 hours. The park says the only way to cross the Colorado River by car is the Navajo Bridge. It sits at Marble Canyon, 137 miles from South Rim Village. A park with the same pick-a-side problem is Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

Great Basin National Park is in east-central Nevada, five miles west of the town of Baker. See Great Basin.

Packing and prep

Check each park's own website for entry passes, road status and current conditions before you leave home.

Sources

• Directions - Arches National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
• Directions - Bryce Canyon National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
• Basic Information - Canyonlands National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
• Directions - Canyonlands National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
• Directions - Capitol Reef National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
• Basic Information - Grand Canyon National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
• Directions and Transportation - Grand Canyon National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
• Directions & Transportation - Zion National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
• The Mighty 5 | Visit Utah