The Ultimate 9-DAY United States Road Trip Itinerary
The most detailed guide to a seamless and CHEAP road trip including all things itinerary, accommodation, packing, and of course, food!
MAIN DESTINATIONS: Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and everywhere in-between!
I had been dreaming about and planning this road trip for SEVERAL years before finally executing it because I wanted it to be as PERFECT as it turned out to be. I was finally able to put all of my research to the test and ended up learning SO much about these incredible locations which is why I am writing this blog in hopes that you decide to take on this adventure as well. Although a road trip isn't for everyone, I truly believe that it is the best way to fully enjoy the United States and all that it has to offer.
I am hoping that this guide can eliminate the stress of planning a road trip so that you can (as spontaneously as possible), take on this adventure. I am going to cover my entire itinerary, exactly where we stayed each night, packing lists, and food recommendations/ideas!
THE 9-DAY ROAD TRIP ITINERARY
For Reference: We are from Ontario, Canada SO our starting location was Chatham, Ontario and we went on this trip at the end of May 2022.
DAY 1 :
CHATHAM -> NEBRASKA
Today you are specifically headed to North Platte Nebraska, you are arriving here to sleep and then to get back on the road again in the morning!
This is a 15-hour drive
We LEFT Chatham at 4:30 am
You will cross the border into the United States at the Detroit Bridge
You will drive through the following states on this day: MICHIGAN, INDIANA, ILLINOIS, IOWA, and NEBRASKA.
There is PLENTY of rest stops on this drive, our favourite chain rest stop was called LOVES, they were all huge and SUPER clean.
WHERE TO STAY IN NEBRASKA:
We booked a motel for the first night after a day full of driving and it was perfect! I have linked the exact motel below. It was right off of the highway and backed up onto a golf course. There were lots of food/coffee options surrounding the motel as well!
DAY 2: NEBRASKA -> COLORADO
TODAY IS YOUR FIRST ADVENTURE DAY WOO
You are specifically headed to Colorado Springs
This is a 4h45min drive and there is a 1-hour time change so you get 1 extra hour!
Leave the motel at 7 am (or earlier) so that you arrive in Colorado Springs at the perfect time for lunch.
***On the way to Colorado springs you will be passing through Denver and the traffic can be a little crazy there!***
Colorado Springs has a fantastic selection of lunch foods
After lunch, make your way to Garden of the Gods, park in the park parking lot and walk all of the trails, and then after you have walked all of the trails get back in your car and drive the scenic drive through a different part of the park as well! ( We saw a lot of deer close to the trails while we were walking here)
Garden of the gods is very accessible and kid-friendly.
After Garden of the Gods, head to the red rock open space and hike the trails there! Depending on the time of year that you visit, there are usually bicycles available to rent at this location.
Following our hikes, we headed back to Denver and walked around town, and then went to a Colorado Rockies game at Coors Field -- if you are a baseball fan, this was an INCREDIBLE diamond that I highly recommend you see!
WHERE TO STAY IN COLORADO:
We stayed about one hour from Coors Field so that we would miss the traffic in Denver on our morning drive. I have attached the hotel that we stayed in below. This hotel was on a lake up in the snowy mountains (when you are driving there in the dark after the baseball game you will be convinced that you are lost, I promise you are not). We woke up to snow-covered grounds and an absolutely beautiful view. There was also a free breakfast which you should always take advantage of when you are trying to save money!!
TIP: Even if you aren't hungry, go see what they are offering! They often have yummy granola bars and bananas that you could throw in your hiking bag for later!
DAY 3:
COLORADO -> MOAB, UTAH
DAY ONE ARCHES NATIONAL PARK
You are headed to MOAB, UTAH! This drive is about 4h30mins and the first 2 hours of it are the most beautiful switchback mountain roads EVER to exist, the river will be flowing to your left for the entire drive and it is breathtaking. ( I cried happy tears several times on this drive).
TIP: pee before you leave! there are not too many places to stop for the first 2ish hours of the drive!
The first stop that you need to make is at the UTAH state sign and get the basic photo in front of it! Once we reached this spot on our drive, we had to change out of the winter clothes that we were wearing in Colorado and change into our shorts and tank tops!
We then went to our campground and set up our tent and air mattress (i will link the campground below).
Next, we headed to Arches National Park which is around the corner from the campground, and bought our US National Park Pass ($86USD for the year), went to the visitors center, and did the first hike in the park which took us approximately 1 hour. --VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION ---- YOU HAVE to book a time slot to enter the park in ADDITION to having the National Park Pass!
Following the hike, we went back to our campground, went swimming, explored our campground, and then made our dinner on our mini propane stovetop.
DAY 4:
DAY 2 IN ARCHES NATIONAL PARK
Today we packed up to spend the entire day in Arches National Park - AGAIN - Don't forget that you need to book a time slot to get into the park!
We got to the park for sunrise and did a sunrise hike to Delicate Arch which is the most popular arch in the park AND WHERE WE GOT ENGAGED!!
We spent the entire day hiking to all of the different arches and viewpoints in the park. I have separate blog posts on exactly what you should do in the park and what we did for lunch!
WHERE TO STAY IN MOAB, UTAH
This campground was FANCY! They had a pool, and hot tub, and the bathrooms were very clean! There are green canopies set up to go over your tent as well. They also have a small dog park, a large chess board, and other yard games. This campground was located around the corner from the entrance of Arches National Park and only about 5 minutes from downtown Moab.
DAY 5:
MOAB UTAH -> BRYCE CANYON
Bryce Canyon was a location that I didn't have any expectations for AND WOW did it blow me away. The drive from Moab to Bryce Canyon is approximately 4 hours and was quite boring other than the fact that you will be driving through open-range cow farms for the majority of the drive.
The view before the hikes even begin is incredible but it continues to get better as you make your way through the canyon. The hikes at Bryce Canyon are straightforward and are easily labeled for you to decide where you would like to walk BUT the hike itself is tiring and has a lot of inclines!
After hiking, we drove the Bryce Canyon scenic trail and had a picnic.
WHERE TO STAY AFTER BRYCE CANYON:
After Bryce Canyon, we stayed at a motel in a town called Hatch. We chose this motel (although farther away from Bryce Canyon) it was on the way to our next location. This motel was by far our favourite place that we stayed on our trip. It was very clean and peaceful, the lady that owned it was very kind and they served a variety of breakfast options.
TIP: There aren't too many grocery stores or fast food options near Bryce Canyon, so come prepared!!
DAY 6:
BRYCE CANYON -> ZION NATIONAL PARK
Zion National Park is one hour from the motel. To get into the park you have to take a shuttle bus so we parked as far away from the park as the shuttle bus would pick us up because parking was cheaper farther away!
Once you arrive on the shuttle bus to the visitors center you will get onto another bus that will take you to several stops inside the park.
We hiked the Narrows which was the last shuttle stop and has been on my bucket list for a very long time. It is a hike through water and in between rocks, up mini waterfalls, and everything! It was very adventurous and EXCEEDED all of my expectations, I don't think I stopped smiling the entire time and we spent about 5 hours hiking in the narrows.
Another popular hike in Zion is Angels Landing but you do need a permit for that one!
After the Narrows hike, we headed to St.George Utah for dinner which was a little out of the way, and then went to our hotel in Page, Arizona which was approximately 3 hours away from St.George.
TIP: If you decide to hike the narrows as well, a lot of blogs that I read recommended wearing water shoes but we wore an extra pair of running shoes that we packed and I am so thankful that we did, the stability of our running shoes really helped us while walking through water currents on rocks!
WHERE TO STAY AFTER ZION NATIONAL PARK
We stayed at a hotel in Page Arizona, close to Lake Powell, it was very clean and they served a huge breakfast in the morning!
DAY 7:
PAGE, AZ -> THE GRAND CANYON & SEDONA
This was a busy day!! The first thing that we did was head to the horseshoe bend, it was $10 to enter the parking lot and the hike was approximately 2km total and we only spent about 30-45minutes there. (Still a must see)
Then we headed to the Grand Canyon. We went to the South entrance and drove to all of the viewing points, parked, and walked to each view. We were in Grand Canyon National Park for 2 hours.
After leaving the Grand Canyon, we headed to lunch and then to Sedona Arizona where we hiked Devils Bridge. Devils Bridge is a hard hike and was a lot longer than we had expected so bring lots of water with you and give yourself plenty of time prior to sunset. Be prepared to do some light rock climbing during this hike!
Following the hike, we went to our campground and set up for the night.
WHERE TO STAY IN SEDONA, AZ
We stayed at Cave Springs Campground - this was a very basic campground and would be good for a local but I wouldn't recommend staying here after a long day of hiking and sweating because the bathrooms were very dirty and you had to pay to use the showers.
TIP: I would also not recommend camping this night because you have a very long drive the next morning as you start your way home!
DAY 8:
SEDONA -> TULSA OKLAHOMA
This is a 14-hour and 25-minute drive so we left the campground just before 5 am.
On this drive, you will travel through New Mexico and Texas but it is a fairly boring drive after you leave Arizona.
DAY 9:
OKLAHOMA -> HOME
This drive is 15 hours but if you didn't want to make that far of a drive in one day, you could add an additional night in Chicago!
On this day you will drive through the following states: Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. It will feel like you are in Missouri FOREVER but then the drive goes by pretty quickly after that!
DAY 10:
SLEEP and then find a friend that has a hot tub and try not to think about all of the dirty laundry that you have or how much dust is on your car because you just had the most amazing road trip freaking ever!
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE!!
I am so happy to write about my adventures and to hopefully inspire you to take adventures a little more often! I aspire to make your future adventures a little more enjoyable by making them easier for you!!
Please follow my blog and my other social media accounts for my upcoming posts and if you have any questions or need some assistance with planning your own adventure, please message me!
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I will be posting a couple more blogs in relation to this road trip very soon!!
THINGS TO PACK TO MAKE YOUR ROAD TRIP EASIER
MUST-SEE PARKS IN UTAH
Whatever else you'd like to see!! - let me know!!
Wow such a helpful guide!! I need to make this trip!!
So cool!!! Love this 🤍🤍