This past week, I went on a 1,524 mile road trip by myself and visited the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Horseshoe Bend, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Park. I hiked, kayaked, and escaped from the city to spend a little bit of time in nature.
With COVID-19 affecting the live sports and entertainment industries, I was furloughed on July 1. Since I had zero interest in celebrating the 4th of July this year and lots of spare time, I decided that I would take a road trip to settle into my furloughed life and get away from Los Angeles.
After some research, I realized that it made sense to visit both Zion National Park and the Grand Canyon in one trip. I also decided to add a few other stops along the way and ended up with the following route:
Cost Breakdown
This trip cost me $1,112.80 and I wanted to give some insights into the pricing. As you can see, almost 50% of the costs are due to my accommodations. Due to traveling on a holiday weekend, visiting popular destinations, and wanting to pick hotels that had great reviews specifically mentioning cleanliness, I paid a bit more for nicer hotels. I would not have been opposed to camping, but all of the best campsites had been reserved by the time I decided to take this trip. However, I was able to save $250+ by being a member of AAA and eliminating the Young Driver Fee from Hertz. I also bought food ahead of time from the grocery store and purchased a National Park Annual Pass to save money on entrance fees. The amount I spent on this trip was completely worth it and I have zero regrets. Below is a full breakdown of my costs:
The Trip Itself
July 2
I picked up my rental car and left Los Angeles around 9:00 AM, arriving in Williams, AZ at 3:00 PM. This was my first stop, as I needed a place to stay so that I could start my Grand Canyon hike early the next morning. After the long drive, I was pretty tired so I hung out in my hotel room and went to sleep early.
July 3
I woke up at 3:30 AM the following day and was on my way to the Grand Canyon by 4:00 AM. I planned to hike to Plateau Point via the Bright Angel Trail and was at the trailhead by 5:45 AM. This hike is listed as a “strenuous hike” by the National Park Service (NPS) and is a 12.2 mile out & back route with 3,156 feet of elevation gain and nearly 100 switchbacks. It ended up taking me around 10.5 hours, with a few long stops at the rest houses because of the heat and an hour-long stop due to a thunderstorm in the afternoon. My Apple Watch noted 32,847 steps and 1,186 calories burned.
With zero stops on the way down, aside from taking a plethora of pictures, I made it to Plateau Point in under three hours. The last 1.5 mile walk from Indian Gardens was completely in the sun with zero shade, but the views were completely worth it. Seeing the Colorado River below with the incredible scenery wrapping 360 degrees around me was breathtaking. I even got the entire lookout to myself, aside from a squirrel who opened my backpack and tried to steal my food.
Throughout my time hiking this trail, I met people of all ages from France, Arkansas, Texas, Illinois, and more. People were very kind to me on the trail, curious about my solo trip and where I was headed next. On the way back up, I chatted with others I had seen earlier in the day. With some turning around at the 3 mile or 4.5 mile marks, I saw them more than once.
After I made it back to the trailhead, I stopped at Maswik Lodge for some warm food and then was on my way to Page, AZ. This was a 3 hour drive from the Grand Canyon, so it’s safe to say that I was exhausted by the time I got there.
July 4
I woke up extremely sore from the day before, to the point where it was a struggle to walk. Thankfully I had planned to spend the day on Lake Powell, giving my legs a much-needed rest. I rented a kayak from WazSUP Kayak Rental and headed to the Stateline Boat Ramp for a day on the water. Thanks to the kindness of strangers, I had help with loading my kayak into the water when I arrived and back onto the top of my rental car when I left.
Lake Powell was gorgeous and the water was a very deep blue. It was super hot out, but there was a nice breeze which made the heat a bit more bearable. I kayaked across the river and through the layers of rocks, before stopping for a quick snack break in the middle of the reservoir. I could see Horseshoe Bend and Arizona on one side, and Utah on the other.
After a couple hours, my arms were getting sore so I turned around and headed in. I stopped at the Wahweap Overlook on the way back, taking in the surroundings. I then went back to the hotel and rested.
July 5
Another early morning, because who doesn’t love those? I woke up at 5:00 AM and took a quick 5 minute drive to Horseshoe Bend to watch the sunrise. From the parking lot, it was a brisk 10-15 minute walk. Since I like taking risky photos, I sat on the edge and let my feet dangle over it. After taking in the view and taking photos (obviously!), I headed towards the next stop on my journey.
2.5 hours later, I made it to Bryce Canyon at around 10:30 AM. I decided to hike the Queen’s Garden and Navajo Loop Combination Trail which is 2.9 miles. After reading reviews online, I decided to go from Sunset Point to Sunrise Point. The hike started with a very quick descent down multiple switchbacks through a section called Wall Street. I then took the trail to Queen’s Garden and started a long, slow incline to Sunrise Point. From there, it was a short 0.5 mile hike around the rim to get back to the parking lot at Sunset Point.
This was a very beautiful trail, with lots of colorful rocks and gorgeous views from both lookouts. Bryce Canyon has the world’s highest concentration of hoodoos, and on the trail I was able to see them up close. This hike took a short 2 hours and there were many shaded areas to stop at.
Upon completion of visiting Bryce Canyon, I headed to the next hotel in Kanab to check-in and rest.
July 6
Surprise, surprise, another early wake-up call. I got up at 5:00 AM and headed towards my last stop, Zion National Park. Since this was the hottest place on my road trip, I got a shuttle ticket for 6:00 AM. They are currently limiting the number of people allowed on the shuttles and everyone must have a ticketed reservation. Prior to July 1, the shuttle had been out of service so I got lucky.
After parking at the Visitor’s Center, I hopped on the shuttle and got off at Stop #5: Zion Lodge. I hiked 0.5 miles on the Grotto Trail to the beginning of the Kayenta Trail. From there, I went up to the Middle Emerald Pools and Upper Emerald Pools. The trail was mostly shaded, but the elevation climb made this a moderate hike. Once at the top, I stopped for breakfast and ate while taking in the scenery. I also watched a squirrel steal a bag of cookies out of someone’s backpack.
An hour later, I hiked back down to the start of the Kayenta Trail and then took the Grotto Trail back to Zion Lodge. The heat was brutal at this point and it wasn’t even noon yet. I ordered a black bean burger, one of the best ones I’ve had, from the lodge. After sitting in the shade and enjoying the early lunch views, I hopped back on the shuttle down to the Visitor’s Center. I then headed back to the hotel room, took a short nap, ordered some vegan curry from Wild Thyme Cafe, and started editing all of my photos from the past few days.
July 7
How is it possible that this road trip went by so quickly? I woke up and grabbed some chai from Sunny Creek Cafe, and then headed back to LA around 10:30 AM MST. I arrived in LA at around 4:30 PM PT and thus concluded my solo road trip and escape from the city.
Summary
I am so glad that I decided to take this road trip. I’ve traveled solo before, but this was on a different level. It was great getting out of LA for a few days and being in nature. Accomplishing the Plateau Point hike at the Grand Canyon was definitely the highlight of my trip, due to the level of difficulty and hours spent on the trail. Not only did I enjoy spending time with myself and in nature, but the kindness of strangers I met on the trails and at Lake Powell will not be forgotten.
Since I bought a National Park Annual Pass, I definitely plan to visit some more parks throughout the next year. I had been a bit burnt out on camping and hiking after going to a Waldorf school for 14 years, but I have a newfound appreciation for it from living in a major city with a lack of nature, and I can’t wait to see where it takes me next.
I made a TikTok video of my road trip and you can watch it here: https://vm.tiktok.com/J8HRFer/