Hi everyone! Here is the trip I took on April 5th-10th, 2021 and it was truly the best trip of my life!
For picture references, visit my Instagram @annaxmargaret!
Day 1: Sedona
That morning, we flew into Phoenix around 8:30 a.m.
We rented out car from car from NU car rentals, take an Uber to rental place.
Brunch:
We got brunch Fame Caffe on Phoenix before heading to Sedona – we got mimosas, chilaquiles, avocado toast, & breakfast tacos, oat milk honey lavender latte. It was one of the best meals of the trip. – highly recommend it!
Drive was about 1.5 hours to Sedona.
Hike:
Cathedral Rock – strenuous hike. 1,000 foot elevation, and scrambling (rock climbing). Bring water, sunscreen, snacks (energy goops, nuts, bars, jerky), & good hiking shoes. It took about 2 hours up and down,
Dinner:
Dinner at Oak Creek Brewery & Grill. It was good and had really good Prickley Pear Margaritas, but I personally wish we checked out a winery since they’re super popular there.
Took 1.5 hours to Flagstaff where we stayed at the DoubleTree Hilton – Hot tub inside & pool outside. Really nice, clean, and efficient hotel!
Day 2: Grand Canyon
6 a.m. wake up since the Grand Canyon about an hour away from Flagstaff.
Breakfast:
We just stopped at Dunkin that day since we wanted to get there!
Hike:
Once you park at the South Rim, take the orange bus to the South Kaibob trail if you want to hike into the canyon. The hike takes you 1,000 feet into the canyon and there are points to stop on the way down.
Bring lots of water, a lunch, snacks, and sunscreen. Insane views. Since you’re walking down, the hike back up is pretty challenging, so be prepared for that. Our round-trip it took about 3.5 hours.
We also walked the South Rim. It is very flat and has amazing views if you want to see more after the hard hike.
Dinner:
Dinner at the Canyon wasn’t too great, so I would recommend going back to Flagstaff for some food.
Day 3: Horseshoe Bend & Antelope Canyon
Breakfast:
Stopped for coffee at Macy’s Coffee House. So good! Bagels across the street at Biff’s Bagels. Also so good! Highly recommend both.
Activities (Hike & Kayaking):
The drive to Horseshoe Bend was about 2 hour. I don’t think they offer hikes there, but we stopped and enjoyed the amazing view for a while.
Afterwards, we drove 15 minutes to Kayak Lake Powell Kayak Rentals. If you want to do this, I would call early in advance before your trip to reserve some. Only $25 a person. Kayaked 4 miles to Antelope Canyon and hiked in. You can hike in as long as you please. Kayaked 4 miles back and round trip it took about 3 hours. If you do anything on your trip, this is what I recommend the most in Arizona. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life!
Dinner:
El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant had insane margaritas and amazing food! Highly recommend.
We drove another 2 hours to Majestic View Lodge in Springdale, UT. Only a 5 minute drive from Zion National Park. The views of the mountains is insane from here since it’s so close to the park and it’s a really nice hotel with a pool and hot tub outside!
Day 4: Zion
Breakfast:
Deep Creek Coffee. The BEST meal all trip. Got the Brorito & oat milk latte. Seriously so good and so filling. Everything we had we LOVED.
Activities (Hiking & Biking):
We decided not to shuttle. If you decide you want to do that, you need to go to Recreation.gov and reserve shuttle tickets ASAP. They sell out so quickly. You’ll need some kind of transportation to get to the trail heads of hikes since the park is so big.
Instead of the shuttle, we decided to rent bikes and it was one of the best decisions of the trip. The rentals are right outside of the park at Zion Outfitter. If you decided to do The Narrows hike (we didn’t have time, but I’m definitely coming back to hike it one day), you can get the gear for that there!
We ended up hiking the Emerald Pools hike which is a moderate hike. That took about 2 hours since we stopped and chilled out when we got to the upper pool.
Afterwards, we did Angel’s Landing. This hike is strenuous and very challenging, but the view at the top is truly amazing. Angel’s Landing is considered one of the hardest hikes in America because of the last part when you scale rocks using a chain. Unfortunately, the hardest part of the hike was closed when we got there due to a landslide, but even without that part, it was still super hard, fulfilling, and absolutely breathtaking. If you’re up for the challenge, I HIGHLY recommend this hike!
Dinner:
We got dinner at Zion Canyon Brew Pub which is literally next door to the rental place. They have a great beer selection (my favorite was the Pilsner), and pretty good food! It will be busy since it’s in such a populated area.
Day 5: Vegas
We got up around 7 a.m. this day and stopped at FeelLove Coffee. This is super aesthetically pleasing and their blueberry lemon scones are SO GOOD. I got the Lavender Honey Oat Milk Latte. We loved the breakfast at Deep Creek Coffee so much that we stopped there for food again.
Vegas is about a 2 hour drive from Zion.
We stayed at the Strat because we decided we didn’t want to spend a lot of money on our hotel in Vegas. I personally regret this and wish we stayed closer to the center of the strip where all the action is.
We did lunch at Tom Urban’s at New York New York and it was amazing! We got the Strawberry Vintage Mule Punch Bowl (for 10 people lol) and it was seriously so good! We all did the Spinach and Artichoke dip and split 2 orders of the Butter Poached Lobster and Shrimp Tacos and the Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad. It was seriously so good.
For dinner, we went to Beauty and Essex in the Cosmopolitan and I cannot recommend this place enough. We all got the cucumber jalapeño cocktail that was recommended to us.
The reason I really loved this place is because it’s a shared plate concept similar to tapas. Truly every single thing we had was incredible. The vibe there is chic and sexy and the staff there was super great too.
Day 6:
We took a late flight home so we got to lay out at the Strat Pool which was the perfect way to end the trip.
Overall:
This trip was definitely tiring since we did so much, but it was genuinely the best trip of my life.
Here are some extra tips if you decide to go to any of these places:
- Look up if you can reserve anything you want to do in advance so you don’t have to worry about it later.
- You need more sunscreen, water, and snacks than you think on the hikes. We had backpack waters that help about 3 liters about water between the 4 of us, and on most days we needed more.
- Mole skins are specific adhesives that are made for blisters. You’ll need these.
- To that note, BREAK IN YOUR HIKING SHOES. Much more than you think.
- Be down to go with the flow! We initially weren’t planning on going to Horseshoe Bend and kayaking Lake Powell to Antelope Canyon and that ended up being the best part of the trip!
- Once you put a destination into your maps, don’t exit out since there isn’t a lot of signal out there.
I really hope this helped with ideas for your trip! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out! Check out my Instagram @annaxmargaret for pictures!
Stay confident, curious, & kind,
Anna
