11 days | 8 National Parks, 2 State Parks, 4 States | Planning & Travel Tips

For our family of 5, this was a trip of a lifetime! It took LOTS of planning ahead of time, and even more researching and quick planning throughout the trip itself, but it was amazing!

I think the hardest parts for us in planning were to:

1) pick a timeframe (if we had planned for any more days, we 100% would have added a couple of other National Parks — there are SO many in this general area…but we will just have to make our way back that direction again soon!)

and 2) guesstimate how much time we would want/need at each area. (We have never been out west, so my daughter and I relied heavily on other blogs, YouTube videos, and our AllTrails apps to help us try to plan our general itinerary. We did stay fairly close to the general plan, but we definitely made many last minute changes along the way. We called it staying “fluid” so as not to be stressed on our trip.)

Due to this being a graduation trip, and knowing that my daughter already had plans to take summer classes, we quickly decided on an early May trip. This was perfect for us, as it wasn’t extremely busy since most schools were still in session, but it also gave us very comfortable temperatures throughout the trip.

TRAVEL OPTIONS

After deciding on our trip days, we began looking at airline options. For us, it was best to get a non-stop flight into Phoenix. We could have flown into Las Vegas, but seeing Sedona, AR was on my personal bucket list, and we had no real reason to want to see Las Vegas.

LODGING CHOICES

We looked at many lodging options throughout our trip, but for us (a family of five on a budget), it worked out best for us to pre-book fully cancellable hotel rooms in the general areas we planned to be each night and adjust during our trip as needed. This gave us enough comfortable bed space for a good night’s sleep…free breakfast…hot showers…pools and hot tubs (amazing after a long day of hiking!) …and free wifi (which was a must for downloading maps, checking in with family, etc. – not much cell reception in the parks outside of the visitor center.) We did find a few unique rentals when we got to the Escalante area (more about that later), but for the most part, we just enjoyed the hotel life.

FOOD CHOICES

I will add one more detail to our “planning” post, as this was a big one for our family. Due to diet restrictions, personal preferences, and financial planning, it was important that we planned ahead for our food. Our flight included 2 checked bags per person plus a carry on each (no…we didn’t use THAT many…) BUT that allowed us to take an extra suitcase with all of our favorite foods/snacks. We brought enough homemade bread for most of our lunches…nuts, granola bars, homemade jerky, freeze-dried fruits, etc. – all perfect for hiking day trips! We also looked ahead and found areas with a Sam’s Club…one of which was on our way to our first destination. This allowed us to stock up the rental SUV with lots of water bottles, extra snacks, and easy to grab meals. Not only did our stomachs thank us for not eating trash food daily on our trip, our budget was much healthier, too! On a side note, there were many areas that had decent restaurant options that we tried on our trip, but there were equally several areas that had absolutely NOTHING around…so it was nice to know that we had plenty of food, regardless of what was or wasn’t around the next corner.

Day 1: {{ Travel Day }} Highlights

*We chose to fly into Phoenix, AR instead of Las Vegas, NV (as suggested by most). We had a vehicle rental waiting and ready at the airport, so as soon as we had our luggage, we were on our way!

*Sunset Point Scenic View & Rest Area

*Scenic drive through Cococino National Forest with stops including Yavapai Vista Trail & Upper/Lower Red Rock Road

{{ I can see why people get tired of the “red rock” area, but wow! These views are amazing!! }}

*Snow-capped mountains

This scenic drive from Phoenix, AR (airport) took us through Sedona and to the Grand Canyon, where we would see our first of 8 National Parks!

Here’s a link to continue our journey…first stop… The Grand Canyon – Southern Rim

Here are some of my favorite National Park items (for souvenirs and for hiking/travel), if you want to check it out – https://www.amazon.com/shop/marsha0727/list/338Y20NRBHI1H?ref_=aipsflist ((as an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a small percentage of commission from your purchases using my link – at no cost to you! Thanks for supporting our family 🤍)