National Parks and a Southwest Road Trip
Southwest Roadtrip Itinerary
Start / End
San Francisco, California
States Covered
National Parks
Yosemite, Kings Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands, Joshua Tree
Total Distance
2,550
Suggested Days
At least 20
Suggested Seasons
Year round
#ThisIsMyRoute
Overview
This trip is one of our favorites, and it offers a great first impression of America’s national parks. Nine iconic “desert parks†in California, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada, including Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, and Arches, along with the famous Monument Valley, color the landscape of the American Southwest with beauty and are sure to leave you feeling amazed, inspired, and maybe even like the star of your own Western movie! We have even included several small Western towns we believe are worth seeing, and some large cities like San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles, in order to help provide you with a complete picture of this region.
Preparation
We recommend 3 weeks for this trip, in order to ensure you have plenty of time to visit every national park, Western town, and city on the itinerary. Though some days will require more than 5 hours of driving time, each one will present a spectacular opportunity to explore part of the American Southwest. If you have more time, we have included suggestions of where to stay an extra day.
Itinerary
ARRIVAL IN SAN FRANCISCO
1.5 HOURS/72 MILES
Arrive at San Francisco International Airport, pick up your rental car and enjoy San Francisco, world famous for its skyline and the Golden Gate Bridge. We recommend choosing a hotel that is convenient to the airport location, given that you might be exhausted coming in. But if you are not too tired to explore, discover Fisherman’s Wharf for an unforgettable waterfront dining experience, where you might even befriend some local sea lions!
SAN FRANCISCO TO YOSEMITE
4 HOURS/175 MILES
You will probably wake up early, so take advantage of this and start your great American National Park trip! If you’re sad to leave San Francisco, don’t worry: you will return at the end of your trip, when you’ll have plenty of time to discover the city and do your shopping. You can drive from the airport toward downtown San Francisco, take Interstate 80 East over the Bay Bridge, then head further east on Interstate 580 through Oakland toward Stockton. Hwy 120 will then take you straight into Yosemite National Park. When you arrive at the park entrance, go first to Yosemite Valley to explore Yosemite Falls and the famous rock climbing mountain, El Capitan. If you want to camp, you’ll find the best campsites either in the valley or higher up on Hwy 120. You can also stay overnight in a hotel inside Yosemite or the nearby town of Mariposa.