Day-by-day programme of this 17-day itinerary across West Coast and the Great Parks.
Day 1 — Arrival in Las Vegas
You land in Las Vegas, the gateway to the West. After the long flight, an easy evening along the Strip, the avenue of the great themed hotels, to settle in and beat the jet lag. You pick up the rental car tomorrow.
- ✈️ Las Vegas — Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas
- 📍 Las Vegas Strip — The boulevard of casinos and themed hotels, where in a few hundred metres you find a canalled Venice, the Eiffel Tower, the Bellagio dancing fountains and pyramids. Kitsch and hypnotic: an evening stroll is the right way to begin the trip. You sleep on the Strip: tomorrow you pick up the car and warm up with a first taste of desert.
- 🏨 Flamingo Las Vegas — Las Vegas Strip, NV
Day 2 — Las Vegas and the desert
An easy morning to shake off the jet lag and pick up the rental car (in America it's the heart of the trip). In the afternoon a first taste of desert nature at Red Rock Canyon, just outside the city, before heading for the Grand Canyon tomorrow.
- 📍 Red Rock Canyon, Nevada — Less than half an hour from the Strip, a scenic loop drive among red sandstone walls, cactus and layered rock: the first real contact with the landscapes that will fill the trip. Short trails leave from the scenic road. You head back to Las Vegas for the night: tomorrow an early start and four and a half hours' drive to the Grand Canyon.
Day 3 — The Grand Canyon
You set off early eastward, crossing the desert to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon (about four and a half hours). The first look into the abyss is breathtaking; sunset, when the rock catches fire, is the moment not to miss. You sleep in or near the park.
- 📍 Grand Canyon South Rim — One of the most grandiose natural sights on Earth: a gorge up to 29 km wide and over 1,600 metres deep, carved by the Colorado River. From the Rim Trail and viewpoints like Mather and Yavapai Point the view shifts by the hour; at sunset it's magical. Park entry fee applies. You sleep nearby: tomorrow you head into Navajo land, towards Monument Valley.
- 🏨 The Grand Hotel at the Grand Canyon, Tusayan — Tusayan, AZ (Grand Canyon)
Day 4 — Towards Monument Valley
At dawn a last look at the Grand Canyon, then you drive north-east into Navajo land to Monument Valley, the red monoliths that have been the set for dozens of westerns. Arrival in the late afternoon for sunset over the buttes. You sleep with a view of the valley.
- 📍 Monument Valley — The sandstone towers rising from the red plain, symbol of the West and of Navajo land: you admire them from the famous viewpoint by the hotel or, better, on a Navajo-guided tour that takes you among the monoliths on dirt tracks. At sunset the colours are unreal. You sleep overlooking the valley: tomorrow you reach Page, on Lake Powell.
- 🏨 Goulding's Lodge, Monument Valley — Monument Valley, UT
Day 5 — Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend
You reach Page, on Lake Powell. Here two wonders close together: Antelope Canyon, the slot canyon where light falls in beams between the wavy walls (visit only with a Navajo guide, to be booked), and Horseshoe Bend, the horseshoe curve of the Colorado. You sleep in Page.
- 🎯 Antelope Canyon, Page — A very narrow slot canyon where water has polished the sandstone into fire-coloured waves; at midday light rains down in spectacular beams. Entry is only with a Navajo tour, to be booked ahead as they sell out. Upper or Lower Antelope, both stunning. A few minutes' drive away is the Horseshoe Bend overlook.
- 📍 Horseshoe Bend, Page — The horseshoe bend that the Colorado River draws 300 metres below, around a spur of red rock. From the car park a short walk leads to the edge (no railings: take care). Lovely in the warm light of late afternoon. You sleep in Page: tomorrow you climb to the pinnacles of Bryce Canyon.
- 🏨 Best Western Plus at Lake Powell, Page — Page, AZ
Day 6 — Bryce Canyon
You climb into Utah and Bryce Canyon, the natural amphitheatre crammed with orange pinnacles called hoodoos. From the rim the view is surreal; if you like, you descend among the spires on the Navajo Loop. At 2,400 metres the evenings are cool even in summer. You sleep near the park.
- 📍 Bryce Canyon — Not a true canyon but a great amphitheatre carved into the plateau, filled with thousands of orange and pink rock pinnacles, the hoodoos. Sunset Point and Sunrise Point give the overview; the Navajo Loop trail drops among the spires. Spectacular at sunrise and sunset. You sleep nearby: tomorrow it's just an hour to the most scenic canyon of all, Zion.
- 🏨 Best Western Plus Ruby's Inn, Bryce Canyon City — Bryce Canyon City, UT
Day 7 — Zion National Park
A short transfer to Zion, where for the first time you don't look at the canyon from above but walk it from below, between towering red walls. You get around on the park shuttle; the fit tackle legendary trails like Angels Landing or The Narrows in the river. You sleep in Springdale.
- 📍 Zion Canyon — A gorge carved by the Virgin River between red sandstone walls up to 800 metres high, served by a compulsory shuttle that stops at the trails. From easy riverside walks to the dizzying climb of Angels Landing (permit by lottery), it's the most 'vertical' and immersive park of the loop. You sleep in Springdale, at the park gate: tomorrow a long drive towards the Death Valley desert.
- 🏨 Best Western Plus Zion Canyon Inn & Suites, Springdale — Springdale, UT (Zion)
Day 8 — Death Valley
A long drive west, back through Nevada, to Death Valley, in California. It's the desert of extremes: you descend to Badwater, the lowest point in North America, and watch sunrise or sunset from Zabriskie Point. In summer the heat is ferocious: carry plenty of water. You sleep at Furnace Creek.
- 📍 Zabriskie Point, Death Valley — The valley's most famous overlook, above a sea of rippling golden badlands that turn gold and violet at sunset. Not far away, Badwater Basin drops to 86 metres below sea level, a dazzling salt flat. Almost lunar landscapes. You sleep at Furnace Creek: tomorrow you leave the desert and climb along the Sierra Nevada.
- 🏨 The Ranch at Death Valley, Furnace Creek — Furnace Creek, Death Valley, CA
Day 9 — The eastern Sierra: Mono Lake
You leave the desert and climb along the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada. A stop at Mono Lake, a salt lake with its strange limestone towers (tufa), then up to Mammoth Lakes, among the pines, for the night. The air turns cool and alpine.
- 📍 Mono Lake — An ancient salt lake ringed by bizarre limestone spires risen from the water, the 'tufa'. On the south shore a short trail threads through them: a surreal scene, full of migrating birds, with the snowy Sierra behind. You sleep a little higher up, at Mammoth Lakes: tomorrow you cross the mountains into Yosemite.
- 🏨 Mammoth Mountain Inn, Mammoth Lakes — Mammoth Lakes, CA
Day 10 — Yosemite
You cross the Sierra over Tioga Pass (open only from late spring to autumn, snow permitting) and drop into Yosemite Valley, one of the most beautiful valleys on the planet. The first view from Tunnel View, with El Capitan and Half Dome, takes your breath away. You sleep in or near the park.
- 📍 Tunnel View, Yosemite — Yosemite's most famous viewpoint: the glacial valley opens suddenly with the El Capitan monolith on the left, Bridalveil Fall on the right and the dome of Half Dome at the end. It's the park's postcard, even lovelier in late-afternoon light. You sleep in the valley: tomorrow a full day inside the park.
- 🏨 Yosemite Valley Lodge — Yosemite Valley, CA
Day 11 — Yosemite Valley
A full day in the park: the waterfalls and meadows of the valley floor, the giant sequoias of Mariposa Grove and the view from above at Glacier Point, sheer over the valley and Half Dome. You get around on foot and on the free shuttle.
- 📍 Glacier Point, Yosemite — A terrace at 2,200 metres looking straight down into the valley 900 metres below and across to Half Dome and the Nevada and Vernal falls. One of the widest, most spectacular views in the whole Sierra; lovely at sunset. Road open in season. In the afternoon you drive to the park's southern end, among the sequoias of Mariposa Grove.
- 📍 Mariposa Grove, Yosemite — The park's grove of giant sequoias, the largest trees in the world by volume: the Grizzly Giant is almost three thousand years old. A walk among the colossal trunks, at the southern end of Yosemite, rounds off the day beautifully. You sleep one last night in the area: tomorrow you head down to the ocean and San Francisco.
Day 12 — From Yosemite to San Francisco
You come down from the mountains towards the coast and the Pacific Ocean: in about four hours you reach San Francisco, the city of hills, cable cars and fog. A first evening between Fisherman's Wharf and the bay, with the sea lions at Pier 39. You sleep in the city for two nights.
- 📍 Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco — San Francisco's tourist waterfront, with Pier 39 where hundreds of sea lions doze, the clam-chowder stalls and the view of the bay and Alcatraz. A light first taste of the city, after the long descent from the Sierra. You sleep downtown: tomorrow a full day between the Golden Gate and Alcatraz.
- 🏨 Chancellor Hotel on Union Square, San Francisco — Union Square, San Francisco, CA
Day 13 — San Francisco
A full day in the most European city in America: the Golden Gate Bridge, the prison island of Alcatraz (ticket to book well ahead) and a ride on the cable cars up to the curves of Lombard Street. Between one hill and another, the colourful neighbourhoods.
- 📍 Golden Gate Bridge — The most famous orange-red bridge in the world, suspended over the mouth of the bay, often half-wrapped in fog. You cross it by car, on foot or by bike; the Battery Spencer and Crissy Field viewpoints offer the best views. Then you head back to the port to board the Alcatraz ferry.
- 📍 Alcatraz Island — The island in the bay that held the maximum-security prison of America's most famous criminals, from Al Capone onwards. You reach it by ferry and tour it with an intense audio guide narrated by former inmates. Tickets sell out: book weeks ahead. You sleep one last night in San Francisco: tomorrow Highway 1 south begins.
Day 14 — Highway 1: Monterey and Carmel
You join the legendary Highway 1 heading south, the road perched over the ocean. A stop at Monterey, with its famous aquarium, and the 17-Mile Drive at Pebble Beach among cypresses and cliffs, then pretty Carmel. You sleep along the coast.
- 📍 17-Mile Drive, Pebble Beach — A private scenic road between Monterey and Carmel hugging cliffs, legendary golf courses and the solitary Lone Cypress clinging to the rock. Among sea lions and wind-bent cypresses, it's the perfect appetiser for Big Sur. You stay overnight here in the Monterey area: tomorrow the most spectacular stretch of Highway 1.
- 🏨 Cannery Row Inn, Monterey — Monterey, CA
Day 15 — Big Sur to Santa Barbara
The day of Highway 1 at its finest: Big Sur, where the road clings to the cliff above the Pacific, between Bixby Bridge and the McWay waterfall that drops onto the beach. You carry on to Mediterranean-feeling Santa Barbara. Drive slowly, plenty of photo stops.
- 📍 Bixby Bridge, Big Sur — The arched bridge that symbolises Big Sur, suspended over a gorge plunging into the ocean: one of California's most photographed images. From here Highway 1 serves up, bend after bend, cliffs, hidden beaches and the McWay waterfall a little further south. You keep descending the coast to Santa Barbara, where you sleep.
- 🏨 Hotel Santa Barbara — Santa Barbara, CA
Day 16 — Los Angeles
A last drive south to Los Angeles, where the journey ends. You go up to the Hollywood Sign, stroll the Walk of Fame and finish at sunset on the Santa Monica pier, where Route 66 meets the Pacific. You sleep in Los Angeles.
- 📍 Hollywood Sign, Los Angeles — The iconic white letters on the hill, symbol of world cinema. They're photographed from the Griffith Observatory overlook, which in the evening also gives a magnificent view over the lit-up city. Nearby, Hollywood Boulevard with the Walk of Fame and the Chinese Theatre. In the late afternoon you head down to the ocean, to the Santa Monica pier.
- 📍 Santa Monica Pier, Los Angeles — The pier with its oceanfront amusement park where Route 66 officially ends: a Ferris wheel, roller coaster and the golden Santa Monica beach. At sunset, with the skaters on the promenade towards Venice Beach, it's the perfect finale of the trip. You sleep in Los Angeles: tomorrow only the flight home.
- 🏨 The Pierside Santa Monica, Los Angeles — Santa Monica, Los Angeles, CA
Day 17 — Departure from Los Angeles
Last hours in California, perhaps a coffee at Venice Beach, then you return the car at Los Angeles airport and take the long flight home. You go home with the canyons, the desert and the ocean still in your eyes.
- ✈️ Los Angeles — Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
