Utah's National Parks
The “Ground Tour Package” - Nine days and five parks.
The Arches in Utah.
TRIP AT A GLANCE
"The Grand Tour" is our package for the ambitious trip — multiple destinations, longer days, and groups that span generations. This sample loops through Utah's legendary national parks with something for grandparents and grandkids alike: easy paved strolls and big adventures, side by side.
Who it's for: A multigenerational group — grandparents, parents, and kids — chasing a bucket-list road trip.
Length: 9 days, looping from Las Vegas.
Best season: Spring or fall (summer is very hot).
The parks: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches & Canyonlands.
The secret: Every day offers an easy option and an ambitious one, so every generation gets their perfect trip.
THIS TRIP AT THREE BUDGETS
Value · $4,500–6,500 — Value inns and campgrounds, park passes, picnics, self-driven in your own SUV with limited adventure excursions.
Comfort · $6,500–8,500 — Park lodges and comfortable hotels, a guided river day, a mix of dining, and off-roading adventure tours.
Splurge · $10,000+ — Luxury lodges and glamping (think Amangiri or Under Canvas), private guides and adventures, and fine dining.
Illustrative ranges per family of four, excluding airfare; larger groups scale. Actual cost depends on your dates, departure city, and group size — and Roots & Routes Travel deal-finding stretches every dollar.
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Fly into Las Vegas, then a scenic 2.5-hour drive to Springdale at Zion's doorstep. Settle in; sunset over the cliffs.
Day 2 (Into the canyon): Ride the shuttle into the park. Easy: the paved Pa'rus Trail and Riverside Walk — flat, shaded, grandparent- and stroller-friendly. Ambitious: wade The Narrows or climb Angels Landing (permit required).
Day 3 (Easy wonders): The short, rewarding Canyon Overlook Trail, the Emerald Pools, and the Human History Museum — then a slow afternoon to rest.
Multigen tip: Zion's shuttle and paved trails make the canyon floor accessible to nearly everyone, while the high routes thrill the teens.
Off the beaten path: Drive the Zion–Mt. Carmel Highway at golden hour — switchbacks and a tunnel reveal a slick rock landscapes of the park most visitors skip.
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Morning: Drive ~1.5 hours to Bryce. Walk the rim from Sunrise to Sunset Point — jaw-dropping views with almost no effort.
Afternoon: Easy: stay on the rim. Ambitious: hike the Queen's Garden + Navajo Loop down among the hoodoos — the park's best walk.
Evening: Bryce is a certified Dark Sky park — unforgettable stargazing. Bundle up; it sits above 8,000 feet.
Learning tie-in (Geology): Those spires are "hoodoos," carved by 200+ freeze-thaw cycles a year. Have the kids figure out how ice — not just water — sculpts solid rock.
Off the beaten path: Nearby Kodachrome Basin State Park and its stone chimneys are a quiet detour the tour buses never reach.
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Morning: Drive Scenic Byway 12, one of America's most spectacular roads, to Capitol Reef.
Afternoon: Pick fruit in the historic orchards (seasonal), find ancient petroglyphs, and cruise the Scenic Drive. A gentle, low-mileage day to recharge.
Don't miss: A fresh fruit pie from the historic Gifford House.
Learning tie-in (History): The petroglyphs were left by the Fremont people a thousand years ago — real rock art that makes ancient history vivid for kids.
Off the beaten path: Goblin Valley State Park nearby is a playground of mushroom-shaped rocks you're actually allowed to scramble among. Pure joy, almost no crowds.
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Day 6 (Arches): Drive to Moab (~2.5 hrs). Easy: the Windows and Balanced Rock is accessible for most everyone. Ambitious: The iconic Delicate Arch hike (or view it from the lower viewpoint).
Day 7 (Canyonlands): Mesa Arch at sunrise is a bucket-list photo. Then Grand View Point, and an afternoon at Dead Horse Point State Park — a Grand-Canyon-like overlook with far fewer people.
Multigen tip: Both parks have spectacular viewpoints right by the parking lot, so grandparents get the same vistas as the hikers.
Off the beaten path: Sand Dune Arch hides a shady sandbox between giant sand stone fins — younger kids could play there happily for an hour.
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Day 8 (Together on the water): A family-friendly Colorado River float or a 4x4 tour — the shared adventure that becomes the story everyone retells for years. A relaxed group dinner to close the trip.
Day 9 (Departure): Take a scenic return to Salt Lace City or return to Las Vegas to fly home.
What this journey teaches: Geology (arches, hoodoos, canyons), ecology (high-desert life), history (ancestral Puebloan and Fremont rock art), and astronomy (some of the darkest skies in America).