4, 5, and 7 days in southern Utah
This is the trip that went viral. Sand dunes, a slot canyon tour we had entirely to ourselves, both national parks, a basecamp twenty-five minutes from Zion and fifty from Bryce, and the real spots we actually go to, not the ones every blog lists.
Day 1: land and unwind
- Coming through Hurricane: stop at Lynn's Market, eggs, fruit, something quick to cook, maybe a steak for the grill
- Coming through Orderville: Rock n Tacos, get the birria and the elote
- Aim to pull in by 4 or 5, so you catch the sunset from the deck
- Hot tub, then dinner. If the weather cooperates, cook outside and eat at the table right underneath the limestone rocks
- Night: stars, no plans yet
Day 2: Bryce Canyon
- Coffee from the espresso machine at the house, then head out early to beat the crowds
- Bring a layer, the elevation climbs fast up there and it's always cooler than you expect
- Hike the Navajo Loop (about 2.5 hours, intermediate), or the easy rim walk if you want low-key
- Get hungry mid-hike, there's a small pizza spot inside the park. Nothing fancy, does the job, and they've got a gluten-free option too
- Dinner: The Only in Kanab, the best burger you'll ever have, or Rocking V's, or back at the house
- Night: fire pit, s'mores, cedar hot tub
Day 3: the adventure day
- Morning: Coral Pink Sand Dunes, get there by 9 before the sand's too hot to walk on. Bring water. It might be the best photo spot on the whole trip, and sandboarding down is more fun than it looks
- Midday: lunch in Kanab, Brown Box Cafe, or stop at The Shop in Orderville instead for a salad, a smoothie, or the jalapeño popper, it's the best one you'll have
- Afternoon: back at the house, sauna and ice bath
- Sunset: Peekaboo Slot Canyon and the Great Chamber tour, real adventure, real adrenaline, and only a couple other people out there with us. Morning light is best if you want photos inside the cave, but the view walking out at sunset might be the better moment
- Night: dinner, fire, stars
- All of it (the sand dunes, the UTV, the slot canyon tour) runs through the same company, Roam. Since you're on the list now: use code ARKA10 when you book for 10% off
Day 4: Zion
- Coffee from the espresso machine to get fueled, then head out early
- Sunrise: Canyon Overlook, twenty-five minutes away, then straight on into Springdale, no need to double back
- Morning: e-bike through Springdale, as early as you can manage it. The earlier you're out, the more it feels like you have the whole park to yourselves. Book your bikes ahead of time
- Coffee and a snack: Canyon Coffee for the views, or Fuel Love, they've got a speakeasy in the back and rent e-bikes too
- Breakfast: The Park House. Get the bagels
- Midday: lunch, some shopping, before you head out
A slower day
A horseback ride, or a slower morning instead: yoga on the deck, a sauna, an ice bath, whatever your body wants that day. Afternoon: nothing on the calendar. Night: a movie under the stars, projected right off the deck.
Or a day of canyoneering
Quiet side of Zion. Hidden slot canyons, not where the crowds go. Worth booking a guide for a full day if your group wants real adventure, not just a hike.
Day 6: Page, Arizona
About an hour and a half further out, so it's its own day. Horseshoe Bend first, an easy fifteen minute walk each way, best at sunrise or right before sunset when the cliffs actually glow. Then Antelope Canyon, but book a Navajo-guided tour weeks in advance, it sells out. Upper Antelope is the flat, easy one, and the one with the famous light beams if you get a midday slot. Lower Antelope has more stairs and ladders, fewer crowds, and a lower price. Either one, budget the Navajo Nation entry fee on top of the tour cost.
Day 7: White Pocket
Swirling red and white sandstone that doesn't look real, out in the Vermilion Cliffs. No permit needed, but you do need a high-clearance 4x4 or a guided tour, the sand out there will strand a regular car. Kanab and Page both have outfitters that run it as a full-day trip. Best October through May, it's brutal in the summer heat.
Want to try for The Wave?
It's the one everyone's seen on Instagram, and it's a lottery, not a booking. Two ways in: the advanced lottery on recreation.gov, where you apply about four months out and find out on the first of the following month, or the daily lottery, where you apply through the Recreation.gov app two days before, only while you're physically in the area. Either way it's a long shot, worth trying for if you're already out here, not something to plan the whole trip around.
Every one of those days started and ended at Arka. You don't have to sacrifice luxury to have adventure. There's a hot tub waiting when you're done, and a chef's kitchen actually worth cooking a real meal in.
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