Utah

Duration: 6 days (2 for driving only)
Mileage: ~1700
Starting point: Mountain View, CA
States: Utah, Nevada
Budget for 2 people: $1410 ($550 hotels, $230 gas, ~$200 food, $80 National Parks annual pass, $350 Cirque du Soleil show in Vegas)

  • Day 0: Drive to Barstow, CA after work (400 mi)
  • Day 1: Drive to Airbnb location in Glendale, Utah (360 mi)
  • Day 2: Explore Zion National Park (~70 mi total)
  • Day 3: Snowed in in Glendale
  • Day 4: explore Bryce National Park (~110 mi total)
  • Day 5: Drive to Las Vegas and spend the day there (200 mi)
  • Day 6: Drive home (540 mi)

Continue reading

Flight: Orange County, SNA –> Salt Lake City; Denver, DEN –> Orange County, SNA
Duration: 10 days
Mileage: ~3200
Starting point: Salt Lake City, UT
States: UT, ID, WY, MT, ND, SD, NE, KS, CO
Budget for 2 people: $1953 ($22.5* flight,  $500 car rental, $700 hotels, $300 gas, $330 food, $100 other)
Map

  • Day 0: flight from Orange County, SNA to Salt Lake City, SLC; night walk in the downtown
  • Day 1: explore Salt Lake City, UT; drive to Jackson, WY via Idaho Falls, ID (300 mi, 5 h)
  • Day 2: explore Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park; stay in Jackson, WY
  • Day 3: continue exploring Yellowstone; drive to Hungry Horse, MT (550 mi, 10 h)

    Continue reading

Duration: 4.5 days
Mileage: ~1600
Starting point: Irvine, CA
States: CA, NV, AZ, UT
Budget for 2 people: $800 ($250 hotel, $200 gas, $250 food, $100 other)

Map 

  • Day 0: drive from Irvine, CA to St. George, UT (400 mi, 7 h)
  • Day 1: visit Antelope Canyon, AZ (160 mi, 3 h); Horseshoe Bend, AZ (10 mi, 20 min); then drive to Monument Valley, UT (130 mi, 2.5 h)
  • Day 2: sunrise at Monument Valley, UT; Natural Bridges National Monument, UT (70 mi, 2 h, 3 mi gravel one lane steep road); sunset at Arches National Park, Moab, UT (120 mi, 2.5 h)
  • Day 3: Arches National Park; drive to Cedar City (300 mi, 5 h)
  • Day 4: drive back home (450 mi, 7 h if no traffic from Las Vegas)

Continue reading