Our trip to Arizona in January was so wonderful that within a couple weeks we started planning a return trip. We knew we wanted to take advantage of the longest spring break Jack has ever had, so we needed to get things booked before they got super expensive. Now is the fun stuff, deciding what we want to make sure to do on our trip!
To get you up to speed, on our last trip we stuck with just Arizona, visiting Phoenix, Pine and Sedona. You can read a recap here: All About Our 4-Day Family Trip to Arizona. We only had a long weekend for that trip, so we were super bummed out that we weren’t able to make it to the Grand Canyon or visit other super cool looking places that were a bit too North to get to with our timeline.
For our spring break trip, Travis and I literally printed out a map and started circling places we wanted to visit:

Here’s what we’ve come up with:
Day 1: Fly to Vegas.
We considered whether to fly into Phoenix again or to fly into the Las Vegas airport. We decided that Kanab, UT would be a good homebase, so we checked Google Maps. From Phoenix to Kanab is about 5 hours and 23 minutes. From Las Vegas to Kanab is about 3 hours and 16 minutes. Also, the Las Vegas route would take us through scenic areas we haven’t seen before AND the plane fare was less expensive. Vegas wins!
On our plan: We will be arriving in Vegas late at night. So, our plan is to take an Uber to our hotel and crash. We are staying at the Excalibur Hotel & Casino right on the Vegas strip, because it’s cheap and looks ridiculous.
Day 2: Vegas to Kanab, UT
On our plan: We will be checking out of our hotel, finding breakfast somewhere and picking up our rental car. From there, we will drive towards Kanab, where we have a condo rental for the rest of the week.
Possible things to do that day:
- Eat. We need breakfast in the Vegas area before we go. We may hit up Saint Honore Donut Shop because I saw it online and it looks amazing. We will also need lunch and dinner somewhere between Vegas and Kanab.
- Valley of Fire State Park: this state park is on the way between Vegas and Kanab and is supposed to be absolutely beautiful. They have a few different hikes we can easily do in the afternoon, which will also be a great way to stretch our legs.
- Virgin River Gorge: this is also on the way between Vegas and Kanab, the gorge is supposed to be twisty and turny goodness.
- Check into our condo rental and go grocery shopping.
Days 3 – 7: All the Exploring!
On our plan: We have a rental condo in Kanab and will be venturing out each day to visit nearby parks, hikes and overall cool places.
Possible things to do:
- Zion National Park – about 30 minutes from Kanab, so we plan to spend one day exploring there. They even have e-bike rentals (like we did in Austin), so we may do that!
- Bryce Canyon Park – About 1.5 hours from Kanab, so could be a day trip.
- Antelope Canyon & Page – about 1 hour, 20 minutes from Kanab, so could be a day trip. You can only go with a tour group, so I need to figure out which one to book if we go there. Recommendations welcome!
- Belly of the Dragon – about 20 minutes from Kanab.
- Possibly booking a tour to somewhere nearby?
- Eat ALL the food! We plan to have groceries available for easy breakfasts, lunches and snacks and enjoy going out for dinners. However, we will be there over Easter and anticipate places being closed, so we will at least need to make dinner on Easter.
If you have been to the Northern Arizona/Southern Utah area, I’d love to know any recommendations on things to do, see or eat!
Day 8: Kanab to Vegas
On our plan: We will wake up, have breakfast and pack up. Then, we will drive back to Vegas (about 3 hours), turn in our rental car, and check into our Vegas hotel. This time, we are staying at The Signature at MGM Grand.
Possible things to do:
- We may stop somewhere between Kanab and Vegas if we want to stretch our legs, eat, or just explore.
- Once we check-in to our hotel in Vegas, we plan to walk around the strip. Travis definitely wants to show Jack the Venetian because we have great memories from a past trip.
- We will probably buy some sparkly souvenirs because my kid is a magpie.
- Eat. If you have any lunch or dinner recommendations in Vegas, let me know!
Day 9: Come Home
On our plan: We have an early flight, so we will wake up and grab a taxi or Uber to the airport.
I can’t wait! If you have any recommendations for places we shouldn’t miss – whether it be food options, hikes, stores, or views – let me know!