Red rock, slot canyons, orchards you can pick from and a canyon so big it has two separate rims: the national parks of southern Utah and northern Arizona make one of the great family road trips. They also ask more of parents than a city break does. Distances are long, shade is scarce, much of the route sits at altitude, and some of the best moments need a booking made weeks ahead. This guide lays out a loop from Las Vegas that links seven parks and a slot canyon, with a shorter version if you have only a week, and the practical details that make the difference with children in the back seat.
Every park in this guide has its own page on JuniorTravelClub with entry rules, facilities and what works for children. Distances and drive times below come from the National Park Service’s own direction pages; where the parks don’t publish a figure, we say so rather than guess.
The route at a glance
- Start and finish: Las Vegas. Zion lists Harry Reid International Airport as 170 miles from the park.
- Parks: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches, Mesa Verde (optional), Antelope Canyon and the Grand Canyon.
- Length: two weeks at a family pace, with two rest days built in. A one-week version follows below.
- You need: a car (Bryce Canyon states plainly that there is no public transport to the park, and Petrified Forest says the same), car seats, a lot of water and a few advance bookings.
Before you go
Entry passes and what children pay
National park entry works differently from a theme park. There is usually no timed ticket; you pay per vehicle at the gate or show an annual pass, and the pass covers everyone in the car. Grand Canyon admission runs for seven days, and so does the standard pass at Petrified Forest, which means you can leave and come back without paying twice.
Children are the easy part. Zion’s fee page says youth aged 15 and under are admitted free and that children under 16 don’t need an entrance pass of their own; Arches, Petrified Forest and Mesa Verde have similar rules for children. If you live in the United States and have a child in fourth grade, the National Park Service says families with a fourth grader are eligible for a free or discounted America the Beautiful pass.
Families travelling from abroad should read the fee pages carefully. Zion, for example, charges a separate nonresident fee for each non-US resident aged 16 and older, on top of the standard entrance fee, unless the group comes in on an annual or America the Beautiful pass. There is a separate non-resident annual pass. With teenagers in the car and seven parks on the list, it is worth doing the sums before you leave. Fees change, so check each park’s fees page close to your trip.
Book these early
- Antelope Canyon: you can only go in on a guided tour with an authorised operator, and reservations are required year-round.
- Mesa Verde cliff dwelling tours: every ranger-led tour to Cliff Palace, Balcony House and Square Tower House must be reserved in advance at recreation.gov, on top of the entrance pass. The tours run in the warm season, from mid-May to late October.
- Sleeping inside the Grand Canyon: the park strongly recommends booking lodging and campgrounds well ahead in spring, summer and autumn. Families who leave it late end up driving in from outside.
Arches states that advance timed-entry reservations are not required in 2026. That can change from year to year, so check before you travel.
When to go
Summer is when most families can travel, and it is also the hardest season on this route. Capitol Reef warns that there is minimal shade and that summer highs pass 80°F most of the summer and often reach the 90s or 100s. Arches reports extremely high visitation from March through October. Bryce Canyon’s busiest months are May to September. Spring and autumn school holidays are the sweet spot if you can manage them. Bear in mind that Mesa Verde’s cliff dwelling tours only run from mid-May to late October.
Junior Rangers: the secret weapon
Many national parks run a Junior Ranger programme, Arches among them. The National Park Service describes it as a set of hands-on activities, usually in a free booklet you pick up at the visitor centre. Children work through it during the visit and take the Junior Ranger pledge to receive a badge. It is designed for an in-person visit, and most parks only give badges to children who are there. On a long road trip this is gold. Each park becomes a mission, and a row of badges by the end of the fortnight is a better souvenir than anything in the gift shop.
Day by day: the two-week loop
Day 1: Las Vegas to Zion
Pick up the car and head north-east. The NPS gives the distance from Las Vegas airport to Zion as 170 miles. Stay in or near Springdale, the town at Zion’s South Entrance, so tomorrow starts without a drive. If your flight lands late, St. George, whose airport the same NPS page lists 49 miles from the park, makes a good first-night stop.
Day 2: Zion Canyon
Zion’s day revolves around Zion Canyon. During shuttle season, the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is closed to private cars and the canyon runs on the park shuttle instead. With small children that can be a relief: you park once, ride, and hop off where it suits you. Most visitors start at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center near the South Entrance, which has reserved parking with paved walkways. Zion Lodge, in the heart of the canyon, has a snack bar and a dining room, and in shuttle season you reach it by shuttle too.
Zion is also one of the most accessible parks on the route. The visitor centres, shuttle buses, restrooms, picnic areas and Zion Lodge are all accessible, the shuttle buses have lifts, three trails offer more accessible hiking, and an adventure wheelchair can be borrowed at the visitor centre. Some famous hikes, Angels Landing among them, need a separate paid permit. That one is for another trip, not this one.
Day 3: Zion to Bryce Canyon
The NPS puts Bryce Canyon 86 miles from Zion, or about two hours’ drive. Check the large-vehicle rules if you are in a campervan or a big SUV. Zion’s directions page warns that vehicles that are too large cannot drive between Canyon Junction and the East Entrance and must use another route. Arrive in the afternoon and walk to a rim viewpoint before dinner.
Day 4: Bryce Canyon
Bryce is a drive-and-stop park. The visitor centre is about a mile inside the boundary, and the viewpoints are strung along the road south of it: Sunset Point, Inspiration Point, Farview Point and Rainbow Point. Children can stand at a railing and look straight down into the rock, with no ticket window and no queue. The free Bryce Canyon Shuttle links the main viewpoints and trails in season, from spring until late October. It is included in your admission and optional. You can also park at the shuttle station in Bryce Canyon City and ride in. Outside the season you drive between viewpoints, and parking is limited: Sunset Point has 115 spaces and Inspiration Point 36.
Plan around the altitude. Much of the park sits at 7,000 to 9,000 feet, where the air holds less oxygen. In children it often shows up as short tempers and early tiredness before anyone calls it breathlessness. Keep the walks short and the snacks frequent. Bryce Lodge and the General Store run on their own seasons, so carry lunch outside the busy months.
Stay up after dark if you can. Bryce, like every national park in this loop, is an International Dark Sky Park, and ranger talks appear on its weekly calendar.
Day 5: State Route 12 to Capitol Reef
Utah State Route 12 runs 123 miles from US-89 south of Panguitch to Torrey, beside Capitol Reef. Capitol Reef’s own directions page says the drive between Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef on SR-12 takes about three hours. Build in stops. This is a day to enjoy the road itself rather than race it.
Day 6: Capitol Reef and the Fruita orchards
Capitol Reef is the park children tend to remember for an unexpected reason: fruit. The historic Fruita area has 19 orchards that open for fruit picking at harvest time. You pay for the fruit on top of the entrance fee, and the rules differ from orchard to orchard. Drinking water is available at the visitor centre, the picnic area and Fruita Campground. The park asks visitors to carry a gallon per person per day, because there is little shade. Two rules to note: all children must wear a helmet when cycling in the park, and everyone in a vehicle needs a seat belt or child safety seat.
Day 7: Capitol Reef to Moab
From Capitol Reef, SR-24 runs east towards Hanksville and on to Interstate 70. Capitol Reef’s directions page gives 37.3 miles from the visitor centre to a junction, then a further 43.8 miles to I-70 at exit 149. Arches lies 22 miles south of I-70 at Crescent Junction on US-191, and 5 miles north of Moab. Moab is where the shops, fuel and beds are, so make it your base for two nights.
Day 8: Arches
Arches is the park where an early start pays off most. The park advises entering before 8am or after 3pm to avoid long lines and parking congestion. When the car parks fill, it can temporarily restrict access, sometimes for three to five hours. Arches publishes drive times from the entrance: about 15 to 20 minutes to Balanced Rock, 25 to 30 minutes to the Windows Section, 30 to 35 minutes to the Delicate Arch viewpoint and 40 to 45 minutes to Devils Garden.
Aside from the visitor centre and its bathrooms, there are no facilities in the park. Fill water bottles at the visitor centre or Devils Garden; the park recommends at least a gallon (4 litres) per person per day. The ranger-led Fiery Furnace hike is not open to children under 5. This is the day to pick up the Junior Ranger booklet at the visitor centre. Arches offers ranger-led stargazing in summer, and the evening is cooler than anything the middle of the day can offer.
Day 9: Rest day in Moab
Two weeks on the road with children needs at least one day with no driving. Use it for a pool, a playground and laundry. You will be glad of it on day ten.
Days 10 and 11: Mesa Verde (optional)
If your children are steady on their feet, the detour east into Colorado to Mesa Verde is one of the most memorable stops in the American West. Ancestral Pueblo cliff dwellings sit in alcoves below the mesa top, and rangers lead visitors down to them by ladder. The park sets no age or height limit on the tours, but every child and adult must be able to walk steep trails, climb wooden ladders and manage steps on their own. Babies must be carried in a backpack carrier. For toddlers and pushchairs, the mesa-top road, the overlooks and the museum make a full visit on their own. In season, free Spruce Tree House Overlook Talks need no reservation. The park is cashless, and the Wetherill Mesa trails have no shade at all. Stay in Cortez.
If you skip Mesa Verde, use these two days for a slower drive south and an extra night near Page.
Day 12: On to Page
This is the longest driving day of the trip. Whichever way you come, from Moab or Cortez, the drive to Page in Arizona is a full day. The parks don’t publish a figure for it, so check your route in a mapping app the night before. Plan a picnic, toilet stops and a screen-free hour, and arrive in time for an easy evening.
Day 13: Antelope Canyon, then to the Grand Canyon
Book the earliest Antelope Canyon tour you can. The Upper Antelope Canyon operator has no age restrictions and says children of all ages go on tour every day, which makes this a slot canyon the whole family can walk through together. Know the walk before you book: about three-quarters of a mile on soft sand, with stairs and ramps and a climb everyone must be able to complete. A few practical points:
- The operator drives groups to the canyon in its own trucks, which have limited room for car seats. Bring your own if your children need them.
- Strollers will not work in the sand. Bring a carrier for a baby.
- There is no bathroom for nearly two hours on the tour, so use the one at the operator’s office first.
- Only clear bags are allowed, which matters if you normally carry a nappy bag. Water can be carried in a bottle with a strap.
- Babies need their own confirmed ticket.
In the afternoon, drive south to the Grand Canyon’s South Rim. The East Entrance at Desert View is 25 miles west of Cameron, according to the park’s directions page.
Day 14: The Grand Canyon’s South Rim
The Grand Canyon asks very little of a family’s timetable. Entry needs no reservation, there is no timed entry, and admission lasts seven days. You can stand at the rim first thing, leave for a long break in the middle of the day and come back later on the same pass. The park runs shuttle buses within the developed area, so you don’t have to walk every stretch between viewpoints with a child in tow. Fold strollers before you board: oversized and jogging strollers are not allowed on the buses.
If you entered at Desert View, children will want to climb the Desert View Watchtower. Check before you promise. The tower holds 25 people at a time, and a free ticket system limits each group to 20 minutes.
From the South Rim, the park gives about 60 minutes to Interstate 40 at Williams and 90 minutes to Flagstaff. From there it is a long drive back to Las Vegas for your flight. Allow a spare night if you can.
What about the North Rim? It is a different trip. The NPS gives the drive from the South Rim to the North Rim as about 212 miles and four and a half hours, and the North Rim is only open from 15 May to 15 October.
The one-week version
If you have seven days, keep it in Utah and skip the long southern leg:
- Las Vegas to Zion
- Zion Canyon
- Zion to Bryce Canyon
- Bryce Canyon, then SR-12 to Capitol Reef
- Capitol Reef to Moab
- Arches
- Moab to Salt Lake City for your flight home. Arches lists Salt Lake City airport as 230 miles from the park entrance.
The alternative short loop from Las Vegas is Zion, Bryce, Page and the Grand Canyon. It swaps Arches and Capitol Reef for Antelope Canyon and the big canyon itself.
Good to know with kids
Water, heat and shade
This is the single most important thing to plan. Both Arches and Capitol Reef tell visitors to carry a gallon of water per person per day, and Arches has no facilities beyond the visitor centre. Buy a large refillable container for the car and fill it every morning. Hats, sun cream and an early start do more for a child’s mood here than any snack.
Altitude
Bryce Canyon sits between 7,000 and 9,000 feet. Expect children to tire sooner than they do at home, and keep the first day there short.
Car seats
Bring them or book them with the car hire, and confirm they’re included. Capitol Reef reminds visitors that every vehicle occupant needs a seat belt or child safety seat. Antelope Canyon’s tour trucks have limited room for car seats, so you will need your own.
Pushchairs and carriers
A compact folding pushchair works on visitor-centre paths and shuttles. Grand Canyon shuttles need it folded, and jogging strollers are not allowed on board. Bring a carrier for Antelope Canyon, where strollers will not work in the sand, and for Mesa Verde, where babies must be carried in a backpack carrier on tours.
Food and payment
Food is scarce inside the parks. Petrified Forest’s diner closes at 3pm, and Mesa Verde has only one eating place open daily all year. Stock up in the gateway towns and picnic. Mesa Verde is cashless, and Petrified Forest’s entrance stations take only credit or debit cards. Carry a card that works in the US.
Dogs
Arches allows pets at the campground and at pullouts on the paved scenic drives, but not on any hiking trail. If the family dog is coming, check each park’s pet rules first.
Pace
Seven parks in two weeks is a lot. The single best decision on this trip is to drop one stop rather than squeeze it in. Bryce, Arches and the Grand Canyon will each fill a day with very little walking.
An alternative stop: Petrified Forest
If your route home passes Holbrook in Arizona, Petrified Forest National Park is an easy half-day. The Painted Desert Visitor Center has toilets, a diner and two covered picnic areas, and one vehicle pass covers everyone for seven days. Dogs on a leash are allowed everywhere except inside buildings.
Plan and book
A road trip like this starts with the car. Compare rental companies and check that car seats are included: car hire in the USA on AutoEurope. Mobile signal is patchy between parks, so download offline maps before you leave. An eSIM sorts out data on arrival: US eSIM on Airalo.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through them, JuniorTravelClub may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need for Utah’s national parks with kids?
A week covers Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef and Arches at a steady pace. Two weeks lets you add Antelope Canyon, the Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde, with rest days in between. One park per day is plenty with young children.
Do children pay to enter US national parks?
No. The parks in this guide admit youth aged 15 and under free, and children under 16 don’t need a pass of their own. Families from outside the US should check each park’s fee page, because some parks charge a separate nonresident fee for visitors aged 16 and over.
Is Antelope Canyon suitable for young children?
The Upper Antelope Canyon operator sets no age limit, but everyone must manage about three-quarters of a mile of soft sand with stairs and a climb. Strollers will not work, and there is no toilet for nearly two hours, so it suits children who walk well or babies in a carrier.
Can you do this road trip with a toddler?
Yes, with a slower plan. Zion’s shuttle, Bryce’s rim viewpoints and the Grand Canyon’s shuttles all work with a folding pushchair. Skip the Mesa Verde ladder tours and use the overlooks and museum instead. Watch for tiredness at Bryce’s altitude.
Do we need to book anything in advance?
Book Antelope Canyon tours, Mesa Verde cliff dwelling tours and any lodging inside the Grand Canyon well ahead. Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef and the Grand Canyon need no entry reservation. Arches states that timed entry is not required in 2026.
What is the Junior Ranger programme?
It is a set of hands-on activities, usually in a free booklet from the visitor centre, at parks that run the programme. Children complete the activities during their visit and take a pledge to earn a badge. Most parks only give badges in person, so ask on arrival.
Where should we fly in and out?
Las Vegas works best for a loop that includes Zion and the Grand Canyon. Salt Lake City suits a Utah-only trip ending at Arches. The NPS lists Salt Lake City airport 230 miles from Arches, and Las Vegas airport 170 miles from Zion.
Is summer too hot for a national parks trip with kids?
It can be. Capitol Reef reports summer highs that often reach the 90s or 100s°F, with little shade. If summer is your only option, start every day early, rest in the middle of the day, carry a gallon of water per person and save the walking for mornings and evenings.
Tickets & tours for these places
Bookable tours via GetYourGuide. Affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
