2-Week USA Southwest Road Trip for Aussies — The Vegas Loop

Day 1: Land at Harry Reid International (LAS) after the long Pacific crossing. Check in to your Strip-adjacent hotel, resist the urge to do too much. Pool, shower, casual dinner, sleep. Day 2: Recovery day that's still fun. Morning visit to the Neon Museum, late afternoon walk the Strip (Bellagio fountains, Venetian canals, Fremont Street East). Dinner — consider reservations at Bouchon, Mon Ami Gabi, or something casual like Secret Pizza at The Cosmopolitan.

Day 3: Drive Vegas → Springdale via I-15 and SR-9. Stock up on groceries at Harmons in St. George en route. Afternoon arrival; ride the free Zion shuttle to Temple of Sinawava and walk the flat Riverside Walk as an introduction. Sunset at Canyon Junction Bridge — the iconic "Watchman" photo. Day 4: The Narrows — hire waterproof socks and walking stick from Zion Outfitter, then wade up the Virgin River through the slot canyon walls (go 2–3 hours in, allow same coming back). Afternoon: Angel's Landing (permit required, seasonal lottery) OR Observation Point via East Mesa Trail as the safer alternative with arguably better views.

Drive Springdale → Bryce via the spectacular SR-9 / SR-89 / SR-12 route. Stop at Mt Carmel Highway tunnel and the Checkerboard Mesa viewpoint. Arrive Bryce by noon; amphitheatre viewpoints first — Sunset Point, Inspiration Point, Bryce Point, Sunrise Point (yes, Sunrise Point is best at sunrise — set alarm for Day 6 morning). Afternoon: hike the Navajo Loop + Queens Garden combo (5km, 2 hours, moderate) right down among the hoodoos. Evening: Bryce is a designated International Dark Sky Park — stargazing is genuinely world-class. Pack warm layers; the rim sits at 2,500m and nights are cold even in summer.

Day 6: Sunrise Point at Bryce (5:45am alarm — worth it), breakfast, then the long but stunning drive east via SR-12 (Scenic Byway 12 — one of USA's great drives) → SR-24 → I-70 to Moab. Arrive late afternoon; settle in. Day 7: Split your day. Morning: Arches National Park — drive the park road, short walk to Delicate Arch (4.8km return, 90 min), Balanced Rock, Double Arch, Landscape Arch. Afternoon: Canyonlands Island in the Sky — Grand View Point Overlook, Mesa Arch (set alarm for Day 8 pre-dawn if photographing). Sunset: Dead Horse Point State Park for the most photographed overlook in Utah.

Drive Moab → Monument Valley via US-191 South through Bluff. Stop at Goosenecks State Park (the San Juan River's tight meanders) and the Valley of the Gods scenic detour if time allows. Arrive Monument Valley by 3pm. Afternoon: the famous Forrest Gump Point on US-163 north of the valley (the John Ford shot), then enter Monument Valley Tribal Park — the 27 km self-drive Valley Drive loop. Sunset: John Ford Point overlook, or — much better — sunset from The View Hotel's balcony/terrace if you've booked a room there. Evening: Navajo-guided sunset tour to the restricted back-country (Mystery Valley or Teardrop Arch, USD $85 pp — genuinely worth it, you see what the self-drive route misses).

Day 9: Sunrise at The View Hotel, drive to Page via US-163 / US-98. Afternoon: Horseshoe Bend (800m walk from car park, USD $10 per vehicle, go for sunset — arrive 90 mins early). Evening in Page — casual dinner, early night. Day 10: The headline — Antelope Canyon. Two options: Upper (easier walk, light beams at midday, iconic) or Lower (ladders and narrow passages, less crowded, arguably more beautiful). Both require Navajo-guided tours — no self-guided access. Afternoon: Lake Powell's Glen Canyon — Wahweap Marina kayak, boat tour to Rainbow Bridge, or Alstrom Point 4WD scenic drive.

Day 11: Drive Page → Grand Canyon South Rim via US-89 / US-64 through the Navajo Nation. Enter the park at the East Entrance — the scenic route past Desert View Watchtower, Lipan Point, and Grandview Point. Check into accommodation at Grand Canyon Village, then rim walk from Mather Point → Yavapai Point. Sunset: Hopi Point (take the Hermits Rest Road shuttle — private vehicles banned March–November). Day 12: Morning: short section of the Bright Angel Trail (to Mile-and-a-Half Resthouse and back — 3 hours, real canyon immersion without a full rim-to-river commitment). Afternoon: Yavapai Geology Museum, Kolb Studio, Rim Trail walk sections. Evening: Dinner at El Tovar Dining Room (book 6 months ahead — it's inside the historic El Tovar Hotel).

Day 13: Drive Grand Canyon → Sedona via Williams and Flagstaff (optional Route 66 stretch through Seligman for the kitsch). Arrive Sedona early afternoon. Day 13 afternoon/sunset: Cathedral Rock at sunset (iconic, 2km return, moderate scramble at the top), or Airport Mesa for panoramic rim views. Dinner at Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill. Day 14: Morning — one last hike. Options: Devil's Bridge (moderate, 6km return), Bell Rock climb (short, panoramic), or Boynton Canyon (gentle, a vortex site). Drive Sedona → Las Vegas (450km, 4h 30min) via I-17 North → I-40 West → US-93 North. Arrive Vegas late afternoon, return rental, last-night dinner (consider Tao or something celebratory), evening flight home — or one more night if you've bookended.