The Best 3-Day (Dog-Friendly) Arizona to Utah Road Trip

The Southwest Region of the United States has become one of the most popular tourist destinations over the past few years. Utah is largely known for the “Big Five,” including Zion, Bryce, Arches, Canyonlands, and Capitol Reef National Parks. Arizona is also known for its natural features, including Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon, Sedona, etc. It can be difficult to take the month-long road trips you see publicized online. I’m here to give you an example of a short 3-Day Arizona to Utah road trip showcasing some of the best features in both states.

Disclaimer: This blog does include affiliate links, with no extra cost to you.

THE BEST QUICK ARIZONA TO UTAH

ROAD TRIP

This road trip is perfect for people on a time crunch or with limited PTO. My husband and I have full-time jobs and mainly travel on the weekends. We left early from work on Friday and came back Sunday Night. We are based in PHOENIX, so this blog comes from that perspective. You could also start this road trip in St.George or even Salt Lake City, Utah. We also brought our pup with, so if you have a furry friend, stay tuned for dog-friendly tips. Let’s get started!

PACKING LIST

• Coleman Portable Bottle Top Burner Stove: I’ve had this for YEARS + it never fails me.
• OR JetBoil (a step up- boils SUPER fast!)
• Backpacking Meals (quick & easy- my favorite)
• Camelbak Hydration Pack: You need this simple pack!
• Winter Hat & Gloves if you’re going in winter
• Keen Terradora Hiking Shoes
• These highly rated Hiking Sticks– helpful especially on your way back up.
• Hiking Snacks (my favorites are Uncrustables, fruit snacks, and some chips!)
• Dog Harness if you’re bringing your furry friend

ABSOLUTELY MUST-HAVES

• Bluetooth iPhone Tripod for couple photos!
• Crampons for hiking up Angel’s Landing in winter

WHERE TO STAY

I highly suggest staying in Kanab, Utah for your Arizona to Utah Road Trip. It’s a perfect hub for Arizona and Utah hikes and landmarks. We tend to be more budget-friendly (hotels <100$ per night) because we spend most of the day out adventuring, not in the hotel! We loved Best Western Red Hills for location, price, cleanliness, the free breakfast, and the fact that it was dog-friendly!

ROAD TRIP DAY 1

My husband and I live in Phoenix and left our place around lunch to get to Horseshoe Bend before sunset- Horseshoe Bend is about 4 hours away from Downtown Phoenix. This beautiful natural feature is located just south of Page, Arizona, which isn’t too far from the Utah State Border.

Any time of day or year is a magical time to visit Horseshoe Bend. I do recommend coming mid-day if you want good lighting for photos on the canyon. This trail is well-maintained and accessible for all people (and furry friends). We spent every last minute of light to enjoy Horseshoe Bend- it was super cold when we went in March.

After our hike and sunset photos, we headed back to our car for dinner. We’ve fell in love with backpacking meals for camping and road trips- it makes meals so quick and easy! At the time, I used this Coleman One-Burner Stove, but now I use a JetBoil. We cooked our meal in the Horseshoe Bend parking lot (romantic I know, haha) and took it to go on our way to Kanab to check into our hotel (read location information above).

ROAD TRIP DAY 2

On Day 2 (Saturday) of our Arizona to Utah Road Trip, we woke up at our hotel in Kanab and headed over to Zion. Since we have a pup and they aren’t allowed in Zion, we got a sitter with Rover who watched her for the day. She only lived 5 minutes from our hotel which was super convenient.

We decided to start our day with a hike and chose Canyon Overlook Trail for its location and easy ratings.

Read More: Why You Need to Visit Zion National Park in Winter

HIKE CANYON OVERLOOK TRAIL

The great thing about this trail is that it’s low effort for high reward- meaning the views are amazing! It’s also kid-friendly. It’s super easy to find if you have the park map and if you look out for a small parking lot right before the Mount Carmel Tunnel.

I didn’t do this trail on my first trip to Zion and I definitely missed out. You’ll start off going up a few steps and following a rock path to the finish. You will pass through a really cool bridge that overlooks the canyon.

After you hit this overlook, it will only be a few minutes before you reach the end. You will see a platform with some information signs. I love the views here! You can see the Zion Highway wind down the canyon towards the west end of the park. Please be careful here- there are a lot of steep cliffs!

I’ve heard sunrise is absolutely beautiful here. We weren’t able to get there for sunrise, but I loved this crispy winter morning with all of the low-lying clouds.

After we did Canyon Overlook, we hopped in our car to the West Entrance near Springdale, UT for our next hike… but first, LUNCH! Springdale really has everything you could ask for, from coffee to pizza joints to sit-down restaurants to general stores. We were looking for something quick and affordable, so we stopped by Hoodoos General Store. They had souvenirs, gas station food, an ice cream shop, and a little cafe. My hubby and I got warm wraps which were perfect before a hike.

Angel’s LANDING HIKE

Did you know Angel’s Landing is one of the most dangerous hikes in the United States? Over 13 people have died on this hike since 2000. Despite its danger, this hike tops many people’s bucket lists.

If you choose to do this hike (safely), park at the visitor’s center or in Springdale. PS- Parking can get CRAZY here. We visited Zion National Park in winter and still had to circle the parking lot for 20 minutes before finding a spot. You can’t drive to Angel’s Landing trailhead, so you’ll need to hop on the Zion Canyon Shuttle and get off at The Grotto.

Your hike will start off pretty tame, crossing the Virgin River and making a gradual incline. After about 20 minutes, you will hit the first set of switchbacks. Make sure to take a breather and snap a few pictures- it’s beautiful here! On our hike, we got some flurries of snow and it made the canyon even more beautiful.

After finishing your first set of switchbacks, you will be rewarded with a flat stretch of trail through a narrow canyon. Don’t rest too much though, up next is the second set of switchbacks, termed ‘Walter’s Wiggles.’ Walter’s Wiggles is a famous set of 21 steep switchbacks going up the canyon wall.

When you get up Walter’s Wiggles, you will notice the sign below. this is Scout’s Lookout. From here, you will look up to the stunning incline of Angel’s Landing. We stopped to take some pictures and have a snack here. If you’re not an experienced hiker or you’re afraid of heights, I suggest stopping here. In busy months, there can be a line to start up the chains section.

To get pictures of ourselves, we use this Bluetooth iPhone Tripod. It’s small and compact for carrying and it bends to wrap around tree branches or whatever you want!

Time for the chains section! The nice part about winter is it’s less busy. In the summer, you might wait a while to get up the chains- and to pass people on the way up! In the winter, you ABSOLUTELY need gloves to grab chains and crampons in the snow (I didn’t have these, but I should have!) This section of the hike climbs over 500ft in 0.5 miles.

After a hard half a mile, you will finally reach the top! Take time to relax and take in the views. It’s crazy how small the Zion Shuttle looks from thousands of feet up in the air. As always, be careful up here!

On the way back down, make sure to keep close to the chains.  It took us 3 1/2 hours to complete this hike with about 30 minutes at the top. We started around 1 pm to be able to be back at the Visitor’s Center by 5 pm. This hike is one of my top 10 favorites of all time. It is a must-do at Zion National Park in Winter.

DINNER

After our long hike, we decided to grab a big-calorie meal before heading back to Kanab. Even in the winter, Springdale can be PACKED around mealtime. We tried to go to a pizza pub down the road, and the wait was 2+ hours. We ended up back at Zion Canyon Brew Pub literally right outside the entrance, and it was delicious. They have indoor and outdoor seating, and there are other fun shops in the same parking lot. It was a perfect end to a day in Zion National Park in Winter.

ROAD TRIP DAY 3

On the last day of our Arizona to Utah Road Trip, we woke up at our hotel in Kanab, grabbed some breakfast, and packed up to head home. We really loved our stay at Best Western Red Hills, and our dog did too!

After we checked out, we hit the road to our next hike, Toadstool Hoodoos. I saw this cool rock structure online when I was researching for this trip and had to visit. The nice part about this trail was that it’ dog-friendly! The trailhead was off the main highway about 40 minutes out of Kanab.

I loved this little hike. It was short, easy, and almost anyone could do it. No one was around when we went, so we let our dog run around, and she was so happy!

On our very last stop, we drove by Lake Powell on the Arizona/Utah border. you could spend days (or weeks) here exploring. We’ve been here in the past, so we just stopped to eat lunch on our way home. We did a backpacking meal (again!). At Lake Powell, you can go boating, camping, hiking, kayaking, and more, but I won’t go over all of those details in this post.

SUMMARY

• Day 1: Drive from Phoenix to Horseshoe Bend to Kanab
• Day 2: Zion National Park- Canyon Overlook and Angel’s Landing
• Day 3: Drive from Kanab to Toadstool Hoodoos to Phoenix