US Southwest · red rock and slot canyons
A clockwise Grand Circle rental-car loop · eleven nights, solo, October cool dry season. Vegas LAS arrival + rental car for the whole trip. One night at Vegas as launchpad — Strip walk after dark, In-N-Out or shake at a counter. Drive east to South Rim of Grand Canyon for two nights — Mather Point at sunrise + sunset, Bright Angel + South Kaibab trails (descend ~2 hr, climb back ~4 hr — don”t go further), IMAX visitor centre. Drive northeast via Cameron + Hwy 89 to Page for two nights — Upper Antelope Canyon timed Navajo guided tour for the light shafts, Horseshoe Bend overlook at dawn, Lake Powell houseboat lunch. Drive north to Bryce Canyon for two nights — Sunrise Point at first light, Navajo Loop + Queen”s Garden combination walk through the hoodoos, Inspiration Point at sunset, Mossy Cave. Drive west to Zion for two nights — Narrows wade (rented dry-suit in shoulder season), Angels Landing chains (permit lottery required), Emerald Pools, the shuttle into the canyon. Drive east via St. George to Moab for one night at Arches NP — Delicate Arch sunset hike (4.8 km return, light-up at golden hour), Windows Section drive. Drive south to Sedona for one final night — Cathedral Rock sunset, Tlaquepaque village shopping, Slide Rock State Park, the final pinkening of the red-rock at dusk. Drive Phoenix Sky Harbor for the long-haul home.
Wheels down at McCarran. Then the long red road.
Out of Hong Kong on a Thursday, Las Vegas by Thursday afternoon — Cathay direct to LAX over the polar route, connecting north to McCarran, the Strip''s neon visible from descent. October shoulder ahead, the desert highs dropping to 27 °C and the nights crisp. Eleven nights on a clockwise rental- car loop through three states — one at Vegas as launchpad, two at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon for the 1.6 km plunge, two at Page for Antelope Canyon''s slot light and Horseshoe Bend, two at Bryce for the hoodoo amphitheatre, two at Zion for the Narrows wade and Angels Landing chains, one at Moab for Arches + Delicate Arch at sunset, and one at Sedona for the red-rock end. The Grand Circle is the canonical Southwest road trip · 2,500 km of two-lane through five national parks · this is the version you imagine when you read Edward Abbey.
Las Vegas · launchpad
- Strip walk after dark · Bellagio fountains, Caesar's Forum, the Cosmopolitan view bar, the Linq Promenade
- In-N-Out · double-double animal-style, fries well-done, the chocolate shake
- Vegas downtown Fremont Street · the older casinos, the SlotZilla zip-line, the original neon
- Atomic Liquors · the oldest free-standing bar in Vegas (1952), shows in their tin-ceiling main room
- Sleep early · the drive to the Grand Canyon South Rim starts at 7 a.m.
Grand Canyon · the South Rim
- Mather Point at sunrise · the most accessible South Rim viewpoint · the canyon glows red-orange-yellow over 15 min
- Bright Angel Trail descent · 2 hr down to 1.5 Mile Resthouse, climb back ~3 hr · do not descend further on a day hike
- South Kaibab Trail descent · alternative, more dramatic, less shade · descend to Ooh Aah Point (2 km return) for the easier version
- Yavapai Geology Museum + Rim Trail walk · 2 km flat between Yavapai and Mather, audio info posts along the way
- IMAX Theater Tusayan (outside park) · the Grand Canyon: Rivers of Time film, half-hour, good context
- El Tovar Dining Room · the 1905 Mary Colter-style lodge with the canyon-rim dining · reservations essential 60 days ahead
Page · Antelope Canyon + Horseshoe Bend
- Upper Antelope Canyon · slot canyon · 90 min Navajo-guided tour through chambered light shafts at midday (best Mar–Oct)
- Horseshoe Bend at dawn · the 270° meander of the Colorado River 300 m below · the most-photographed bend in the country
- Lower Antelope Canyon · narrower, longer, more strenuous · ladder section · book a different tour operator from Upper
- Lake Powell · paddleboat or houseboat lunch · Wahweap Marina · the second-largest reservoir in the US
- Glen Canyon Dam Overlook + Vista Point · the dam that holds back Lake Powell · the engineering story
- Navajo frybread tacos at a Page corner stand · the Diné staple · beans, lettuce, cheese on top
Bryce Canyon · the hoodoo amphitheatre
- Sunrise Point at dawn · the canonical Bryce shot · the hoodoos lighting orange-to-red along the wall
- Navajo Loop + Queen's Garden combination · 5 km loop · descend through Wall Street between the hoodoos and return
- Inspiration Point at sunset · the wider angle on the amphitheatre · golden hour
- Mossy Cave · short walk on the north end · waterfall + tiny cave + the only Bryce trail without elevation gain
- Rim Trail walk · 2 km between Bryce Point and Inspiration Point · flat, lots of viewpoints
- Stargazing at General Store dark-sky walk · Bryce is one of the darkest skies in the US, hosts the annual Astronomy Festival in June
Zion · the Narrows and Angels Landing
- The Narrows wade · rent dry-suit bib + neoprene socks at Zion Outfitter · walk upstream from the Riverside Walk into the slot canyon
- Angels Landing chains · 4 km return up the spine of a fin · chained section above the final drop (permit-only)
- Scout Lookout · alternative to Angels Landing summit · same trail without the chain section, no permit needed
- Emerald Pools · 3 km lower-middle-upper loop · waterfall pools cascade down from the canyon wall
- Canyon shuttle · personal vehicles banned in Zion Canyon · the shuttle runs every 10 min from Visitor Center
- Kanab steakhouse dinner · or back to Springdale for the King Bee Diner short-rib chili
Moab · Arches at sunset
- Delicate Arch sunset hike · 4.8 km return · arrive 90 min before sunset · the iconic Utah license-plate arch lit gold-then-red
- Windows Section · short walks to North Window, South Window, Turret Arch · the densest cluster of arches in the park
- Double Arch · the largest opening in the park · 0.8 km return walk · climb up underneath for the cathedral feel
- Park Avenue trail · 3 km one-way through the canyon of Courthouse Towers · best done shuttle-back via Hwy 191
- Moab Brewery dinner · house-brewed dead-horse ale, green-chile cheeseburger, sweet-potato fries
- Stargazing at Panorama Point · Arches is an International Dark Sky Park · the sky overhead is the show
Sedona · Cathedral Rock
- Cathedral Rock at sunset · 2.5 km return scramble up · the red sandstone spires lighting red against the cobalt sky
- Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village · Mexican-colonial-style arts village under Sedona shade trees · final shopping
- Slide Rock State Park · the natural sandstone water-slide in Oak Creek Canyon · short stop on the way north or south
- Chapel of the Holy Cross · the 1956 chapel set into a red-rock spur · short visit + outside view
- Last meal at Mariposa or Elote Cafe · the Southwest-Mexican fusion · margaritas, green-chile, masa flat-corn cakes
- Drive Sedona → Phoenix Sky Harbor for the flight home · 2 hr south, plenty of margin
Last Cathedral Rock at sunset in Sedona. Then the flight home.
Final evening at Cathedral Rock in Sedona — the red sandstone spires lighting up at golden hour against the cobalt sky, the Verde Valley stretching east. Last burrito at a Tlaquepaque counter, drive Phoenix Sky Harbor at dawn, Cathay back over the pole via LAX. Hong Kong by sunset on the day after. Eleven nights — two at the Grand Canyon''s South Rim with the 1.6 km of plunge below, two at Antelope Canyon under the chambered light, two at Bryce''s hoodoos at sunrise, two through Zion''s Narrows in the river itself, one at Delicate Arch with the desert at dusk, one in Sedona at the red-rock end. The frybread and the green-chile and the long Mormon-pioneer two-lane already half-remembered.