5 Days: Vegas and the Canyons
Five days keeps the same spine (Vegas, Grand Canyon West, Death Valley) but fixes the 4-day version’s rushed Zion day: an actual overnight in Springdale, then Bryce Canyon added on the way out. For the crammed single-day Zion version, see 4 days ; to keep going into Page and the South Rim, jump to 7 days .
Book these before you go:
- Compare rental cars on Discover Cars
- Grand Canyon West Skywalk tickets on GetYourGuide
- Springdale hotel rates on Booking.com
- Bryce Canyon City lodging on Booking.com
| Day | Stop | Distance from Vegas | Drive time | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Las Vegas | - | - | Basecamp, rental car, gear up |
| 2 | Grand Canyon West | 120-130 miles | 2-2.5 hrs | Skywalk, Hualapai land, round trip |
| 3 | Death Valley | 120 miles | 2-2.5 hrs | Badwater Basin, Zabriskie Point |
| 4 | Zion National Park | 160 miles | 2.5-3 hrs | Riverside Walk, overnight Springdale |
| 5 | Bryce Canyon | 85 miles from Zion | ~2 hrs | Sunrise Point, drive back to Vegas |
Day 1: Vegas basecamp, not the trip
Fly into Harry Reid International, pick up the rental car, and give the Strip one night; our Las Vegas guide covers that trip on its own terms. Stock up on water for the road ahead.
Day 2: Grand Canyon West and the Skywalk
Grand Canyon West is Hualapai tribal land, not Grand Canyon National Park, and an NPS pass doesn’t work here. The $99 All-Access Pass covers the Skywalk and shuttle, 120-130 miles and 2-2.5 hours via US-93. This isn’t the South Rim; that’s 4.5 hours one-way and its own overnight (nps.gov/grca ).
Day 3: Death Valley, the day trip with real stakes
Death Valley is 120 miles and 2-2.5 hours via NV-160 and CA-190, $30 per vehicle (nps.gov/deva ), and a genuine summer safety risk. Badwater Basin and Zabriskie Point are the two stops worth the drive.
Day 4: Zion, done properly this time
Drive 160 miles and 2.5-3 hours up I-15 to Springdale and check in for the night rather than racing the clock. The $35 vehicle entrance (7 days, nps.gov/zion ) now carries a $100-per-person non-resident surcharge, and covers the free shuttle (March 7 to November 28, 2026), mandatory for Zion Canyon Scenic Drive in season. With a full afternoon and evening, the Riverside Walk and Emerald Pools are easy adds; Angels Landing needs a $6 permit application booked well before you leave home, not something to chase same-day.
Day 5: Bryce Canyon and the drive home
A short Zion trail at sunrise if you skipped it yesterday, then 85 miles and roughly 2 hours to Bryce Canyon ($35 vehicle, nps.gov/brca ). At 8,000-plus feet, it’s genuinely cold when Vegas is baking, snow on the rim October through April. Sunrise and Sunset Points sit a 20-minute walk from parking, not a hike, so the Queens Garden Trail is worth the extra hour if your legs have anything left. From there it’s roughly 260 miles and 4 hours back to Vegas; budget the whole afternoon for driving and don’t schedule a tight flight the same evening.
Five days is the first version of this trip that actually feels like a road trip rather than a series of day trips. If Bryce’s hoodoos are the highlight for you, that overnight in Springdale is what makes the whole loop work.