6 Days: LA to the Southwest
Six days runs the same spine as the 5-day version (Death Valley, Vegas, Grand Canyon West, Zion) but adds Bryce Canyon as its own overnight instead of skipping straight back to LA. The trade-off is a genuinely long final day; the 7-day version breaks that drive in two instead.
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 LA | Drive time | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Death Valley | 260-270 miles | 4.5-5 hrs | Furnace Creek, overnight |
| 2 | Las Vegas | 120 miles from Death Valley | 2-2.5 hrs | Badwater Basin en route, Strip evening |
| 3 | Grand Canyon West | 120-130 miles from Vegas | 2-2.5 hrs | Skywalk day trip, back to Vegas |
| 4 | Zion National Park | 160 miles from Vegas | 2.5-3 hrs | Riverside Walk, overnight Springdale |
| 5 | Bryce Canyon | 85 miles from Zion | ~2 hrs | Sunrise Point, overnight Bryce |
| 6 | Los Angeles (return) | 530-548 miles | 8-8.5 hrs | Direct drive home, long day |
Day 1: Los Angeles to Death Valley
Furnace Creek is 260 to 270 miles and 4.5 to 5 hours from LA, not the 2-hour dash some guides still claim. Pay the $30 per-vehicle fee at the cashless machine (current fees at nps.gov/deva ) and check into Furnace Creek Ranch or Stovepipe Wells for the night.
Day 2: Badwater Basin, then on to Vegas
Badwater Basin, 282 feet below sea level, rewards an early start. From there it’s 120 miles and 2 to 2.5 hours to Las Vegas via NV-160 and CA-190; check in for one Strip evening.
Day 3: Grand Canyon West and the Skywalk
Grand Canyon West is Hualapai tribal land, not Grand Canyon National Park; an NPS pass doesn’t work here. The $99 All-Access Pass covers the Skywalk and shuttle, 120 to 130 miles and 2 to 2.5 hours via US-93. This isn’t the South Rim; that’s 8-plus hours one way from LA (fees at nps.gov/grca ). Drive back to Vegas for the night.
Day 4: Vegas to Zion, done properly
Drive 160 miles and 2.5 to 3 hours to Springdale and stay the night. The $35 vehicle entrance (current fees at nps.gov/zion ) carries a $100-per-person non-resident surcharge and covers the free shuttle running March 7 to November 28, 2026. Angels Landing needs a $6 permit application booked before you leave home; without it, the Riverside Walk and Emerald Pools cover the afternoon well.
Day 5: Zion morning, then on to Bryce
A short trail before checkout, then 85 miles and roughly 2 hours to Bryce Canyon (fees at nps.gov/brca ). Check in for the night here too rather than treating it as a drive-through; at 8,000-plus feet it’s genuinely cold when Vegas is baking, with snow on the rim October through April.
Day 6: Bryce sunrise, then the long drive home
Sunrise Point earns its name here: get there before the tour buses. The hoodoo amphitheater sits a 20-minute walk from parking, not a hike, so there’s time for a proper look before the road. From Bryce it’s 530 to 548 miles and 8 to 8.5 hours direct back to LA. Budget the entire day for driving and don’t schedule anything for that evening; this is the one day on this itinerary that asks the most of you, and pushing through in one go is genuinely tiring rather than mildly inconvenient.
Six days is the point where this stops feeling like a checklist of day trips and starts feeling like an actual road trip. If that final 8-hour push doesn’t appeal, the 7-day version splits it into two shorter days through one more Vegas night instead.