7 Days: LA to the Southwest
Seven days runs the same spine as 6 days (Death Valley, Vegas, Grand Canyon West, Zion, Bryce) but breaks the brutal 8-hour return drive into two shorter days through one more Vegas night. If a week feels like too much driving, the 6-day version pushes straight through 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 | Las Vegas (return) | 260 miles from Bryce | ~4 hrs | Overnight, break up the drive |
| 7 | Los Angeles (return) | 270 miles | 4-4.5 hrs | Drive home |
Day 1: Los Angeles to Death Valley
Furnace Creek is 260 to 270 miles and 4.5 to 5 hours from LA. 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 before the heat builds. From there it’s 120 miles and 2 to 2.5 hours to Las Vegas via NV-160 and CA-190; our Las Vegas Strip guide covers the one night you’ll spend here on the way out.
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 and a separate trip entirely (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 well before you leave home.
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; 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 back to Vegas
Catch Sunrise Point before the tour buses, then drive 260 miles and roughly 4 hours back to Las Vegas. Spend the night here rather than pushing straight through to LA; it turns one brutal 8-hour final day into two manageable ones and gives you a proper last night out before the flight or drive home.
Day 7: Vegas to Los Angeles
Finish the loop with the 270-mile, 4 to 4.5-hour drive back down I-15. Leave by early afternoon so you’re not fighting evening traffic into the city on top of everything else this week.
Seven days is the full loop done honestly: two deserts, one tribal-land canyon, and two Utah parks, without asking a single day to carry more driving than it should. The one thing worth cutting if the pace still feels wrong is Death Valley on day one, not Bryce or the second Vegas night, since those two are what keep the back half of this trip from being exhausting.