5 Days: Vegas and Southwest Parks
5 Days: Vegas and Southwest Parks
Five days adds a third park and a state line: Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona, roughly 700 miles round trip from the Strip. This is also where a guided tour stops being optional, Antelope Canyon requires one by law. Not ready for three parks? Back off to 4 days . Want the real Grand Canyon South Rim added on too? Move up to 6 days , or read the full Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon and Zion guide .
Book these before you go
- A rental car in Las Vegas
- A Springdale hotel at Zion’s gate
- A combined Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend tour , book this before anything else, slots sell out weeks ahead
Day 1: Arrival and one lap of the Strip
Land at Harry Reid International, not McCarran (retired since 2021), rideshare pickup inside the parking garage with a flat $4.50 surcharge. Check into a Center Strip hotel, note the roughly $55-a-night resort fee on your folio, walk one stretch of the Strip, and catch the free Bellagio Fountains before an early night.
Day 2: Zion National Park, overnight in Springdale
About 160 miles up I-15, 2.5 to 3 hours. Entry is $35 per vehicle for seven days, plus the new $100 non-U.S.-resident surcharge that started January 1, 2026. The free shuttle needs no reservation and runs March 7 through November 28, 2026. Hike the Riverside Walk or Emerald Pools, then overnight at the gate in Springdale.
Day 3: Zion to Bryce Canyon, sunset on the hoodoos
A short trail before checkout, then 85 miles and about 2 hours east to Bryce Canyon, its own separate $35 entry. Time your arrival for late-afternoon light at Bryce Point or Sunset Point, then stay in Bryce Canyon City.
Day 4: Bryce to Page, Arizona: Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend
Sunrise at Bryce first, then the drive to Page, roughly 155 to 175 miles, about 3 hours on US-89. You cannot enter Antelope Canyon without a licensed Navajo guide, that’s been the law since a 1997 flash flood, so your afternoon tour is booked, not improvised: Upper Antelope runs about $120 per person all-in, Lower about $80.50. Cap the day at Horseshoe Bend, a short drive away on City of Page land ($10 vehicle parking, not an NPS fee), best around sunset. Overnight in Page.
Day 5: Page back to the Strip
The direct drive back to Vegas is roughly 270 to 280 miles, 4.5 to 5 hours via US-89 and I-15. Leave with a full tank, gas thins out on this stretch, and you’ll land back on the Strip with time for a proper dinner before your flight.
Do you really need a guide for Antelope Canyon, or can you just walk in?
You cannot walk in, full stop. Independent entry has been illegal since a 1997 flood killed 11 hikers in the canyon, so every visitor goes through a licensed Navajo tour operator, with the guide fee and the tribal permit bundled into one ticket. Budget $80 to $120 per person and book that slot before you book anything else on this trip.
At a glance
| Day | Distance / drive time | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Airport to Strip, 10-20 min | Strip walk, Bellagio Fountains |
| 2 | Strip to Zion, 160 mi / 2.5-3 hrs | Riverside Walk or Emerald Pools, overnight Springdale |
| 3 | Zion to Bryce, 85 mi / ~2 hrs | Sunset at Bryce Point, overnight Bryce Canyon City |
| 4 | Bryce to Page, 155-175 mi / ~3 hrs | Antelope Canyon guided tour, Horseshoe Bend at sunset |
| 5 | Page to Strip, 270-280 mi / 4.5-5 hrs | Direct drive back, dinner in Vegas |
Book the Antelope Canyon tour before the hotel rooms in Page, the tour slots run out first in peak season, the beds don’t.