SydneyPaige Springdale, UT -> Las Vegas, NV ->Yosemite, CA -> Denver, CO
I had just graduated college in 2020, I was at the end of an internship and was about to start job searching for a full-time position post grad. In between I thought it was the perfect idea to take a 2 week trip to the west coast and be mostly outdoors at national parks but added in Vegas for a little fun.
I will always recommend that the perfect times for trips is when you are in between this or that. So if you are just graduating college, you are just about to leave one job and start another, or in between semesters in college. Time usually gets in the way of trips and especially with working full-time its hard to take time away especially more than one week. Let me preface this by saying I took this trip during the beginning of the pandemic but honestly this was the perfect type of trip for that time (excluding the Vegas pool party).
How I picked where I wanted to visit for this trip:
I initially made this trip a lot longer and covered more states but since this was in the heat of the pandemic so a lot of states had restrictions and businesses were closed. I narrowed it down to Zion, Las Vegas, Yosemite, and Denver.
Itinerary
Utah:
Getting to Zion National Park/Springdale area:
Me and my sister flew into Las Vegas Airport, from there we took the Salt Lake Express shuttle into St George. Once we arrived in St. George we got an uber ride to our villa in Springdale, Utah. Keep in mind a majority of the first day was spent traveling and actually getting to Zion.
We had two full days to hike, the first day we did the lower and upper Emerald Pools trail. Second day, we hiked as much as we could through the narrows without getting too wet. Part of angels landing and other trails were closed due to rock falling.
Las Vegas:
Took my sister back to the Las Vegas airport where she headed home and I had the next day or so in Vegas by myself, til my boyfriend landed. Then we spent another day and half there. Majority of the time I spent at the pool either at Caesars Palace or the Cosmopolitan.
We picked up our rental car, picked up some snacks for the next couple days from Trader Joes. Hit up in and out and was on our way to Yosemite. It was a really scenic 7 hour drive. My favorite part about road trips is having the freedom to stop wherever and take photos on the way.
My favorite part about road trips is having the freedom to stop wherever and take photos on the way.
Yosemite:
We checked in pretty late so just got ready for the next day. The park is absolutely huge, luckily we had our rental car but there are shuttles around the park. We had one full day in Yosemite which was perfect. We did the Upper Yosemite Falls Trail. Easily the hardest hike I have ever done. Over 30,000 steps tracked on my Fitbit and a little over 7 hours. The view and swim at the top is worth it.
Tips for the hike:
- Be prepared (LOTS of water, snacks, charged phone, hiking shoes)
- I started this hike pretty late in the morning 11am/12pm – and finished when it was dark. I would recommend starting earlier. The crowd had no effect on how fast or slow I moved but the last 30-40 minutes of the hike being in the dark was pretty scary.
- Don’t underestimate the 7.6 out and back sign. This is a hard hike.
- Don’t give up! The view at the top is worth it. And you will be proud you finished the whole thing.
We slept for 2-3 hours then woke up and drove to the Fresno Airport. There was absolutely no service for a majority of the ride to the airport so we just followed the maps manually. Once we got to the airport, we returned our rental car, then boarded out flight to Denver, Colorado.
Denver:
We used the few last days of the trip to spend in Denver. Our hotel had a cool rooftop pool so we spent some of the time relaxing and swimming. Atv’n in the Rocky Mountains National Park and checking out what the Cherry Creek area has to offer consumed the rest of the time.
Recommendations:
Utah
Where I stayed: Watchman Villas – Luxury Villa, 1 Bedroom, Kitchen, Garden View (The Willow) – highly recommend a spacious 1 bedroom condo right in Springdale outside Zion National Park. There wasn’t a pool onsite but nearby at another property that you are given access to.
Where to eat: If you like ribs you will love this steakhouse. Switchback Grille in Springdale.
Things to do: Springdale is such a cute hiking town, with restaurants, ice cream shops and shopping. Oh and theres Zion national park too.
Las Vegas
Where I stayed: Caesar’s Palace and The Cosmopolitan. I couldn’t decide between so I stayed one night at both.
Where to eat/drink: Hells Kitchen and check out a sugar factory!
Things to do: Both Caesar’s Palace and The Cosmopolitan have pools with all different vibes; relaxation to party. Make reservation in advance. Casino, they are everywhere. We were trying to zip line down the strip but the line was crazy.
Yosemite
Where I stayed: Yosemite View Lodge
Things to do: If you only have one day in Yosemite like me, Upper Yosemite Falls Trail is the trail to hike. It will take up a majority of your day and energy but worth it.
Denver
Where I stayed: The Jacquard – highly recommend a cute boutique hotel with a rooftop pool. Stay in cherry creek! Downtown Denver is cool, although overpopulated with homelessness. Cherry creek is a safe, fun, vibrant area where there is tons of stuff to do, cool restaurants to visit.
Things to do: I love ATV’n and is one of my favorite activities to do on a trip. Backbone Adventures had ATV rentals for half day in Estes Park that was self-guided.
What to eat/drink: We took a Uber downtown one early afternoon and visited Attimo Wine and Ironton Distillery. If you love crepes, Crepes n Crepes for breakfast. Denver Biscuit Co and Snooze were highly recommended for breakfast but lines were crazy.
