Last verified: June 25, 2026.
The Grand Circle is the loop that connects 5 national parks, a national recreation area, and some of the strangest geology in North America inside a single tank-and-a-half of driving. Most travelers try to do the whole loop and burn out in 6 days. This Grand Circle RV road trip is the slower, smarter version: 10 days, 3 RV basecamps, and 3 distinct landscapes that don’t repeat themselves.
Anchors: Roam Horseshoe Bend in Page, AZ. Bryce Canyon RV Resort in Cannonville, UT. Cedar City RV Resort for Zion access. 3 parks, 1 itinerary, no hop-every-night exhaustion.
Why This Loop and Not the Mighty 5
Utah’s full Mighty 5 (Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, Arches) takes 14 days at a sane pace. Most people don’t have 14 days. The 3-park Grand Circle south anchor (Horseshoe Bend → Bryce → Zion) covers the dramatic Western icons (slot canyons, hoodoos, narrow river canyons, the Colorado River) without the long drives north to Capitol Reef and Moab.
If you have 14 days, do the Mighty 5. If you have 10, this loop is the better experience per hour driven.
Route Overview
Distance: About 480 miles round-trip, depending on starting point. Las Vegas is the natural entry/exit (3-hour drive to Zion or 4.5 to Page).
Direction: Las Vegas → Page → Cannonville (Bryce) → Cedar City (Zion) → Las Vegas. East-to-west. The country closes as you go: open desert, then hoodoos, then narrow river canyons.
Recommended pace: 4 nights Page, 3 nights Bryce, 3 nights Cedar City.
Best season: Mid-April through mid-May, or mid-September through October. Summer is brutal in Page (100+) and crowded everywhere. Winter closes Cedar Breaks and most high-elevation trails.
Day 1–4: Page, Arizona
Drive from Las Vegas: 4 hours 30 minutes via US-93 N to I-15 N to UT-9 E to US-89 S. The route passes the Virgin River Gorge and the Mt. Carmel tunnel coming through Zion (escort fee for rigs over 11’4″ tall). If your rig is over height, take the longer southern route via Kanab.
Roam Horseshoe Bend
1099 Coppermine Rd, Page, AZ. 217 full-hookup RV sites, 10 bookable cabins, heated pool, on-site Sun Cafe, big-rig friendly. 5 minutes from Horseshoe Bend Overlook, 10 to 15 minutes from Antelope Canyon, 15 to 20 minutes from Lake Powell. (928) 660-4035.
This is your basecamp for everything south of Bryce. Page is small but has Walmart-level restock, fuel, and a hospital. The town runs on tourism, which means restaurants and tour operators stay open late in summer.
What to do from camp
Horseshoe Bend Overlook. 5 minutes south. 1.5-mile round-trip trail to the rim. Sunrise is the best time, sunset is second-best. No railings in most spots, watch children and pets.
Antelope Canyon (Upper or Lower). 10 to 15 minutes from camp. Navajo Nation guided tours only. Upper Antelope has the light beams (midday, summer). Lower Antelope has ladders and fewer crowds. Book 4 to 6 weeks ahead for summer.
Lake Powell and Wahweap Marina. 15 to 20 minutes south. Boat rentals, kayak tours, houseboats. Swimmable June through September. The Chains (free shore access) is a local secret.
Glen Canyon Dam and Carl Hayden Visitor Center. Free, half-day, walkable from the dam bridge.
Rainbow Bridge National Monument. Accessible by boat from Lake Powell, half-day to full-day trip.
Vermilion Cliffs (The Wave). If you’ve won the permit lottery, this is your spot. If not, skip it.
Suggested 4-day Page itinerary
- Day 1: Arrive midafternoon, set up, dinner at the Sun Cafe. Sunset at Horseshoe Bend.
- Day 2: Antelope Canyon tour in the morning, Lake Powell or pool in the afternoon.
- Day 3: Grand Canyon North Rim day trip (2 hr 30 min west via US-89A, open mid-May to mid-October). Or Vermilion Cliffs scenic drive.
- Day 4: Slow morning. Drive to Bryce in the afternoon (2 hours 30 minutes).
Day 5–7: Bryce Canyon, Utah
Drive from Page: about 2 hours 30 minutes via US-89 N to UT-12 W. The drive itself is scenic country — Vermilion Cliffs, the slot canyons of Grand Staircase-Escalante on your right, slickrock everywhere.
Bryce Canyon RV Resort
215 Red Rock Dr, Cannonville, UT. 4.4 Google rating, 888+ reviews. Full hookups, pull-throughs, cabins. 30 minutes from Bryce’s main amphitheater, 5 minutes from Kodachrome Basin State Park, 1 hour from Grand Staircase-Escalante’s Lower Calf Creek Falls. (435) 523-4109.
What to do from camp
Bryce Canyon Sunrise/Sunset Points. 30 minutes from camp. Sunrise is the better experience (the hoodoos light up east-facing). Sunset Point is also good, and crowds shift to it later in the day.
Navajo Loop and Queens Garden Trail. The classic 3-mile Bryce hike. Down into the amphitheater, past Thor’s Hammer, back up. Easy by Western park standards.
Fairyland Loop. 8 miles, harder, far fewer people. Best if you’ve already done Navajo Loop.
Kodachrome Basin State Park. 5 minutes from camp. 70 stone sand pipes (no other place on Earth has them in this density). Good for an afternoon hike when Bryce is crowded.
Mossy Cave. Short trail at the east end of Bryce. 1 mile, easy, ends at a waterfall. Less famous than the rim trails.
Bryce night sky. Bryce is an International Dark Sky Park. The Milky Way over the hoodoos is one of the most photographed night skies in the lower 48. Ranger programs run summer evenings.
Suggested 3-day Bryce itinerary
- Day 5: Arrive Cannonville, set up. Evening at Sunset Point.
- Day 6: Sunrise at the rim, Navajo Loop and Queens Garden hike, afternoon at Kodachrome Basin.
- Day 7: Drive UT-12 west toward Escalante for a half-day, then return to camp. Or hike Fairyland if you’re up for the distance.
Day 8–10: Cedar City (for Zion)
Drive from Cannonville: about 1 hour 30 minutes via UT-12 W to US-89 S to I-15 S. Or, if you want a longer scenic route, take UT-12 to UT-22 to UT-143 over Brian Head Pass (closed in winter, big rigs check road status first).
Cedar City RV Resort
1121 N Main St, Cedar City, UT. The only RV park in Cedar City with a pool. Full hookups, pull-throughs, cabins, big-rig friendly, on-site laundry, dog park. (435) 767-0318.
Cedar City is the basecamp for Zion’s north section (Kolob Canyons) and the longer-but-doable day trip to Zion Canyon proper. It’s also a college town with the best food density of any town its size in southern Utah. And the Utah Shakespeare Festival runs June 18 through October 3, 2026, if your trip overlaps.
What to do from camp
Kolob Canyons (Zion’s north entrance). 30 minutes south on I-15 (Exit 40). 5-mile scenic drive, several short trails, no shuttle, no timed entry. The quietest section of Zion.
Zion Canyon (south entrance). 1 hour south. Shuttle-only from March through November. Plan to park in Springdale and ride in. Angels Landing requires a year-round permit; the Narrows requires water shoes and dry-bag gear from May through September.
Cedar Breaks National Monument. 25 minutes east at 10,000 feet. Open Memorial Day through mid-October. Wildflowers peak mid-July through early August.
Brian Head. 20 minutes east. Summer chairlift rides, mountain biking, scenic drives. Winter skiing December through April.
Utah Shakespeare Festival. 5 minutes from camp. 2 theaters, 6 productions, runs June through October. bard.org.
Suggested 3-day Cedar City itinerary
- Day 8: Arrive, dinner on Main Street, evening Greenshow at the festival (free).
- Day 9: Kolob Canyons morning, Zion Canyon afternoon via shuttle. Long day.
- Day 10: Slow morning, Cedar Breaks rim drive, then drive on to Las Vegas (2 hr 45 min) or home.
The Honest Trade-Offs
A few things this itinerary doesn’t try to do:
Arches and Canyonlands. Both are 4+ hours from Page. They’re worth visits, but adding them turns this trip into 14 days. For Arches specifics in 2026, see our Arches Timed Entry survival guide.
Capitol Reef. Same problem. Worth a future trip.
Grand Canyon South Rim. 4 hours from Page. Worth a stop only if you’re routing back via Williams or Flagstaff.
What this loop does well: 3 distinct landscapes (slickrock desert, hoodoo amphitheater, narrow river canyon), 3 quality RV basecamps with full hookups, and short enough drives between them that you don’t lose half a day to transit.
What to Pack That Most Lists Skip
- 2 pairs of shoes. Slickrock kills regular hiking shoes. Bring approach shoes or trail runners with sticky rubber for Page and a sturdier hiker for the Bryce rim trails.
- Headlamp with red light setting. For the Bryce night sky walk and the Horseshoe Bend pre-sunrise approach.
- Water bladder + 2 filled bottles. Page in summer needs 1 liter per person per hour of activity. Hospital visits happen.
- A jacket. Cedar Breaks at 10,000 feet is 30 degrees cooler than Page at 4,300 feet. Cedar City after sunset cools fast.
- A sense of which trails you can skip. Trying to do every named trail is the surest way to dilute the trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
<section class=”rj-faq”> <div class=”rj-faq-item”>
What is the Grand Circle?
A loop of 5 national parks, 2 national recreation areas, and several national monuments in northern Arizona and southern Utah. The southern anchor (covered in this guide) is Horseshoe Bend → Bryce → Zion. The full Grand Circle adds Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, Arches, and Grand Canyon, taking 14+ days at a realistic pace. </div> <div class=”rj-faq-item”>
How many days do you need for a Grand Circle RV trip?
10 days for the 3-park south anchor (Horseshoe Bend, Bryce, Zion). 14 days for the Mighty 5 plus Horseshoe Bend. 21 days for the full circle including both rims of the Grand Canyon. </div> <div class=”rj-faq-item”>
Can you do the Grand Circle in an RV?
Yes. Roads are RV-friendly except for 2 spots: Zion’s Mt. Carmel tunnel (escort fee for rigs over 11’4″ tall) and a few high-elevation passes that close in winter. Most national parks have RV-accessible scenic drives. The trade-off is parking inside parks — bring a tow vehicle if you’re in a big rig. </div> <div class=”rj-faq-item”>
What’s the best month for a Grand Circle RV trip?
Mid-April through mid-May or mid-September through late October. Summer is 100+ degrees in Page and crowded everywhere. Winter closes Cedar Breaks and high-elevation pass roads. </div> <div class=”rj-faq-item”>
Where can I park an RV near Bryce Canyon?
Bryce Canyon RV Resort in Cannonville is 30 minutes from the park’s main amphitheater. Full hookups, pull-throughs, cabins, big-rig friendly. The in-park option is the North Campground (no hookups, smaller sites, books out 6 months ahead in summer). </div> <div class=”rj-faq-item”>
Where can I park an RV near Zion National Park?
Inside Zion: Watchman and South Campgrounds (book at Recreation.gov, no hookups). Springdale has private RV parks within walking distance of the south entrance. Cedar City is 1 hour north and works as a basecamp via Kolob Canyons + the south shuttle. Cedar City RV Resort is the closest RJourney park. </div> <div class=”rj-faq-item”>
Does Antelope Canyon require a tour?
Yes. Both Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon are on Navajo Nation land and require a guided tour. Book 4 to 6 weeks ahead for peak season (April through October). Tours range from $40 to $80 per person depending on operator and time slot. </div> </section>
Plan the Loop
The Grand Circle south anchor is the best southern-Utah trip per hour driven that we know. 3 basecamps. 3 landscapes. 10 days.
Check availability at Roam Horseshoe Bend, Bryce Canyon RV Resort, and Cedar City RV Resort. Book Page first — it’s the smallest of the 3 in peak season.
