Blog17 min read
10 Day Southwest National Parks Road Trip
Angels Landing and The Wave run on permit lotteries that close weeks out, and Antelope Canyon allows no independent entry. A 10 day Southwest loop built around it.
By Dom
Three landmarks anchor most Southwest itineraries, and all three run on rules that have nothing to do with how far in advance you booked your flight. Angels Landing, in Zion, requires a permit won through a lottery. The Wave, in the Coyote Buttes North wilderness, requires a permit won through a different lottery, on a different system, with different odds. Antelope Canyon has no lottery at all, because there's no way to enter it on your own: every visitor goes in with a Navajo-licensed guide, full stop.
None of that is a reason to skip a Southwest road trip. It's a reason to build the trip around the bookings rather than discover them the week before you fly. This is a 10 day loop out of Las Vegas through Zion, Bryce Canyon, the Grand Canyon's South Rim, Page and Monument Valley, with the permit mechanics, the entrance fees, and the driving reality laid out plainly, including the day this plan is genuinely too long to pull off comfortably.
Angels Landing runs on two lotteries, not one
Zion requires a permit for the chain-assisted final half mile of Angels Landing, past Scout Lookout, every day of the year. There is no walk-up option and no permit desk at the park. Every permit is issued through Recreation.gov, and hiking that stretch without one is a violation of federal regulation (36 CFR 1.6) carrying a fine of up to $5,000 and up to six months in jail, per the National Park Service.
There are two separate lotteries:
The seasonal lottery opens a few weeks before each of four three-month seasons and closes about two weeks later, with results a few days after that. For example, NPS published the 2026 spring window (hikes March 1 through May 31) as opening February 13 and closing February 25, with results February 26. The pattern repeats roughly every three months. Check the current schedule on NPS's Zion permit page before you build a date around it, since the exact days shift season to season.
The day-before lottery opens daily at 12:01 a.m. and closes at 3:00 p.m. Mountain Time the day before your hike, with results posted by 4:00 p.m. that same day. This is the fallback if the seasonal lottery didn't work out, but it means you won't know whether you have a permit until the afternoon before you need one.
Both cost $6 per application, non-refundable, whether or not you're selected. If you win, there's an additional $3 per person recreation fee. Seasonal-lottery permits can be cancelled and refunded with two or more days' notice; day-before permits cannot be cancelled at all. A single application can cover up to six people.
The Wave is a harder permit to win than Angels Landing
The Wave, the sandstone formation inside Coyote Buttes North in the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, is managed by the Bureau of Land Management with a cap of 64 people, or 16 groups, per day. In March 2022, BLM scrapped the old in-person lottery, where hopefuls stood in a room in Kanab hoping for a number, for two lotteries on Recreation.gov.
The advance lottery covers 48 people or 12 groups a day. You apply during a given month for a date four months out; the drawing runs on the 1st of the following month, and winners have until the 15th to confirm and pay.
The daily geofenced lottery covers the remaining 16 people or 4 groups. Applications open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., two days before the hike date, and the catch is real: you have to be physically inside a roughly 3,272 square mile geofence around the Kanab-to-Page corridor when you apply, using the Recreation.gov mobile app or mobile browser. Desktop applications aren't accepted. Selected applicants are notified around 7:15 p.m. and must confirm by 8:00 a.m. the next morning.
Both lotteries cost $6 to apply, non-refundable, plus $7 per person (or dog) if you're selected, charged to everyone regardless of age. Maximum group size is six, and groups can't combine permits to exceed that. There is no walk-up option under either system. Access is via House Rock Valley Road off US-89 between Kanab and Page, unpaved, high clearance recommended, and the BLM warns it can become impassable when wet.
Antelope Canyon: there is no version of this you do yourself
Antelope Canyon sits on Navajo Nation land near Page, and Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation requires a licensed guide present with visitors at every location, every time. There's no self-guided ticket, no BLM-style permit you can win and then walk in with. You book a tour with one of the licensed operators, and the guide is how you get in.
Upper Antelope Canyon operators include Antelope Canyon Navajo Tours, Antelope Canyon Tours Inc. and Antelope Slot Canyon Tours; Lower Antelope Canyon runs through Ken's Tours and Dixie's Lower Antelope Canyon Tours, per the official Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation operator list. Pricing includes a Navajo Nation entry permit on top of the tour fee. Antelope Canyon Navajo Tours' own 2026 pricing runs $85 plus a $15 permit for most time slots, $105 plus $15 for the 11:40 a.m. slot. Ken's Tours, on the Lower Canyon side, lists a General Tour from around $80.50 per person, with longer combination and premier tours running higher.
Both operators tell visitors not to show up unbooked. Antelope Canyon Tours Inc.'s FAQ warns against arriving without a reservation "many miles" from anywhere else, especially between March and October. Tour slots are commonly released only one to two months ahead, so this isn't a same-week booking to leave for later in your trip.
Entrance fees, shuttles and the pass that pays for itself
Three national parks on this loop each charge $35 per vehicle for a 7-day pass: Zion, Bryce Canyon and Grand Canyon South Rim, per their respective NPS fee pages. That's $105 before you've covered Page or Monument Valley, which aren't federal land and take neither NPS passes nor much sympathy for having already bought one. An America the Beautiful annual pass costs $80 and covers all three parks, the better buy on a trip touching this many federal sites. As of January 1, 2026, non-US residents 16 and over also pay an additional $100 per person at NPS sites unless they hold the new $250 Non-Resident Annual Pass.
Zion's shuttle is mandatory during shuttle season, which ran March 7 through late November in 2026. Private vehicles are barred past Canyon Junction onto the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive while it's running; the shuttle is free and needs no reservation. There's no park-wide timed-entry requirement to enter Zion, separate from the Angels Landing permit.
Bryce Canyon's shuttle is optional. NPS states plainly that riding it isn't mandatory anywhere in the park, though vehicles 23 feet or longer face parking restrictions at seven popular overlooks during shuttle hours (roughly April through mid-October).
Grand Canyon's shuttle requirement is narrower. It only applies to the 7-mile Hermit Road, closed to private vehicles March 1 through November 30; during that window it's the free shuttle, walking, biking, or a commercial tour. December through February, private vehicles under 22 feet can drive it themselves.
One logistics note before you book a rental: as of mid-2026, Zion enforces hard size and weight limits on the Zion-Mount Carmel tunnel, 11 feet 4 inches tall, 7 feet 10 inches wide, 35 feet 9 inches long, 50,000 pounds. NPS eliminated the older escort-permit option; anything over those limits now gets rerouted around the park, adding an estimated 10 to 40 minutes. Check your rental's dimensions before you plan a route through the tunnel.
The 10 day loop
This assumes a rental car out of Las Vegas (LAS), returned to the same airport, and no assumption that you'll win either lottery.
Day 1: Las Vegas to Zion
Pick up the rental and drive to the Springdale area, roughly 170 miles from Las Vegas by NPS's own directions page. Budget more than the mileage suggests: Nevada runs on Pacific time and Utah on Mountain time, so you lose an hour crossing the state line. Settle in for the evening; save the park for a fresh day.
Day 2: Zion Canyon
If you won an Angels Landing permit, this is the day. Ride the shuttle up Zion Canyon Scenic Drive to The Grotto and budget most of the day for the hike, the chains section is slow by nature, not because you're unfit. Without a permit, Zion doesn't run out of things to do: the Riverside Walk into the Narrows, the Emerald Pools trails, and the approach as far as Scout Lookout, which needs no permit, all sit on the same shuttle line.
Day 3: Zion to Bryce Canyon
The standard route, east on UT-9 through the park to Mount Carmel Junction, then north on US-89 and east on UT-12, runs roughly 72 to 85 miles, about 1.5 to 2 hours. (A longer signed alternate route exists for oversized vehicles that can't use the tunnel; if that's your rental, budget closer to the reroute estimate above.) Arrive with the afternoon free for Sunset Point and Sunrise Point.
Day 4: Bryce Canyon
A full day in the amphitheater. The Navajo Loop and Queen's Garden trails combine into a manageable few hours through the hoodoos; the Fairyland Loop is longer and quieter. The shuttle is there if you want it, not because you need it.
Day 5: Bryce Canyon to Grand Canyon South Rim
The longest driving day of the trip: roughly 302 miles and about 5 hours 20 minutes, routing back through Kanab and the Page area before turning south. This is the day to attempt the Wave's geofenced lottery from your phone if you're passing through Kanab with time to spare, though don't build the day's schedule around a permit you may not get. Arrive at the South Rim with enough daylight left for a first look before dinner.
Day 6: Grand Canyon South Rim
A full day along the Rim Trail, with the Hermit Road shuttle (Red Route) covering the western viewpoints between March and November, when private vehicles can't drive it. Stay for sunset at one of the points east of the village, which see noticeably thinner crowds than Hermits Rest.
Day 7: Grand Canyon to Page
About 140 miles and 2 hours 45 minutes northeast via AZ-64 and US-89. With an afternoon to spare, walk out to Horseshoe Bend: parking is $10 per car with no reservation needed, open sunrise to sunset year-round, and the overlook is a 1.5 mile round trip on a hardened path, about 20 minutes each way. No park pass covers it; it's City of Page land, not NPS.
Day 8: Antelope Canyon
Your guided tour, booked well before this trip started, Upper or Lower depending on what you reserved. Keep the rest of the day loose. Lake Powell's Wahweap area is close by if you want water rather than sandstone for an afternoon.
Day 9: Page to Monument Valley
About 126 miles and 2 hours 10 minutes southeast via AZ-98 and US-160. Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park charges $10 per person per day plus $15 per vehicle for the scenic drive, effective January 1, 2026, and takes no NPS pass since it's Navajo Nation land. The 17-mile Valley Drive is self-guided; you only need a Jeep tour for backcountry spots like Ear of the Wind that sit off the main loop. The park's own description warns of rough terrain and deep sand, so check current road conditions before driving it in a low-clearance rental. Stay for sunset over the Mittens.
Day 10: Monument Valley to Las Vegas
The direct return is around 400 miles and roughly 6.5 to 7.5 hours depending on route, easily the hardest single day of the trip and worth reading the "where this plan breaks" section below before you commit to it as written.
What to skip
A same-day Angels Landing attempt with no permit. It's a federal citation, not a fine you can talk your way out of. If you don't have a permit by the morning of your Zion day, hike to Scout Lookout and stop there.
Driving to House Rock Valley Road hoping to walk into The Wave. The old walk-in lottery ended in March 2022. Every path in now runs through Recreation.gov, including the daily lottery, which still requires a phone application from inside the geofence, not a trailhead sign-in.
Any tour or website offering unguided Antelope Canyon access. It doesn't exist. Every legitimate operator on the Navajo Nation's own list runs guided tours only.
Hermits Rest at sunset between March and November. It's the shuttle's most crowded stop by a wide margin. The eastern rim viewpoints on the free Village shuttle are quieter for the same view of the canyon filling with shadow.
What 10 days like this costs
Per person, excluding accommodation, flights and the rental car, at the prices verified above.
| Line item | Cost |
|---|---|
| America the Beautiful annual pass | $80 (covers Zion, Bryce, Grand Canyon entry; one pass covers the vehicle) |
| Angels Landing lottery | $6 application, plus $3 if selected |
| The Wave lottery | $6 application, plus $7 if selected |
| Antelope Canyon guided tour | Roughly $80 to $120, tour plus Navajo permit fee, depending on operator and time slot |
| Horseshoe Bend parking | $10 per vehicle, not per person |
| Monument Valley | $10 per person, plus $15 per vehicle for the scenic drive |
Fuel and food aren't in this table; the loop covers well over 1,300 miles, and fuel cost depends entirely on the vehicle you rent.
Key Takeaways
| Point | Details |
|---|---|
| Angels Landing needs a permit every day of the year | Seasonal lottery opens weeks ahead; the day-before lottery closes at 3:00 p.m. Mountain Time and only tells you that afternoon. |
| The Wave's old walk-in lottery is gone | Replaced in March 2022 by two Recreation.gov lotteries: a 4-month-ahead advance draw and a geofenced daily draw you can only enter from inside the area. |
| Antelope Canyon has zero self-guided access | Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation requires a licensed guide at every visit, no exceptions. |
| Three park entrance fees add up to more than one annual pass | Zion, Bryce and Grand Canyon each charge $35 per vehicle; an $80 America the Beautiful pass covers all three. |
| Zion's shuttle is mandatory in season, Bryce's isn't | Zion bars private cars past Canyon Junction March through late November; Bryce's shuttle is optional everywhere. |
| Oversized vehicles can no longer buy a tunnel escort at Zion | As of mid-2026, vehicles over set size and weight limits are rerouted, not escorted, adding 10 to 40 minutes. |
| Horseshoe Bend and Monument Valley take no NPS pass | Horseshoe Bend is City of Page land; Monument Valley is Navajo Nation. Budget separately for both. |
| The last driving day is the hardest one | Monument Valley back to Las Vegas direct is around 400 miles, roughly 6.5 to 7.5 hours. |
Where this plan breaks
You didn't apply for either lottery early enough. Angels Landing's seasonal lottery runs on a roughly three-month cycle; The Wave's advance lottery runs four months out. If your flight is already booked and neither window lines up, the day-before and geofenced daily lotteries are real options, not consolation prizes, but they mean holding those days loosely rather than building tight plans around a permit you don't have yet.
Day 10 is too long as written. A 400 mile, roughly 7 hour drive on the last day, after nine days of national park mornings, is a genuinely hard way to end things with a flight to catch. Split the return over two days with a stop near Kanab or St. George, or price a one-way rental back from Page or Flagstaff instead.
You rented something too big for the Zion tunnel. Anything over 11'4" tall, 7'10" wide, 35'9" long or 50,000 pounds gets rerouted around Zion rather than escorted through it. Check your vehicle against those numbers before Day 3.
You assumed a park pass covers everything. It covers Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon, not Horseshoe Bend, which is city land, or Monument Valley, which is Navajo Nation. Budget those separately.
Wet weather closes House Rock Valley Road. The unpaved access road to The Wave can become impassable when it rains, per the BLM. If you won a permit and the forecast turns, check conditions before committing the day to the drive out.
How Planytera handles a trip like this
Planytera is an AI trip planner built by a solo developer, available on iOS, Android and the web. You describe the trip and it builds a day-by-day itinerary, ready in moments. A few things map directly onto a loop with this many moving permit deadlines.
Lottery outcomes reorder the rest of the trip. Whether Angels Landing or The Wave comes through changes what Day 2 or Day 5 looks like. Update the plan once you know, and the itinerary re-sequences around it instead of leaving you to redo the week by hand.
Pacing is a setting, not a guess. A 10 day loop with a 400-mile closing drive stacks a lot of driving against a lot of hiking. Ask for a slower trip and the days re-pace around it, including flagging the ones that are simply long no matter what.
Offline access covers the parts with no signal. Long stretches of US-89 and the road into Monument Valley have no cell coverage. Save a trip and the itinerary, maps and notes stay available without one.
Group trips settle up without a spreadsheet. Share a read-only link, or let people vote on which stops make the cut, and use split costs to track who owes whom, useful with a rental car and fuel bill split multiple ways. It does the arithmetic and never touches anyone's money.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit to hike Angels Landing?
Yes, every day of the year, for the chain-assisted section past Scout Lookout. A seasonal lottery opens a few weeks before each three-month season, and a day-before lottery closes at 3:00 p.m. Mountain Time and posts results by 4:00 p.m. Hiking without a permit is a federal citation, not just against park rules.
How hard is it to get a permit for The Wave?
Harder than Angels Landing. Only 64 people total are allowed into Coyote Buttes North each day, split between a 4-month-advance lottery (48 people) and a daily geofenced lottery (16 people) you can only apply for from inside a roughly 3,272 square mile area around Kanab and Page, using a phone. There's no walk-up option under either system.
Can I visit Antelope Canyon without a tour?
No. Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation requires a licensed guide at every visit to both Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon, with no self-guided ticket at any price. Book directly with a licensed operator, ideally one to two months ahead in peak season.
Do I need an America the Beautiful pass for this trip?
It's worth it if you're visiting Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon. Each charges $35 per vehicle for a 7-day pass, so the three together cost more than the $80 annual pass. It won't help at Horseshoe Bend or Monument Valley, which aren't federal land.
Is 10 days enough for this loop?
It completes the route, but the last day is a genuine problem: a direct drive from Monument Valley back to Las Vegas runs around 400 miles and 6.5 to 7.5 hours. Splitting that return over two days, or renting one-way from Page or Flagstaff, makes the trip considerably less punishing.
Do I need a 4x4 for Monument Valley's scenic drive?
Not strictly. The 17-mile Valley Drive is self-guided and drivable by regular vehicles in normal conditions, though the park's own description warns of rough terrain and deep sand, so check current conditions before taking a low-clearance rental out on it. Guided Jeep tours are only required for backcountry stops off the main loop.
Useful sources and further reading
- NPS: Zion Angels Landing permits, 2026 lottery schedule, the seasonal and day-before lottery structure and dates.
- Recreation.gov: Angels Landing permit, the $6 application fee, $3 per-person fee, and group size limit.
- BLM: Coyote Buttes North / The Wave permit system, the advance and daily geofenced lottery structure.
- BLM: Coyote Buttes North daily lottery FAQ, the geofence area, application window and fees.
- BLM: enhanced permitting for The Wave, the March 2022 end of the in-person walk-in lottery.
- Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation: Antelope Canyon tour operators, the mandatory-guide requirement and licensed operator list.
- NPS: Zion entrance fees and NPS: Zion permits and reservations, vehicle fee and confirmation that no timed entry is required.
- NPS: Zion shuttle schedule 2026, season dates and the private-vehicle restriction.
- NPS: Zion-Mount Carmel Highway size and weight limits, tunnel dimensions and the mid-2026 end of the escort permit.
- NPS: Bryce Canyon entrance fees and NPS: Bryce Canyon shuttle, fee and the optional shuttle policy.
- NPS: Grand Canyon entrance fees and NPS: Hermit Road (Red) Route, fee and the seasonal private-vehicle closure.
- NPS: America the Beautiful pass, the $80 annual pass and the new non-resident surcharge and pass.
- NPS: Horseshoe Bend overlook, the walk distance from the parking lot.
- Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation: Monument Valley Tribal Park, entrance fee, vehicle fee and hours.
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