Overview
Late 2027, dates TBD · 13 days, 12 nights on the ground · 2 travellers · fly into LAS, out of SLC
Numbered pins are overnight stops. Dashed line is the order, not the actual road.
Places
Grand Canyon — South Rimidea
Day 4, 5, 6 · Sunset on Hermit Road, a short drop below the rim, Desert View Watchtower on the way out.
Cameron Trading Postidea
Day 6 · Historic 1916 trading post — Navajo & Hopi crafts, Navajo tacos, rooms by the Little Colorado.
Monument Valleyidea
Day 7, 8 · The Mittens at sunrise, the 27 km Valley Drive, a Navajo-guided tour.
Grand Teton & Cunningham Cabinplanned
Day 10, 11 · Homestead cabins, barns under the Tetons, moose at dusk.
Themes
Americana & roadside attractionsidea
25 places · A Route 66 motel night, an 1897 bordello, Omega Mart, the Oregon Trail, antler arches and a Joseph Smith sphinx.
Native Americanidea
14 places · Navajo, Hopi and Ancestral Puebloan country — museums, trading posts, rock art and Navajo-guided tours.
Christianity in Americaidea
4 places · A megachurch in Vegas, a small-town Sunday service, Temple Square in Salt Lake.
Day by day
| Day | Plan | Drive | Sleep |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BER → LAS Arrive evening local time. Omega Mart if energy left, otherwise next morning. Pick up the rental car next morning. | — | Las Vegas |
| 2 | Vegas → Route 66 If it’s a Sunday: megachurch service first. Hoover Dam, old 66 via Kingman and Hackberry. Neon in the evening. | ~3.5 h with stops | Seligman motel |
| 3 | Seligman → Williams Diner breakfast, slow morning. Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff (35 min east) or a lazy afternoon on Route 66 in Williams. Evening on the main street. | ~45 min | Red Garter Inn, Williams |
| 4 | Grand Canyon — arrival Breakfast in Williams, enter via south entrance. Mather Point, sunset at Hopi Point. | ~1 h | Grand Canyon Village |
| 5 | Grand Canyon — Rim + hike Short South Kaibab hike to Ooh Aah Point, Rim Trail in the afternoon. | — | Grand Canyon Village |
| 6 | Desert View Drive → Cameron Leave via east entrance, Desert View Watchtower last. Navajo taco dinner at Cameron. | ~1.5 h with stops | Cameron Trading Post |
| 7 | Monument Valley Guided tour or Valley Drive in the afternoon, sunset from the hotel. | ~2.5 h | Monument Valley |
| 8 | Sunrise, then Moab Sunrise over the Mittens. Forrest Gump Point on US-163 heading north. Optional: Arches at sunset. | ~2.5 h | Moab |
| 9 | Long drive north Longest drive day. Leave early. Groceries + bear spray in Jackson. | ~8 h, 750 km | Jackson |
| 10 | Grand Teton — east side Sunrise Mormon Row, Cunningham Cabin, Oxbow Bend at dusk for wildlife. | — | Jackson |
| 11 | Grand Teton — Jenny Lake Jenny Lake boat + Hidden Falls / Inspiration Point. Menor’s Ferry, Chapel of the Transfiguration. | — | Jackson |
| 12 | Drive to Salt Lake City Morning: Snake River Overlook one last time. Afternoon: Temple Square. Return car at SLC. | ~4.5 h, 450 km | Salt Lake City (airport hotel) |
| 13 | SLC → BER Overnight flight, arrive Berlin next day. | — | Plane |