A Loaded 14-Day U.S. Road Trip Itinerary 

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Are you looking for a jam-packed adventurous road trip?

This itinerary is perfect if you want to visit national parks, hike trails, and see incredible sights.

It’s safe for those who want to go solo but also great for multiple people. 

Included are places where permits, reservations, and entry fees are required.

Keep in mind that advance planning is highly suggested and recommended. 

My husband and I made this exact trip in July of 2022, and we had the BEST time.

However, I started planning everything in late February/March.

So, here is A Loaded 14-Day U.S. Road Trip Itinerary.

Day 1 

Starting in Phoenix, AZ, we headed north to the Grand Canyon.

This took approximately 3 hours and 40 minutes of driving time.

We stopped in Flagstaff for an incredible lunch at Salsa Brava along the way.

This location is also along route 66!

We stopped and walked a bit around the Grand Canyon for a few hours and left out of the east gate.

We drove north through Cameron, AZ, and made our stop in Page, AZ.

This took about two and a half hours.

Horseshoe bend is located in Page, and we were able to catch a beautiful sunset over the canyon.

There is a fee to get into Horseshoe Bend, I think it’s $10, and it is about a mile walk total there and back. 

I did leave some wiggle room in my itinerary for this day because we entered the lottery for The Wave but were unsuccessful. 

If we had won, we would have left very early from Phoenix and did that instead of the Grand Canyon. 

Day 2 

We spent the day touring upper and lower Antelope Canyon. 

For more info on these tours, check out my other detailed post Six Things to Know Before Hiking Antelope Canyon!

After a fantastic day in the slot canyons, we ate dinner at Fiesta Mexicana, which was out of this world!

Day 3

We took it slow this day and drove to Zion National Park, about two hours north in Utah. 

After we drove through the entrance, we set up camp at the Watchman Campground.

These reservations were made in March on the Recreation.gov app or website when the dates opened for the campsites. 

Day 4

We got lucky a few months prior and snagged an 11 am lottery ticket for Angel’s Landing. 

After hiking all afternoon, we finally returned on the shuttle at about 4 pm and decided to head to Observation Point.

This trail, in my opinion, has more bang for your buck as far as sights go compared to Angel’s Landing. 

It’s seven miles long but only 700 feet of elevation gain. 

So, it’s pretty flat and was perfect after the earlier strenuous hike.  

This trail only has four or five parking spots total because the parking is technically on private property.

It also takes an hour to get to, exiting out of the east gate.

There is more parking farther up the road, and there is a shuttle bus to transport you. 

I’m not sure if there are any fees or what time the shuttle runs. 

I suggest going on a weekday or when it might not be busy. 

Day 5 

On day five in the making of a loaded 14-Day U.S. Road Trip Itinerary, we hiked The Narrows.

We rented some wood sticks from the Zion store at the main front entrance of the park.

Some hikers rented water hiking boots, but I used my hiking boots, and my husband wore Keens, and we had no issues. 

It was a little crowded towards the beginning, but the farther you go, there are only a few people. 

Day 6 

We said goodbye to Zion and headed north to Grand Teton National Park.

This drive took about nine and a half hours, but we had to make some stops along the way.

We weren’t interested in hiking Bryce Canyon (I know, I know), but we made time and stopped at the popular lookouts.

On the way to the Tetons, we absolutely had to make a stop at Beaver Taco in Beaver, UT. 

I mean, how can you not with a name like that?

The food was good, and the decorations were even better. 

We also stopped by REI in Salt Lake City to rent a Bear Box for our camping food.

This took up some time, and we didn’t quite make it to our planned stop.

Instead, we stayed at the Kodiak Mountain Resort, and I give it five stars.

You get your own private cabin with a fireplace, a kitchenette, and a double-head rain shower.

The breakfast was also made to order and run by the owners. 

Day 7 

We set up our tent at the Lizard Creek campsite in the Grand Tetons and made our way to the Delta Lake hiking Trail.

This hike is about eight miles long with an elevation gain of 2,600 feet, and it is magnificent at the top. 

We timed everything just right and caught the sun setting just behind the mountains. 

Day 8 

I wanted to get the famous shot of the Mormon Row Barn, so I drug myself and the hubs out of bed at 4:30 am.

We got our picture and made our way to Yellowstone National Park.

These parks connect, so we didn’t have to go far.

After we got to the gate, we pulled over at the ranger station to pick up our backcountry camping permit for Grebe Lake. 

This cute little lake is about 4-5 miles from the parking area to the location of your assigned campsite.

It was very spaced out from the other campers, quiet, and full of nature. 

Day 9 -14

Other than camping and seeing the popular sights in Yellowstone, we didn’t do much else because of the flooding that had occurred only a few weeks before our trip.

We made our way to our next campsite at Glacier National Park.

This was a little under a seven-hour drive, and Glacier NP required a daily entry ticket purchased for $2 on https://www.recreation.gov

**They are still implementing this regulation for 2023, so be sure to read the important dates on when to purchase vehicle passes for going to the sun road.

During our time here, we hiked the Highline Trail, Piegan Pass Trail, Avalanche Lake, Grinnell Glacier Trail, and the Siyeh Pass Trail. 

We left room to drive to Banff, Canada potentially, but the regulations were still stringent at that time, so we stayed near Glacier. 

We camped for four nights at the Timber Wolf Resort and spent the rest of our time at the Meadow Lake Resort & Condos, which I highly recommend!

The best places we ate at were the Backslope Brewing for lunch and dinner and Carolyn’s Café for breakfast.

During this trip, we totaled around 75 miles of hiking and 15,000 feet of elevation gain.

While my husband and I didn’t hike every day, we appreciated the few driving days.

It was fast-paced, packed with adventure, and perfect for those who don’t want much downtime. 

There are showers at the campsites and laundromats in the surrounding areas that we made good use of. 

Also, There were many excellent places and opportunities for photos and videos. 

Don’t miss out this spring or summer; start planning by using a loaded 14-Day U.S. Road Trip Itinerary!