The classic Southwest loop packs three of America's most spectacular national parks into a single week, and a campervan is the perfect way to do it — you sleep near the trailheads, catch the light most day-trippers miss, and skip the scramble for park-town hotels.
Here's the route, the timings, and how to set it up.
The route at a glance
| Day | Where | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pick up in Las Vegas → Zion | ~2.5 hrs |
| 2–3 | Zion National Park | — |
| 4 | Zion → Bryce Canyon | ~1.5 hrs |
| 5 | Bryce Canyon → Grand Canyon (South Rim) | ~4 hrs |
| 6 | Grand Canyon | — |
| 7 | Grand Canyon → Las Vegas | ~4.5 hrs |
Total loop: roughly 700 miles of some of the best driving in the country.
Day 1: Pick up in Las Vegas
Rent your camper van in Las Vegas — it's the cheapest and best-stocked pick-up point for the whole Southwest, and you can be at Zion's gate the same afternoon. Stock up on food and water in Vegas before you leave; prices climb the closer you get to the parks.
Days 2–3: Zion National Park
Zion is the showstopper — 2,000-foot sandstone walls, the Narrows river hike, and Angels Landing if you're brave and have a permit. Park the van and ride the free shuttle up the canyon. Stay in Springdale right outside the gate, or at the Watchman Campground inside the park (book months ahead in summer).
Day 4: Bryce Canyon
An easy 90-minute hop northeast brings you to Bryce Canyon and its amphitheatre of glowing orange hoodoos. It sits at 8,000 feet, so it's cooler — a welcome break from the desert heat. Sunrise at Sunrise Point is worth setting an alarm for, and in a van you're already there.
Days 5–6: The Grand Canyon
Drive south to the Grand Canyon's South Rim, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The Rim Trail is flat and staggering; Bright Angel and South Kaibab drop you below the rim if you want a proper hike. Catch sunset at Hopi Point, then sunrise the next morning — the canyon looks like a different place in each light.
Day 7: Back to Las Vegas
An easy drive back closes the loop. If you've got an extra day, Death Valley is a dramatic detour on the way in.
What it costs
A week's camper-van rental out of Las Vegas typically runs $85–$250 a night, plus park fees (an $80 America the Beautiful pass covers all three parks and pays for itself), campsites ($20–$40/night), and fuel. We break the numbers down in how much it costs to rent a campervan in the US.
Ready to plan it?
Search available vans for your dates, then build your own version of the loop:
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