Weekend Out West II: Utah Itinerary
It’s giving back to back! In part one of my 2-part Utah blog, I gave you my ideas and inspiration leading up to the trip, from where to visit in Utah to what looks to serve. In part two, I’m giving you my personal, weekend guide and travel tips. I never thought I’d truly love “the great outdoors” of the west but Utah’s beautiful and expansive landscape definitely proved me wrong! I’m still crushing on Utah from this trip and how much of an amazing time I had! It’s perfect for any type of traveler from budget to bougie or chill to adventurous and you can do quite a bit in a short amount of time. Check out my guide below and don’t forget to share this post and comment below!
Zion Mountain Ranch
Day 1: Arrival & Ranch
Fly to Salt Lake City: 5 hours non-stop from EWR-SLC for 31k points on Delta or around $300. Arrival: 10:30 AM. It was my first time in Salt Lake City and the airport was modern, very clean, and easy to navigate through; I love a good airport!
The Drive: We hopped off the plane, got our Jeep rental, and embarked on a 5 hour drive to the southernmost part of the state. Most of the sites we were interested in seeing were by the Utah-Arizona border, so it made the most sense to spend the majority of our time there. Just prepare yourself for highway hypnosis ‘cause there’s a lot of driving through a lot of mountains and not a lot of turns.
Zion Mountain Ranch: Zion Mountain Ranch, located near Mount Carmel, was definitely a clutch choice for lodging. There’s an array of different lodging options on the compound, at different price points, depending on the occupancies and styles. There is an on site welcome center and restaurant, which specializes in bison burgers (not my favorite). Activities on the ranch include horseback riding, canyoneering, hiking, jeep tours, and a bonfire.
Amangiri
Day 2: Adventure
Zion National Park (The Narrows): long hike, through a river, had some protozoan species contamination...basically was a no for us.
Amangiri: 90 minutes. I’m not one to brag but this property was breathtaking! I know the black girl luxury and soft life rhetoric has had my people in a chokehold but if you want that, this is where you need to be! If you don’t know this place, do yourself a favor and instagram it @amangiri. I’ll leave it at that! There are several Aman properties all over the world from Japan to Turks & Caicos.
Horseshoe Bend (Arizona)/Lake Powell/Utah & Arizona State Signs: 90 minutes - 2 hours. A surreal work of God - He did His thang here! There’s a $10 parking fee per car and from the parking lot, it’s about a 10-15 minute walk to the main site.
Wire Pass / Buckskin Gulch Middle Trail : 90 minutes - 2 hours
Coral Pink Sand Dune: 30 minutes. It’s surreal that this place exists, in Utah at that! There’s a $10 parking fee and there’s an option to drive your vehicle directly on the dunes. If you have never driven on sand before, I highly suggest you don’t try it! You need to release basically all the air in your tires and it’s still pretty difficult from there. It’s only a 10 minute walk from the parking lot so you’ll be fine. The sand is incredibly soft and cool. There’s sand boarding and ATVs available if you are the thrill seeking type. We, on the other hand, sipped Moet and had an amazing photoshoot.
Amangiri
Aman hotels and resorts are located in countries around the world, and evoke quintessential luxury. Their properties are visited by some of the world’s elite and celebrities alike, varying from remote locations to cities. Amangiri is located in the Lake Powell region of Utah and this property is the epitome of seclusion and luxury. Just take a look at this pic I took in front of the pool. I came for lunch only and used that opportunity to peruse the ground and take all the pics to my heart’s content. Why didn’t I stay? Well I’ll let you Google room rates yourself but they’re up there $$$$.
Coral Pink Sand Dunes
Horseshoe Bend
Day 3: Salt Lake City
Horseshoe Bend: Technically, we did this day 2 because it was close to Amangiri but day 2 was stacked so you could move it to the next day.
Drive to Salt Lake City: 5 hour drive but feel free to stop and take in the sites along the way; there are tons of nature and farms along the way.
Bonneville Salt Flats: 4 hours from Salt Lake City. This was on our list originally but once we booked our Airbnb, we realized it wasn’t feasible. There’s also salt flats in New Mexico but that drive was 10 hours so really none of it was going to work. If we had an extra day though, we would’ve swung it.
Airbnb or Hotel: Check in
Salt Lake City: City sites. SLC is pretty much your standard city. We ended up staying in after our drive to SLC, we were exhausted but this is what was on the itinerary.
Rooftop Bar: Purgatory, Gracies, Green Pig
Bars: Whiskey Street, London Belle, Tinwell
Restaurants: Red Iguana: Mexican Cuisine; Valter’s Osteria: Italian; HSL: American
Salt Lake City
Day 4: End of the Road Jack
Fly out: the time has come to pack up and ship out! Say it ain’t so.
Travel Tips
Do your googles: in addition to my guide, find out what works for you, from what sites you want to see, if you’re going during a certain time of year, etc.
Map it out: there’s a lot of driving involved to get to most sought after sites, so prepare yourself and legit, make a map of what sites make sense for you to drive to and from.
Ranchin’ it? BYOE: bring your own everything to the ranch! This could also apply towards long car rides. Bring/buy cleaning supplies, bathroom wipes, sanitizer wipes, plates etc. It’s better to be prepared than not, especially, when nothing is around.
Respect the land: a lot of land in this part of the country belongs to the native people and wildlife. It should go without saying, but do not disrespect, degrade, trash, curse or defile their sacred land and drive carefully. We are, after all, visitors.
Create a list: packing list, sightseeing list, etc. I’m pro-organization because 1) I’m a Capricorn but 2) it works. The planner in me loves a good google doc but a note or old fashion pen and paper will also do the trIck. Focus on the important items first and then work from there.
Seasons: if you can’t stand the heat, it probably wouldn’t be ideal for you to visit mid-July, but also be aware that winter may be too cold for you to visit some of the natural sites. Spring and Fall offer mild temperatures great for most activities!
Activities & Best Times to Explore
Zion National Park (Morning)
Horseshoe Bend/Lake Powell (Morning): $10 per car
Wire Pass (Daytime): $6
Labyrinth Canyon (Daytime): None
Bryce Canyon (Daytime): None
Buckskin Gulch Middle Trail (Daytime): None
Antelope Canyon (Daytime): Closed until 2021 due to COVID-19; $6
Zion National Park
Aman Giri (Daytime): Exclusive entry; expensive, must be a guest or have a solid connection but above all, scenery to die for
Coral Pink Sand Dune (Morning-Midday): $10 per car
Bonneville Salt Flats (Late Afternoon-Sunset): None
