We recently returned from an epic road trip through Arizona and Utah. Along the way, we stopped at Zion, Bryce, and Grand Canyon National Parks, tons of little state parks, and National Forest spots near Sedona, and on our way back to Las Vegas to catch our flight, we made a pit stop at the Hoover Dam.

Flights / Transportation: Roundtrip Kansas City (MCI) to Las Vegas (LAS) using our Southwest Companion Passes and points. The cost for the 4 of us to fly was just under $45. Check out this blog post if you want to learn how to earn Southwest Companion Passes on Repeat.

Utilizing the Chase Travel Portal, I booked our rental car. I always pay $5-$10 for my rental car with my Chase Sapphire Preferred since it offers excellent rental car coverage, and the rest is taken care of with Chase Ultimate Rewards. 

Stay: For the first portion of our trip, I booked Hampton Inn and Suites Springdale/Zion National Park.

To earn points on my Hilton American Express Business card, we strategically spend on these cards since Chase Ultimate Rewards are my main priority, and Hilton’s are ONLY used as a support brand for our travel goals.

When my card’s annual fee came due, I took advantage of a downgrade/upgrade retention offer I received for both my and my husband’s cards.

When booking Hilton properties, I book in advance to grab the cheapest point per night rooms.

I also stretch the value of the points by taking advantage of the 5th night free booked on points.

The Hampton Inn in Springdale was a nice property. There was a microwave and mini fridge with a complimentary breakfast, which is pretty standard for Hampton Inn.

The view from our room and pool was incredible!

The staff had lots of little extras like hot cocoa, trail snack bags to grab and go, cookies in the afternoon by the pool, and the lady at the front desk had a little case of petrified tree bark (from her house) she let my kids pick from to take home as a souvenir.

The property was walkable to all the little restaurants and stores Springdale has to offer and is about a mile from the entrance to Zion Canyon.

We transferred Chase Ultimate Rewards to Hyatt for the last portion of our trip. I booked the Hyatt Residence Club Sedona for three nights using 36,000 points. This was made possible since I hold the Chase Sapphire Card that gives me access to 14 incredible transfer partners, including Hyatt. 

At Residence Club Sedona, parking was included. There are SO many perks that come with Residence Clubs. The “activities center” had drinks and popcorn in the afternoons by the pool and tons of games (ping pong, corn hole, pool, and board games). My kids loved it!

The total cash value of these two hotel bookings is $3400! We would have never spent this much money! thank goodness for points.

Fun: In Zion National Park, we got up before dawn to be in the park since summer is very hot here. The receptionist at our hotel told us to get to the visitor center parking close to 5:45-6:30, and we are grateful we did. Later in the morning, people park all along the side of the road in Springdale to get inside the Zion Canyon portion of Zion NP.  Kolab Canyon is a much less visited portion of Zion if you would like to avoid the crowds. We got up so early that this wasn’t an issue for us.

All the hikes listed in this post are kid friendly!

The Narrow was closed during our trip. We chose to hike Riverside Trail, Weeping Rock Trail, Grotto Trail, Emerald Pools, Sand Beach Trail, Pa’rus Trail, and Watchman Trail. The K

If you have a child in 4th grade, take advantage of the National Parks Every Kid in a Park program for free National Park admission. 

In Bryce National Park, we hiked Bristlecone, Queen’s Garden, Sunrise to Sunset Rim Trail, Hoodoo Trail, and Birdeye Trail.

On our way back to Springdale from Bryce, we stopped, hiked the Red Hollow Slot Canyon, and ate at Archie’s Food to Die For in Orderville, Utah.

On our way down to Sedona, we stopped and walked through South Antelope Canyon, which was stunning. Tours have to be booked through the Navajo Nation. We chose to book through Dixie’s Lower Antelope Canyon Tours and enjoyed it. The tour took about an hour and was worth every dime!

We chose to do a bit of a drive-by with the Grand Canyon. We entered at the Desert View Watch Tower Entrance, then drove over to Grand Canyon Villiage, took in a few viewpoints, and walked along the rim trail at both stops.

While in Sedona, I feel like we swam more than we hiked! Here are some of our favorite spots we climbed on rocks and swam in. Slide Rocks State Park did not disappoint, we went early in the morning before the crowds set in, and it was perfect; we also enjoyed Crescent Moon (a fantastic spot), Bootleggers Day Use Area, Grasshopper Points, and Encinoso Picnic Site. The Coconino National Forest was not what I expected from Arizona, I don’t really know what I was expecting, but we loved it!

Final thought:  My husband and I are teachers in the Kansas City area and wouldn’t have ever thought this kind of travel would be available. Thanks to points and miles, we are taking our family on many incredible adventures and have no plans to stop!

Cards that made this trip possible

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