2 week southwest road trip itinerary from Denver to LA

My excitement for this road trip is bordering extreme.

Rob and I really enjoy taking road trips in America. First there was a road trip along Big Sur, then we did a long weekend road trip around Rhode Island. Most recently, we did an epic road trip through the South… and now we’ve planned another one!

This time around, our plan is to rent a car in Denver then drive to Los Angeles over 2 weeks. It almost feels as though this is our way of saying goodbye the US (the country which has been our home for the past 2 years) before we head back to our country of citizenship – Australia.

I’ve planned the itinerary with a fair amount of detail, scouring Pinterest for recommendations of restaurants to visit, activities to do, and sights to see from other travel bloggers who have explored these destinations before. Here’s our full 2-week Denver to LA road trip itinerary!

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Colorado

Rob and I have been wanting to see Colorado for a while. Everyone who has been there says the state is a very chill and interesting place to visit, so we decided to experience it for ourselves.

Our time in Colorado will start with some sightseeing in Denver, though to be honest, most of our time in the city will be probably be spent drinking craft beer, eating ridiculously good food, and visiting a dispensary or two.

After we’ve gotten ourselves into a deeply relaxed state, we’ll drive south to start our Colorado road trip, beginning with Colorado Springs then onwards to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Mesa Verde National Park. I’ve booked us a few adorable hotels and private rentals, which include a mountain retreat near Colorado Springs and a wood cabin in the south of the state!

Utah

After checking out the spot where 4 states meet at the Four Corners Monument, we’ll drive into Utah via Monument Valley. This is a destination that has been on my list since literally forever (well actually since I first visited the US back in 2009 but hey, that was a long time ago).

As you can imagine, I am beyond excited to finally be ticking this one off. What makes it even more exciting is that I’ve booked us a glamping experience for the night, so we’ll get to watch the sun set and rise in the desert. Sounds awesome, right!?

Arizona

Ahhh Arizona, one of the most naturally spectacular states in the US, in my opinion. Our first stop will be Page, where we’ll be going deep down into Antelope Canyon and visiting the picturesque Horseshoe Bend. If there’s time, we might even do a cruise on Lake Powell, too.

After Page, we head south to the Grand Canyon. This is my third visit to the national park (yep, I’ve been there twice already!) but to be honest, the Grand Canyon never gets old. I could visit it a thousand times and there would always be new things to see and do.

Our plan is to drive from Page to the South Rim via bunch of viewpoints, do a short hike, then stay the night an hour south at a hotel in Williams, as it can be fairly expensive to stay near the canyon.

Nevada

Vegas, Vegas, Vegas. This will be my third visit to Sin City, and I’m not really sure what to expect from this visit. I always have a good time in Vegas, but it’s a crazy place that I can’t really decide whether I like or not.

At the very least, I’m excited about the view from our room at The Palms. This off-strip casino has a fully awesome rooftop bar that I went to last time I was in Vegas, and seeing as my photography skills have improved by 1000X since then, I’m planning on taking some sweet shots from up there.

On this visit I’m hoping to do some fun Las Vegas activities like the Neon Museum and Pinball Hall of Fame, and a few sights out of town like the spectacular Seven Magic Mountains rock art in the desert.

California

For some unknown reason, I just keep ending up in Los Angeles. The first time I went there was to properly visit, and the second, third, and now fourth times have mostly been for the convenience of flying in/out of LAX.

Even still, we’ll be spending a few days there and I’m hoping to continue my trend of doing off-beat activities by exploring DTLA and the apparently hipster area of Silver Lake. I also want to check out the spread of city lights from Griffith Observatory in the evening, as I’ve only ever seen the view during the day.

As Rob has never been to Disneyland, we’ll also throw a theme park day. I’m not entirely sure whether I’m excited for this (a day of being around screaming kids isn’t really my cup of tea) but it could be fun!