Asheville, North Carolina is a great home base for not only exploring Asheville, but also for various day or weekend trips.
Budgeting Tips & Tricks for a Road Trip
Traveling can get to be quite expensive if you don’t plan out what you are going to spend ahead of time. Something I have done prior to booking anything for a trip is to write out my budget in various categories ahead of time.
Our Southwest Road Trip Itinerary (12 Days)
We spent time in 5 states including Nevada, California, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. We visited 9 National Parks, 3 State Parks, as well as National Forests, Monuments, Preserves and Tribal Parks.
Visiting Hoover Dam
It’s hard to imagine just how big this dam is until you visit.
Visiting Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada (Beehives, Petroglyphs & Big Horn Sheep)
Valley of Fire State Park has been on my list of places to visit for about the last few years. I saw a picture of it online while researching a trip and knew I wanted to go when I would be in the area in a future. Fast forward a few years and on our Southwest Road Trip, I was able to finally visit!
Two Days in Zion National Park (Red Rocks, Emerald Pools, and Delicious Breakfast Sandwiches)
Teddy and I both recently made a ranked list of all of the National Parks we’ve visited (21 for him and 38 for me). Zion is in both of our top 5 parks we’ve ever been to.
Tips for Visiting Bryce Canyon in 1 Day (An Epic Sunrise, Hoodoos, and Hiking)
We both loved the Navajo to Queens Garden Loop more than any other hike we did on our entire 12 day trip.
Capitol Reef National Park in A Day (Scenic Drives, Hiking, & History)
I shared earlier that this was a National Park we didn’t really expect much from but just the scenic drive itself was so impressive we know we will be back.
Visiting Goblin Valley State Park in Utah
The closest I’ve ever felt to being on Mars was at Goblin Valley State Park.
Tips for Visiting Canyonlands National Park in Utah
We had our base in Moab and then were able to explore Arches, Canyonlands, and Deadhorse Point State Park all from the same area. If you have a limited amount of time in the park, our best suggestions on how to spend your time and what we did while we were there are below.