We just went on a great hiking trip for 5 days out West. Our itinerary worked out so nicely that I though it worth writing down.
Day 0:
10pm - arrive to Vegas, pickup rental car
Day 1:
8am - pickup rented tent and stove
9am - drive 4 hours to Grand Canyon NP, stop at historic Route 66 along the way
3pm - hike 1.5 miles down and then back up on Bright Angel Trail (~2.5 hours)
7pm - Ride shuttle to see sunset at Hermit's Rest
9pm - dinner at campsite
Day 2:
5am - wake up, see sunrise at Mather Point
6am - hike 1.5 miles down and back up on South Kaibab Trail (~3 hours)
10am - Drive 3 hours to Lake Powell
1pm - Boat tour on Lake Powell (2.5 hours)
6pm - swim a bit at the Lake Powell beach
9pm - dinner at campsite
Day 3:
10am - take some time to drive slowly to Bryce Canyon, take scenic route
3pm - hike 6 mile figure-eight Trail (~3 hours) starting at Sunset Point
Day 4:
6am - wake up, see sunrise at Sunrise Point
6:30am - hike 8 mile Fairyland Loop Trail counterclockwise (3.5 hours)
10am - Second breakfast and nap
11am - drive 2 hours to Zion NP
1pm - rent gear for the Narrows hike
3pm - Enter Zion NP, take shuttle to Narrows
4pm - Hike the narrows to Wall street and back (~2.5 hours)
9pm - dinner
Day 5:
6am - wake up
7am - be in line for first park shuttle
7:30 - Do full Angel's Landing hike (~2.5 hours)
11am - in Springdale, pay for showers, have coffee, eat snacks
12pm - drive to Saint George, shopping in Red Cliff's Mall
4pm - drive back to Vegas
6pm - return rented camping gear
7pm - dinner
8pm - spend two hours in Vegas, win $29
10pm - be back at airport, return rental car
11:45pm - flight back to the East Coast
The biggest thing I would add to this trip, which we didn't have time for, was actually hiking down to the Colorado river in the Grand Canyon. This is something I have never done, and is on my bucket list, but would require two more days on the trip.
