We rented an Airbnb in Orderville, a charming little town in Utah, conveniently located between Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon. Although the town was small, it had everything we needed, and we loved its rustic charm. Our Airbnb was right next to the Family Dollar, which turned out to be surprisingly handy.
After our first night in Orderville, we woke up excited and ready to explore Zion National Park. We’ve been to Utah once before and visited Arches National Park and Canyonlands, so I was thrilled to see more of its breathtaking landscapes. On our way to Zion, about an hour and a half from our Airbnb, we noticed a buffalo ranch along the road. We arrived just in time to see the herd moving from one pasture to another, so of course, we had to stop for pictures. They are truly majestic creatures, and it’s heartbreaking to think about how much their numbers have declined.
Zion was every bit as awe-inspiring as everyone says. We were already amazed before we even entered the park—the rock-carved tunnels and bridges leading in were incredible. Luckily, there was no wait at the entrance, so we quickly stopped at the visitor center to grab a map and some souvenirs. Driving through the park was an experience we won’t forget anytime soon. The towering orange rock formations surrounded us as we climbed and descended the winding roads, something no picture could ever fully capture.
Zion and Bryce Canyon were the coldest parks we visited—not unbearably cold, but standing outside for too long definitely got to you. Because of the temperature, we opted not to do Angel’s Landing or The Narrows this time. I also didn’t want the hassle of scrambling to find a last-minute wetsuit rental. Even with just a glimpse of what Zion had to offer, it easily became one of the most beautiful national parks we’ve visited. I know we barely scratched the surface, which only makes me more eager to return.
We headed back to Orderville and made another quick stop at the buffalo ranch before calling it a night and preparing for Bryce Canyon the next day.
Bryce Canyon was a bit farther away, so we left early. Orderville was a great middle ground between the two parks, making it a convenient place to stay. Bryce Canyon completely blew me away—honestly, it might be my favorite park so far or at least in my top three. The hoodoos were stunning, but what truly set the landscape apart was the contrast of snow-capped mountains against the orange rock formations—it looked straight out of a postcard.
We drove the entire main park road, reaching the highest point in the mountains. A definite highlight was the Natural Bridge. If we had come in the summer, I would have loved to do the hike that winds below the bridge and through the hoodoos, but the wind was pretty brutal. We spent most of the day in Bryce Canyon, even having lunch while surrounded by its breathtaking rock formations.
That evening, we returned to our Airbnb for one last night before heading to our next destination. We briefly considered making the drive to Capitol Reef National Park, which was a few hours away, so we could check off all of Utah’s national parks. Believe me, my OCD wanted to complete the list, but I had to be honest with myself about how exhausted we were. Instead of pushing ourselves, we decided to save Capitol Reef for another trip and spent our last day in Utah relaxing, watching movies, and recharging before the next leg of our journey—Lone Pine, California.
The drive from Orderville to Lone Pine was pretty long, but as soon as we hit the road, we realized our route took us right back through Bryce Canyon, which meant we got to enjoy its beauty one more time. We also passed through a bit of Las Vegas before heading back into California. We chose to stay in Lone Pine because, while it wasn’t the closest town to Death Valley, it was reasonably close to the airport, and we needed to maximize every hour of our trip.
We’ve been trying to visit Death Valley for years, most recently in 2021 when we campervaned along the West Coast. Unfortunately, the park shut down just before we got there due to extreme heat. Death Valley is the hottest place on Earth, and that summer’s heat wave was so intense that it was actually causing fatalities. We had to pivot our plans then, but this time, winter provided the perfect opportunity to finally see it.
On our way to the cabin, we ended up driving through part of Death Valley. Thankfully, we didn’t pass any major landmarks (except for the dunes), or I would have been frustrated about missing them. One fun part of the drive was passing through the infamous Area 51 region. We made a couple of pit stops at some quirky alien-themed shops, which was a fun, unexpected detour.
We arrived at our cabin in the evening, and for the first time ever, we managed to lock ourselves out. We got so distracted stargazing (no joke) that we didn’t realize the door had locked automatically—leaving my phone inside with the entry code, along with our car keys. To make matters worse, Ricky’s phone didn’t have our Airbnb trip saved, and when I tried logging into my account, it kept asking for a verification code sent to my (inaccessible) phone. It was the most frustrating thing ever, and to top it off, it was freezing outside. Eventually, we figured it out, but lesson learned!
The next morning, we woke up early to tackle Death Valley. We started with the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, followed by the Devil’s Golf Course—it’s wild to think that this harsh, salt-crusted terrain was once a massive lake. My absolute favorite stop of the day was Badwater Basin. Standing at the lowest point in North America and looking up to see the sea level marker so far above us was surreal. The texture of the salt flats—crunchy and sandy at the same time—was fascinating, and the vastness of the landscape was beyond anything a photo could capture.
After a quick road trip sandwich lunch, we spent the afternoon exploring Zabriskie Point and Artist’s Palette before heading back to our cabin. For dinner, we visited a local Mexican restaurant in town, where we had the nicest service and delicious food. The town itself was adorable—quaint and picturesque. I can imagine it being unbearably hot in the summer, but in the winter, it was absolutely perfect. We spent our last night outside the cabin, stargazing and reflecting on all the unreal places we had visited. We felt incredibly lucky to have experienced it all.
The next morning, we had an early wake-up call at 5 a.m. so we could make it to LAX by 9 a.m. The drive was surprisingly smooth, and we managed to miss most of the rush hour traffic. Our flight home was seamless, and honestly, there’s nothing like landing at XNA and knowing we only have a 40-minute drive home—so much better than dealing with Tulsa or Dallas!
This trip was nothing short of incredible, and I can’t wait to start planning the next one.
