Looking for a great Texas to Utah road trip itinerary? This summer road trip was the perfect vacation this year! I’ve added in details about notable places we stopped for breaks, where we stayed each night and any fun trips or hikes we did in between. You can also find links to many of my other blog posts with details about each day trip. I’ve called out hotels or places where we stayed if they were particularly interested and I’d recommend. We were planning our trip as we went, so often we just booked the cheapest hotel that was available once we were a few hours away from our destination.
Let me tell you, this Texas to Utah road trip itinerary makes for a great trip! These days, I keep throwing in caveats when I talk about things, like “oh this was a good brunch…for quarantine” or “it was a good workout…for COVID”, but I’m serious when I say, this was a GREAT TRIP. PERIOD. You can’t get to many of the national parks and places we visited without hopping in a car for several hours. The American West makes for the perfect backdrop for a road trip and I can’t wait to get out there again.
Here’s the breakdown of how I structured my Texas to Utah road trip itinerary this summer.
Texas to Utah Itinerary
The drive from Houston to Park City is 23 hours without stops. We broke the drive down into two days on the way up. First, we packed the car the night before and ensured we were off bright and early so we could make it to our final destination before dinner time and while it was still light out. I also packed a few pantry items (pasta, rice, sauce), so when we arrived in Park City we didn’t have to worry about grocery shopping or ordering food. See my more detailed road trip tips that I follow below!
Perhaps, one of the most exciting parts of this drive was taking state line pictures with Kyle. That’s a tradition that I’ve done with my family since I was very young (we road tripped everywhere), so it was fun to share that experience with him. The more he despised it, the more excited I got for our next stop!
Day 1: Houston to Albuquerque
- Breakfast at Buc’ees (Madisonville, TX)
- Lunch at Turquoise Coffee Stop (Chillicothe, TX)
- Cadillac Ranch (Amarillo, Texas)
- Texas – New Mexico State Line
- Dinner at Sadie’s (Albuquerque, NM)
- Hike Embudo Trail (Albuquerque, NM)
Day 2: Albuquerque to Park City
- Breakfast at Golden Pride BBQ Chicken & Ribs (Albuquerque, NM)
- New Mexico – Colorado State Line
- Colorado – Utah State Line
- Lunch at Moab Kitchen (Moab, UT)
- Dinner in Park City
Utah to Texas Itinerary
On the way home, we took a few days off work and took our time getting back. We tried to time it so we would arrive in our destination around dinner time, wake up early the next day and hike (when it was still cool) and then drive during the hottest part of the day in the afternoon. We booked a few of our hotels ahead of time, but sometimes we would just search the web and find something cheap and available once we started to get tired of driving. Our route was less direct, so on the way home it was 35 hours of driving spread out over six days.
Day 1: Park City to Zion
- Pit stop at Mystic Hot Springs (Monroe, UT)
- Lunch at Phil My Taco Cafe (Monroe, UT)
- Dinner at Spotted Dog Cafe (Springdale, UT)
- Glamping at Zion Wildflower Resort
Day 2: Zion
- Breakfast at Perk (Springdale, UT)
- Observation Point Hike in Zion
- Dinner at Oscar’s Cafe (Springdale, UT)
- Glamping at Zion Wildflower Resort
Day 3: Zion to Moab
- Breakfast at Red Rock Roasting Company (La Verkin, UT)
- Hike Horseshoe Bend
- Lunch at Canyon Crepes (Page, AZ)
- Kayak Lake Powell & Hike Antelope Canyon
Day 4: Moab to Denver
- Devils Garden Hike at Arches National Park
- Lunch at Quesadilla Mobilla (Moab, UT)
- Utah – Colorado State Line
- Dinner at Appaloosa Grill (Denver, CO)
- Stay at Magnolia Denver
Day 5: Denver to Amarillo
- Brunch at The Bindery (Denver, CO)
- Mini-golf at Adventure Miniature Golf (Colorado Springs, CO)
- Colorado – Texas State Line
- Dinner at Yellow City Street Food (Amarillo, TX)
Day 6: Amarillo to Houston
We wanted to hike Palo Duro Canyon (second largest canyon in the US after the Grand Canyon!), but didn’t get a reservation because of COVD so we drove on home to Houston. We stopped in Fort Worth for lunch.
Road Trip Tips
Whether you’re headed out on a short-day trip or on a longer adventure to the great American West, here’s my advice for a smooth trip:
- Get your car tuned up before you leave — oil change, rotate the tires, check window washer fluid, etc.
- Wake up early! It’s so much easier to get driving done when you’re fresh and energized. Plus, it’s great to arrive in your final destination and still have sunlight out. Our first day we were on the road 5am, second day by 6am striving in our final destination in time for dinner! I made sure I had a full tank of gas the night before.
- Change drivers regularly. Your eyes NEED to rest for at least 15 min every two hours to make sure you stay alert and safe! There’s nothing macho or cool about powering through a massive drive to get into a wreck! I use these breaks to stretch, do lunges and squats and walk around!
- Get gas regularly. You never know when you might hit a patch of highway without a gas station for 100+ miles.
- Listen to podcasts or book on tape. We’ve been crushing Serial, Dirty John, Dr. Death (a MUST for my Texans!!), and S-Town. The long form kind that tell a story across episodes are captivating and so easy to binge. Make sure you download in case you lose cell service.
- Pack snacks. Gas station food is the worst. We brought a yeti cooler full of sparkling water, hummus, fruit, and healthy trail mix for the road. I also bring my own tea bags and fill up with hot water at rest stops. Have garbage bags easily accessible to keep the car neat.
- Pack a small day bag for short overnight stops so you don’t have to dig through the trunk to find what you need.
COVID Road Trip Considerations
Making a road trip during COVID brings its own unique set of challenges. Here are some tips to get through the day:
- Check the state regulations. NM required masks and a 14-day quarantine. So we didn’t plan to do anything in NM other than sleep.
- Wear your mask and bring sanitizer!!! TX and UT don’t have mandatory regulations and many shop folk weren’t wearing them consistently.
- Beware of Native American Reservations. They have strict curfews due to COVID outbreaks and their bathrooms and gas stations get locked before 7pm which makes pit stops difficult. Plan your routes accordingly and don’t plan to stop in their reservations.
