USA Road Trip: The Southwest

I’m back from an amazing 13 day USA Road Trip! This May, joined by a two of my dear girlfriends from High School in Germany, I planned a 55 by 55 Travel Southwest Adventure Road Trip, visiting 5 states, clocking over 2,700 miles, and seeing a lot of beautiful places.

Leaving from Durango, Colorado, we drove by Monument Valley in Arizona and on to Grand Canyon National Park (Southrim) where we camped in the Kaibab National Forest. We brought a picnic dinner and hiked to Shoshone Point for the sunset. Then we got up at 4am to see the sunrise over the canyon, using our camp stove to make coffee. We were the only people out that early and it was incredible.

Next, we hit Flagstaff, AZ and then on to Page where we visited Secret Canyon, a slot canyon cooler and a lot less crowded than Antelope. We also stopped by Horseshoe Bend for Sunset. The next day we drove to Bryce Canyon National Park and through Zion and south to the Valley of Fire State Park in Las Vegas, NV. It rained all night while we were camped in the state park, which is very uncommon for Nevada! We also stayed at a hotel in Las Vegas, went gambling and won a little money. We drove into California with a stop in Bakersfield, then got to San Francisco and camped in Golden Gate National Park. We also got to Santa Cruz, and we camped at a beach state park, and enjoyed a drive down the beautiful Pacific Coast Highway.

We ended the trip the road trip with a 6 night rafting trip on the San Juan river in Utah.

I’m so thankful to my friends for coming along on this adventure with me! I love the Southwest USA and driving in a car gives you a new perspective of the vastness and beauty of that part of the country.

Are you planning a road trip this summer? Safe travels!

Love Claudia

Check out some of photos below or visit the USA ROADTRIP PAGE HERE!