NATIONAL PARKS – UTAH AND ARIZONA

Picking up your hire car, your road trip begins with a two-hour drive to Zion National Park in Utah. A geological wonder of sheer sandstone canyons, mountain mesas, red-rock spires and emerald pools carved by water and time, the scenery here is some of the most striking in the country. The breathtaking Zion Canyon is the centrepiece of this vast parkland that also protects a surprising diversity of plant and animal life.

A hiker’s paradise, you can venture out on miles of picturesque trails that range from easy interpretive nature walks to more challenging hikes through narrow canyons and past sandstone cliffs. Zion can also be explored by bike or on horseback, as well as by car with many scenic byways slicing through the park. Wildlife watchers can search the skies for more than 200 bird species, as well as keeping an eye out for mountain lions and mule deer.

Stay: Three nights at Cliffrose Lodge

Just 78 miles from Zion, Bryce Canyon National Park is best known for its natural amphitheatres and crimson-coloured ‘hoodoos’ – distinctive spire-shaped rock formations caused by the triple impact of water, frost and wind over millions of years. The park also has narrow bridges and other geological formations noted for their brilliant colour.

The aptly named Sunrise and Sunset Points are the most popular outlooks in the park, offering unrivalled views across the canyon and hoodoo rock formations. With its pristine air and lack of surrounding development, Bryce is one of the USA’s top stargazing destinations. A moonlight hike is a great way to see the park after dark and admire its starry skies. Staying at the only lodging within the national park itself, you’ll enjoy easy access to hiking trails and lookout points.

Stay: Two nights at the Lodge at Bryce Canyon

Leaving Bryce Canyon behind, your next stop is the city of Moab in eastern Utah – gateway to two incredible national parks, Arches and Canyonlands. Arches is relatively small, its most scenic drive taking you past many outstanding natural features including some of the park’s largest natural sandstone arches.

Canyonlands, by contrast, is huge, encompassing ancient petroglyphs and incredible mesas and buttes carved by the Green and Colorado Rivers. Hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, horseback riding, canyoneering, white water rafting and kayaking are among the array of outdoor activities available. Save time, too, for visits to the Museum of Moab with its dinosaur bones and unique archaeological artefacts.

Stay: Three nights at Hoodoo Moab

Framed by Navajo sandstone cliffs and fed by glacial waters from the Colorado River, the man-made reservoir known as Lake Powell is your next port of call. Stretching for almost 200 miles, the lake is a popular vacation spot celebrated for its scenic beauty and water-based fun – scuba diving, boating, snorkelling, water skiing and jet skiing to name a few. Your hotel is in a prime location just up the road from Lake Powell, making it the perfect base for a morning surf or swim.

Stay: Three nights at Hyatt Place Page or Amangiri

You now come to the UNESCO-listed Grand Canyon. Spend two nights here or drive straight though to Sedona.

The earth’s undisputed number-one natural wonder; a mile-deep, multi-coloured chasm carved into the plateau over some two billion years by the Colorado River. ‘It’s one of the great sights every American should see,’ wrote Theodore Roosevelt. And not just Americans.

As well as the jaw-dropping landscapes – which you can drink in from various viewpoints – there’s a choice of adventurous pursuits that include hikes, mule rides (the Bright Angel Trail to the canyon floor being the most popular) and exhilarating rafting descents of the Colorado’s 150 rapids.

Stay: Two nights at The Grand Hotel

Cruising through a cactus-studded landscape, today you’ll arrive in Sedona – the final destination on your southwest self-drive. A pretty, laidback desert town framed by red-rock buttes, steep canyon walls and lush pine forests, your time here can be as laidback or as active as you like. The nearby Red Rock State Park offers wonderful walking, fishing and birdwatching, whilst the Slide Rock State Park draws visitors with its natural waterslide and pretty meadows.

Sedona itself is a vibrant arts hub, with a whole host of galleries to discover including the superb Sedona Arts Centre. When not exploring, unwind and enjoy the facilities of your upscale hotel which include a rejuvenating spa, yoga sessions, full moon meditations, stargazing and duck feedings.

Stay: Two nights at L’Auberge de Sedona or Enchantment Resort

Transfer to the airport for your return flight.