This post is all about my 2022 Utah road trip with my dog. We drove from southeastern Michigan to southwestern Utah and stayed in Utah for a month. Continue reading for info and tips about driving long-distance from Michigan to Utah with your dog!
Our Utah Road Trip
This whole story starts with a breakup. I was super in love with a man that wasn’t on the same page as me. We tried and tried to fit a square peg into a round hole, but eventually, after the last straw, we called it quits. I was so devastated.
In the midst of my post-breakup misery, I rewatched Eat, Pray, Love for the first time in years. Unlike the first time I watched it, this time it really resonated with me this time. I wanted to travel to some far-off land to find myself again!
Not too far though, because I wasn’t going anywhere without my dog, Kobe.
Because of COVID, I was still working entirely remotely. There had literally never been a better time for me to pick up and leave. For weeks, I researched locations, mapped routes and doubted myself. Finally, after a great conversation with a Mexican coworker who lives in Australia and was visiting the United States, I decided to just do it and booked an Airbnb for one month in southwestern Utah. It felt a little crazy, but also SO exciting.
I knew where Utahn home base was going to be and when I had to be there, but the rest of the trip was made up of blank spaces I still had to fill.
To read all about how I planned my road trip, check out this post about How to Plan a Solo Road Trip with a Dog.
And to read about the details of my trip, like where we stayed, the route we took and super fun dog-friendly things to do between Michigan and Utah, continue reading below!
Getting There: The Route
After endlessly tweaking the directions on Google Maps, I finally landed on the following route. The total time to get to my destination in Utah from my house in SE Michigan was about 28 hours of drive time, broken into 5 days.
Day 1: SE Michigan to Omaha, Nebraska – 10.5 hours / 735 miles
Day 2: Omaha, Nebraska to Golden, Colorado – 7 hours / 548 miles
Day 3: Golden, Colorado to Salina, Utah – 6.5 hours / 441 miles
Day 4: Salina, Utah to Apple Valley, Utah – 3 hours / 185 miles
Day 5: Apple Valley, Utah to La Verkin, Utah – 15 minutes / 14 miles
The fifth day was baked in due to an oversight in timing on my part, but I’m glad it ended up giving me more time to settle in before having to get back to remote work. In the end, it worked out well.
Day 1: To Omaha, Nebraska
After packing my little car to the brim and loading up my dog, we started the longest trek by road we’d ever taken. Here are some key takeaways:
- Michigan has very dog-friendly rest stops
- The Ohio Turnpike has some of the nicest rest stops ever. We’re talking about full food courts and even shopping! The downside was that the dog runs were super tiny.
- Driving through Chicago traffic balances out how boring the rest of the length of Illinois is to drive through.
- Iowa would have been the most boring state I’ve ever driven through if it hadn’t been for…
- Nebraska. Hands down the most boring stretch of road ever. Mile after mile after mile of nothing but farmland and cows. Everywhere smells like cow. I could still smell cow after we were miles from the closest cow because I think the smell was burned into my face.
I can’t comment on Omaha as a city because we arrived so late. It was late evening and we were both exhausted.
This first night was my dog’s first-ever stay in a hotel room! I was super nervous about how it would go because he could be pretty noisy and scary around strangers. Despite that, he handled it perfectly. Makes me so proud of him all over again just thinking about it.
Read More: Bringing a Dog to a Hotel
I used Booking.com to reserve a room at the New Victorian Inn & Suites Omaha. My goal was to travel as budget-friendly and safely as possible, so none of the rooms I stayed in were particularly luxurious. This hotel room ranked second from last of all the hotels we stayed in. While it did the trick, I would not stay there again.
Summary
Hotel: New Victorian Inn & Suites Omaha
Would not recommend. The location seemed fine, but it was pretty noisy, the rooms were outdated and the front desk was not helpful.
Drive Time: 10.5 hours
Also would not recommend if you don’t have to. This is a REALLY long day of driving and feels even longer on your own.
Takeaway: The Midwest can have some pretty incredibly long stretches of boring roads. Driving from Michigan to Nebraska is not scenic, but our drive went without a hitch!
Day 2: To Golden, Colorado
Interestingly, the moment you cross the border into Colorado from Nebraska, the landscape becomes more beautiful and the air smells better. Our second day of driving was certainly more scenic, which amped up the excitement since it was obvious we were getting pretty far from home. I love exploring new places so much!
Once we crossed the border, the landscape changed to grassy, golden hills. Don’t get me wrong, there were still some cows here and there, but the air just smelled better. After about an hour of driving through the middle of nowhere, the Rocky Mountains started to peak over the horizon.
Colorado has the BEST dog-friendly rest stops of any state I’ve driven through so far. Actually, Colorado is the most dog-friendly state I’ve ever been to. The rest stops have huge fenced-in dog runs so you can actually exercise your dog (not like the itty bitty ones in Ohio). As a result, we stopped a few times more than we really needed to because the rest stops had such good amenities.
We spent the night in Golden at a hotel called Comfort Suites Golden West on Evergreen Parkway. This was the best dog-friendly hotel I’ve ever been to! At check-in, they give your dog a welcome bag with treats. The dog-friendly rooms have outdoor access and little patios so you can walk your dog right from the room. It’s so, so convenient. They also have a dog walking path up the side of a mountain with poop bag stations. I mean… what more could you possibly ask for?
My only warning with this hotel is that the drive up the mountain to get there was intense for a little sea-level Midwestern gal like me. So worth it though.
Summary
Hotel: Comfort Suites Golden West on Evergreen Parkway
Would absolutely recommend this hotel for solo travelers with dogs! The location is amazing and the facility is super dog-friendly!
Drive Time: 7 hours
This was another long day, but way more doable than the longer driving day before. 6-8 hours feels like the sweet spot for long driving days that don’t burn you out.
Takeaway: It takes 7 hours to drive through Nebraska from east to west and the entire stretch of United States is filled with farmland and cows. SO MANY cows.
Day 3: To Salina, Utah
I think my biggest regret about the drive to Utah was not baking in an extra day to stay in Colorado. The short experience we had was honestly SO GOOD. Everyone was crazy nice, everywhere we went surprised me at how dog-friendly they were and the scenery is literally breathtaking. It was time to keep moving though.
Driving with the Rocky Mountains in the rearview mirror was pretty exciting. It meant we were getting close! And when my GPS gave me a robotic “Welcome to Utah” message, I just about could have cried from happiness. What an accomplishment for our first big road trip!
Salina, Utah is in the middle of absolutely nowhere, but I’d be doing it an injustice not to suggest you check it out anyway. This tiny little down it built in the same foothills that Butch Cassidy patroled with his group of Robinhood-like bandits. The landscape is really unique.
The center of town can’t have more than 15 businesses, a couple of which are gas stations, along with a Mexican restaurant and a Super 8 by Wyndham. The motel was probably the coolest Super 8 I’ve been to. The view from the room was gorgeous, there was plenty of space to walk the dog and the property was very quiet.
I ordered takeout from the Mexican restaurant across the parking lot, then kicked up my feet and ate fajitas while watching the Gameshow Network. We slept great.
Summary
Hotel: Super 8 by Wyndham
Would recommend! It’s a quiet motel in the desert, nestled in the center of a tiny, friendly town. Perfect when you’re just passing through.
Drive Time: 6.5 hours
This was a really good chunk of driving for one day. The drive through Colorado to Utah was stunning!
Takeaway: I need to drive to Colorado again soon. The mountains are beautiful and it seems like such a fun, dog-friendly state. I need to plan a CO National Park trip!
Day 4: To Apple Valley, Utah
Finally, we were on the home stretch! And to make it more exciting, I added Capitol Reef National Park to the agenda. The drive through Utah in any direction is just incredible. The landscape changes constantly, always looking like you’re exploring another planet.
Capitol Reef National Park
Capitol Reef National Park’s scenic drive was worth the detour, but I must admit, it wasn’t among my favorite National Parks. It’s on the smaller side and isn’t very dog-friendly. As a result, we couldn’t get off the beaten path (and by that, I mean we couldn’t get any further than parking lots). I knew that going in, so I can’t fault the park.
At the risk of sounding like a spoiled traveler, Capitol Reef is beautiful, but if you’ve seen Zion, Bryce Canyon or the Grand Canyon, it won’t blow your socks off, if you know what I mean. Long story short, is it worth visiting? Sure, if you’re driving nearby, you should definitely check it out.
We still had quite a drive upon leaving the park. After weaving over the Utah-Arizona border far more times than I was expecting, we finally made it to Apple Valley.
The cute little cabin we stayed in was so perfect! Gooseberry Lodge is right off a highway but still has a rustic feel. I thought I’d be weirded out by the bathroom and shower trailers, but they were actually pretty nice. The whole property is dog-friendly, so there were lots of talks out and about. By this point, my old dog was completely exhausted, and after driving so many hours for so many days, we passed out as soon as the sun set.
Summary
Hotel: Gooseberry Lodge
Would recommend these cute cabins for short stays in the area. Perfect for passing through or only as a crash pad, but the tiny spaces and separate bathroom trailers would make it a pain for longer stays.
Drive Time: 3 hours
The drive from Salina to Apple Valley was breathtaking. Utah has some of the most incredible landscapes I’ve ever seen. I added Capitol Reef National Park to the route since this was a lighter driving day. Worth it!
Takeaway: Every outdoor lover should take some time to explore Utah. Southern Utah is otherworldly stunning. Whatever your GPS says, you’ll probably drive longer because of all the places you’ll want to stop at and check out!
Day 5: To La Verkin, Utah
Our last day of driving before reaching our Airbnb was a very, very light one. It was less than 20 minutes away. By the time we checked out of our tiny cabin and got to La Verkin, it was still too early to check into the Airbnb. To kill some time, I got a sandwich and stopped at the dog park to eat it. It was so windy that day that we were outside for less than 5 minutes before scrapping that idea. The wind in Utah is no joke.
I also checked out this really cool lawn ornament store on State Street. After staying in the area for a month, I quickly noticed loads of locals must shop there. Everyone has such cute lawn ornaments! It’s not tacky like it would look in Michigan. Since so few people have actual grass in their front yards, the cute decorations give their properties some color and appeal.
This Utah road trip was the first time I’d been to La Verkin before, so I was so pleased to fall in love with the place. There is so much to do in the area, between Hurricane, Saint George and Zion National Park all less than a half hour away.
The Airbnb we stayed at for the month was INCREDIBLE. Zion Gateway House is a gorgeous home in an amazing location. It’s perfect for travelers with dogs since it has a fenced-in yard. The hosts, Susan and Roger, are the sweetest people. They even left me an Easter basket with treats during my stay!
Summary
Airbnb: Zion Gateway House
Not only would I highly recommend this Airbnb to just about anyone, but I also fully intend to get back there again soon. The location is fantastic, the house is spacious and cute and the hosts are great.
Drive Time: 15 minutes
Okay, this “driving day” was a little silly, but it gave me a full day to explore my new neighborhood and lots of time to unpack and prepare my remote workspace. I’d bake this extra time into a long-term stay again.
Takeaway: The La Verkin / Hurricane / St. George / Zion area of Utah is simply incredible. It has interesting shopping, AMAZING outdoor activities, warm weather and nice people and is generally a very safe area. I would literally move there.
Things to Do Around St. George, Utah
Kobe and I spent the next month of our Utah road trip in La Verkin, exploring everything the area had to offer with every chance we got. I work remotely, so I still had to work Eastern time business hours, limiting what we could do during business days. That said, I still think we did a great job exploiting every chance we got (except for those three days I was so exhausted that I just watched Dream Home Makeover for 3 days straight)!
If you need some suggestions on fun things to do in SE Utah, here were our faves, broken down by dog-friendly and not.
Fun Dog-Friendly Places to Go
La Verkin Overlook
If you’re heading to Zion National Park from town, La Verkin overlook is a cool pitstop about 10 minutes into the drive. I took my dog up to the overlook and we hiked the trail a couple of times a week. Since he was reactive around strangers, this was the perfect place to go because it was pretty quiet almost every day.
GPS can get you there. You’ll turn onto La Verkin Road, which is a SUPER bumpy dirt road. Seriously. You are going to get thrown around in the car no matter how slowly you go. There are tons of free public land camping sites up to the top, where you can look over the cliff at La Verkin, Hurricane and beyond.
From the top of the cliff, you can hop onto the La Verkin overlook hiking trail, which weaves you around the side of the cliffs overlooking town.
Warner Valley Dinosaur Track Site
Warner Valley Dinosaur Track Site – This place was so cool! It’s out in the middle of absolutely nowhere. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little worried we were lost on the way there. After driving around on unmarked dirt roads in the desert for quite a while, we landed in a tiny 8-car parking lot at the head of the dino tracks trail.
If you follow the trail down for only a few minutes, you’ll land in this old, dried-up river bed. There is signage down there to help you understand what to look for and where to find it. Be patient with yourself and you’ll likely find dinosaur tracks in the rock. It’s pretty incredible!
Dogs are allowed off-leash on the trail, so please keep that in mind if you bring your pooch. Because of the terrain and remoteness, I wouldn’t recommend allowing your dog off-leash unless you’re 100% confident in their recall.
Red Cliffs Conservation Area
Red Cliffs Conservation Area is a huge chunk of public land in the desert. Because it’s so giant, I can’t speak to the whole area. I didn’t have enough time to explore it all!
From the few times Kobe and I explored, I can definitely recommend the Chuckwalla trail, which starts just out of downtown St. George. It’s dog-friendly, close to town and very scenic. This place is usually pretty active, so this is a good choice if you’re not as into hiking in more desolate places. You’ll find people hiking, mountain biking and rock climbing just about every day.
The Chuckwalla trailhead has a pretty decent sized parking lot. I would highly recommend hanging out there around sunset one evening. The views from even just the parking lot are incredible! And it’s a quick drive back into St. George after sunset, so you could be back in town for dinner before it’s even dark.
Little Black Mountain Petroglyph Site
You know how I mentioned hiking in desolate places? Yeah, this is one of them. The Little Black Mountain Petroglyph Site is tucked away pretty deeply in public land. You have to take your car off the beaten path for a while, then you finally arrive at the site. You’re getting close when you start to see black rocks in place of the familiar red!
The very short walk up to the petroglyph site is super easy – anyone who can handle walking on flat ground can make it to the beginning of the petroglyphs. From there, you can wind up and down Little Black Mountain looking for old carvings in the rocks.
If you’re into petroglyphs, it gets even better…
Anasazi Trail
Anasazi Trail – This was one of my favorite trails of our trip! First of all, my GPS failed to get me to the trailhead three times in a row. When you look up directions, look for “Anasazi Valley”. The directions should take you to Highway 91, then you’ll turn onto Anasazi, which is a dirt road. Eventually, you’ll hit a dead end with a parking lot (less than a mile?) – that’s your trailhead!
The trail will have you weaving back and forth up a hill for quite a while. Once you get to the top, you’ll see the incline decrease and the terrain look more rugged, especially to your right as you approach the end of the cliff.
There aren’t any signs to help you find the petroglyphs, but once you find one, you’ll start seeing loads. Follow the narrow paths other hikers have beaten down between the huge rocks to see the best drawings.
Dogs are allowed on the trail and can be hiked off-leash. That said, it’s important to note that the hiking conditions to get the best views of the petroglyphs are not very dog-friendly. You can easily get your dog to the top, but may want to consider leaving them behind if you really want to explore all the nooks and crannies between the giant rocks.
Grafton Ghost Town
Grafton was an old pioneer town. Since then, the exteriors of the remaining buildings have been restored, but the interiors remain as they were nearly one hundred years ago. The site has a church, a schoolhouse (which you can walk through!), several homes and a cemetery.
The backdrop to the town boasts stunning views of Utah’s beautiful cliffs and canyons. It’s easy to imagine the town’s inhabitants feeling like they’d struck gold establishing a home in such an incredible place. Unfortunately for them, native Americans in the area made violent attempts to drive the pioneers out. After several fatalities, they threw in the towel and moved elsewhere.
You can visit the cemetery, which is a nice walk or short drive from town, to read the headstones of the deceased townspeople. The whole experience is eerie and super interesting, especially for history buffs.
Red Hills Desert Garden
This botanical garden is the perfect afternoon activity for those that want to be outside and enjoy Utah’s warm weather without getting off the beaten path. This garden is loaded with beautiful plants and flowers native to the southwestern desert. Butterflies, bees and hummingbirds flit from flower to flower. It’s beautiful.
There’s also an…aquarium? It was honestly kind of gross when I went. Their tanks were murky, so it was hard to see the native fishes, which really weren’t much of anything to see anyway. I felt bad for them! Maybe I went on an off day though.
As you wander through the garden, there are signs suggesting you can see dinosaur tracks in the stone, but I was unable to find any of them. If you’re looking for cool dino tracks, Warner Valley is a better bet.
Toquerville Mine Trail
This is another cool, dog-friendly trail in Red Cliffs Conservation Area. It may not be worth the bother for everyone, but since I was traveling with my reactive dog, the fact that this trail wasn’t busy made it a lot more fun for both of us.
Once you get into Red Cliffs, you’ll take a series of narrow, sandy roads. Eventually, you’ll reach a big, circular parking lot at the trailhead. From there, you walk up the side of a small mountain to reach the entrance to an old mine. It’s pretty cool! The hike to the mine is rocky and on the steeper side, but it’s very short, so it’s easy enough.
The trail loops around the whole mine site. It was a very quiet, relaxing walk. I’d recommend wandering around other parts of the trail. Don’t just go to see the mine (unless you REALLY like mines) because you’ll probably end up spending more time driving here than time in the park.
More Fun Ideas (but you have to leave the dog at home)
Zion National Park
You’d be crazy not to swing by Zion National Park if you’re traveling around the St. George area! I’ll hit you with the short list of why you need to go:
- The views are literally knock-you-socks off insanely beautiful
- The drive into the park is gorgeous and fun in and of itself
- You can drive through Mt. Carmel tunnel for a unique (and slightly claustrophobic) experience
- Hiking the short, but moderately challenging, Zion Overlook trail will be one of the highlights of your whole trip. It’s one of those few National Park hiking trails that give you iconic views without taking all day to get there.
Check out the NPS site before you head into the park to get a heads up on road closures, trail closures, weather and other saftety alerts. You should also decide which trails you want to hike in advance so you can decide whether or not you need shuttle passes to get to the trailheads (you can’t access many of the trails by car for much of the year). Planning ahead of a visit to Zion pays off.
You can bring your dog into Zion National Park, but there are very few places they are allowed to walk. If you want to do some exploring, your best bet is to leave them in a nice air conditioned room during your visit.
Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon may be the most underrated National Park I’ve been to so far. Here’s the lowdown on this one:
- The landscape is otherworldly. Seriously. The endless hoodoos, which you can hike down to the bottom of, are unlike anything I’ve seen anywhere else.
- Getting to the best viewpoints is very accessible. Many of the best views don’t even require you to leave the paved path from the parking lot.
- If you prefer more rugged hiking, the trails in Bryce Canyon are challenging, scenic and unique! The Wallstreet trail is awesome. You hike down past the hoodoos to the bottom of the canyon. It’s notably cooler down there! You end up with walls of rock on either side of you, but it’s pretty spacious (i.e. not claustrophobia-inducing). And then you hike, what feels like endless, switchbacks up to the top of the canyon. Challenging, but would definitely recommend.
- It’s a dark sky park, so the night sky is as good as it gets. Bring your low aperture, wide angle lens and prepare to take pictures you didn’t even know were possible.
Is Bryce Canyon worth it? Yes. Between the landscape, hiking, wildlife and night sky, it could rank up there with your favorite National Parks.
Gypsy Emporium
The Gypsy Emporium was hands down the best antique mall I’ve ever been to. It’s a gigantic building filled to the brim with vendors of antiques, regional treasures and boutique clothing. If you’re looking for antiques, you can find glassware, clothing, books, home decor and so much more. There were handmade products like soaps and jewelry. And LOADS of healing crystals and accessories.
I’d recommend this place to anyone that enjoys browsing for hidden treasures. You could pop in for a few or spend an entire afternoon there. It’s a great store!
Kayaking at Quail Lake
My outdoor sport of choice is kayaking. You may not think of landlocked Utah as a great place to go kayaking, and frankly, as a Great Lakes girl myself, you’d be right. Kayaking on Quail Lake was still fun though!
I was apprehensive about booking a kayaking reservation for only myself, but finally just did it. It cost $15 to get into the state park, then another $35 to rent a kayak and gear for two hours. In two hours, I was able to make it all the way around the perimeter of the lake, taking short breaks to enjoy the scenery.
If you love kayaking, I’d give this place a try! And if you don’t care about kayaking or lake-going much, then there are other cool things to do in the park. There was a really sweet looking mountain bike course that I would have loved to try if I had brought my bike!
Hike Mollie’s Nipple
Mollies Nipples is a boob-shaped butte on the outskirts of Hurricane. There’s a hiking trail that leads to the top of the butte, which gives you insane views for miles in every direction. This trail isn’t for the faint of heart though. Despite only being a little over two miles long, it has an almost 2,000-foot elevation gain, meaning nearly every step is a decently steep incline.
If you’re in relatively good shape and want to go on a local, challenging hike, you should definitely give this trail a try! It’s dog-friendly but I wouldn’t recommend bringing the dog. The trail is steep, has lots of loose gravel and has two places requiring some scrambling. If you can’t have your dog off-leash, they might seriously drag you down the butte. It’s steep!
My biggest pieces of advice for this hike are:
- Bring hiking poles
- Check the weather before you head out. Please don’t go if there’s wind or rain in the forecast.
- Bring a camera! The views at the top are phenomenal.
If you love hiking and want a fun challenge, hike Mollies Nipple. It’ll take you 2-3 hours round trip and will be the best leg workout you’ve had…maybe ever.
Judd’s Store
Judd’s store is a cute old-fashioned candy store. They also sell soda, soups and breadsticks. It’s the perfect place to go for a quick lunch. You can browse tons of interesting flavored sodas in retro glass bottles for the full experience. We’re talking flavors like butterscotch rootbeer and banana cream soda. You’re definitely going to want to buy some things for now and some for later.
Joy Craft & Design
Last on the list of fun things to do during your Utah road trip is to visit Joy Craft & Design on your way into (or out of) Zion National Park. It’s a really cute, tiny boutique-style gift shop with pretty and nice-smelling souvenirs. I’m not a huge souvenir girl, but I wanted just about everything in the store. They had handmade ankle bracelets, cute cloth napkins, handmade soaps, creative Zion merch and more. That store smelled the way I wish my house does.
Conclusion
My Utah road trip with my dog was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. Driving across the country on our own was empowering and exciting. As an outdoor lover, arriving in Utah sent my senses into overdrive. There are so many cool things to do! I wanted to visit, climb, see and photograph everything.
If you’re considering a solo Utah road trip, no matter where you’re starting point is, check out this guide on how to plan a road trip with your dog. It outlines all of the things I do before every trip with my dog, from planning stops to planning your road trip playlist.
Have you gone on a life-changing road trip before? Please share your story in the comments. We’d love to hear about it!
Happy road tripping!
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