American Southwest Van Road Trip

21 days through national parks and the desert

The American Southwest is road trip country. From Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon, through Antelope Canyon and the cliffs of Zion, this itinerary crosses the most visited national parks in the United States. The landscape changes every day: desert, forest, canyon.

Duration: 21 days
Distance: 4 500 km
Level: Moderate
Season: March to June, September to November
Budget: €4,440 to €6,370rental, fuel, nights

The route

Indicative route, in straight lines between the stops, in travel order.

View on Google Maps →

The 6 stops

Good to know before you go

The real budget for 21 days

Allow around €4,440 to €6,370 for 21 days, for two. This budget covers three items only: rental, fuel and nights (one campsite night each evening). Flights, food, park entry and visits are extra. Prices checked in October 2026, converted at €1 = $1.1159 on 29/10/2026 (OFX).

Van rental: €152 per day on average in 2026, and €195 per day in July and August, for a motorhome hired in the United States, based on prices from the Campstar comparison site (OpenVan.camp, 13/10/2026; promobil, 29/10/2026): €3,192 to €4,095 for 21 days. These are averages across all vehicle types: a small van can cost less. Miles beyond the rental company's allowance are extra.
Fuel: US rental vans mostly run on petrol. From $4.50 per gallon (3.785 litres) in Arizona to $6.00 in California, averages for 27/10/2026 recorded by AAA (Energy Factbook), so €1.07 to €1.42 per litre. For 4,500 km at 12 to 15 litres per 100 km (our estimate for a petrol van): 540 to 675 litres, €575 to €959.
Nights: $36 per night at national park campgrounds (Yosemite's 2026 rate, Gather Grounds, 12/10/2026) to $69.72 on average for an RV site at a private campground (Insider Perks, February 2026): $756 to $1,464 for 21 nights, €677 to €1,312.
Total: €4,444 to €6,366, so around €4,440 to €6,370.

On the site, the "diesel" line of this budget stands for petrol here.

Where to sleep in your van

Campgrounds: national park campgrounds are booked on recreation.gov, often months ahead for summer.
BLM public land: most of it allows camping away from developed campgrounds, generally for up to 14 days within any 28-day period, unless a "Closed to Camping" sign says otherwise (Bureau of Land Management, read 30/10/2026).
Walmart car parks: some stores allow an overnight stop, others don't. The store manager and local rules decide: ask the store first (Jalopnik, 19/10/2025).
Park entry (not in the budget): since 1 January 2026 the America the Beautiful annual pass costs $250 for non-residents ($80 for residents). Non-residents aged 16 and over also pay an extra $100 per person at 11 parks, including Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce Canyon, three stops on this itinerary (National Park Service, read 30/10/2026).

Updated 30 October 2026