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I was in California for a few months and did a solo cross-country road trip with my dog, Kuma, in early June, and now it was time to head back to Florida at the end of the summer.

This time, Candy was driving back to Florida with me, so I was super excited to create a road trip itinerary that included stops in Utah and Nebraska.

We planned on being on the road for 12 days and stopped in Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri, and Tennessee.

ROAD TRIP ITINERARY

DAY 1: Los Angeles > Sedona, 479 miles, 7 hours
DAY 2: Sedona > Torrey, 421 miles, 8 hours
DAY 3: Explore Capitol Reef National Park
DAY 4: Torrey > Moab, 155 miles, 2.5 hours
DAY 5: Explore Arches National Park
DAY 6: Moab > Denver, 357 miles, 6 hours
DAY 7: Denver > Beatrice, 515 miles, 7.5 hours
DAY 8: Visit Homestead National Historical Park and the family farm
DAY 9: Beatrice > Kansas City, 183 miles, 3 hours
DAY 10: Kansas City > Nashville, 555 miles, 8 hours
DAY 11: Explore Nashville
DAY 12: Nashville > Tampa, 704 miles, 10.5 hours

Cross-country road trip map from Los Angeles to Tampa

ROAD TRIP PREP

To make sure you are fully prepared for your road trip, make sure to go through our ultimate packing checklist. If you are traveling with your dog, we have a great dog packing checklist as well.

If you are looking for some handy, durable and efficient travel gear, check out our favorite travel luggage we highly recommend.

Since we were going to be on the road for a couple of weeks, we wanted to pack some lunch and have our own food on the road for a couple of days. We made our favorite rice balls and Japanese fried chicken, plus some veggies and snacks.

We also brought a huge pack of bottled water with us so we wouldn’t have to buy expensive water while on the road.

THE ROAD TRIP

DAY 1 - LOS ANGELES TO SEDONA

Our first day of driving was an easy one to Sedona, Arizona. We had heard so much about Sedona over the years, that we thought it was time to finally visit this town.

As soon as we started seeing the magnificent red rocks in the distance, we instantly understood why Sedona was much talked about. It is such a beautiful sight to see and I couldn’t stop taking pictures.

We didn’t do any trails or hikes here since we were only staying for one night, but we stayed at an awesome resort called Sky Ranch Lodge that had spectacular views overlooking Sedona and the grand rocks.

We made sure to watch the sunset and sunrise here as the colors are just gorgeous in Sedona. We even saw some hot air balloons in the morning, which was an unexpected surprise.

Our view from Sky Ranch Lodge — Our view from **Sky Ranch Lodge**

DAY 2 - DRIVE TO TORREY, UTAH

This was one of the longest drives we planned out for this itinerary. It’s only an 8-hour drive from Sedona to Torrey, but we wanted to drive Utah’s Scenic Byway 12, so it took a little longer.

I’d say we added another 2 hours to the drive because we were looking for a specific overlook of the Burr Trail Switchbacks, but never found it. Regardless, we had a wonderful time driving this scenic route. We were just very tired by the time we arrived at Red Sands Hotel.

Torrey, Utah is a very small town and we specifically stayed here because we wanted to explore Capitol Reef National Park, which was an easy 10-minute drive from the hotel.

Right after we checked in, we drove to a popular food truck nearby called Capitol Burger and had the best burgers here. You must eat their burgers if you’re in Torrey. All the other restaurants and cafes in town were just okay.

DAY 3 - EXPLORING CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK

We woke up early to play with Kuma, so she could get some energy out before we left for Capitol Reef National Park. I wish I could have taken her with us, but they didn’t have very many dog-friendly activities to do there.

We decided to explore the park in the morning and then come back for lunch to hang out with Kuma again and then head back out around sunset.

Driving through Capitol Gorge was so much fun!

Capitol Reef is one of Utah’s Mighty 5 National Parks, but it’s one of the least visited out of the five parks. To us, Capitol Reef National Park was a hidden gem. We loved that it wasn’t overcrowded with tourists and we were able to explore everything at our own pace.

Capitol Gorge was our first stop and it was probably our favorite stop in the park. The rock formations are so unique and we felt like we were in an Indiana Jones adventure in some areas.

More cool rock formations on the Grand Wash trail

After exploring Capitol Gorge, we did the Grand Wash trail and then headed back to Torrey and picked up some lunch at Capitol Reef Inn & Cafe. We ate our lunch back at the hotel with Kuma and enjoyed the serene views of the farmlands.

Afterward, we played with Kuma some more and then headed back out to Capitol Reef for the sunset at Panorama Point. It was a gorgeous view, as expected, and we had the most amazing 360-degree views of the park while the sun set beautifully. We especially loved looking down at the windy roads leading up to Goosenecks Overlook.

At night, I attempted some night photography since this park is recognized by the International Dark-Sky Association as a Gold-tier park, but I didn’t really get great shots because the moon was too bright. Normally, you’d be able to see a ton of stars and even the Milky Way.

Gorgeous colors of Capitol Reef at sunset

DAY 4 - GOBLIN VALLEY STATE PARK & MOAB

We checked out of our hotel and headed to Goblin Valley State Park. This park wasn’t originally in our itinerary, but we found out about it through brochures at the hotel.

It looked interesting and it was on our way to our next stop in Moab, so we thought it would be neat to check it out. Plus, it was a dog-friendly park, so Kuma would be able to explore with us too!

Seeing these weirdly shaped rocks called “hoodoos” was something different. We had fun exploring and taking fun photos with Kuma. We didn’t stay long because it started getting really hot and Kuma started to pant a lot more, so it was time to go.

Fun fact: this location was used in the film, “Galaxy Quest”.

Next, we headed to Moab, about a 1.5-hour drive from Goblin Valley. We stayed at Homewood Suites Moab, which was in an excellent location, right in the middle of downtown Moab and only a 5-minute drive to Arches National Park.

We really loved our spacious room at this hotel; especially Kuma. She was running back and forth with her favorite toy numerous times.

So happy Kuma was able to explore with us

DAY 5 - ARCHES NATIONAL PARK

Arches National Park is not dog-friendly at all, so we pretty much had the same plan as Capitol Reef National Park: explore the park in the morning, head back to the hotel for lunch and then head back out to the park near sunset.

Arches National Park is probably the most popular national park out of Utah’s Mighty 5, so there was definitely more people here.

Our first stop was at Devils Garden around 8am and the parking lot was already nearly full. Our favorite stop in the morning was Sand Dune Arch because it reminded us of the slot canyons at Antelope Canyon. It’s a really cool area with lots of great photo opportunities.

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For lunch, we headed back to our hotel and I had a delicious quesadilla from the food truck located right across the street called Quesadilla Mobilla. Candy got some organic groceries at the grocery store next door and made herself a healthy sandwich.

A couple of hours before sunset, we headed back out to Arches National Park and stopped by some of the overlooks and viewpoints. Our last stop was The Windows Section and we did a couple of hikes here.

The Double Arch was a lot of fun as we climbed the rocks and sat under the huge arch looking out to the beautiful scenery. We didn’t get to see the sun set as it became cloudy, but that resulted in us enjoying the other side of The Windows basically all to ourselves.

Had the Windows section all to ourselves

DAY 6 - DENVER

Our drive to Denver was absolutely gorgeous. Colorado is known to have spectacular mountainous views and we marveled at the beautiful scenery as we drove through the state.

There were some windy roads in some parts, so Candy drove this part as she is prone to motion sickness.

We didn’t do much in Denver since it was a quick stopover, but we stayed at the gorgeous Hotel Indigo Denver Downtown and enjoyed our bright room with panoramic views of downtown Denver.

The iconic Union Station was only a 7-minute walk from the hotel, so we went over there to grab something to eat for dinner. I have visited Union Station before when I visited Denver for a weekend, so I was really excited to check it out again with Candy.

Unfortunately, a lot of establishments at the Union Station were closed due to the pandemic, but we found a yummy ramen restaurant right across the street.

Loved our room at Hotel Indigo Denver Downtown

DAY 7 - BEATRICE

Beatrice is located on the southeast tip of Nebraska and we wanted to make a stop here to see some of our relatives.

We were tired from the drive, so we didn’t see family on the first day, but we stopped by downtown Beatrice to get dinner at a cute restaurant with friendly service.

Speaking of friendly service, we have to mention the most helpful, genuine, and professional front desk associate at the Holiday Inn Express we were staying at: Chandler. He was outstanding and seriously went above and beyond to make sure our stay was as comfortable as can be.

We were so impressed by his hospitality that we mentioned him numerous times in our video.

DAY 8 - HOMESTEAD NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK & VISITING FAMILY

Since we were in Beatrice, we looked up things to do around town and found that the Homestead National Historical Park was located here. We decided to spend the morning exploring the museum and had such a great time here. We learned so much about the history of America and how the Homestead Act started.

What we really looked forward to was searching the museum’s extensive Homestead Records Database. They have a few computers set up at the museum where you can look up records. Our family owns a farm near Beatrice, so there was a high chance that our ancestors were part of the Homestead Act.

It turned out that our great grandfather was not part of the Homestead Act, but he bought the farm during that period in the late 1800s.

After the museum, we headed to the farm to see our Uncle Larry. He’s in his early eighties now, but does not look like it at all! He looked like he was still in his sixties. I guess our family has some great genes when it comes to aging.

He continues to work on the farm driving tractors and tending to his crops and cattle daily. It’s a lot of work and we are still in awe of how much strength and energy he has compared to others his age.

We spent some time talking to our uncle and then later met up with our cousins to have dinner at a restaurant in Marysville, Kansas. The farm is located very close to the border of Kansas, so we were in another state in a matter of minutes.

We had such a great time catching up with our relatives since we hadn’t seen them for nearly 7 years.

DAY 9 - THE FARM & KANSAS CITY

Before leaving Beatrice, we made one last stop at the farm to see our uncle and cousins again. Our cousin, Gwen, gave us a tour of the farm and we learned so much about the property.

They have tons and tons of crops, mainly corn and soybeans, and we had no idea how large the area was. Gwen had to drive us around in a golf cart to see everything… actually, I don’t think we even covered the entire property. That’s how huge it was!

We also got to explore the old farm house for a bit. We used to visit this farm house often when we were kids, so it was both nostalgic and eerie to see the condition it was in. The house is over 100 years old and still standing. Inside, everything is pretty much left as is and we found a few treasures in some of the rooms.

Sadly, our time at the farm had to come to an end, and we drove on to our next stop which was Kansas City, Missouri. We didn’t do much here since it was another stopover, but we stayed at another gorgeous Hotel Indigo at The Crossroads.

This hotel is located in the art district and housed in a historical building where it once used to be the KC Costume Company. They did an excellent job renovating the place and we fell in love with the blue hues and decor.

For dinner, we ate at The Rockhill Grille, located right next to the hotel, and had some delicious ribeye steak and chicken.

Kuma got some sweet treats from the local dog bakery in Kansas City

DAY 10 - DRIVE TO NASHVILLE

Most of the drive from Kansas City to Nashville was pretty boring. We did see the iconic St. Louis Gateway Arch from a distance and that was probably the most exciting thing we saw and maybe some of the little bridges we crossed.

We stayed at another Homewood Suites in Nashville and so glad we did because they always come with a kitchen. I had some left over steak from The Rockhill Grille, so I was able to use the stove to pan sear my steak. It was just what I needed.

Our hotel was only a 10-minute walk to Broadway, so we decided to hit the town and check out the night scene and the famous Nashville bars.

To our shock and surprise, the street was packed. It was way too overcrowded and we felt a little unsafe; especially in the time of a pandemic. All the bars were packed with huge lines and nobody was six feet apart.

We quickly walked through the street and headed back to our hotel to get away from that madness. We’re all about having fun, but that was way too much for us!

Crazy amount of people on Broadway in Nashville

DAY 11 - EXPLORING NASHVILLE

We were looking forward to exploring Nashville and wanted to start the day at a popular breakfast cafe called Biscuit Love. They had an outdoor area where we could eat, so we took Kuma with us as well.

It was around 9am when we arrived at Biscuit Love and the place already had a humungous line out the door. The wait time was going to be over an hour, so we decided to find another place to eat.

Right next to Biscuit Love is a famous wall art known as What Lifts You Wings Mural, so we took a few cute pictures with Kuma there.

After that, we found a juice bar and cafe nearby, but they had no fresh juice and no coffee, so we had to find another place.

After a few disappointments, we finally settled on having breakfast at Puckett’s, which ended up being right next to our hotel. Nashville was starting to bum us out.

After breakfast, we drove to Uncommon James, my favorite jewelry retailer. The owner of this franchise is Kristin Cavallari and I’m a little obsessed with her, so I was super excited to check out her store.

Uncommon James definitely lifted up our spirits and we were feeling good again about Nashville.

We went back to the Gulch and checked out 21 South to take more pictures by some of Nashville’s iconic wall art. We had a couple more disappointments with rude customer service and started to feel down about Nashville again.

Our final straw was when we tried to have lunch at Pinewood Social and they said there’s no way they could accommodate us and if we waited, it would probably be a 2-hour wait.

After that, we were done with Nashville. It just wasn’t for us.

DAY 12 - DRIVING HOME TO FLORIDA

Finally, it was time for us to head home to Tampa, Florida.

Originally, we had plans to make one more stop in Atlanta, but since we had both visited Atlanta numerous times before, so we decided to skip it and just make the 10-hour drive home. It’s not a bad drive if you split it between two people.

FINAL THOUGHTS

We had an absolute blast on this road trip and it would have been even better if we could have brought Zooey, Candy’s dog, with us too, but I don’t think she would have lasted that many days on the road. It’s a lot of driving and Zooey is still a puppy, so she needs to let out a lot more energy than Kuma does.

We made some great stops on our road trip, but our least favorite stop was definitely Nashville. We wish we would have spent more time in Beatrice with family or explored another national park, but now we know that we enjoy small towns and the outdoors rather than the big cities.

As always, Kuma was a champ the entire road trip and we stayed at some great pet-friendly hotels. I’m so thankful that more and more hotels accept dogs now.

We hope this gives you some ideas for a cross-country road trip and if you want more details on the trip, check out our entire road trip on our Youtube channel.