The best canyon road trips put you on the rim of the planet's deepest cuts, then give you days of driving to take them in. Our top pick is the Southern Utah Parks Traverse, 740 km from Zion to Monument Valley through five national parks, but the nine drives that follow reach canyons on five continents, from the limestone gorges of Provence to the Peruvian Andes. Every route is drawn from our catalog with its real distance, season, and stops, so you can time the trip around open roads and clear light.
Canyons reward slow travel. The rim light shifts through the day, the best viewpoints sit a few kilometres apart, and many of these roads close or turn treacherous outside a short season. This guide ranks ten drives built around the world's great canyons and gorges, with the months each one is at its best.
The best canyon road trips at a glance
| Rank | Route | Country | Distance | Duration | Best season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern Utah Parks Traverse | United States | 740 km | 7 to 9 days | Mar to May, Sep to Nov |
| 2 | Gorges du Verdon | France | 130 km | 2 days | Apr to Oct |
| 3 | Panorama Route | South Africa | 180 km | 1 to 2 days | Apr to Sep |
| 4 | Colca Canyon | Peru | 560 km | 5 days | Apr to Oct |
| 5 | San Juan Skyway | United States | 375 km | 4 days | Jun to Oct |
| 6 | Grand Canyon and Sedona | United States | 459 km | 4 days | Spring and fall |
| 7 | Charyn Canyon | Kazakhstan | 350 km | 3 days | May to Oct |
| 8 | Zhangjiajie and Dehang Canyon | China | 380 km | 6 days | Apr to Nov |
| 9 | Waimea Canyon | United States | 50 km | 1 day | Year-round |
| 10 | Debed Canyon | Armenia | 150 km | 2 days | May to Oct |
1. Southern Utah Parks Traverse, United States
The Southern Utah Parks Traverse packs more canyon country into one drive than anywhere on Earth. Over 740 km it runs from Zion's sheer Navajo sandstone walls through the hoodoo amphitheatre of Bryce Canyon, the folded cliffs of Capitol Reef, and the spires of Arches and Canyonlands before finishing among the buttes of Monument Valley. Give it seven to nine days, travel in spring or from September to November to dodge the summer heat, and note that Zion Canyon runs a seasonal shuttle and the chained section of Angels Landing needs a permit.
2. Gorges du Verdon, France
France calls the Gorges du Verdon its Grand Canyon, and the Verdon River earns it, having sawn a 25 km trench through the Provence limestone with walls close to a kilometre high. The two-day route starts in the hilltop village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie above the turquoise Lac de Sainte-Croix, then creeps around the rim on the 23 km Route des Crêtes, where fourteen lookouts hang over the drop and griffon vultures ride the thermals. The middle D23 section runs one way and closes from late November to late March, so come between April and October.
3. Panorama Route, South Africa
Mpumalanga's Panorama Route traces the edge of South Africa's highveld where it falls away into the Blyde River Canyon, one of the largest green canyons in the world. In 180 km you reach God's Window, the swirling rock basins of Bourke's Luck Potholes, and the Three Rondavels standing over the gorge, with waterfalls spilling off the escarpment between them. Most of it is paved and easy in any car, though fog and tour traffic slow the cliff sections, so start early from Graskop and keep the tank topped up.
4. Colca Canyon, Peru
Colca Canyon ranks among the deepest canyons on Earth, close to twice the depth of the Grand Canyon, and this 560 km drive from Arequipa reaches it the right way. From the volcanic skyline above the city the road climbs past terraced canyon villages to Cruz del Cóndor, where Andean condors ride the morning updraughts at eye level, then crosses high puna grassland to Lake Titicaca at Puno. Spend the first day acclimatising in Arequipa, plan on a high-clearance vehicle for the rougher stretches, and allow five days, best from April to October.
5. San Juan Skyway, United States
Colorado's San Juan Skyway builds its 375 km loop around the Million Dollar Highway, the stretch of US 550 that threads sheer canyon walls and old mine workings over the 3,358 m Red Mountain Pass. Between the gorges sit the Victorian mining towns of Ouray and Silverton, the ski valley of Telluride, and the Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde set into the canyon alcoves. Four days covers the circuit, best from June to October when the high pass is reliably clear. Reserve a Cliff Palace tour at Mesa Verde ahead of time.
6. Grand Canyon and Sedona, United States
No canyon list skips the Grand Canyon, and this four-day Arizona loop builds toward a full day on its South Rim. The 459 km route climbs from the old mining country of Wickenburg and Prescott through the hillside town of Jerome and the red-rock canyons around Sedona, then on through Flagstaff and Williams to the rim itself. Drive it in spring or fall for mild temperatures, and treat the rim as a viewpoint, keeping any descent below the edge as a separate and serious hike.
7. Charyn Canyon, Kazakhstan
Central Asia has its own Grand Canyon in Charyn, a gorge of wind-carved red sandstone four hours east of Almaty, its core a cluster of spires known as the Valley of Castles. This three-day drive pairs the canyon with the drowned spruce forest of Kaindy Lake and the alpine water of the Kolsai Lakes, basing you in the village of Saty between them. The Kaindy track is rough, so the full plan wants a high-clearance vehicle, and the parks run from May to October.
8. Zhangjiajie and Dehang Canyon, China
Western Hunan stacks gorges and sandstone towers, and this six-day Zhangjiajie route gives them room. Two days go to the Wulingyuan quartzite pillars that inspired the floating peaks of Avatar, with Tianmen Mountain and its cliff-edge walkways kept as a separate excursion, before the drive heads south through the waterfall town of Furong and the Dehang Canyon to the river town of Fenghuang. A foreign licence and an International Driving Permit are not valid in mainland China, so arrange a Chinese temporary permit and confirm rental eligibility before you go. Best from April to November.
9. Waimea Canyon, United States
On Kauaʻi, Waimea Canyon earned the tag Grand Canyon of the Pacific, and HI-550 delivers it in a single short day. The road climbs 50 km from the island's red-dirt coast to a 1,200 m lookout over a canyon 16 km long and 900 m deep, its walls streaked ochre, violet, and jungle green by five million years of erosion. The route runs year-round, but cloud and rain roll in fast at altitude and services are thin, so climb early and carry what you need.
10. Debed Canyon, Armenia
Armenia's Debed Canyon carries a 150 km drive past a thousand years of stonework. Following the river gorge north from Vanadzor, the road links the medieval monasteries of Odzun, Haghpat, and Sanahin, the last two cut from the same honey-coloured stone as the cliffs and listed by UNESCO, before ending at the fortress of Akhtala short of the Georgian border. Two days is enough, and the gorge is at its greenest from May to October.
If you only do one
Drive the Southern Utah Parks Traverse. No other route reaches this many distinct canyons in one trip, from Zion's narrows to the hoodoos of Bryce and the river gorges of Canyonlands, and it does it on good paved roads any car can handle. Give it the full nine days in spring or autumn, start at Zion before the shuttle queues build, and work east toward Monument Valley. If your canyons lean alpine, the gorges and high roads of our mountain passes collection are the drives to chase next.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best canyon road trip in the world?
The Southern Utah Parks Traverse takes the top spot for reaching five national parks of canyon country, from Zion to Canyonlands, on 740 km of paved road any car can drive. If you want a single dramatic gorge rather than a parks tour, the Gorges du Verdon in Provence and Peru's Colca Canyon are the strongest alternatives.
When is the best time of year to drive canyon routes?
It depends on the latitude and altitude. The American Southwest and the Peruvian Andes are best in spring and autumn, roughly April to May and September to November, when the heat eases. High routes such as the San Juan Skyway and the Verdon's Route des Crêtes open only from late spring to mid autumn, so check the road status before a shoulder-season trip.
Do I need a four-wheel drive for a canyon road trip?
For most of these drives, no. Southern Utah, the Panorama Route, Waimea Canyon, and the Verdon run on sealed roads that any car handles. Charyn Canyon's Kaindy track and parts of the Colca drive are the exceptions, where a high-clearance vehicle makes the rough sections safer.
Which canyon is the deepest on this list?
Colca Canyon in Peru, close to twice the depth of the Grand Canyon. It runs more than 3,000 m from rim to river, and at the Cruz del Cóndor lookout Andean condors ride the morning updraughts at eye level.
Plan your canyon trip
Every drive here is mapped stop by stop in our route guides, starting with the Southern Utah Parks Traverse. Open the interactive map to see how the canyons line up, compare their seasons, and build the trip around the dates you have.
