Pacific Northwest Camper Van Adventure Out of Las Vegas

Your first stop on this road trip isn’t too terribly far away. From Vegas, you’re going to drive northeast, toward Utah, for about two hours, until you reach Zion National Park. However, don’t just zip over to Zion right away. Slow down, enjoy the journey and park your campervan at select locales along the route that are worth your attention.

With just a minimal detour or two, you can visit Lake Mead National Recreation Area, where you can head out to the water, rent a kayak or your other vessel of choice and take in the lake views. Pack a picnic or barbecue at one of the lake recreation areas.

Once you cross the Utah border, you can stop over at Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Area, and enjoy the mountain and desert scenery. The Joshua trees here are a particular favorite with visitors.

If you’re more of an urban adventurer, consider a stop over in St. George, Utah, where you’ll find historic structures in the downtown, and museums. Nearby, further favorite hiking spots include Sand Hollow State Park, Red Cliffs National Conservation Area and Snow Canyon State Park.

Once you finally make it to Zion National Park, you’ll have ample options for recreation, whether you want to go for a strenuous hike or a more leisurely bike ride, or you want to scale cliffsides via a bit of canyoneering or climbing. For guided experiences, try horseback riding or kayaking tours.

When it’s time to rest up for the night, you’ll find that Zion National Park has three campgrounds. Post up in your camper van and don’t forget to look up — Zion is renowned for its stargazing.

The second stop on your Las Vegas camper van rental adventure is a little far away. Traversing the 250-plus miles between Zion National Park and Salt Lake City will take you approximately four hours, without stopping. However, we highly recommend that you do stop, to see some of the unforgettable sites along the route.

Fishlake National Forest is right on your way, where the lake is known for its great fishing, and where you can quite literally chase some waterfalls.

During your drive, don’t hesitate to stop off and take some photos of the spectacular mountain scenery. You’ll pass multiple breathtaking peaks, such as Salt Creek Peak, Mt Nebo and Loafer Mountain.

Just before you reach Salt Lake City, you’ll drive through Provo. The city is probably most well-known for Brigham Young University, but even if you don’t care for BYU, you may still appreciate its museums. There are museums that focus on the sciences (including one museum specifically dedicated to paleontology), art and history.

Once you’ve arrived in Salt Lake City, there’ll be even more to do, no matter your interests. Historic attractions, museums and family-friendly sites await, from gardens to the zoo, a planetarium to the Capitol building.

As for where you should stay, consider some of the highly ranked campgrounds located right within or very near the city, such as the Salt Lake City KOA, Sun Outdoors Salt Lake City or Spruces Campground.

For your third stop, you’ll finally make your way into the Northwest, arriving in Boise, Idaho. The journey takes over five hours and is more than 300 miles, though, so consider splitting it up over a few days, with short overnight stops along the way. Doing so will allow you to make a slight detour to one of the most unique preserves in the entire United States: Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve (and the preserve even has campsites, so you can stay the night!).

This preserve, situated in what feels like the middle-of-nowhere, Idaho, is made up of lava fields as far as the eye can see. The one-of-a-kind landscape is so lunar-like and other-worldly that it’s actually been used by astronauts, as they train in anticipation of what it might be like to traverse the moon’s surface! The park offers several hiking trails, most of which are accessible to even the less-than-avid hikers.

Closer to Boise, points of interest include the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, popular for wildlife watching and birding, and Boise National Forest.

Once you’re actually in Boise, enjoy the city’s walkable downtown and myriad attractions, from the Idaho Botanical Garden to Zoo Boise to the Boise Art Museum. For parking your camper van, popular, nearby options include the Boise/Meridian KOA, Mountain View RV Park and Boise Riverside RV Park.

Another long trek, traveling to your fourth stop will take most of a day, so, again, consider splitting this leg of the journey over a few days, if you’d like to go at a more leisurely pace. (Though, if you’re on a schedule, there’s nothing wrong with driving straight through.)

There are multiple routes between Boise and Portland, but the shorter one takes you a bit north, on this mostly westwardly journey. Along the way, potential stops include Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, which offers plenty of hiking and even a ski resort (in case your camper van travels happen to occur during the ski season). Similarly, skiing and hiking can be found at the nearby Umatilla National Forest. Probably the most famous potential stop, though, is Mount Hood National Forest, where you can enjoy gorgeous views of the forest’s namesake mountain. The forest also has camping, so if you want to stop over here, that’s an option.

Once you make it to Portland, don’t miss some of the city’s top sites, such as the Portland Japanese Garden, International Rose Test Garden and Washington Park. However, also try to get in some local shopping (book lovers will adore Powell’s), and be sure to check out the local food and drinks scene. You’ll have no shortage of breweries to visit.

As for places to park your camper van, favorites include Island Cove RV Park and Columbia River RV Park.

Lastly, if you plan to return your Las Vegas camper van rental to Sin City, you’re in for a treat. The trip back to Vegas from Portland offers loads of reasons to stop and lots of cool cities along the way. There are multiple routes you can take between Portland, Oregon, and Vegas, but we like the 16-hour route that goes through Reno.

Along the way, you can stop off in Salem and Eugene, Oregon, both of which sit in the Willamette Valley — aka Oregon’s wine country. Make sure to stop by some of the wineries and vineyards while you’re in this part of the state. You can even find some wineries and vineyards that will let you stay the night, through booking engines like Hipcamp, which allows you to find unique spots to park your camper van, with options around Salem, Oregon, including not just wineries and vineyards, but also farms and ranches. (And if Oregon wine country sounds like, frankly, the best part of this itinerary, consider a California and Oregon campervan wine tour as well!).

From Oregon, this route takes you down through northern California and further southeast, almost parallel to the California-Nevada border. Potential can’t-miss stops and small detours after Reno include Yosemite National Park and Death Valley National Park, before you finally make it back to Las Vegas.

This Vegas-to-the-Pacific-Northwest road trip allows you to experience some of the best of the best of the West. From the bright lights of the Strip to the spectacular stargazing at Zion and Craters of the Moon, from hip cities like Portland to Oregon wine country, you’ll see and experience it all.

Ready to go? Reserve your Las Vegas campervan rental now — or just get a quick quote as you plan your perfect road trip.