october_fun

We are visiting the US in October for our 30th Anniversary and after reading the reviews of tours to the Grand Canyon, we are planning on driving to the GC from LV, staying overnight then returning. As someone who has never driven on the opposite side of the road I would like to make the trip as easy as possible traffic wise. If I pick up the rental car from the airport will that keep me out of more traffic than getting a car from our hotel on the strip. The less city traffic I have to drive through the better. What hours constitute peak hour in Vegas? Any advice would be appreciated.

tomfuller

Try to get out of the rental car garage between 6 and 10 AM. Hope that you are not too jet lagged. If you are too tired to drive safely, stay at a hotel in Henderson. Paradise Road out of the airport merges onto I-215. You have the Interstate for about 10 miles until you get on US 93 toward Kingman to get on I-40 to Williams. Head north from Williams to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Total distance is 275 miles in 4.5 hours.
On the way back, make a stop at Hoover Dam. By the time you get back to Las Vegas, you should be pricticed enough to drive north on the 'Strip". Drive back south on I-15 to get back down to the airport.

sharona

I have been checking rental car rates for an upcoming 3-generation family trip and found that, at least through Hertz, it is significantly cheaper to pick up at the airport than it is at a hotel. I was surprised by that as airports are generally the more expensive location to pick up and return cars. You shouldn't have any trouble driving on the interstates and really the only time you might have some difficulty driving on the "wrong" side of the road is when you make a turn. Then you have to concentrate and remember to stay right. Let that be your mantra: keep right. (Most of the rental cars in the Caribbean where driving is on the left have big orange stickers plastered to the dashboard with the words "keep left" in large letters. Maybe the rental car companies in the US should have "keep right" stickers for our left-driving visitors.)

october_fun

Thanks for the advice. Tomfuller I havent booked flights yet but if we dont get into vegas early I will take the advice on staying at Henderson.
Sharona I will take your advice and stick a keep right and tight sign on my dashboard to keep reminding me where I need to be when I turn.
Thanks again.

K_Bot

The drive from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon is pretty straightforward. Very well-traveled, mostly interstate highway. Lots of folks drive this route for the first time as "righties" Forward to the :45 mark on this video for actual footage of the some of the roads ->: http://youtu.be/I0BmR53DZnU

october_fun

K_Bot thank you for the link. The highway looks nice and wide so I feel more confident about driving on it. We will be staying in LV the night before so will leave early. We are used to long drives so the five hours will be ok as we will make a few stops at the towns we pass through. Thanks again for everyone's advice.

K_Bot

@october_fun: glad the video gave you the confidence you needed! If you're up for a little more time behind the wheel, you might consider making the slight detour up Old Route 66. The little towns along this historic highway have a "frozen in time" look and feel from the heyday of the Mother Road before it got bypassed by Interstate 40. Forward to the 1:00 mark to see what the town of Seligman AZ looks like ->: http://youtu.be/R69vJtmpdrU

This detour will add 60-90 minutes onto your drive time, but many find the living history most enjoyable.

october_fun

K_Bot I have already thought of going via Route 66 on the way there. I have read of Seligman on here. As we are being tourists I can stop at all the towns to have a look rather than when we travel at home and all we want to do is get from A to B. Which of the towns would you stop at for snacks/lunch? (my husband doesnt eat mexican food, so tacos etc are off the list.) Would the car hire company have a list of the best places to buy petrol so that we dont get caught running low on fuel in between towns?

Carrabella

October_fun,
just remember that Route 66 roads were not engineered like our modern roads, and are unforgiving. The "wrong side of the road" was no problem, but an unexpected coyote caused us to shoot over the edge of Route 66 out of Kingman, towards Oatman,and overturn several times - a surreal experience, with no one and nothing around for miles. I know, I know, at home, we'd just run over a kangaroo! But in a foreign land? The car was a write-off, but we were OK. This is not on the usual route from Vegas to the GC , however.

Driving on the right side of the road is only a problem, I've found, when you exit a motel with no other traffic around. Then, it's easy to forget. But the roads in the USA are generally great, and in towns, I really like the wide centre strip, used for idling whilst you wait to make a turn in the opposite direction. We could do with them Down Under!

october_fun

Carrabella that must have been scary for you and I am glad you werent injured. A coyote would be a shock to see. A bit like seeing a dog i suppose and your first reaction is to miss it. Had you got to the canyon or did you crash on your way there?

Thanks for your advice. Its wonderful being able to soak up info to plan the trip.

Cheers

Carrabella

Yes, we had already seen the canyon and were on our way back to Vegas the long way around - have been to the GC a few times. Because of expense ( we Aussies usually travel for at least six weeks at a time, and so have to watch hotel prices a bit, don't we? ) we usually stay in Flagstaff and do day trips. Going again soon! You miss the sunrise and sunset aspects though.

I do remember the first time I drove (some of the way ) from Vegas to Flagstaff, whilst DH slept in complete confidence. The roads are wide and easy driving, and I had my first taste of "cruise control" - piece of cake!

Am sure you'll love America . Helpful people, stunning scenery (out of the awful suburbia areas) and at $80, the National Parks Pass is great value. If time allows, do check out the drive from Vegas to Red Rock Canyon, easily doable in half a day at a leisurely pace. We've also done day trips from there (Vegas) to Death Valley. Happy Anniversary and Happy Travels!

october_fun

Carabella you are a seasoned visitor then. I have been looking at Red Rock too. Would it be doable to visit there on our way back to Vegas. Continue on to Red Rock and visit before we hand back the car?

I know what you mean about sleeping husbands. I barely get into a rhythm of driving before I look across and notice then head falling and snoring starting. He is wonderful company when I drive. lol

Carrabella

Yes, if you get an early start, and allow about three hours - Red Rock would be stunning at sunset, I would think, but then you would have to drive in Vegas in the dark. Mind you, it's an exhilarating drive down the strip with all the lights!

You'll probably drive Interstate 40 Flagstaff to Kingman, then Route 93 north west to Vegas, over the Hoover Dam. Allow time to have a look around here, there's a new bridge so you no longer drive over the dam unless you go out of your way - not far though. There's an hour time difference between Arizona and Nevada, so you'll lose an hour when you come back to Vegas.

Anyway, as I remember, once on the southerly outskirts of Vegas, you turn left (west) onto Blue Diamond Road, which becomes Route 159 through the Red Rock Area.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada_State_Route_159

You don't have to come back, as you can exit the park at Charleston Rd, and go back to the strip that way.

If you are an NRMA member or equivalent, there are great free maps from the American Auto Association (AAA). It took me a while to figure out that the numbers on the map along the freeways correspond to the exit numbers-duh! Makes life a lot easier if you know where you are going, though these days, there are those electronic navigator things. Good luck!

october_fun

Carrabella. Thanks for that info. I will research some more and just play it by ear and see how we feel that day and what time we end up leaving the canyon. Did you find the drive over Hoover Dam interesting and worth the detour?

Carrabella

Oh, yes! On our next "road trip", we are going back, but more so to see the spectacular new bridge, which is now open - have only seen it under construction.
I believe that you can park near the bridge and walk across it, or at least near it. From the dam, it looked so spectacular when it was being built.

open.http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...ass18_ST_N.htm

If you are pressed for time, instead of going to Red Rock Canyon, you can drive north from the Dam around Lake Mead, and come back into the north of Las Vegas on Lake Mead Drive

http://www.nps.gov/lake/planyourvisi...LAMEmap1-a.pdf


There was a very good visitor centre on the left, going towards Vegas from the dam.

Bwino

Hi October_fun, I drove on the 'wrong' side of the road for the first time recently in Ghana and it was not as difficult as I had imagined.

One thing I did find is that it was actually easier to drive in traffic or at least with other cars around because you just follow the traffic flow. The times I mistakenly drifted to the wrong side of the road or turned into the wrong lane was when there was no other traffic. I just had to keep reminding myself to keep the steering wheel in the middle of the road

Good luck and have fun.

october_fun

Carrabella thanks for the links. I know my brother would love the dam so will prob stop to take some pics for him.

Bwino, yes someone from work told me the same thing. Following traffic is easier. By yourself on the highway and you tend to drift back to driving on the side you are used to. Cant let yourself get too comfortable.