RogandLin

Hi,

Can anyone help us? We are holidaying in and around Las vegas, Arizona and Southern Utah next April on a visit from the UK. We were planning to travel from Vegas to Flagstaff and would like to do this in one day, probably via Kingman then down Route 66 and back on I40 around Seligman. Is this a feasible journey in one day?, how long is it likely to take?, any recommended stops? All advice welcome. Thanks. Rog&Lin

bbqboy

It's not very far at all, but if you turn west at Kingman, you'd hit Oatman, which is a REAL hidden gem.

travelinwifey

Let's see, when I moved to LV we took route 66 through Flagstaff. I think the trip was around 4-5 hours. I would not do it in a day. Is there any particular reason you want to visit Flagstaff? I would think of the Grand Canon instead, and an overnight trip if you are up for the driving.

TheWeasel

Rog&Lin-You can do this in a day, but it's a fair amount of driving just to see Flagstaff. There's so many other things along the way that I'd suggest you take more time. Grand Canyon is an obvious one, Sedona is a little out of the way but still doable. You'll pass right over Hoover Dam on your way as well. I'd suggest taking a little side trip to Lake Havasu City to see the original London Bridge. It may interest you because you're from the UK - city of London sold the original to LHC, which then rebuilt it over a canal and has created a bit of an English village around the bridge.

travelinwifey

Yes, Hoover Dam is where you may run into traffic. Sometimes it is a quick drive, other times when there is a terror alert each car is stopped and inspected. I wouldn't cancel a drive because of it, just be aware there are occasional hold ups on the route.

RogandLin

Thanks to you all for the advice. Sounds like there are other places to stop overnight other than Flagstaff. We had originally picked this as a place to stop after a long drive. Could we make it up to the Grand Canyon South Rim in a sigle days drive from LV? Any views? RogandLin

TheWeasel

R&L-Absolutely you can make it to the S. Rim in a day from LV. I'd give yourself about 5-5.5 hours to get there. There's lodging on the S. Rim if want to overnight at GC, or you can find lodging in a number of places outside the park.

P.S. You call it a long drive from LV to Flagstaff. Is that because you were unaware of the time it would take, or because you think 4-5 hours is a long drive? I ask because that would be useful to anyone giving you advice about what's doable, etc.

utahtea

Las Vegas to South Rim via Route 66 is almost 300 miles and will take about 6 1/2 hours to drive. IMHO, the part of old Route 66 between Flagstaff and Seligman doesn't have that much to see and the road is pretty mild as far as driving goes.

The better part of old Route 66 is between Oatman and Flagstaff as bbqboy mentioned. I think I'd take Hwy 95 south from Las Vegas and then cut across at Bullhead City to get to Oatman and Route 66. Oatman is a real tourist trap and the drive between Oatman and Kingman really gives you a feel of what the old route use to be like. It's narrow and windy! There's a really good Route 66 museum in Flagstaff. This route is about 325 miles and will take about 6 1/2 hours. I'd also get off I-40 to visit Seligman.

Utahtea

RogandLin

Thanks Guys,

In the UK 5 - 6 hours driving will get you from almost anywhere, to almost anywhere! This means it's hard to guage distances in the US but we don't mind a drive of this length. Our problem is there is so much to see, so we didn't want to miss any key stops. Flagstaff looked about as far as we could manage in a day allowing for a couple of stops. We had considered the Grand Canyon Caverns (Lin is a Geographer.)Oatman now looks a good possibility and we hadn't considered Hw95 as a possibility. Our aim is to get to the South Rim, Monument Valley, Moab and back to Las Vegas for home, via probably Torrey. Thanks RogandLin.

travelinwifey

You can do the Grand Canyon in a day, the drive is ab out 3 hours long each way if you take an SUV through BLM (Indian owned) land. I did this once when a friend was visiting, using a tour company. An all day ordeal, but doable on your own also if you like. There are also guided, car or bus driven tours of the Grand Canyon:

http://www.grandcanyontourcompany.com/bussouth.html

http://www.lvgct.com/bus/grand-canyo...hoover-dam.htm

http://www.bestlasvegastours.com/pro...products_id/31

http://www.amazinglasvegas.com/tours...products_id/30

One thing I wanted to mention if you do decide to take a trip to the Grand Canyon on your own, a lot of the back roads are desolate and there is no cell phone service if you were to get a flat, for that reason I would suggest a guided tour SUV tour but it can be pricey. That being said it is a very nice day trip from LV, hope this helps

FlyingMaltese

How about flying into the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas. There are tons outfits that offer flightseeing tours from Vegas, and give you plenty of time in Grand Canyon.