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Traveling from Vegas to Grand Canyon and Southern Utah

Traveling from Vegas to Grand Canyon and Southern Utah

Old Apr 25th, 2015, 10:15 PM
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Traveling from Vegas to Grand Canyon and Southern Utah

Hello, I am planning to fly into Vegas in May for 8 days. I want to see the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Painted Desert and then the Big 5 in Southern Utah. I just can't seem to decide what path to take to do this as efficiently as possible. Am I being too ambitious? Any suggestions for a travel itinerary, and where to stay along the way? Other places to see? Thanks for all suggestions!!
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Old Apr 26th, 2015, 06:00 AM
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I think you might want to let us know your interests. General scenery, photography, hiking, wildlife viewing, etc.

I am biased. I'm not a big fan (in fact it's my least favorite place in the area) of the Grand Canyon. To me it's a big hole in the ground and not anything as spectacular as the other sights in the area.

Also, there are some very worthy sights that are not in national parks.

Also near the bottom of my list would be Capitol Reef (not bad but..) and Canyonlands (not bad).

At the other end of the spectrum are Zion, Bryce Canyon and Arches (quite far from the other places but doable) National Parks.

To me Sedona is two places. Unless you want to spa the town is a tourist town with art galleries, t-shirt stores and restaurants that close at 9PM. BUT look up and around and it's spectacular. There are a fair number of short hikes in the surrounding Red Rocks.

Back to the parks mentioned above.

Depending upon how active you are Zion could keep you busy for two days. Bryce is much smaller so I would plan on sleeping there, getting up very early for a spectacular sunrise at Bryce Point, hiking Navajo Loop down and Queens Garden back up and make several stops on the scenic road.

Arches is larger and has some amazing arches. Sunset at Delicate Arch is a must. So is the Ranger-Led Fiery Furnace hike. As well as several hikes of varying lengths and difficulty to some arches.

Outside the parks but enroute there are choices of Willis Creek slot canyon about 20 miles east of Bryce Canyon and about 10 miles south of Cannonville.

Further east and 10 miles down Hole-in-the-Rock Road is Devil's Garden (not to be confused with Devil's Garden in Arches N.P.) and it's rock sculpture formations.

Further east is the 3 mile hike to Lower Calf Creek Falls.

As you get closer to Arches N.P. there's Goblin Valley State Park. While this is amazing for kids it's rock formations are great for all. I refer to this park as a younger Devil's Garden (above).

I'm sure others can add and have differing opinions of what I've written.

By the way Calgary is in Canada so while crossing the border is a piece of cake, you still need a passport.

You can see my photos of these places at:
www.travelwalks.com
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Old Apr 26th, 2015, 08:16 AM
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Thanks Myer. I am interested in the general scenery and light hiking. Thanks so much for your suggestions. I can't wait to look at your pictures. I was planning on just a day at the Grand Canyon, and since I'm not a spa person, I was just looking to enjoy the scenery in Sedona.
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Old Apr 26th, 2015, 08:18 AM
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We loved Capitol Reef!
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Old Apr 26th, 2015, 08:21 AM
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wallpocket,

I visited Sedona once 20 years ago and even back then, I was hugely disappointed. Yes the red rocks are pretty, but it's a very developed, touristy city that surrounds them. Those pictures you see? It's very hard to get those shots without buildings and roads in them!

You have a VERY ambitious itinerary for just 8 days, even with just light hiking. I would drop Sedona and spend more precious time in the parks and wilderness.

Even so, you need to read some of the multitude of threads here about southern Utah and really get an understanding of drive times and what is possible.
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Old Apr 26th, 2015, 11:28 AM
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I've done the loop from Vegas a few times and unlike Myer, I find both Grand Canyon and Canyonlands amazingly beautiful and with wonderful geologic features and history.

I agree with Dayle, that Sedona while in a beautiful area, has way too many t-shirt shops and crystal sellers.

We prefer the south rim of GC, so include it if we can. We usually do a loop and the direction we go depends on where we can get lodging at the time we go. Ideally if you could get into Vegas before noon you could head for Grand Canyon, for the first night, hike the rim trail a bit,see sunset, sunrise and hike down into the canyon a way, then head east, stop at the overlooks then head northwest, try for Kayenta or one of the lodgings in Monument Valley for night 2.

Check out MV, maybe take a tour or do the self tour then head for Moab for nights 3 , 4, and maybe 5. If you get to Moab before too late, drive into Arches and do a couple of the hikes there.
Spend at least a half day in Canyonlands and another half in Arches. There is much more to see in the area, but you need to decide how much else to see.

Then head for Bryce, take the scenic route if you have time , night 6 (or 5 if you decide to cut one from Moab). Do a day in Bryce then head for Zion for night 7 and 8, unless you need to be back to Vegas for an early flight.

As previously mentioned, the loop could be done starting with Zion and ending with GC, or you could decide to visit the North rim of GC (lodging might be a problem this late) and then head to Moab and go back to Vegas on 40 and 15 for the fast way.
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Old Apr 26th, 2015, 10:29 PM
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Having done short stays/roadtrips through all these places (minus Sedona) such as you are planning, here are my suggestions based on my experiences.

Head to Zion after you arrive on your first day as it's a shorter drive than heading to Grand Canyon. Depending on what time you arrive, you may have time to do a short hike, such as Emerald Pools or Weeping Rock, the first evening, or you may really only have time to check in to your hotel. I've stayed at the Quality Inn and Suites Montclair, which was reasonably priced (around $100/night I believe), and there is a Springdale shuttle stop right in front of it that will take you into the park to catch the Canyon Shuttle. The next day, I would choose one of the three longer hikes (Angel's Landing, Narrows, or Observation Point), and add in another shorter hike (Emerald Pools if you didn't get to it the evening before, Hidden Canyon is good, etc.). I have done Angel's Landing and the Narrows up to Wall Street in one day, but it makes for a very long day and you will be very tired, which I don't think you will want to do since your trip is so short anyways. I've never done Observation Point so I can't speak for it, but it's hard for me to recommend one over the other when it comes to Angel's Landing and the Narrows. They are both beautiful and fun hikes in their own right, but if you have any fear of heights I can say don't do Angel's Landing.

Head to Bryce the next morning, doing Canyon Overlook on your way out, it's a short hike right after the tunnel. In Bryce, you can do the Navajo Loop/Queen's Garden trail, and check out a few of the scenic pull-offs further into the park (I personally liked the Natural Bridge and Agua Canyon). Spend the night there at Bryce - I've stayed at Bryce Canyon Grand Hotel right outside the park and was very impressed for $120/night.

Head towards Moab the next morning via Rt 12. It's the scenic route and will take you to Capitol Reef. In Capitol Reef, I recommend the Hickman Bridge for a short hike (plan for about an hour to an hour and a half). You can try to get to Moab early enough to squeeze in a hike that evening (just means you need to get an early start that morning), possibly Delicate Arch. I also recommend Devil's Garden here, but this one can be much longer than Delicate Arch, depending on how far you go. In Moab, I've stayed at the River Canyon Inn and really liked it. You can walk to everything in town, and it's reasonably priced as well, although I can't remember the price. Spend another full day here, whether that be split between Arches and Canyonlands, or you choose one over the other. I can't help you out with Canyonlands, I've never done any hikes there, only skydiving

So, we're at Day 6 now I believe? Drive to GC from Moab, going to need an early start as this will be a long drive, but do-able. You can plan to drive through Monument Valley on the way, but I would say that would add at least another hour minimum to the drive if you take the time to actually drive through the park and not just between the two main rocks that you see in all the pictures. Depending on what time you arrive at the Grand Canyon, you can check out some of the Rim Trail and vista points. If you can get lodging in the park, I definitely would here because it makes everything so much more convenient. We stayed at the Maswik Lodge I believe, nothing fancy but it was nice enough.

For Day 7 you have all day to explore GC. Hike some below the rim, check out the El Tovar, see some other vista points, walk some of the rim trail, etc. Plenty to fill your day. Yavapai Point is very pretty for sunrise if you want to get up really early. Then, depending your flight time on Day 8, you could head towards Vegas and stay somewhere along the way that evening or just make the drive in the morning. And if you have a really late flight time or don't really fly out until Day 9, you could always stop and do a tour of the Hoover Dam on your way back to Vegas. But if you have 8 full days before flying out, then I would recommend a stop in Page, AZ between Moab and GC to see Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Lake Powell, or just another day in Moab to see more of Arches and Canyonlands. I read your 8 days as if you fly in on Day 1 and out on Day 8.

One more tip - check into getting an annual national park pass at the first national park you come to or before you leave. It's $80, but I think that it would be worth it. GC and Zion are $25 a piece for entrance fee, I can't remember what Bryce and Arches are, but I would expect them to be at least $20 a piece as well. Hope you enjoy your trip, sounds like you are planning to see a lot! It's beautiful out in that area of the US!
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Old Apr 27th, 2015, 02:04 PM
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Thank you so very much for all of the details and suggestions..............much appreciated!! I'm scheduled to arrive in Vegas at 10:30am on a Tuesday, and then I fly out around 5pm the following Thursday, so I'll account for that as I review your possible additions. Myer, your pictures are just beautiful!! I'm going to attempt to make some reservations tonight!!
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