Western U.S. Road trip
 

I am new to the forum, but have read lots of threads and the advice is great! We are thinking about a western U.S. road trip next June, so I have plenty of time to plan. We are thinking 12-14 days, but three of those will be spent in SLC for a conference for my husband's work. We are flexible where we fly into, SLC, Las Vegas, Denver, wherever would be best to maximize the trip (and minimize cost) but we do have to get to SLC at some point during the trip. Our kids will be 11 and almost 5, admittedly this is a big trip to take a 5-year old, but it's good timing with work and probably a good age for our oldest. To me, one of the rims of the Grand Canyon is a must, but everything else is open. Our oldest loves "old West", Cowboys, history, Native American culture, rodeos, etc. We did a rodeo vacation for him when he was 6, so he has seen most of WY. We want kid friendly, but also for them to see as much as these can, this is not a trip we will take often. We would like to camp some to help reduce costs, but no every night. Thanks so much for any information, I'm excited to hear your suggestions, including itineraries, things to do, etc.!

Check out Canyon de Chelley (sp?) its really special. The half day trip is long enough and the kids will enjoy it. I also think Monument Valley, where all the Westerns were filmed is a must see too. Both parks have Native American guides and can give you great history lessons.

So much to see!

If you fly into Denver, you could hit Estes Park/RMNP, Glenwood Springs, Arches/Canyonlands, Park City, then SLC.

Also from Denver you could head south and see Garden of the Gods, Great Sand Dunes, Durango, Mesa Verde, Million Dollar Highway from Durango to Ouray, and possibly have time to squeeze in Arches/Canyonlands before going to SLC.

If you fly into Vegas, you could hit Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Page, Zion, Bryce, Scenic Byway 12, Capitol Reef, then SLC.

If you fly into SLC, you could do a loop through the Utah parks (Zion, Bryce, Arches/Canyonlands, Capitol Reef) before returning to SLC.

I put Arches/Canyonlands because they are both near Moab, but are two separate parks.

Maybe check out car rentals prices (different drop off vs. same drop off), and compare for each airport. That could help you decide where you fly into. From there, it will be easier to plan an itinerary. There are so many options you have, so it's best to decide what you really want to see and what fits your budget. Based on your son's interest in Native American culture and the old west, he would love Mesa Verde, and probably Durango and Ouray, as well as Monument Valley. I'd either end or start the trip in SLC, instead of having that fall in the middle of your trip.

Hard for me to say which one I would choose, they all offer so much to see, and all so different. Do a little research though and maybe see what bests suits your family's interests.

I'd probably look at flying in to Las Vegas and out of SLC or vice versa, or as Virginia suggests in/out of SLC and doing a loop.

Convenient to LV are the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, etc etc and rental cars tend to be pretty cheap there . . . but I don't know about rental rates in SLC.

You really don't have time for California too if you want much time for the Utah/Arizona parks plus in/around SLC.

Thank you so much for the insights. I showed our son Monument Valley and there is no doubt that is now on his must-see list. I hadn't thought about flying in one spot and out the other but definitely something to check into if it's not cost prohibitive.

Just booked an extremely last minute family trip (leaving in three weeks - clearly you're a better planner than I am!), and in order to use our airline miles we are flying into Vegas and out of Salt Lake City. The difference in rental car costs for the one way versus round trip rental was about $300 over 12 days.

We are heading from Vegas to Zion, to Page, to Mesa Verde (yeah, not reasonable but my 13 year old wants to go to the 4 corners and see the cliff dwellings) to Moab to SLC. You can branch off that itinerary and either insert Grand Canyon instead of Page or add it on.

Google Grand Circle Itinerary Utah - you'll find a number of routes that capture the Utah NPs and GC and ideas. As others have mentioned you could do a loop that goes South from Vegas and hits the GC, then go North through Monument Valley and to some Utah parks. Regardless I am sure it will be a wonderful trip!

To save $300+ I would drive the 425 miles in 6.5 hours between SLC and LV on I-15. The cars are somewhat cheaper in Las Vegas. The off-airport car rental building in LV has frequent shuttles. Do NOT take a second shuttle from there to the Fox lot.