Angie

I will be traveling to Vegas for a conference on Oct. 9th and will be bringing my kids with us. (No crap, please about kids in Vegas!) The only reason for bringing them is so that we can go to the Grand Canyon and surrounding areas, I have searched site after site and still have not found a sample itenerary for touring this beautiful place. We will be there for 12 days and only want to stay in Vegas for the first night and then the last two for the conference. We are renting a car and want to travel around the Canyon and see every spot worth seeing including the Dam, Valley of Fire, possibly Monument Valley, etc. Please give advice on such a huge undertaking. Or direct me to a website with such info. Thanks!

traveler

Hope you are planning on staying overnight @ the Grand Canyon, as it's a long drive over there. Take some time and really enjoy it. They usually give you a map when you go into the park and that will give you some direction. Hoover Dam is very worth while. Hopefully the tours are still on. The Valley of Fire is great too. Just remember to take plenty of water with you or you'll get too dehydrated. You could also drive over to Death Valley and back in a day...go the North route and see Scotties Castle!

Gp

Hi Angie

This topic is one of the most popular on this board. Just put S. Utah in the search function select Utah for state and look at the post that appear. You could do Grand Canyon and Arizona too. The wife and I did this trip Grand Canyon, Mnt. Valley, Bryce, Zion, Cap. Reef, over 9 days in March (No kids)
Here are a few links to get you going
http://www.kaibab.org/gc/home.htm
http://www.so-utah.com/homepage.html
http://www.utah.com/
http://www.americansouthwest.net/utah/index.shtml
http://www.americansouthwest.net/arizona/index.shtml
http://www.nationalparks.org/home.asp

Hope this helps
Have Fun
GP

gc

We went from LV to GC last year. Due to timing, we couldn't do Bryce and Zyon...we'll catch it on the next go 'round. A pleasant surprise was the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab Utah. It's a world renowned no kil shelter.

Besides the obvious, it's notable for being located in the canyon where they shot "The Lone Ranger" TV show. We went through "The Pass" where he and Tonto always headed the bad guys off, and drove by the rock where he did his Hio Silver! sign-off.

Definitely go th Hoover Dam...Glen Canyon Dam in Page is beautiful, also. Plan on one night on the South Rim, and if you can't get in to El Tovar or lodging inside the park, there are plenty of places just south of the entrance. And you need to see the sunrise from the south rim. It can't be described, and can't be forgotten.
Have fun!

Neil

We did a 16 day tour starting in Vegas last June. With your schedule you have plenty of options. One possible itinerary would look something like this:
Day 1--Vegas
Day 2--South Rim via Hoover Dam
Day 3--South Rim
Day 4--Monument Valley
Day 5--Moab, Utah (gateway to Arches
and Canyonlands Nat'l Parks)
Day 6--Moab
Day 7--Capitol Reef Nat'l Park
Day 8--Bryce Canyon Nat'l Park
Day 9--Zion Nat'l Park
Day 10--Zion
Day 11-- Vegas
Day 12--Vegas

Some of the web-sites suggested by other posters are very helpful. Also, check out www.nps.gov for info on the various national parks. Hope this is helpful.

Utahtea

The only thing I would change about Neil's trip would be spending an extra day in the Moab area and cutting out one of the days in Vegas.

From Capitol Reef National Park to Byrce take scenic Hwy 12 over Boulder Mountain and through Escalante-Grand Staircase National Monument.

If you do all these national parks you will want to pay the $50. for the Annual National Park Pass. It will save you some money.

https://buy.nationalparks.org/default.asp?ref=nps

Let us know if you have other questions.

Utahtea

andy

angie please can we have one place with out brats i love mine but i leave them at home thanks for your help

Mike Honeycutt

We did the same thing in April of this year.

Day 1 - Vegas to Williams - stayed overnight.
Day 2 - Williams to Page - saw Walnut Canyon cliff dwellings (good), saw Sunset Volcano (ok), Wupatki Pueblo (good), stay at Cameron Trading Post on the Navajo Reservation (really enjoyed it for some reason).
Day 3 - Spent day at South Rim of Grand Canyon. Entered the park before sunrise via the east entrance. Simply awesome.
Day 4 - Page to Springdale - stopped at Dinosaur Tracks need Tuba (ok, the Navajo guide was interesting), stopped at Antelope Canyon (must see in my opinion), stopped at Glen Canyon dam.
Day 5 - Zion National Park - explored Springdale.
Day 6 - Back to Vegas - saw Mystere 0 very good.
Day 7 - Explored Vegas - saw Blue Man Group (fun - great for teenagers).

Let me know if you need more detail.
I have some pictures at my website:
www.mikehoneycutt.com

Mike Honeycutt

Utahtea

Mike,

I really enjoyed your pictures. Especially the ones of Antelope Canyon. We've been visiting this area for 28 years and have never been. I bookmarked your pictures to show DH.

Boy, the Virgin River in Zion was really low when you were there.

Utahtea

Mike Honeycutt

Thanks Utahtea - my pictures are "ok" (I forgot my tripod, exposure was wrong, my jaw kept dropping open

I always tell people to see a shot of the Antelope Canyon I remember, go to:

http://www.photoscene.com/sberlin/scenics/energy.html

Mike Honeycutt

Utahtea

Mike,

Thanks for the link.

WOW! I have to get to Antelope Canyon!

Utahtea

x

if the kids like roller coasts be sure to go to the stateline between ca & nv...there's a good one there and it's not far from vegas.