joey

Ia am in the process of planning my first trip to this area of the country. I will be flying into Phoenix And have 10 days before flying out of Las Vegas. I have come up with two agendas. The first: days 1&2 in Tucson, days 3,4&5 in Phoenix, day 6 at the Grand Canyon, day 7 in Sedona and days 8,9 and 10 in Las Vegas. The second: days 1,2&3 in Phoenix, days 4&5 in Sedona, day 6 at the Grand Canyon, day 7 in Bryce Canyon, day 8 in Zion and days9&10 in Las Vegas. I've also thought about cutting out southern Utah on the second plan, adding a night in Las Vegas and spending the other night somewhere between the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. Any comments or suggestions? My only real plans are flying into Phoenix, spending the sixth night at the grand Canyon and flying out of Las Vegas, pretty much everything else could be changed. Any help would be really appreciated.

Sally

It depends on what interests you. If you enjoy hiking and national parks, I would definately make the trip to Zion and Bryce Canyon. Also depends on what time of year.

Ben

I don't know your tastes, but personally I'd skip Tucson and include southern Utah. Tucson is a reasonable place to visit, but offers nothing so unique (when compared with the other destinations on your list) that it would be worth driving down that way IMO.
The GC is a must see, but personally I enjoy southern Utah just as much for different reasons.
The highlights of LV can be sampled reasonably well in 2 days, though it's a busy and tiring 2 days.
Phoenix's main attribute is that it's a good place (especially in April) to relax outdoors, golfing, pool, hiking, etc. There's little culture (for a metro area >2.5 million), the restaurants selection is OK, but there are some very nice resorts and golf courses.
Some may say you're cramming too much into your trip in 10 days. If you don't mind hop'n go travelling, I think you've put together a well planned itinerary (esp #2) as long as you don't mind all the driving.
Have a great time.

ginny

Personally, I would skip southern Utah and concentrate more on Arizona so you wouldn't have to spend half of your vacation in your car. Save southern Utah for another time when you will have more time to enjoy it. It's a long drive from the Grand Canyon (south rim) to Bryce Canyon, especially if you are just going to have a few hours to spend there.

rqf

If you enjoy scenic beauty there are not many places that rival Bryce. I would go for option 2. Option 1 requires driving a total of about 740 miles. Option 2 requires driving a total of about 780 miles. For an extra 40 miles go for Bryce/Zion. I wouldn't cut out Utah unless I had plans to visit that area in the near future. I, personally, rank Bryce the #1 National Park in terms of scenic beauty and that includes Gr. CAnyon. It should not be missed.

travellyn

Unless I had someone really great to visit in Phoenix, I'd minimize my time there and add more time at the Grand Canyon and/or Southern Utah.

joey

I planned on flying into Phoenix and spending a few days there becuase I have a friend who moved there last year. I was considering Tucson because I didn't know if I wanted to rush through southern Utah or maybe just plan a trip for there. From what I could see there was enough there to keep me occupied for the day and a half that I would be there. I have reservations to stay in the park at the Grand Canyon on the sixth day and with vacation less than two months away, it is impossible to change. I know it would make things less complicated if I could.