First trip out west
 

We are planning a family vacation out west for early June. We've never been out west. My husband really wants the kids to see the Grand Canyon. We have to fly in and out in a week or so. We have no clue where the best place to fly in and out of would be. Not even sure what all we should attempt to see. Trying to put as much as possible into this trip, kids are getting older. Any suggestions on destinations? Thanks!

Las Vegas. See the North Rim Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion.

Or fly into Phoenix, see Sedona, Flagstaff and the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

The Valley of Fire State Park, near Las Vegas, is another beautiful place worth visiting, and your children might be fascinated by Hoover Dam.

HTtY

Agree about Grand Canyon/Hoover Dam et al. but you might consider a stop in Colorado or Santa Fe, NM.

One week trip. Fly into Las Vegas

you could do this loop
Arr Las Vegas and immediately head out of town towards GC
Hoover Dam - Quick ~2hr max stop at
GC South Rim 1 night, maybe 2
Page - drive through. Maybe 1/2 day river float on the Colorado
Bryce
Zion
LV one night, then fly out

It's a lot to cram in one week, but doable.

J62 has the route I would take for a first look at the west and since it is a loop, it could be done in either direction Vegas,GC, Page, Bryce, Zion, Vegas or Zion, Bryce, Page GC . We've done a similar loop in a week and it is a lot of driving, but will give you an idea of where you want to spend more time on a future trip.

You need to look for lodging now. I would want to be in the park for Grand Canyon and Bryce, but they might be full right now. If so, make reservations nearby that can be cancelled and then call every day to see if there are cancellations in the park. Once you have an idea on availability, especially for GC then decide which direction to do your loop.

For planning purposes, it takes about 5 hours to get from Vegas to Grand Canyon and about 3 hours to get to Zion from Grand Canyon. If you fly into Vegas by early afternoon you could be at either park before nightfall. If you fly into Vegas late, look for lodging on the southeast side of Vegas if you are going to GC first and on the north side of Vegas if you are going to Zion. Try to get your driving done before sunset to reduce the likelihood of meeting animals (like mule deer or elk) on the road after dark.

I should have added this link to a site that another fodorite posted long ago that I've found very helpful:

http://ohiohickstraveltips.weebly.co...-utah-map.html

To go out "west" and not see the Rockies is to miss too much, IMO.
The Grand Canyon IS "grand" but continuous beauty of the mountains is spectacular.
Start in Denver. Try to get an open jaw ticket into Denver and out of Las Vegas or Albeguerque sp!!).

The Rockies are indeed beautiful - but with only one week and a desire to see the Grand Canyon I would do as others have suggested and fly in and out of Vegas. You can do a very nice loop from there and my husband and I have done this several times. Flying open jaw can be outrageously expensive (also factor in higher car rentals when not returning to the same place).

I would try for 3 nights in Springdale for Zion, 1-2 nights for Bryce, and 1-2 nights at the Grand Canyon south rim (save the North Rim for another trip - it isn't close to anything). Lodging is the first thing you should work on - inside the park is wonderful for the Grand Canyon south rim. I would take any place open inside the park. For Bryce, the in park cabins are fantastic and allow you to walk to the rim in under 2 minutes. You can't beat that. If it is full I would stay at one of the Ruby's properties immediately at the entrance to the park. I second the recommendation to check out Valley of Fire state park on your drive from Las Vegas to Bryce. It is a beautiful place.

In my comment above I meant to say Valley of Fire is on your drive from Las Vegas to Zion. Just didn't want to cause any confusion!