gillybrit

OK - so I am in the preliminary stages of planning next summer's vacation and we really want to see the Grand Canyon. We live in Pennsylvania and are thinking we will fly in to Vegas due to cheaper air fares. We will have 10 - 14 days and are considering Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion and Sedona. Is this feasible? Which order would you do these in? Where would you recommend staying - should we stay in each place or just pick a couple of places to base ourselves. There will likely be 6 of us - 3 adults, a teenager (16) and a boy (11) which can be a bit challenging when trying to find rooms. I would like to keep lodging costs to $200 MAX per night - if possilbe, would like to be quite a big lower than that. I know this is a bit vague but I'm hoping you can at least give me some pointers for where to start in my research. Thanks! Anybody ever done an RV rental in this area? Not sure if that would be cost effective but I think we'd really enjoy it,

Michael

10 to 14 days is very feasible. If the longer time, you might even add Indian country (slot canyons, Canyon de Chelly, the Hopi mesas).

emalloy

You can easily do the sites you mention in the time you have. Depending on when you go and how much hiking you do will determine how much time you will stay at each park. I would opt for staying in the parks if possible. Go to www.nps.gov and check the web site. Take the phone number for xanterra, the people who run the lodging, and if they say they are full when you want to go, call and keep calling as people cancel all the time. If the kids "need" a pool, then you will have to stay outside the parks, but for Grand Canyon I would really try for in the park. Both rims of GC are beautiful, but personally I prefer the south rim. Buy a national park pass at your first park, it lets all in your car into all parks for a year for free and if there are any over 62 yrs. in your group it is only $10 and good for their lifetime.

A logical route would be to go from Vegas, to Zion, to either north rim of GC or to Bryce then to either south rim of GC or Sedona to Hoover Dam, and back to Vegas. Or do the loop the opposite way if lodging options seem better.

There are lots of other sites to see in the area, as Michael mentioned also Wupatki, Sunset Crater, Painted desert/petrified forest, Walnut Canyon, Hoover Dam, Glen Canyon Dam, etc.

If you do opt for rv rental, check the limits on mileage carefully as added costs could be very high with a trip of this many miles.

texasbookworm

Yes, very feasible. What may be a problem is securing reservations. I'd urge staying in the parks, even if it might look like a bit more; then you won't have to travel back and forth. So start making reservations IMMEDIATELY! Last year this week I began planning our national park trip for summer 2009 and found rooms already filling or filled up. Availability of rooms might dictate in which direction you make your loop from Las Vegas and back, so run some itineraries with dates through some websites for room availability.

I'd say at least 3 days in Grand Canyon (think about hitting the North Rim, too), maybe 2 in Bryce and Zion each. Depends on how much hiking you might want to do. Problem with RV rental MIGHT be that you may not be able to camp inside the parks and then you'd have to be driving something (maybe big?) in and out and parking it in the parks. But people do do that, so---

I'd just urge you to make your plans immediately.

Myer

I went to these exact places two years ago.

You can see my photos at:

www.travelwalks.com

My least favorite place on the trip was the Grand Canyon. My mistake was that I didn't hike down at least an hour. I was using GC as a pit stop belween Zion and Sedona.

My trip was a week long but I'm also non-stop.

Bryce was great for sunrise (at Bryce Point) and some relatively short hikes. One of a kind place.

Zion, while very close to Bryce is very different and very beautiful.

Between Zion/Bryce and GC South Rim, there are some very worthwhile stops in Page. The Best Dam View, Horseshoe Bend and the famous Antelope Canyon.

Sedona is two very different sights. The town itself in my opinion, is nothing. The surrounding views are amazing. The Boynton Canyon Vista hike (not the actual Boynton Canyon hike) and Broken Arrow were my favorite hikes.

Also, for an amazing sunset go to the Crescent Moon Picnic Area and ask how to find the view of Cathedral Rock over oak Creek.

enzian

You say 6 people but then mention only 3 adults one teen, and one 11-year-old. The difference between 5 people and 6 will make a huge difference when it comes to finding lodging. At the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, for example, the Pioneer Cabins will accommodate 5 people (a double bed and 3 singes in a 2-bdr. one bath cabin). These are around $136. But you absolutely can't put 6 people in one cabin; you would require 2 smaller cabins (around $114 each).

LFouraker

I suggest you make Kanab, UT your base of operations for Bryce, Zion & the north Rim of the Grand Canyon - it's right in the middle of those 3, has a variety of lodging options, laundromat, restaurants, etc. Also near-by is Best Friends Animal Sanctuary - largest companion animal shalter in the US. They offer free tours - well worth the time spent.

gillybrit

Enzian - it's 5 people. Sorry about that! Thanks to all of you for the quick responses. Would there be a downside to booking and then having to cancel later since we're not sure about being able to get time off from work yet...

lgott

In terms of time, it's feasible. As already noted, it's important to know how you like to approach parks: mostly driving; short hikes; long day hikes; overnight hikes or even camping out. For example, Zion is my favorite park, and deserves a lot of time, if you're willing to take some moderately strenuous hikes (but see the note about weather, below).

You mentioned you're going in the summer. Depending on just when this means, weather will have a major impact on what's recommended. Zion will probably be hot: mid-summer highs averaging 100, with frequent thunderstorms. Sedona will be nearly as hot. Bryce, at a higer altitude, will be much more comfortable (mid-summer highs in the low 80's), but also has frequent thunderstorms. The Grand Canyon will be relatively pleasant (especially at the North Rim), but if you want to hike into the canyon, it will heat up fast! I assume you'd only hike part way down, but to give you an idea of the heat, the average high at the bottom is 106 mid-summer. The moral: if at all possible, go as early in the summer as possible.

I'd have to disagree with LFouraker about staying in Kanab. It's nearly an hour to the main portion of Zion, one and a half hours to Bryce, and at least one and a half hours to the North Rim. It's nice to have a central base of operations, but you'll spend a good portion of each day driving back and forth. This becomes especially onerous since you're talking about spending 10 - 14 days there (minus the time spent in Sedona).

enzian

gillybrit---5 is a good number. It will be much easier (and more economical) to find lodging.

There is no downside to makeing reservations for lodging inside the parks now. You do pay a deposit equal to the first night's lodgig, but it is fully refundable as long as you cancel within the required period--usually 2 or 3 days in advance. Be sure and book through the official concessionnaire's websites, Forever Lodging for North Rim, xanterra for South Rim, Bryce and Zion.

http://foreverlodging.com/lodging.cfm?PropertyKey=181

www.xanterra.com or

www.grandcanyonlodges.com (this is still Xanterra)

spirobulldog

Make lodging now. Xanterra lodging will not charge you any cancellation fees. Foreverlodging is $15(i think). I would stay "in park" if at all possible. The historic lodges are a big part of the parks(at least for me).

I somewhat agree with Meyer about the Grand Canyon. It is a spectacular sight, but really not that much to do there(unless you hike down or raft). I would see it first, as you will be more disappointed in it if you see it last. There are a variety of hikes in the places you are going. With a 16 year old and an 11 year old, I would suggest Angels Landing in Zion(could be done without an adult if the kids are very responsible, the last half mile you certainly don't want to fall or be horseplaying). Everyone would love Zion Narrow hike most likely. If you are on the south rim of GC, I would consider a helicopter ride if your budget can stand it.

I don't think you would need 14 days to see everything. You could shave a couple of days and save some money there or you could add a couple of other stops along the way. There is a ton of other options for adding on another stop or two.

Realize that if you rent and RV that none of the National Park campgrounds have hookups, to my knowledge(so you are going to be hardpressed for water and A/C. I have wanted to rent an rv, but it seems very limited and they aren't allowed to drive everywhere. I think you will find it just as expensive and not really a savings.

spirobulldog

You should make reservations NOW. Chances are you may be to late for North Rim, already.

ElendilPickle

If you can stay in the parks, that would be lovely, but both Zion and Bryce Canyon have places to stay right outside the park entrance if it doesn't work out.

At Bryce Canyon, be sure to catch the sunrise - it's spectacular seeing the sun light up the hoodoos!

If you leave Grand Canyon from the east entrance, it's not far to Page and Antelope Canyon, a really beautiful slot canyon. You can take incredible photos at noon when the sun shines down into the canyon.

Lee Ann

Sara

You definitely should try to stay in the park at the Grand Canyon, and Bryce, too, but with 5 people, including the 2 youths, you might be better off staying in Springdale when you go to Zion. It's just outside the park entrance, and there are free shuttle busses into the park that run every 7 - 10 minutes, that connect to the Zion Canyon shuttles at the visitors center (cars aren't permitted on the road into the canyon from April - October). When we went to Zion with our three teenagers a few years ago, we stayed at Flanigan's Inn, which was a great choice for us. We got a suite with 2 bedrooms and a kitchenette/living room with pull-out couch & private patio for a very reasonable price, and the restaurant there was good. Our kids really appreciated having the pool to come back to after long days hiking in the park (there's no pool at the park lodge) - and it's surrounded by incredible scenery. I've heard very good things about the Desert Pearl in Springdale, too. DH and I stayed at the lodge in the park a few years later when it was just the two of us, which was convenient, but I think the lodging in Springdale is probably better for a family. I think 1 -2 nights at Bryce is enough, depending on how early you get there - if you can't get reservations at the lodge, Ruby's, which is just outside the park, is fine, but it would be much nicer to be right in the park next to the canyon.

You might consider stopping for a night or two in Page on your way to or from the South Rim/Sedona (depending on which way you do the loop). There's a great half day raft trip you can take on the Colorado River from the base of the Glen Canyon Dam to Lee's Ferry, it's really scenic and fun. The Antelope slot canyon is awesome (best seen at mid-day, when the beams of light come straight in), the short hike to the spectacular Horseshoe Bend overlook is a must, and Lake Powell is pretty cool, too.

gillybrit

Thanks again to everyone Sara thanks for the tips on lodging outside the parks. Due to my DH's work situation it's hard for us to plan far in advance so may be really tough to stay in the parks. If anybody else has suggestions for non park lodging I'd love to hear them!

utahtea

I'm going to disagree with LFouraker about making Kanab your base for Zion and Bryce because you are going to spend a lot of your time in the vehicle driving back and forth. I'd choose Springdale, Utah if you didn't want to have to move around a lot for Byrce and Zion. At least in Springdale you can pick up the free shuttles to Zion and you have the most beautiful views.

I would suggest making a circle from Vegas and going to Sedona, the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Bryce and Zion and then back to Las Vegas. Zion is a short three hour drive to Vegas so it's easy to plan.

We have rented a motorhome out of Las Vegas back in 1993 and used Cruise America. We were between RV's at the time and it worked out great for us. I don't know about camping in Sedona, but I'm very familar with the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Bryce and Zion. One of the great things about camping at the Grand Canyon, Zion, Springdale, Bryce or just out side of Bryce at Ruby's Inn & Campground, is you ride the free shuttle buses and don't have to worry about parking because the RV is at your campsite. If you decide to do the RV route, I'd be more than happy to give you camping information. You will need to make reservations, but probably don't need to make them as soon as motel reservations for staying in the parks.

Utahtea

emalloy

If you can't get lodging in the parks now, or when you know your travel dates, make reservations near by that you can cancel without penalty and take the phone number for Xanterra. Start calling and keep calling as people make reservations a year in advance and then find out last minute that they can't make the trip. As previous posters have mentioned, this is most important for Grand Canyon and Bryce, although there is lodging fairly close to these parks too. Do be aware that this is generally not fancy but is generally clean and the location can't be beat.

dcorey

I had plans to do this trip a few years ago and found lodging difficult at the gc. You must book now. I would do the loop and not stay in Kanab. Try for 14 days.