Grand Canyon/SW camping
 

My family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids, ages 8 and 11) is planning to fly into Las Vegas or Phoenix and rent an RV for a trip to GC, Bryce and Zion in late May-early June. We have 10-11 days total. We are also interested in Meteor Crater (husband is a science teacher), Sedona, and have heard about a beautiful nighttime dinner tour in Moab. Is this insane? How much can we realistically accomplish and what would you recommend? Any ideas, Utahtea?
Also, we're not sure whether to fly into Vegas or Phoenix, so we are open to suggestions.

Hi lax,

You were starting out ok until you wanted to add 3 more destiantions! I would never do a trip in that big of a rush, but a lot of people do. I would stick to GC, Zion and Bryce for this trip. Save the rest for another when you have more time.

Use the search box above to put in the names of your destinations, also using "RV". You will pull up trip reports and planning from Fodorites who have covered a lot of ground in a short time.

Also check your maps for driving distances. Remember, an RV can't go as fast as a car.

Late May early June is a PERFECT time to go. Happy planning.

Thanks a lot, Dayle! (Tried to talk hubby down from his excitement!!) Keep the suggestions coming, especially kid-friendly ideas.

I agree with Dayle-you have time for those 3 parks and maybe one other short stop (like Sedona, I'm not sure where Meteor Crater is). Moab is way too far away to fit in.

For tips on RV travel you may want to visit this site and ask a few questions.

http://www.rv.net/forum/

If you fly into Phoenix, you could stop in Sedona on the way to the Grand Canyon.

Meteor Crater is about an hour east of Flagstaff off I-40. If you really want to fit it in, you probably could.

Lee Ann

I think 10-11 days is certainly enough for all except Moab (where I haven't been, if you check distances, it might be ok, depending on your love of driving). I would also add Sunset Crater to your list for your hubby. It is right outside Flagstaff. There is a campground just outside the entrance (I don't know if it is for RV's or just tents but I'm guessing RV's are ok) If you go to Sunset, climb the Lenox trail. It is a short, but steep trail on cinders. Very nice view from the top that your science teacher hubby should enjoy.

If it was me, I would fly into Phoenix and rent the RV, then head to Flagstaff via Sedona. I would not go up Oak Creek Canyon unless you enjoy going very slow and being on the outside of the curves. If you want to go thru the canyon, then I would do it on the way back to Phoenix where you are on the inside curves. then continue to Meteor Crater and back to Flagstaff to the campground. If you really like indian ruins, visit Walnut Canyon near Flagstaff.

Day 2, Sunset Crater (and Wupatki ruins - same park) on the way to the Grand Canyon via Cameron, entering the GC from the east. Navajo craft outlet there is a good place for authentic Navajo products. At the trading post, there is good fry bread.

Day 3 & 4 at GC.

Day 5 drive to Bryce or Zion. Consider visiting Coral Sand DUnes state park on the way

Day 6 & 7 at zion or bryce.

Day 8 & 9 at the other park

Day 10 drive back (long day driving)

Consider Montezuma's Castle indian ruins just off the I-17 on the Phoenix-Flagstaff route

Well, I'm going to disagree about flying into Phoenix. If you fly into Las Vegas, you'd just make a big loop with the Grand Canyon on the inside of the loop. However, if you fly into Phoenix, you'd have to do some extra driving and backtracking.

But yes, Moab is out of the question.

I don't know that an RV is such a great option for doing this trip. I understand the appeal of them, but Zion, Bryce and Grand Canyon all have good shuttle services so you'd basically just park it once you got to those park. I don't know what the cost difference would be, but I have to suspect that the price of the RV + gas would be more than renting a car and staying in hotels. I'm sure the RV would slow you down at times, and with the amount of stuff you're trying to see that should factor in.

I think an RV is just the ticket .... for Alaska, where the vistas are broad, the towns are small and places to camp with an RV are nearly limitless as you can camp alongside the highway in many, many places. I'm not convinced this is the same for the southwest. I've rented an RV in Alaska and I'm planning nearly the same trip to the southwest, but I'm renting a minivan(there will be 6 of us) and staying in motels.

Hi lax - all suggestions you've received have been great, and I concur that Moab, though incredibly beautiful, will probably have to wait for another trip.

Just a few comments: 1. book your campsites in advance. Late May-early June is peak travel period for all of these parks. 2. get a National Park Pass - it's $50 for one year's admission to all National Parks in the US, it'll pay for itself on this trip. You can preorder one at www.nationalparks.org 3. I vote for Las Vegas as your "jumping off point" too, since, as another poster pointed out, it would mean no backtracking, you'd just do a big "loop." Many people report being able to find cheaper airfares there, too. 4. On your way from Grand Canyon to Zion, maybe stop in Page/Lake Powell and take the half day float trip from the Glen Canyon Dam to Lees Ferry, maybe even a safari-jeep tour to Antelope Canyon.

That's all for now! :)

I'm pretty sure the National Parks Pass is being discontinued at the end of this year, and is being replaced by a new federal pass that gives access to all federal land (parks, forests, etc.). It'll be $80 I think. I don't think there will be the option to purchase a $50 pass exclusively for the parks if you're not interested in the other stuff.

Hey, Weasel, you're right! I just got off the phone with NPS and the new pass will be effective first of the year. However, the person I spoke to said that if you've already purchased a park pass, it will remain valid for one calendar year after date of purchase like normal. If you want to prepurchase the new $80 pass, you can do so at http://store.usgs.gov/pass/ or call 888-ASK-USGS and press 3.