Grand Circle - skip Grand Canyon or not
 

To skip Grand Canyon or not skip Grand Canyon, that is the question.

We are going on an RV rental trip (2 adults, 2 boys ages 8 and 10). We are starting in Las Vegas in the beginning of June. So far..this is our plan.

Day 1 - Pick up RV and drive to Zion National Park

Day 2 - Zion National Park

Day 3 - Zion in am, Head to Bryce Canyon National Park in afternoon

Day 4 - Bryce Canyon National Park

Day 5 - Bryce in am, drive to Capitol Reef National Park and stay overnight

Day 6 - Drive to Moab (see Goblin Valley State Park along the way)

Day 7, 8 - Moab, Canyonlands National Park, Arches National Park

Day 9 - Leave Moab, go to Monument Valley and spend the night in Tuba City or Kayenta (any advise on which???)

This is where the question is...should we go to Grand Canyon on way back to Las Vegas. We were debating North v. South Rim but decided on South Rim and then were wondering if we should just skip the GC and head more leisurely back to Vegas.

If we do GC the trip would look like this:

Day 10 - Arrive GC

Day 11 - Grand Canyon South Rim

Day 12 - One very long drive back to Vegas. Should we stay over night? Where???

Go for it!
My (now grown) daughters' best memory of a similar trip was their half day mule ride into the canyon. You will not be disappointed.

P.S. Perhaps it would be easier to visit the north rim after Zion? Someone else may have a better answer on this part.

By all means include the south rim in your trip. It is absolutely spectacular and should not be missed.

Have you been to the Grand Canyon before?

If not, I'd put it ahead of any of the other places you've mentioned of going to visit.

I've visited them all, and they are all wonderful, but I'd skip any one of them before I skipped the Grand Canyon. It is worthy of a trip on its own.

The drive from Kayenta to the south Rim should only be about 3 hours or so. The drive from the South Rim to Vegas is 6 to 8 hours depending on the traffic trying to cross Hoover Dam.

Ah, to have such a dilemma....

Keith

As Yogi might have said, the Grand Canyon is so crowded that hardly anybody goes there any more.

Why would you NOT visit the GC?

It is not that blooming far from the South Rim to Las Vegas!

Something like 280 miles and 5 hours driving time, 6 if you stop.

Cancel other parts of the trip if you have to, but go to the GC.

If you or the boys have never been to the Grand Canyon you should keep it in your plans. Two nights there gives you one full day. It's not that bad a drive from GC to Las Vegas.

I would spend the night at Monument Valley. If you need hookups there is a the Goulding's Monument Valley Resort & RV park. They are in a beautiful setting with some views of Monument Valley and a very nice indoor swimming pool. I don't know of any RV parks in Kayenta and my Trailer Life Campground guide says there is one RV park in Tuba City, but we haven't stayed there.

Utahtea

Grand Canyon is one of the 7 wonders of the natural world.

I drove from G.C. to L.V. in September it is just a bit over 4 hours. It's four and a half hours if you get pulled over and given a warning by a Arizona trooper.

Just when it starts to get a bit boring you begin approaching Hoover Dam. The last tour of the dam was at 4:15PM (which I missed by 7 minutes). But you would do well to spend more time at the Grand Canyon and just cruise on over the dam.

Thank you all for your replies! The tribe has spoken and we will be going to the Grand Canyon - South Rim!!!

florida4- I hope you will post a trip report after your travels; DH and I would like to do a similar trip in '07, (fly to Vegas, rent an RV etc.) Have a wonderful time!