Heavens

Driving? Thinking about taking the teen kids to Las Vegas for a few days, and then to see the Grand Canyon, from So Cal. About how long and how to get to GC from LV would you say? As the crow flies, looks pretty short, but following the freeway, looks twice as long...

Also, any ideas on where to stay for a night at the GC and any other GC tips (restaurants, times to view, gift shops) would be appreciated...Thanks.

vegasnative

North Rim...South Rim? Vegas to GC is about 4 1/2- 5 hour drive.
95/93 South, over Hoover Dam (sometimes this can take awhile to get over, just depending on traffic) towards Kingman...I-40 East to Williams, 64 north to GC.
These are most general directions...like I said it will get you there... from there depending on what area you want to see.
Have fun!

Heavens

I don't know what I want to see, north rim or south. How do I know this? We have never been there. Do we want to see it all?

suechef

I thought the north rim is closed for the season, so your only option is South Rim. Sorry I've only been to North Rim, but lots of excellent info on GC in previous posts...do a search.

WhiteRabbit79

I recently went on a tour trip of the South Rim. Our bus left LV and it took a good 4 1/2 - 5 hrs to get the South Rim. But that included rest stops and lunch. It took a bit of time to go over Hoover Dam because of security so that take that into consideration too.

capxxx

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The South Rim is more developed -- more places to stay, restuarants, and so forth. It has the famous long-distance and wide views of the canyon that you are familiar with.

The North Rim is smaller (just a couple lodges), the views are beautiful but you can't see as far, and some might say less dramatic. The North Rim is closed in the winter.

TheWeasel

Heavens-go to the S. Rim. Even in summer, that would be the recommendation for the better views. It's anywhere between 4.5-6 hours from Las Vegas, depending on how fast you drive and how congested Hoover Dam is.

Go to nps.gov/grca for info about the park, lodging, restaurants, etc. Best views are at sunset/sunrise, so if you stay overnight at the rim you'll be able to see both. Do a search on here for info - there's been a ton of threads about GC.

Heavens

Thanks. Will do a search on here. We would probably only stay one night at the south rim. Need to do my research, I can see.

If you have experienced any great place to stay or restaurant, would appreciate help with that. Or any other don't miss. Thanks all.

KE1TH

What I'd do, coming from SoCal, is go to the Grand Canyon first, taking I40 all the way from Barstow to AZ64, doing the South Rim for a day or two, then backtrack on I40 to US93N at Kingman and then go to Las Vegas. That way, you only have to deal with Hoover Dam once.

Or reverse the trip, Las Vegas first, then Grand Canyon and go straight home via I40 from the canyon.

The trip between Vegas and the South Rim is 4.5 to 6 hours, depending on the traffic trying to get across Hoover Dam (they inspect trucks and cars now due to Homeland Security). US93 is four lane once you get past the dam. If you have spare time, a trip along the longest stretch of the old Route 66 between Kingman and Seligman would be nice. You'd pick up I40 at Seligman.

If you're thinking of doing this in the summer, the North Rim, though not as developed as the South Rim, is a great destination as well.

The big difference is that the North Rim is over 1000 feet higher than the South Rim and as such you have alpine forest that you travel through to get there. (That's also why the North Rim closes in the winter as it usually has snow). The views from the North Rim are not as panoramic as those from the South Rim because the Canyon is making a big U-Turn there.... the South Rim views not only look out across the canyon, they also look up river and down river.

The trip to the North Rim from Vegas would involve taking I15 N to St. George, Utah and then taking UT9 or UT59 East until they (either one) intersect with US89. UT9 passes through Zion National Park (I believe you would have to pay the park entrance fee, but not positive). You would go through the tunnel in Zion that passes through the mountain. Either road is very scenic. (or do a loop and take one in and the other out). Again, if it were me, I'd make a day of it in Zion as well.... stay in Springdale or St. George. (I15 travels through a canyon between Vegas and St. George that is quite scenic as well).

Whatever you do, enjoy your trip.

Keith

Heavens

Thanks. Yes, I think including Las Vegas in this trip is not reasonable, so we might just go to the GC from our town and save LV for another day. Thanks all for your help.