ilo

I want to make a round trip by car from Las Vegas through Bryce and Zion Parks, Lake Powell and the north rim of the Grand Canyon. I need help with a recommended route and how many days it takes.
Also, is it better to arrive back in Vegas for the weekend?

placeu2

I did this trip late in June/early July this year. We left Vegas and visited Hoover Dam then continued on to Zion. 2 nights in Zion then drive to Bryce. Stayed there 1 night then drive to N. Rim for one more night and back to Vegas. For us (Family with 2 teenagers) this was perfect for the time we had. Very glad we spent our 2 nighter at Zion vs. the other parks.

I learned quite a bit from this board before I went. I suggest a search or just browsing the Utah section and you will see several discussions on this trip.

Have fun!

placeu2

Oops forgot part 2 of your question....I prefer Vegas during the week because rooms and gambling are less expensive and I am not a big crowd guy. If you are a party animal and love crowds then go for the weekend. I will admit there is more energy and I have had fun on weekends there. It's just not a great family time in the city that never sleeps.

bigdog50

Did this trip 10 yrs ago but in reverse. Started at south rim of Grand Canyon. Then to Lake Powell for a night and boat ride on Lake etc. Then west and north To Bryce for a night. BEAUTIFUL park. Then to Zion for a night. Then on to Vegas -- I wanted to do all the nature stuff then end up in the glitz and decadence of vegas last to acclimate me back to reality with a shock!
Look at a map. The route is pretty obvious as there ain't alot of roads out in the middle of the desert.

And the point of Vegas during the week instead of weekend means ALOT cheaper rooms avail. If you have kids do Circus Circus -- its cheap and gives them something to do. If you ain't cheap then stay at one of the nicer newer hotels in the heart of the strip area where Bellagio, Paris, etc all are.

chitowngirl

We did a trip similar (no South Rim). We flew in and out of Vegas, so it was our preference to travel to the farthest point first and work our way back. From Vegas drove to Lake Powell spent 2 nights, then to Bryce for 4 nights, Zion for 3 and one night in Vegas. You can adjust the amount of days depending on how much you want to do at each place. The weekends in Vegas are much more crowded and expensive than during the week. I don't remember the exact routes we used, but between my trusty Fodors book and a Utah map we did not have trouble as there are plenty of signs along the way. It was a very pretty drive. Like Placeu2 recommended, search the board under Utah. We picked up tons of information that way. This a great vacation. Have fun!

mahoneycutt

We did this a couple of years ago.

Vegas - Williams - Cameron - Grand Canyon - Page - Zion - Vegas.

We took a week and it was great.
I can give you more details if you need them.

Don't ignore what BigDog50 said about cultural shock on the return to Vegas - compared to where you plan to go, Vegas will be crowded, dirty, noisy, and have far too many lights.

Mike Honeycutt