On May 1 or 2???

We're still dabbling which route to take from LAS to Zion/Bryce.. whether to do GC or not and take the LONG way.. or take the chance if North Rim is open.. i t says it's open from mid-may.. so no chance???

No chance - Check the website. The gate is locked until services open mid-May. The north rim is so great. Hope you get there someday.

Very rarely, maybe one year in ten, snows are very light and the road is open early, but with no services (food, gas, lodging).

This year we've had very heavy precipitation -- Flagstaff got eleven FEET of snow so far this winter and NR GC is another thousand feet higher -- so zero chance the road will open early this year.

Wow! Thanks for the info! I think we're going to Sedona one day then head to the GC through the long way, then up to Bryce..That's a lot of snow for Flagstaff too WOW! We don't have problems doing the log way though, right?? Like LAS-Sedona-GC-up to Bryce the LONG way?

No storms the past couple of weeks in Arizona, so the roads are all dry and good for driving (temps in the 80's in Phoenix area). If there is another storm before your trip then you will probably see bad roads near Bryce, which is over 8,000 ft elevation. Maybe at Flag and GC, which are 7,000 ft ... Sedona and LAS are lower.

We've done Las Vegas/GC/Bryce/Zion in both directions a couple of times in April sometimes with a loop through Sedona, sometimes a stop in Page and enjoyed the trip every time. There might still be snow on the trails in Bryce and only once was there snow in Grand Canyon and that melted very quickly with the strength of the sun at that time of the year.

Have a fantastic trip.

emalloy- Is page a good in between spot???

From GC to Bryce, we don't want to do a 6.5 hour stretch...

We want to either spend a night in the GC which is fully booked, or somewhere closer to Bryce when we leave from Sedona.. like an in between point... So would Page be it?

Thanks!

We got 6" of snow in Bryce on June 4 a few years back. But only at that high elevation. It was raining outside the park just 1000 ft lower. It was beautiful!! The snow added a whole different dimension to the scenery. Do it all if you can. (I have had lots of arguments about this, but after seeing Bryce, Zion, Grand Canyon I was a bit disappointed in Sedona. It's gorgeous, but it is a bit to commercialized for me after the parks. Just my opinion, tho, and no one else agrees with me. Do it first).

Page is a good place to stop. There are plenty of motels there.You can visit the overlook for Horshoe Bend on the Colorado River and Antelope Canyon for a fantastic look at a slot canyon. They are just a bit south of town, Horseshoe is right on 89 and Antelope is east a tiny bit, look for the signs (Antelope is Navajo tribal property so you pay to go in with a guide) I have some pictures at www.flickr.com/photos/emalloy2009/sets in the 2008 set.

Thanks for the input! Getting excited!