Laura

My husband and I (early forties) are considering a 5- to 6-day trip in November. I was considering flying into Las Vegas, and then touring the area by car. We definately want to see the Grand Canyon, but need some help in planning the full itinerary. What is the best way to spend 5-6 days in the Las Vegas-to-Grand Canyon area? Could we/should we make sure we get to Sedona? Would it be better to fly in and out of Pheonix? Is a couple nights in Las Vegas worth it?

I'd appreciate any trip-planning help anyone might be generous enough to share. Thanks in advance.

Larry

That's a pretty short trip but you may want to skip any time in Las vegas & just hit the road. Could head north (I-15) to St George & on to Zion (Stay in Springdale). Then on to Page & Lake Powell (North Rim of Grand Canyon will be closed by then). On over to US-160 & N on US-163 to Monument Valley. Then back south towards Grand CVanyon - a brief visit to Navajo Nat'l Mon. Take the south rim loop through the GC & out via Tusayan & see the IMAX theater (really worthwhile). On to Williams & return to Las Vegas. That gives you some of the best scenery you can find in the area. Sure is lots more to see & do but maybe next time?

fran

Altho I think everyone should see Vegas once, I would definitely suggest you fly to Phx then drive up to Sedona, the red rock mtns are amazing to see, take a helicopter thru them. Then drive up to the Grand Canyon, when I was there in May it was cold but sunny. one morn I woke up to snow. It was gorgeous, it soon melted so hiking around was not a problem. Guess it just depends on whether you are looking for a "great outdoors" vacation.

Traveler

I would take the opposite approach than the others. I would skip the road trips and spend all my time in Las Vegas.

Viva Las Vegas!!

anon

Las Vegas is an abomination; the soul of depravity and decadence. No scenic attractions, so why go there?
Sedona is beautiful. Zion for a first timer is awesome.
Beware that if you rent a car in Phoenix, you pay all kinds of taxes and fees for the transaction. One dodge is if you can get someone to drive you in a private vehicle to an off airport site.
Then you can avoid $80 some odd in user fees and taxes.

Paul Rabe

I would recommend at least one day in Vegas just to experience it; you may love it, you may hate it. But you have to see it to disbelieve it.

I also recommend the loop noted above: Vegas to Zion to Monument Valley to South Rim of Grand Canyon. It'll be a whirlwind of things to see but what you see will be unforgettable.

Tam

My husband and I are planning the exact same trip for early Oct. I was worried that it would be too cold in the canyon then, is that not true? Is it worth it to do the hike down into the canyon? Is there some where to stay at the bottom? Or should we just do a little hiking and not worry about going all the way down? Sorry for so many questions, I know I need to do tons more research, but I know you guys are the real experts! Thanks!!

Ruth

We visited Arizona and the Grand Canyon in October 1996 and it was extremely hot--high 90's when we landed in Phoenix at 11 pm and the heat wave continued for the week. It was cooler in Sedona and the Grand Canyon (mid to high 80's), but remained around 100 near Phoenix. This may not be typical, but it obviously can happen.

J T Kirk

This is just my two cents, BUT- I'd definately skip Las Vegas. Also, though I recognice that the Grand Canyon is a must see, I think there are more awesome things to see in that area. On the western side of Utah there's Zion and Bryce Canyon which would be perfect to do in 5-6 days. On the eastern side of Utah is Moab, Arches, Canyonlands and down on the border Monument Valley (and right before you get to Monument Valley is my personal favorite Valley of the Gods -- man, that place is inspiring. And NO ONE goes there.) All of the places I named are breathtaking, and all magical. More importantly they are all pretty much self-contained (with the exception of maybe Canyonlands), i e, do-able in a few days. The Grand Canyon is, well, grand. It's massive. But it's also pretty much the same thing, but it's so just darn spread out, it takes a long time to get from point A to point B. This is just my opinion.

elise

Did the southwest trip in June.
Flew into Vegas and drove to Zion
(about 1 1/2 hours). Loved Zion,
Definitely try and book the Zion Lodge
through AMFAC. Other alternative is to
stay in Springdale just outside Zion.
Stay an extra day at Zion and drive
to Bryce. Drive outside Zion to Bryce is incredible. takes about an hour or so and spend 1/2 a day in Bryce and then
on to Lake Powell. check out the Wahweap Lodge at Lake Powell and then on to Grand Canyon South Rim (about three hours from Lake Powell). best place to stay at South Rim is Bright Angel Lodge.
Bright Angel trail is right there and will take you to the bottom of the Canyon. Phantom Ranch is at the bottom and very nice but gets booked quickly.
Both Phantom and Bright Angel can be
booked through AMFAC as well.
We drove from Grand Canyon back to
VEgas with a stop at Hoover Dam.
I too thought I would hate Vegas but
I did not. (I hated Branson MO because it was overkill but for some reason'
Vegas did not bother me). Stayed at the Monte Carlo which was very nice and hung out in the wave pool all day. Kids loved the Lance Burton show. one or two days in Vegas is plenty though.

Ron

Laura:

Vegas is fun, but so are the other places you mentioned. Unless you're a big gambler, one night would be sufficient; nights in Vegas tend to last until early morning, so you'll have plenty of time there. Don't miss Hoover Dam on the way to Arizona; if you don't have ttime for one of the tours, it's still worthwhile to stop and look around. Use that extra night for Sedona.

Lisa

Hi Laura,
My boyfriend and I did a Southwest loop in July 96. We flew into Vegas stayed for two nights, then drove through Zion (loved it!) and then on to the Grand Canyon for two nights. We did the day hike to the bottom which you can make it to the plateau which took round trip about 8 hrs. I was exhausted but well worth it!(if hiking is your thing). I'm a little fuzy on the exact mileage that we drove between Zion and the Canyon but the whole trip took about 6 days. There is a sister lodge (Thunderbird Lodge, I think!) of the Bright Angel Lodge and that was also nice and it's right next door to Bright Angel Lodge.