Trip Out West
 

I started a thread about our upcoming trip a few days ago and for some reason the thread disappeared. The trip will be about 9-10 days in the beginning of June. Our plan is to fly out west and rent a vehicle and to see some of the national parks. For me, seeing the Grand Canyon and the sequoia trees are most important. After reading some of your comments on the lost thread I think it's a better idea to plan a trip where we are not going to rush around for 9-10 days. I think it would be wise to try to limit the destinations to avoid being rushed and try to maintain a relaxing vacation.

I'm looking for advice on where to fly (Vegas?) to and a clear path to take. Suggestions on lodging would be nice and how to go about planning this. It's been since I was 10 years old in 1976 since I've been out there and would love to share some of the views with my wife. Sorry for the re-post, but I can't find my original thread.

Welcome ilbmf,

They have been working on the site so maybe your thread was accidentally lost. For starters here is a map with distance and time chart of the area:

Southern Utah Map - OhioHick's Travel Tips

Perhaps look for Trip reports that folks here have written about their trips in the area. To start, click my name or anyone who gives you some advice and scroll down their page to the TR area. They have what they did and often tell where they stayed ard/or ate what hikes museums etc. they visited. Hopefully that will help you figure out where you want to go and what to see. Then you can come back and ask more detailed questions.

We've flown into Vegas, Denver, Albuquerque and Phoenix, depending on cost of air fare, car and what specifically we wanted to see.

It is a pretty long drive from the Grand Canyon to the really big trees like Sequoias and Redwoods. Unless you have a lot more time, I would save them for another trip.

So how many threads have been "lost" today? I believe I responded to at least one thread today that no longer shows up.

If it's not asking too much, I'd like some help planning this trip step by step. From which airport to travel to which parks to visit in order. The last thing I need is to screw up a vacation in an area I'm not familiar with. Keep in mind, we don't need to hit every place that's within driving distance because we only have 9-10 days and I don't want to rush. I'd be happy with just 3 or 4 destinations max. Also, it would be nice to get some lodging suggestions. We also love great food and drink if you have any experience with that.

I think people ARE trying to help you plan it step by step. For one thing, you may have to give up one of your "musts" because it takes a whole day (of your 8-9 days) to drive between the Grand Canyon and the Sequoias. So assuming you arrive by air to "somewhere" and you are leaving from "somewhere" by air, that is about 6 days remaining for your trip (9-3). You want to spend at least 2 days in a park. So now you are down to a day or so, using your "musts".
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...alifornia.html
The Sequoias are closer to the park I consider a "not to miss out west" which is Yosemite.
Grand Canyon is closer to the spectacular chain of Utah parks.

Yes Gretchen, I agree and fully understand the point about giving up some of and even a lot of what I want to see. I should have been more clear, but I have decided to keep the trip limited to the Grand Canyon and some of the Utah parks if that makes sense to everyone. I like what I've looked at as far as photographs of Bryce and Zion, but I'm ready to hear from the people here on the forum.

My wife is not so excited about this trip as she is used to resorts in the Caribbean where we just relax, eat and drink so I want to get this right. We've done that at least 7 times and I'm ready to shift gears. It's been since I was 10 years old in '76 when my dad took us out west. Unfortunately he broke his ankle in CA and we missed the southwestern leg (no pun) of the trip and my mom drove back to Md towing the camper. It was still an amazing trip and I remember almost everything.

We would like to stay in more upscale hotels or should I say nicer places that may be near some better restaurants if you get my drift. I guess I'm looking for a clear path to plan including how many nights to stay near or at each park. I prefer to make a loop to return the rental car where we got it. I'm all ears and thanks everyone for the assistance.

I'm glad you are now in agreement with a good/great loop. I cannot help you with Utah but many here can. I hope your wife will be enamored of the truly magnificent western sites we have that surpass what man just builds for his own enjoyment..

If you looked at the map I posted, you can find several loops that will get you to the southern Utah parks and Grand Canyon. Or you could fly into one airport and out of another. The second option will probably cost more as there is usually a pretty stiff drop fee for not taking the car back to where you rented it.

You need to look at costs and availability of lodging for the trip.

Depending on when you go, one loop might be: fly to Vegas > Zion > Bryce > Grand Canyon north rim > Monument Valley > Moab (for Arches and Canyonlands) > Salt Lake City to fly home.

Another loop might be: Vegas > Hoover Dam > Grand Canyon south rim > Page (for Antelope Canyon) > Bryce > Zion > Vegas.

If you are planning on doing the trip during this summer's tourist season, you are late getting lodging set in/near the parks. Once you figure out what you want to see most, get flights, lodging that can be cancelled in/near parks, rental cars etc.

This trip will involve changing your lodging several times. I like that kind of trip, but your wife might not. You can make that process easier by NOT unpacking everything every night, just take out what you want to wear the next day, put soiled clothes in a laundry bag, fold the things that can be worn again and put them back in the suitcase.

This is a pretty casual area, no need for fancy dress, shoes etc. You can go to most places in jeans and a clean shirt.

Once you figure out what your priorities are and when you will be going, people can give more specific advice.

I like your 2nd option starting and ending in Vegas. I guess the question is, am I really late to plan this for early June and how about September? I want to be realistic as far as getting decent lodging and prefer being very close or in the parks. I don't mind hearing the truth. I am willing to plan this for 2019 if I have to in order to get it right.

This loop is completely acceptable to me > Vegas > Hoover Dam > Grand Canyon south rim > Page (for Antelope Canyon) > Bryce > Zion > Vegas.

That sounds like a good loop to me. If you land early enough in the day, you could rent the car and go to Hoover Dam and spend the night at the Hoover Dam Lodge (2 miles from the dam).
If you feel you must spend a night in Las Vegas I would do it at the end. There is a walkway on the big new bridge with a view from above of Hoover dam. The state line and the apex of the bridge are marked on the walkway.
I just read that some of the lodging at the South Rim is being remodeled and will not be available. Maybe more rooms would be available in September. Check with Xanterra on that.

Thank you

I'm just now in the process of booking a similar trip myself for mid September and here's what I'm finding.

We are flying in/out of Las Vegas but not staying in the city any longer than it takes to get a rental car and hit the road.

GC North Rim Lodge. No open days, period. I was able to snag one room for 2 nights, and another for 1 (I need 2 rooms), so I booked those & will check back often to snag a 2nd night. I'm confident I'll be able to do that.

Bryce. No rooms at the lodge, period. Ruby's has rooms on some days, but is booked full most days in Sept. I have rooms for one night out of 2, and put my name in for an alert if the 2nd day opens. I'm confident I'll be able to get rooms for 2nd night. There is another Best western near Ruby's - Mores expensive, and I've not checked them out yet.

Zion. Personally, I prefer to stay in Springdale, just outside the park. My preferred hotel there is Cable Mountain. They have rooms, but not the one I want on the right days, so I've booked rooms at La Quinta. Also a good location. Seem to be plenty of rooms in the town of Springdale.

We will add on Hoover dam either at the beginning or end, and probably stay nearby for 1st or last night of our trip.

I have seen the Grand Canyon on a very quick trip. We were broke college students and we wanted to see it while we were within driving distance.

What do you have your heart set on? Because you can go on to see the other national monuments and attractions in the "Four Corners" area north/northwest of the canyon. These include the Grand Staircase, Mesa Verde, and Canyons of the Ancient. I have not seen any of those and I may be missing a couple. There are many trip reports here--and you have gotten some advice on this already above about Utah. I would also encourage you to pick up a copy of the Fodors National Parks Guide. I never, ever suggest product--but I did buy this book and it was really helpful for the parks we have been to.

People tend to fly in from Las Vegas to go to the Grand Canyon, but then often they only see the "west rim of the canyon." So note that the posters here are suggesting North Rim or South Rim. There is a reason they said that. The "west rim" is a marketing tool and not the real deal.

If you don't read anything else I write--Google Map everything. And if your itinerary warrants it, fly home from the closest airport and just pay the drop fees on the rental car. You'll be driving enough out here. The West is so much bigger than people realize.

5Alive, I want to see at least the south rim. I will check out Fodor's national parks guide.

Thanks for the information J62. My wife dislikes the idea of any time at all in Vegas other than landing and grabbing a car too. I think I may just take my time and continue to research the trip and plan it for 2019 rather than try to rush into this half blind. At this point it seems logical to do it that way to make certain the trip is as good as I can possibly plan it. We can pretty much go anywhere else we want and still have a good trip this spring or summer. I'm glad I found this forum because it's very helpful and I appreciate it.

I would like to know, what time of year is the weather most pleasant in that area? Also, with this loop I'd like some suggestions on # of nights at each park and some recommended lodging suggestions so I can begin to plan this. Thanks for all the help!

September should be more pleasant than June, plus school should be back in session.

GC South Rim lodges seem to have plenty of rooms available all through September.

Think about the Mesa Verde suggestion if you are going to rethink this trip. It is also just a "not to be missed".

If someone can plot me out a trip plan for # of nights around each park I can give it a shot.

I think YOU have to plot the parks. You want 2 days in each probably and you have distances to cover between. If you choose GC and just Utah, get a map and draw lines between the sites.
If you choose Mesa Verde you have a different set of parks.
Really.

Ok, that's reasonable. Any suggestions on lodging would be nice.

So, I’m not a Vegas fan. But I will say that your wife may want to rethink her aversion to the city. If she likes to eat and drink at high end places, it’s a good place to do so.

" Any suggestions on lodging would be nice."

See the posts above for suggestions on lodging you've already received.

He wants a to b locations and hotels to match apparently. Doesn't take notes for HIS vacation. LOL

Yeah, real funny! What's so damn hard to understand about the question? If I stayed at a place I would be glad to tell others about my experience whether good or bad. I'm fully aware of how to see the available lodging, but obviously all you have to offer is the last couple of posts which tells me you probably shouldn't respond to this thread as you apparently never stayed in one of these hotels in order to report good or bad reviews. Is that so hard to understand?

The hotel that I stayed in in Las Vegas for more than 1 night was the Luxor. It was OK but the inclinators (not elevators) in the corners of the pyramid were a little weird.
for a good buffet in the old downtown, I like the Golden Nugget where you can get a table along the wall where you can see the swimming pool with the slide that goes through the shark tank.
For outside LV, the Fiesta in Henderson is good. They even have a movie theater. I have stayed a couple times at the Hoover Dam Lodge (formerly the Hacienda). They have a fair buffet downstairs off the casino floor.

Rudeness is not going to help you on your quest here.

Look, we don’t know you or your wife. We don’t know your budget. We don’t know what’s available. If you do some legwork, find a few hotels that suit, and come back to ask, chances are someone will have an opinion. At that point, I usually go over to TripAdvisor because there are a lot of area specific locals there, including hikers that likely know these NPs like the back of their hands.

And I can tell you that the number of days somewhere like Mesa Verde (Durango) or Moab comes down to availability and price. I’ve planned similar trips before. So, like, unless price is no issue for you, there’s no way one of us can tell you how many days you should spend in each place. I have no idea which parks you want to see or what you want to do in each park. I plan my number of days based on hiking trails and side trips to historical sights. If I was made of money, it would be extreme adventure outings and unique wilderness lodges. What do you want to plan yours around?


The main issue I’m seeing is that you want to take your wife- who enjoys sedentary beach vacations aided by daiquiris- to a NP vacation in Utah. Nothing wrong with that, but you’re going to have to figure out what appeals to her. Me, I’d do Sedona, Durango, Santa Fe, GC with someone like that. I’d imagine someone like that has decided opinions on what she wants in a hotel. So maybe she should be the one researching.

To add on to my below post, because I realize you’re frustrated. I would gladly help you sketch out an itinerary. That’s fun for me, and why I’m on here.. It’s just that you’ve given us very little to work with. (I stand by what I said about UT, though. Glorious scenery. Less than glorious food and cocktail options).

Yes, the itinerary IS the thing. I offered the suggestion of Far View Lodge IF you decide on a wonder of the world (my opinion) at Mesa Verde. I have already said that I can't help you with Utah things.
I'm POSITIVE people will be happy to supply lodging WHEN you say "where". And pretty sure we can assume it can and must be 5 star, MarvelMouse!!

Unless the original post said that, I’m not sure we can assume it. He doesn’t mention a budget. All we really know about his wife is she doesn’t think she’ll like Vegas, and she enjoys eating, drinking, and beach time. Nightlife may be more of interest to her than 5 star hotels, who knows.

but at any rate, I think he needs to do more research...

I do believe that any rudeness did not start with any post from me. Let's put that behind us now. Budget is not an issue, my main concern is having decent places to stay around the parks. My wife is easy going and I just want to expose her to a different vacation environment for a change of pace and get her to see some of what I got to see as a 10 year old. I'm just going to be a couple of thousand miles from home in a rental car with limited time and I want to make the best of it. I have already received some great suggestions on which parks to visit and I appreciate that. I don't have to have 5 star lodging, just decent and clean. Thanks Tom for the Vegas suggestions, I will look at those choices. I think I have it from here. I've learned a few things.

Most National Park lodging is pretty basic, clean, comfortable, but not fancy. The possible exception is elTovar in Grand Canyon You are paying for the location This is more important to those of us who want to be in the park when the day trippers have left and do not want to drive on unfamiliar roads after dark when large animals like elk and deer are about .

So, see if you can get lodging at el Tovar for GC, if not make a reservation that can be cancelled in Tusayan where there are plenty of choices. For the other parks, either read some trip reports from people who have answered your questions or use one of the sites that rates lodging and pick one that suits you or try for in the park lodging.

Yes, el Tovar will be the most impressive at Grand Canyon, but any of the lodges will probably be adequate We stayed at Maswick Lodge, which some people "dissed," but it was quite comfortable. Two nights at Grand Canyon allows you opportunities to walk the rim for sunrise and sunset Be sure to go at least a little way down Bright Angel Trail for some amazing scenery. You also might consider heading south from GC to Sedona, Arizona, where there are some nice resorts surrounded by beautiful scenery. The little old mining town of Jerome is about 30 miles from Sedona and fun to explore and get some taste of the Old West.

Agree with the idea of spending at least one night coming or going in Las Vegas, where you can add in a splash of fun culture shock to your natural scenery tour.

Also agree with the September travel dates as a better choice than June.

Thanks for the responses. I appreciate that.

I was reading back to your original post saying that your two musts were Grand Canyon and Sequoia, but it seems that Grand Canyon won out. Could I make a suggestion to maybe choose Sequoia instead? With that, you could also see Yosemite and Big Sur, which may interest your wife more. Depending on how much you want to tackle, you may even be able to add in wine country.

If if you choose to stay with Grand Canyon, I would also suggest looking at doing the loop out of Albuquerque and using stops like Santa Fe, Durango, and Mesa Verde, which again may interest your wife more.

If you want some help researching and putting an itinerary together, I’m more than happy to help you as well. I’m the trip planner for our family and friends, and we tend to prefer action packed trips, but can certainly help you choose things that better suit your tastes.

Thank you Virginia. Grand Canyon may have won out because I've already been to Sequoia, not that I don't want to go again because I do. I never got to see the southwest because my dad broke his ankle in Ca. We are going away this weekend for a 5 day trip and I'll be doing some thinking about this and discuss it with my wife. I may send you a message next week some time and again, thank you.

Virginia's loop would really satisfy the desire for "high end" accomodations with wonderful national parks, IMO

I like the local brewery idea. I'm a brewer myself and always enjoy visiting local breweries with the wife. These are all great suggestions. We are heading out Thursday morning for a long weekend get away with another couple. I think by next week I'll be ready to start lining something up.