A big thankyou to tracy2cents,utahtea and Samsaf. With your information, our week in Las Vegas was wonderful. We visited Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire and did short hikes in both. The scenery was spectacular and the desert was flowering because of recent rains. Samsaf...you are right...no water at Valley of Fire or Red Rock. We did Zion in the day and it was so worth the trip. We left Las Vegas at 7a.m. and were back at 5.45p.m. We did 3 short hikes and I was astounded by the scenery. We have to go back to all 3 locations!

Thank you again.

You are welcome. I've gotten so much information on this board, I'm always very glad when I can help anybody else.

Mincepie:

I'll be in Las Vegas next Tuesday through Thursday. My mission is to greet my aunt and get her hooked up with some of her relatives. Basically I'm on my own. I don't gamble, drink or participate in any nightlife but LOVE nature. Since I will have a car and don't mind driving, I'm thinking about a trip to Zion. I'm also NOT into serious hiking but walk several miles a day so I'm in fairly good shape. If I leave Las Vegas in the early morning, what are your suggestions for a short few hours in the park? I've never been to any of the Utah parks.

Trav....I would suggest riding an innertube down the virgin river in zion. Once you get to the entrance to the park you see all the innertubes.

Another thought "why don't you hike the narrows" in zion. It is not "that tough," just a little rocky.
Gorgeous place to visit. One of my wifes favorite places.

Hi Trav. The drive to Zion takes about 2 1/2 hours and is very straightforward. Route 15 north and then Route 9. 167 miles from the Strip. Since this is a day trip, I would park the car in the visitor center($20 admission per car). The Visitor Center carpark fills up around 10 a.m. and you then park in the town just outside..Springdale. A tram service runs from there and up through the canyon every 7 minutes...no cars are permitted through the canyon. You can get off at any of the stops and then get back on after taking photos. We did 3 hikes in the day. From the lodge you can hike to the Middle and Upper Emerald Falls..about 1 1/2 hours roundtrip. Path is wide and very well maintained..I am also not a hiker and I really enjoyed it. We then took tram to the last stop and hiked up to the end..a handicapped trail that is paved and takes about 45 mins I think. Rocks and plants are beautiful. The last hike was to Weeping Rock..very short..about 15 mins I think..but spectacular..well worth doing. You could also take the tram to the end and walk back along the river..no climbing involved. I know that Zion has some beautiful drives, but in the day we did not have time. We arrived about 9:30a.m. and left about 3:30p.m. and had lunch at the Lodge in the middle of the day. Hope you have a great time. It is certainly worth the drive.

Thanks to both of you. Zion is now in my plans.

OK. Just spent some time on the Zion National Park website. Am I understanding this right? I can park in Springdale (assuming the parking is clearly marked somewhere) and then hop the bus into the park. I can get on and off as I please to take photos or hikes. Stop at the Lodge for lunch and back I go to my car? I'd love to "walk the narrows" or do the tubing but I just won't be prepared with the "stuff" (bathing suit, water shoes, backpack, etc.) on this trip.

Just got back from my very short stay in Las Vegas where I needed to be to take care of some issues for elderly relatives. I want to thank you (mincepie especially) for your advice on Zion. I did your day trip almost to the letter. Nice, easy drive...majestic! Didn't persue the Narrows as there were warning signs against it when I was there but will consider that and the inner tubes on another visit. Also, took the short drive through the Red Rock Canyon. Very enjoyable and easy.

Were you able to park somewhere in Springdale and then hop the bus...or is the $20 fee unavoidable?

It would be worth it to buy a National Parks Pass for $50 if you will be visiting other national parks this year. I buy one every year. The website will give you more details. When we visited Zion last April we drove from Vegas and arrived at Springdale midmorning. A lot of people had parked in Springdale but we went on into the park and found that people had already left and that there were spaces available.

You can park in Springdale. I parked one stop shy of the Visitor's Center and walked in (however, at 9:30AM there were plenty of parking spaces even closer). The walk in price was $10. From there I hopped on the shuttle and began my journey. You get a map of the shuttle stops at the entrance gate. I spent three hours there and it suited my needs perfectly. There are a few cafes right outside the entrance gate for water, sandwiches, snacks, etc.

Bring Granny or Uncle Jed ! Seniors 62 and older can buy a passport good for ALL the national parks for just $10 (unless it's gone up recently) and it admits the whole carload.

For non-seniors, that $20 fee mentioned above is for the whole carload and is valid every day for 7 days.

This is true. What a value. When the cashier asked if I was 62 (heavens NO...not yet), the guy behind me said, "Let her come in on my pass." With a polite "no thank you" I gladly paid my $10. The best $10 investment I've made in a long time. Just think, I could have stayed in those smokey casinos in Las Vegas and dropped that 10 bucks in a nano(?) second!

We will only be in Vegas from Friday-Monday, but I am very interested in visiting a national park.
We wanted to take a side trip on Saturday, and go camping on Saturday night.
Would it be better to go to Lake Mead (because it's closer) or is Zion more strongly recommended? Do they have camping in Zion national park?
Any recommendations would be extremely helpful. We are planning to travel the weekend of June 10.
Thanks!

To abs4478,

IMHO, Lake Mead is not that scenic. We have camped there years ago. Zion on the other hand is BEAUTIFUL! If you have the time to spend one night, I'd choose Zion...hands down!!!!

There are two campgrounds in Zion National Park. Both are just inside the entrance near Springdale.

South Campground is on a first come, first serve basis. On weekends it will fill up pretty fast. Watchman campground takes reservations. If you know your dates, I would reserve a site now!

http://reservations.nps.gov/parkResu...token=76897736

Both campgrounds are in the same general location on opposites sides of the Virgin River. Watchman has electrical hook ups so even if you are next to a motorhome, you won't have to worry about generators running. There is a tent loop at Watchman. Both campgrounds have shade trees and some great views.

Utahtea

I know it's not actually a "national" park, but it is closer and a spectacular place to camp -- Valley of Fire (State park). So if you want closer and aren't set on it being a national park, it's one of our favorite places to camp ever. There are 2 campgrounds inside the park (A & B), where you are surrounded by gorgeous scenery and several of the sites are reasonably private (they're all first-come, first served). The campground that has the hot showers (can't remember which one off the top of my head) also has cute little bats (about the size of large dragonflies) that like to circle the lighted bathroom area late at night looking for moths. Just to warn you if that would freak you out (or to entice you if you like bats). We like to sit and watch them for awhile after getting up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom -- they really are very cute!

Does Valley of Fire typically have the same scenery/things to do as Zion national park?
Would I be missing out on alot if I didn't go to Zion?
Does it also make sense to see Red Rock on the drive out?
I don't know whether I'm trying to do too much. Again, I'm really excited to see this part of the country, as I haven't spent much time in the Southwest. Not knowing the area, it's hard for me to judge whether it's worth the time to drive 3 hours there and back when I only have about 1 day/1 night to do this.
Thanks!

Both Zion and Valley of Fire are spectacular for different reasons. Zion is much larger and has waterfalls, river, etc. as well as other jaw-dropping scenery -- lots of variety. Valley of Fire has incredible red rock formations that are best appreciated in early morning and late afternoon/early evening (sunrise and sunset), although it's beautiful (and hot!) in mid-day come June. Zion is a little cooler, I believe. We've been to all 3 and liked them all. Zion is about a 2 1/2 hr drive from Vegas, Valley of Fire and Red Rock are about 45 minutes - 1 hour, depending on traffic. We liked Valley of Fire better than Red Rock, partly b/c of the whole experience of camping smack dab in the middle of the park, among its gorgeous red rocks, and getting to see it at its best. Never camped near Red Rock. At Zion we camped at a crowded private campground in Springdale, by the river, and drove in. So it depends on what kind of scenery you want to see and how far you want to drive to see it. All are doable as day trips, and even if you choose Zion for the one-nighter you might want to go back when you can spend more time exploring.

It's been a while since we've been to Valley of Fire, but it does NOT compare to Zion! It's well worth the 3 hour drive. Don't try to fit anything but Zion into that day trip!

If you find you have a few hours on another day, then go see Red Rock Canyon.

Utahtea