Flying into Vegas in late Sept. We have 4 days (Sat morning to Tues night) to explore by car before staying 4 nights in Vegas. We have never been west and need help on suggested sites and/or routes. ??? Zion, Bryce, Lake Powell, Grand Canyon (North vs South), Sedona?? We are trying to find a balance between travel time vs site seeing. We are in our late 30's, somewhat active (SHORT hikes, calm water rafting, jeep tours etc.) We would prefer to avoid overly crowded areas and tourist traps. (does this rule out G.C. south rim?) Any input would be greatly appreciated!!

Witih four days you could get in visits to Bryce, Zion and the North Rim of Gr. Canyon. Figure 1 1/2 days in both Zion and Bryce and one full day at the NOrth Rim
Vegas to Zion - 160 miles, mostly interstate
Zion to Bryce - 85 miles
Bryce to North Rim -150 miles
North Rim to Vegas - 275 miles/.
If you went to the South Rim from Vegas (about 300 miles) you could visit Sedona and very little else in four days. Having been to all those places I would do Zion/Bryce rather than Sedona.

rqf. Thank you for the advice. I think Sedona will wait until the next trip. Any recommended lodging/restaurants at those locations?

I disagree. I would go to Sedona...hands down. I thought the scenery there was superior to the Grand Canyon. You could also see Jerome, do a Jeep tour, hike along Oak Creek Canyon,and play a little golf. There are some excellent restaurants there as well as neat little shops to visit. It would be a great change of pace from Las Vegas. We stayed at the Southwest Inn and loved it.

Thanks for the input Kim. Interesting how opinions differ on the "must see" sites of AZ/UT. (not surprising) It's become clear that I should do one or the other (Zion/Bryce vs Sedona) and not try to combine everything in four days. Sounds like too much car travel.

Sedona is GORGEOUS! And, while staying in Vegas, if you want to get out of town for an afternoon, take a drive out to Red Rock Canyon. It is about 20 minutes outside of Vegas and is a beautiful drive where there is a loop through the canyon. You can also get out and hike up the mountain or rock climb.

by the way, it took us about 5 hours to drive from Sedona to Vegas.

As beautifull as Sedona is... It does not compare to standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon. It is something so magnificent, it will enable you to feel yourself, it is almost a spiritual experience