Vegas to Zion/Lake Powell/ Page then to South Rim GC
 

After 3 days in Vegas we will have a Tuesday - morning - until Saturday- to go from Vegas to Zion/Lake Powell/Page and on to the South Rim of the GC. Would like suggestions on how to use the time, driving distance/time, where to stay - in the Page/Lake Powell area - and any activities and/or sites that are must do/see. We would like to do some hiking. Here is our thoughts:

Texas to Vegas

Vegas 3 days

Tuesday - Vegas to Zion Park...spend the day then drive to Lake Powell/Page area to spend the night (need suggestion on places to stay) We will spend the night Tuesday and Wednesday

Thursday - Lake Powell/Page to the South Rim - how long of a drive? planning on staying on the rim or inside the park

We will stay on the South Rim Thursday and Friday night.

We are planning on hitting a lot of the scenic outlooks Thursday on the way to the South Rim.

Is it better to stay just Thursday and head to Sedonna Friday? or do we need 2 nights in GC?

Thank you for any insight you can give us. Just to recap...we would like to know driving times....places to stay....eat....activities....and any other information you can share.

The conflict comes with how to divide the time.

You don't mention when you're going.

You haven't given yourself any time in Zion. It takes 3 hours from Las Vegas to Zion and 2 1/2 hours from Zion to Page.

There are several hike depending upon how adventurous you are that are definitely worthy of your time and effort.

Other than anything you may do on Lake Powell (others will give you advice) you have Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend.

I'm not a big fan of GC so I would stop at the viewpoints, see the sun set, walk along the rim for sunrise and hike down into the Canyon for an hour.

So, for me, if I got to GC by mid-afternoon I could be ready to leave by noon the next day. Not everybody feels that way.

The town of Sedona isn't why most people go there. It's to get out into the Red Rocks surrounding the town. You need at least a day there (I spent 3 days but hiked a lot).

But you've a 4 1/2 hour drive from Sedona back to Las Vegas.

I suspect many people here are going to suggest you reduce your stay in Las Vegas so I'll do the same.

If you'd like you can see my photos of these trips at:
www.travelwalks.com

Only part of a day in Zion? Unless you don't want to hike much, you are missing a lot here. There is much more to do in Zion than the GC. Unless you are doing some serious hikes at the GC, 1 night would probably be enough there.

What all are you doing in Page?

In Zion, there are many hikes, depending on what your abilities and willingness to do are. Most people consider Angels Landing and The Narrows as 2 of the Top 10 dayhikes in the US. The Narrows you need to rent shoes at Zion Adventure Company and if it is cold even wetsuit bottoms. You do not want to do this hike if rain is threatening due to the risk of flash floods. Angels Landing is about a 5-6 hour hike. To get to the top takes about 3 hours. It is all uphill and is a fairly strenuous hike. The last 30 minutes of the hike is really exposed dropoffs(I mean really exposed). You cannot beat the view. I would stay at Zion Lodge. Have a meal there. Eat lunch under the big tree out front(many people do this every day). You can just get an ice cream snack and eat it under the tree too. The Whiptail Grill in Springdale is another good option for eating. There are other good trails in Zion. Emerald Pool, etc.

The Grand Canyon offers many scenic viewpoints. The Desert View(probably will be your first stop), if my favorite. You might want to hike down into the canyon a bit. Remember it is twice as hard and twice as long hiking back up. Perhaps take the Bright Angel Trail down an hour or so. There are also hikes along the rim. Sunset and Sunrise are worth getting up/staying up for. I would have one meal in El Tovar.

On any hike over 30 minutes, be sure to have plenty of water.

You should try to stay one or two nights at Zion, cutting out a night at Page or the GC.

Appreciate all the suggestions so far. So its understood we are driving from Texas to Vegas. So as update we will definitely change our Vegas stay from 3 to 2 nights. So here is an update based on some excellent suggestions.

Vegas - arrival Sat June 16th early afternoon
-- Head towards Zion lateMon afternoon
Zion -- stay Mon/Tue nights
-- do hiking @ Narrows & AL on Tue & Wed
--- Drive to Lake Powell area Wed afternoon
--- do you stay in Page or place to stay in Lake Powell area
---Thursday -- do 1/2 day float trip ...not sure where it's located
-- Head to S.Rim GC ON Thursday afternoon...stopping along scenic points.
-- Hopefully arrive in S.Rim GC before sunset.Hopefully have place to stay on South Rim
--- try make dinner reservations @ EL TOVAR for Thur eve
--- do flat trail hiking along rim and some hiking into Canyou if possible on Friday .
--- Friday at some pt make headway to Sedonna..red rock area for short visit ( is it worth it with little time.
--- Fri eve have to make some headway back to Tx ,to prepare for all day Sat drive back to Houston suburbs.
All suggestions are very much appreciated..about to call Bellagio and change to 2 days.

You are going to love Zion. My wife and I spent a week there a couple of years ago and were not ready to leave.

You probably know this, but do the Angels Landing hike as early as possible. This is good from both a heat and crowd standpoint. But most importantly, unless the weather happens to be very stable when you are there, thunderstorms tend to build up in the afternoon. High on Angels Landing is a bad place to be in a storm.

Have a great trip!

Carlsbad Caverns might be a good stop on your way. Also White Sand National Monument. If you do Carlsbad, do a Wild Cave Tour(amazing-make reservations now).

You might want to stop a Petrified Forest coming or going. You only need a couple of hours there.

Buy a National Park Pass on your entrance to your first park. It is good for a year to all the parks.

I have never been to Page, and I'm not sure how other would feel. Bryce might be a better option. It is an amazing park. Page might be a bit different though with the Lake. I do know that I would want to see Antelope Canyon, Best Dam View, and Rainbow Bridge in Page. They are on my bucket lists. I've been to all the other places that I mentioned multiple times. They are all great. Petrified Forest is one of my least favorites, but it is right on I-40 and is very easy to do.

I like your new itinerary, a little better chance to really enjoy the parks.

Besides camping on the lake the only place to stay at Lake Powell is the Lake Powell Resort at Wahweap. This is a good place if you are planning to spend your time on the lake. Otherwise Page would be the better place to stay for the tours. http://raftthecanyon.com/raft-trips.php is the website for the 1/2 day tours. You begin the tours for this in Page at their office.

And yes, I think even just driving through Oak Creek Canyon into Sedona is worth it even if you don't stop. If for no other reason just to understand a bit of the layout should you decide to come back there.

Thks InSandy! Yes itirenary is definitely taking shape. We will be doing 2 full days of hiking in Zion. AL & Narrows being the 2 primary( ea on diff days) hikes with hopefully few others filled with the two.Suggestions for hiking trails to fill in with main two? Staying in Page Wed nite, only so we can be there early Thur for7:30 a.m. 1/2 day float trip. Any suggestions for eatery in Springdale,Ut as we arrive Mon eve will be appreciated.

Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend do not require more than 3-4 hours. Also, you should be there when the sun is high in the sky.

You will most likely be arriving at GC late in the afternoon. I wouldn't bother stopping at the viewpoints then as the sun will be in your eyes.

I would check-in to your lodging and plan for the sunset. Then get up early in the morning and walk along the Rim as the sun comes up.

The hike a short amount down the Bright Angel trail. Just enough to get a feel for the Canyon.

The drive down Oak Creek Canyon is spectacular. There's a viewpoint at the top.

When you get to Sedona, check into your lodging and go to the Crescent Moon Picnic Area. You can get an amazing view of the sun setting on Cathedral Rock over Rock Creek. This has been the Sedona promo for many years.

In the morning you can do a few short hikes before leaving. In my opinion the most scenic hike for a very short amount of time is Boynton Canyon Vista (in West Sedona) (not the full Boynton Canyon hike but a detour near the start). It's a Vortex site (do a search of Sedona Vortex). This is a very short hike with great views.

You can also do the short Devil's Bridge Hike that ends at an arch. It's also in Sedona West.

Then drive to the center and hike around the Bell Rock area for a while for more scenic views.

- - - - -
As spiro suggests I would try to put in Bryce Canyon. While it's only about 90 minutes from Zion, it's totally different and 4,000ft higher.

Depending upon what time you get there I would hike down Navajo Loop and back up Queens Garden. This is only a couple of hours. Try to sleep over either inpark or at Rubys just outside the park. Get up early and go to Bryce Point for a spectacular sunrise. Get there about 20 minutes before sunrise and pick a spot on the protruding deck facing the left side of the Canyon. You will not be alone. When the sun comes up behind you the Canyon will turn orange and then yellow.

If you do hike, remember to wear a hat, put on suntan lotion and drink lots of water. You are in 8,000ft of elevation and you will definitely feel it if you're not used to it.

The Canyon Overlook Trail at Zion is only a mile long but has terrific views!

great suggestions myer. I need to see which direction Bryce Canyon is and see if its doable Wed afternoon as we head out and end up in Page for overnight stay in order to be ready for 7:30 a.m.1/2 day float trip Thursday. Doesnt matter how late we get into Page so may be feasible if not too far out of the way. We just booked Reservations @ Thunderbird lodge S.Rim for Thursday eve. Is this ok or should we try and keep calling for one of the other 3 on the Rim .

If you still have energy after the Angel's Landing hike continue on along Kayenta trail to the Emerald Pools. Taking the hike this direction will give you some nice views of the canyon.
I wouldn't have been able to do anything else after the Narrows :-)

Thunderbird Lodge is fine. Lies between El Tovar and Bright Angel, right at the rim.

If you leave Zion by 2 or so you could visit Bryce for a quick look at the pull outs, but not for any long hikes because the road to Page is quite scenic and I would not want to drive it after dark. If you are going close to the equinox, you will have plenty of time before dark.

Page is in Arizona which does not do daylight savings time, so your wake up will not be quite as early as if you were on Mountain time.

I found the ride on the bus from Page to the raft very interesting too. It doesn't take much to amuse me,

But if you are in Navajo Reservation they do follow DST. I get so confused on the time zones when traveling to this region.

As you leave Zion by the East Entrance/Exit you can stop at the small parking lot just after the tunnel. That's the parking lot for Canyon Overlook hike.

As luvtravl wrote it's reasonably short and very scenic.

When you hit Rt 89 Bryce is to the north and Page is to the south and east. If you can get there by mid-afternoon you can hike Navajo Loop Queens Garden, sleep over, see a spectacular sunrise and leave for Page and get there by early afternoon and in time for Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend with the sun high in the sky.

You probably don't want to be driving at dusk or later in that part of the country as you never know what you'll hit on the road.

one question about direction; if we are able to get to Bryce Canyon area can you continue South towards Page or do you have to go back from where you came from. Looking at a map doesnt show rd heading South towards Page. Trying to fit in Bryce after leaving Zion area but not how much time that would take . Thanks in advance .

If you do go to Bryce, go north from 9 on 89, then you will have to retrace your path and go south on 89 to Page. If you don't stop to oogle the scenery, it take about 3 hours to drive from Bryce to Page.

ok thats helping..so hate to ask but how long then from Zion pk to Bryce Canyon. Many thanks