jpmfforum

My husband and I (late 50s & early 60s) want to capitalize on the location of a November business trip and visit some of the region’s national parks, specifically Zion and Bryce. Unfortunately, we won’t have an abundance of time so the sightseeing will be on the shorter/briefer/”highlights” side. The conference is south of LA so we’ll be starting our trip from there via car. We’d also like to visit a few of the sites around Las Vegas, specifically the Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire. Below is our tentative itinerary. I’d love to hear feedback as to any of the following: timing reasonableness, sequence, scenic routes, Bryce and/or Zion sightseeing suggestions, suggested hotels, etc. Thank you.

Day 1: Red Rock Canyon
--- Drive from Costa Mesa to Red Rock Canyon; drive 13- mile “Scenic Drive.” Tour Visitor's Center.
--- Spend the night near the Hoover Dam.

Day 2: Hoover Dam and Valley of Fire
--- Morning: Get up early and tour the Hoover Dam;
--- Afternoon: Drive to the Valley of Fire; drive White Domes Rd and Scenic Loop Rd, tour Visitor Center.
--- Drive to St. George and spend the night.

Day 3: Bryce
--- Morning—Drive to Bryce.
--- Spend the majority of the day at Bryce, taking in what we can primarily by car.
--- Late afternoon/early evening—Drive to Zion; spend night there.

Day 4: Zion
--- Sightsee Zion.
--- Spend the night in Zion

Day 5: Zion & Las Vegas show
--- Morning: Zion sightseeing.
--- Afternoon: Drive to Las Vegas.
--- Evening: See a Vegas show.
--- Spend the night near airport.

Day 6: Fly home (East Coast).

emalloy

You'll be doing a lot of driving, but if the weather cooperates your trip is doable. Stay flexible in case of a snowstorm, especially in the Bryce area.

If you don't have lodging in Zion, call to be sure it is available, otherwise look in Springdale.

Enjoy the trip.

tomfuller

Unless you really want to see something in the Mojave Desert, fly to Las Vegas from a southern CA airport.
Rent your car in LV (cheaper than CA rentals).
I liked the Fiesta in Henderson before a flight out of McCarran.
I hope you have good weather for your trip.

db6040

I think you will regret not having an overnight at Bryce. Bryce Canyon is stunning at sunrise and sunset and with your current plan, you will miss both. I like Valley of Fire just fine. It is a really cool place but I would skip it if it meant you could get all the way to Bryce that day and spend the night either in the park or at the Ruby's properties which are immediately outside the entrance to the park.

jpmfforum

Thank you all for your helpful suggestions. I really appreciate them.

A question to DB6040 and others,

Re: suggestion to skip Valley of Fire for more time in Bryce. Do you feel Red Rock Canyon is better than Valley of Fire? If not, would you suggest skipping RR Canyon instead and juggling schedule a bit to provide more time in Bryce?

RVvagabond

Eliminate Valley of Fire and especially Red Rock Canyon
Tour the Venetian Casino instead especially St. Marks Square

Or, as suggested above, allocated that time to Bryce.

Vaga

travelottie

Agree with allocating time for overnight in Bryce in order to be there for sunrise and sunset. Much more special than either Valley of Fire or Red Rock Canyon. Also, it would be easy to visit those sites on a return trip to Las Vegas.

emalloy

I found Valley of Fire much more interesting than Red Rock Canyon.

I would keep your plan to do that and Hoover Dam on day 2 since you say you will be mostly driving to the overlooks in Bryce and not doing a lot of hiking there. Half a day should be enough.

In any case if it is snowy/icy you will have to have a plan B. Try to do all of your driving during the daylight hours as hitting a large animal like a deer would spoil the whole trip.

If weather is really bad, stay in Vegas and do day trips to VoF, RRC and head for Zion when things clear. Or hit Zion first then go back to Vegas and day trip. Or, do the trip in reverse, Vegas to Zion to Bryce to VoF,Hoover Dam to Vegas. I would guess that in November changing lodging would not be too difficult.