Vegas, Grand Canyon, Zion Vacation

[flowergirl45]

Thank you for the great trip report! I enjoyed reading it.

 

[kymom99]

enjoying the trip report, it brings back memories of our somewhat similiar plans.... (sorry you got sick tho) we only use Vegas as a place to fly into or out of,otherwise I just don't like it there- our itinerary was Vegas,rent car and start driving asap, stop at 7-11 for lunch,and head straight to Zion. What a wonderful place that was! We hiked Emerald Pools and some other (but no angels landing) and LOVED the Narrows....if anyone goes,you shouldn't miss it!! we rented the 'jello boots' and poles and were glad we did, we ended up staying in there for about 7 hours at least.... (the crowds lessen a LOT the farther you go) We drove that crazy beautiful road heading east out of the park, it was my DS favorite place at Zion,that road. We kept stopping so he could climb all over the wavy rocks....Then we hit GC North Rim to stay in a log cabin on the rim (love) then we headed to Bryce which was the most fantastical place I've ever seen...then to Arches for a few days to hike and climb (and get myself stuck a few times)...then we flew home out of Salt Lake City. I'd like to go back to the area again,it was one of my favorite trips. (in spite of our dismal camp cabin in Moab lol) When we went we split the cost with family so it wasn't overly expensive.

Did you pay a lot more to drop your car at a different location?

 

[kymom99]

I'm always planning trips. Does anyone have any experience with Rocky Mountain national park? We are about 18 hours from there and I'm playing around with a possible itinerary. I think I might consider renting a car here at home and driving out. This last trip was tricky packing for flying with our hiking sticks, hiking shoes and all that. Also I have never driven that route from home before. We would pass through St. Louis which is somewhere I have never been. It looks like Colorado Springs would be another area of interest.

 

[FQLover]

This park is beautiful! I went camping there for a week as a kid with my family, and I toured it again for a long day about seven years ago.
Estes Park is a good starting point (the Stanley Hotel which is supposedly haunted and was the inspiration for Stephen King's The Shining is located in Estes and is open for various tours (and lodging). The trails are gorgeous. You can go to the top driving. 12,000ft. There is a Ranger's program for kids. There is a beautiful lake located half way up. Elk everywhere. Big Thompson Creek (river sometimes, some epic floods there in the past).

In that area, Boulder is a very cool city, especially in the summer, and the Front Range mountains encircle it. Lots of good hikes there.

If you stop at Colorado Springs before heading north, you can visit Pikes's Peak (14,000 feet) and take this cool tram up the mountain side to the very top. Immensely beautiful views. The tram path upward has so many beautiful forest views with running water, and wild flowers. Just lovely!
Denver has a nice zoo as well as a professional baseball team for a fun summer night, too.

In St. Louis you can ride the little train inside the great Arch to get to the top. An outdoor Muni-Opera which is wonderful there, too. Fun restaurants along the river front.

I grew up two hours from STL and my sister and kids have lived in Denver/Boulder for the last 11 years, so I have enjoyed visiting there a lot. My trips have only been as recent as 7-8 years, though, so others might be able to help you more.

 

[kymom99]

This park is beautiful! I went camping there for a week as a kid with my family, and I toured it again for a long day about seven years ago.
Estes Park is a good starting point (the Stanley Hotel which is supposedly haunted and was the inspiration for Stephen King's The Shining is located in Estes and is open for various tours (and lodging). The trails are gorgeous. You can go to the top driving. 12,000ft. There is a Ranger's program for kids. There is a beautiful lake located half way up. Elk everywhere. Big Thompson Creek (river sometimes, some epic floods there in the past).

In that area, Boulder is a very cool city, especially in the summer, and the Front Range mountains encircle it. Lots of good hikes there.

If you stop at Colorado Springs before heading north, you can visit Pikes's Peak (14,000 feet) and take this cool tram up the mountain side to the very top. Immensely beautiful views. The tram path upward has so many beautiful forest views with running water, and wild flowers. Just lovely!
Denver has a nice zoo as well as a professional baseball team for a fun summer night, too.

In St. Louis you can ride the little train inside the great Arch to get to the top. An outdoor Muni-Opera which is wonderful there, too. Fun restaurants along the river front.

I grew up two hours from STL and my sister and kids have lived in Denver/Boulder for the last 11 years, so I have enjoyed visiting there a lot. My trips have only been as recent as 7-8 years, though, so others might be able to help you more.

This is good information. My husband has a niece in Canon City. I imagine she could give advice as well.

 

[2TxAgs]

If you go to Colorado Springs, it's cool to visit the US Air Force Academy. Also, a must see is the Garden of the Gods.
If you make it to Canon City, this is a totally cool (short, adrenaline pumping) drive: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attract...eviews-Skyline_Drive-Canon_City_Colorado.html
We love RMNP The Bear Paw Condos just outside Estes are beautiful and relaxing with the river just in front. Last year there was a black bear that came down near the condos - interesting for people to see, but not good for the bear as he needs to retain his fear of humans to stay safe. The best wildlife opportunities are early in the AM or around dusk - we've seen moose and elk wandering the fields and in the trees. We love to buy the saltwater taffy in Estes park and just wander around the shops.

 

[kymom99]

If you go to Colorado Springs, it's cool to visit the US Air Force Academy. Also, a must see is the Garden of the Gods.
If you make it to Canon City, this is a totally cool (short, adrenaline pumping) drive: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attract...eviews-Skyline_Drive-Canon_City_Colorado.html
We love RMNP The Bear Paw Condos just outside Estes are beautiful and relaxing with the river just in front. Last year there was a black bear that came down near the condos - interesting for people to see, but not good for the bear as he needs to retain his fear of humans to stay safe. The best wildlife opportunities are early in the AM or around dusk - we've seen moose and elk wandering the fields and in the trees. We love to buy the saltwater taffy in Estes park and just wander around the shops.

Thanks for the good info. I think I would like a condo mainly because we can cook most meals that way. My husband is limited in what he can eat. Is it practical to drive to pines peak for a day trip or would we want to switch our lodging for that part?

 

[2TxAgs]

Thanks for the good info. I think I would like a condo mainly because we can cook most meals that way. My husband is limited in what he can eat. Is it practical to drive to pines peak for a day trip or would we want to switch our lodging for that part?

No, you'd be on the road 4+ hrs each way. You'd be better off spending the night in CO Springs or Denver if you wanted to see Pike's Peak.

If you're coming from St Louis area, it's a full 12-13hr drive to Colo Springs. Spend the night there, then see Pike's Peak or the Garden the next day before heading up to Estes. There are wonderful hikes in and around Estes and RMNP, so you can easily spend a couple days there. Then you could take 34 West, go thru Grand Lake and take 40 down to 70. We've stayed at ok hotels in Silverthorne. Vail is fun to walk around - the buildings are made to remind you of Europe - half timber, etc. Heading west, just outside of Grand Junction is Colorado National Monument. We found it by accident but were so glad we stopped - just beautiful scenery!
How long will you have for your trip? It would be easy to spend weeks in the Colorado/Utah/western US area!

 

[kymom99]

No, you'd be on the road 4+ hrs each way. You'd be better off spending the night in CO Springs or Denver if you wanted to see Pike's Peak.

If you're coming from St Louis area, it's a full 12-13hr drive to Colo Springs. Spend the night there, then see Pike's Peak or the Garden the next day before heading up to Estes. There are wonderful hikes in and around Estes and RMNP, so you can easily spend a couple days there. Then you could take 34 West, go thru Grand Lake and take 40 down to 70. We've stayed at ok hotels in Silverthorne. Vail is fun to walk around - the buildings are made to remind you of Europe - half timber, etc. Heading west, just outside of Grand Junction is Colorado National Monument. We found it by accident but were so glad we stopped - just beautiful scenery!
How long will you have for your trip? It would be easy to spend weeks in the Colorado/Utah/western US area!

We are actually in nky so would break the drive into 2 days. That's a good idea to start in Colorado Springs. I would love to go on to Utah again but would probably only want to be gone one week. My son will have work obligations. I'm looking at doing this next may or June.

 

[kymom99]

The travel channel had some great shows on today about the national parks. One was about the Grand Canyon and it was fun to see all the places we have just been.

 

[2TxAgs]

We are actually in nky so would break the drive into 2 days. That's a good idea to start in Colorado Springs. I would love to go on to Utah again but would probably only want to be gone one week. My son will have work obligations. I'm looking at doing this next may or June.

Well, it's a 16 hr drive from Louisville (not sure where you are, but as an example) to Colo Springs. If you break that into 2 days each way, you've spent 4 days of your week just driving. If you could find some inexpensive flights, you could start in Denver, head up to Estes and spend a couple days there, down towards Breckenridge, over to Colo Springs and wrap it up in Denver. A nice loop, 400 miles and you can spend two or three nights at a couple different spots.

 

[kymom99]

Well, it's a 16 hr drive from Louisville (not sure where you are, but as an example) to Colo Springs. If you break that into 2 days each way, you've spent 4 days of your week just driving. If you could find some inexpensive flights, you could start in Denver, head up to Estes and spend a couple days there, down towards Breckenridge, over to Colo Springs and wrap it up in Denver. A nice loop, 400 miles and you can spend two or three nights at a couple different spots.

That's a good point. I'll look at it both ways. It's just sometimes nice to not be limited in how much you can bring along

 

[mamamary]

This park is beautiful! I went camping there for a week as a kid with my family, and I toured it again for a long day about seven years ago.
Estes Park is a good starting point (the Stanley Hotel which is supposedly haunted and was the inspiration for Stephen King's The Shining is located in Estes and is open for various tours (and lodging). The trails are gorgeous. You can go to the top driving. 12,000ft. There is a Ranger's program for kids. There is a beautiful lake located half way up. Elk everywhere. Big Thompson Creek (river sometimes, some epic floods there in the past).

In that area, Boulder is a very cool city, especially in the summer, and the Front Range mountains encircle it. Lots of good hikes there.

If you stop at Colorado Springs before heading north, you can visit Pikes's Peak (14,000 feet) and take this cool tram up the mountain side to the very top. Immensely beautiful views. The tram path upward has so many beautiful forest views with running water, and wild flowers. Just lovely!
Denver has a nice zoo as well as a professional baseball team for a fun summer night, too.

In St. Louis you can ride the little train inside the great Arch to get to the top. An outdoor Muni-Opera which is wonderful there, too. Fun restaurants along the river front.

I grew up two hours from STL and my sister and kids have lived in Denver/Boulder for the last 11 years, so I have enjoyed visiting there a lot. My trips have only been as recent as 7-8 years, though, so others might be able to help you more.

We were just in Colorado Springs and there is no longer a tram ride up pikes peak. You can either drive up or take a shuttle from a few different locations. Shuttle hadn’t started when we were there last month but it is either running now or will start soon.

 

[FQLover]

Oh, that is too bad (but good to know)! That tram ride was really memorable and very popular. I remember we went in June (toward the end of the month) so it was up and running. You had to get there a couple hours earlier before you wanted to ride in order to buy a ticket ahead of time, get in line, etc. The lookout at the top was really cool. There was a little building with a restaurant/bathroom/souvenir shop up at the top. My mom had trouble breathing and didn't feel quite right up in there. I was not bothered there but had felt light-headed and faint at the top of RMNP which was only 12, 000 feet. Glorious, none-the-less.

 

[Ngwira]

I'll share some ways we saved and some budget busters from our vacation. Many of these points apply to any vacation and hopefully they can help others. We left home with $300 in cash and came home with some, but I used my credit card for almost everything. There were 3 of us, me, husband, and our 18 year old son.

Most of our trips go fairly smoothly. This one did not. In fact, when we heard the song Holiday Road from National Lampoon's Vacation, it seemed quite fitting.

Day 1:
We had an early flight (landing at 9:35) and my son bought a fancy coffee. My husband bought some airport candy and pork rinds ($14.16). I bought a bottle of diet coke. I hate spending money in airports but it was vacation so I didn't fuss. We also had a box of beef sticks and a variety of granola bars with us from home. And a banana. Husband and son got upgraded to comfort +. They also got precheck for security. I got neither. But on the upside, I ended up in a row with just one other passenger and an empty middle seat between us. So no complaints there. I'll also add they were on a separate reservation because I booked their tickets using miles and paid for my ticket. We also got free bags because I have a Delta Skymiles American express card.

We flew into Vegas and rented a car. We tipped the shuttle driver $5. I had planned to eat at El Pollo Loco. I signed up online and had a free entrée coming. My husband has food allergies and this place had plenty he could eat. And it's not expensive. After an early flight I knew we would be hungry and had a long drive ahead of us. However, Garmin let us down. She apparently knows nothing of El Pollo Loco, even though she had been recently updated. I was mildly stressed by the whole flying, finding the rental car place, juggling everything and I forgot I had noted the address of the best location on my itinerary. So we ended up at In N Out instead. Not a budget buster, so all was well. We spent about $21 for 3 of us. We drove immediately to Kingman, AZ and went to the little museum they have there. It was ok, not expensive, and a good way to stretch our legs for an hour. We were right on schedule.

As planned we went to Walmart in Kingman to stock up for the next few days of the trip. Picked up a Styrofoam cooler, ice, drinks, and some food. I spent a little over $66 and that included a couple toiletry items I needed. We were not going to have a microwave at GC, just a small fridge, so here are some things we bought:
milk, cereal, peanut butter, bagels, cream cheese, bananas, grapes, water, diet coke, mountain dew, pouches of budig beef and turkey, a tub of salami, cheese cubes, sliced cheese, buns, mustard, tortilla chips, hair gel, and hair spray. Also a pack of 4 plastic bowls and some plastic cutlery. I think that's it. This simple list served us pretty well although there were a few items I had suggested that my husband vetoed. More on that later.

We continued on to Seligman, which was listed as a must see on Route 66. Supposed to be the town that was the inspiration for Cars. We stopped briefly and got a snack at Delgadilla's Snow Cap. We had one shake, an order of chips and salsa, a taco, and one fountain drink. It was about $15. We walked around a little. It was okay.

We continued on to Williams and got some gas in the van. Then we headed into the grand canyon, south rim. Note that it takes an hour from Williams to the national park. It's quite a haul. We arrived in time to stop by the rim for our first view, at around 7 pm. It was breath taking.

We didn't eat another meal. It was pretty late for us, since we came from the eastern time zone. We hit the hay fairly early. It was a long day for us. We stayed at yavapai lodge inside the national park. I believe I paid about $200 per night and we stayed 3 nights. It costs a little bit more for rooms with AC, which we opted for. There are some rooms that don't have AC for something like $160 maybe. Yavapai lodge was a great location. I bought an annual pass for admission into the park. They currently cost $80.

Booked our flights for Spring Break 2019.

 

[disny_luvr]

Thank you so much for your trip report! I really enjoyed reading it.

We are planning a trip out West next summer and are kind of all over the place with where we are going. We definitely want to hit up some of the National Parks. Right now we have two thoughts.

1. Fly into Chicago. Spend two nights there and then rent a car and drive to the Badlands area - Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse. We’d like to stop places along the way, but we don’t know where. Also, we don’t know where we’d fly home from.

2. Fly into Denver. Spend a few nights there, visiting Garden of the Gods, Pike’s Peak. We’d rent a car and drive to Rocky Mountain NP, and then head to Utah, stopping at Arches NP, Zion NP, and Bryce Canyon NP. We’d fly out of Phoenix.

We are limited to summer travel, too, because I’m a teacher and we are planning for about two weeks, and I wouldn’t pull my kids out of school for that long. I am worried about heat. A PP mentioned touring National Parks in the northwestern part of the US. I’m not opposed to that either. I have never been farther west than Arkansas, so my knowledge of location of places and especially driving distances from point A to point B is pretty non-existent. I’m not sure if my tentative thoughts are too ambitious in regards to driving.

Any help, tips, thoughts, recommendations are appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[kymom99]

Thank you so much for your trip report! I really enjoyed reading it.

We are planning a trip out West next summer and are kind of all over the place with where we are going. We definitely want to hit up some of the National Parks. Right now we have two thoughts.

1. Fly into Chicago. Spend two nights there and then rent a car and drive to the Badlands area - Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse. We’d like to stop places along the way, but we don’t know where. Also, we don’t know where we’d fly home from.

2. Fly into Denver. Spend a few nights there, visiting Garden of the Gods, Pike’s Peak. We’d rent a car and drive to Rocky Mountain NP, and then head to Utah, stopping at Arches NP, Zion NP, and Bryce Canyon NP. We’d fly out of Phoenix.

We are limited to summer travel, too, because I’m a teacher and we are planning for about two weeks, and I wouldn’t pull my kids out of school for that long. I am worried about heat. A PP mentioned touring National Parks in the northwestern part of the US. I’m not opposed to that either. I have never been farther west than Arkansas, so my knowledge of location of places and especially driving distances from point A to point B is pretty non-existent. I’m not sure if my tentative thoughts are too ambitious in regards to driving.

Any help, tips, thoughts, recommendations are appreciated!

Thanks!

A couple things. One way car rentals can be crazy expensive. That's why we made a loop.

Another thing, Rocky Mountain will be cooler, even in the summer months. We have a niece who lives near Colorado Springs. In fact she got married in garden of the gods. We are thinking about a trip out there in the near future.

To cover the amount of ground you want to cover, a one way rental may be the way to go. And maybe you have already priced that out. Just be aware it can run a lot more than picking up/dropping off at the same location

 

[marthachick]

Thank you so much for your trip report! I really enjoyed reading it.

We are planning a trip out West next summer and are kind of all over the place with where we are going. We definitely want to hit up some of the National Parks. Right now we have two thoughts.

1. Fly into Chicago. Spend two nights there and then rent a car and drive to the Badlands area - Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse. We’d like to stop places along the way, but we don’t know where. Also, we don’t know where we’d fly home from.

2. Fly into Denver. Spend a few nights there, visiting Garden of the Gods, Pike’s Peak. We’d rent a car and drive to Rocky Mountain NP, and then head to Utah, stopping at Arches NP, Zion NP, and Bryce Canyon NP. We’d fly out of Phoenix.

We are limited to summer travel, too, because I’m a teacher and we are planning for about two weeks, and I wouldn’t pull my kids out of school for that long. I am worried about heat. A PP mentioned touring National Parks in the northwestern part of the US. I’m not opposed to that either. I have never been farther west than Arkansas, so my knowledge of location of places and especially driving distances from point A to point B is pretty non-existent. I’m not sure if my tentative thoughts are too ambitious in regards to driving.

Any help, tips, thoughts, recommendations are appreciated!

Thanks!

Trip 1 - IF you have a chance, I would also go to Devil's Tower in the edge of Wyoming. We flew into Denver a few years ago and then went to Cheyenne. Spent a couple of nights there. Then drove through the edge of Nebraska so we could see Scott's Bluff National Monument. We then went to Rapid City which was our base for a few days. We went to Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Custer State Park (a must!) and the Badlands. We left there drove through Sturgis (just to say we went to Sturgis lol) and went to Deadwood. We spent a night there. Then on to Devil's Tower. Drove back to Cheyenne for a night and then to Denver for flight back home. All in 1 week. Things I wish we had done: More time in Rapid City, gone to Lead & Spearfish Canyon.

Trip 2 - I would include a trip to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon if you can. It is much less crowded and commercialized than the South Rim.

General actual trip & planning recommendations:
1- Check mileages and drive times on every available site - Google maps, Mapquest, Bing, etc. Allow for the longest time and mileage even if you plan to do the shortest route.
2- Check TripAdvisor for hotel/motel recommendations. We look for hotels with breakfast included to help us get on the road quicker and save a little money.
3- Take paper maps!!!
4- Buy a cooler as soon as you get rental car and keep ice in it with water and Gatorade. The air is super dry and you'll dehydrate if you're not careful.
5- Buy window cleaner and paper towels or window cleaner wipes. You may run through dust or swarms of bugs and need to clean the windshield.
6- Buy picnic supplies including a roll of paper towels, plastic ware and paper plates. We don't use disposable plates or tableware at home but do on vacation. We buy bread, peanut butter, sandwich meats and cheeses, chips, cookies and fruit for picnic. Often restaurants at National Parks are expensive and/or really crowded. Sometimes you're in the middle of nowhere and you're hungry.
7- Research the National Parks you're going to and see if the entrance prices are cheaper individually or if it's cheaper to do the $80 Interagency Annual Pass. It is good for 1 year so we bought one in August and went to Parks the following July using the same pass. State Parks have their own fees. If you have a child that will be in 4th grade you can get if free with an "Every Kid in a Park" voucher and if active military, free also.

 

[disny_luvr]

A couple things. One way car rentals can be crazy expensive. That's why we made a loop.

Another thing, Rocky Mountain will be cooler, even in the summer months. We have a niece who lives near Colorado Springs. In fact she got married in garden of the gods. We are thinking about a trip out there in the near future.

To cover the amount of ground you want to cover, a one way rental may be the way to go. And maybe you have already priced that out. Just be aware it can run a lot more than picking up/dropping off at the same location

I have not looked into rental cars yet and was not aware of the price difference in picking up/dropping off at different places vs. the same. Thank you for that tip.

 

[disny_luvr]

Trip 1 - IF you have a chance, I would also go to Devil's Tower in the edge of Wyoming. We flew into Denver a few years ago and then went to Cheyenne. Spent a couple of nights there. Then drove through the edge of Nebraska so we could see Scott's Bluff National Monument. We then went to Rapid City which was our base for a few days. We went to Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Custer State Park (a must!) and the Badlands. We left there drove through Sturgis (just to say we went to Sturgis lol) and went to Deadwood. We spent a night there. Then on to Devil's Tower. Drove back to Cheyenne for a night and then to Denver for flight back home. All in 1 week. Things I wish we had done: More time in Rapid City, gone to Lead & Spearfish Canyon.

Trip 2 - I would include a trip to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon if you can. It is much less crowded and commercialized than the South Rim.

General actual trip & planning recommendations:
1- Check mileages and drive times on every available site - Google maps, Mapquest, Bing, etc. Allow for the longest time and mileage even if you plan to do the shortest route.
2- Check TripAdvisor for hotel/motel recommendations. We look for hotels with breakfast included to help us get on the road quicker and save a little money.
3- Take paper maps!!!
4- Buy a cooler as soon as you get rental car and keep ice in it with water and Gatorade. The air is super dry and you'll dehydrate if you're not careful.
5- Buy window cleaner and paper towels or window cleaner wipes. You may run through dust or swarms of bugs and need to clean the windshield.
6- Buy picnic supplies including a roll of paper towels, plastic ware and paper plates. We don't use disposable plates or tableware at home but do on vacation. We buy bread, peanut butter, sandwich meats and cheeses, chips, cookies and fruit for picnic. Often restaurants at National Parks are expensive and/or really crowded. Sometimes you're in the middle of nowhere and you're hungry.
7- Research the National Parks you're going to and see if the entrance prices are cheaper individually or if it's cheaper to do the $80 Interagency Annual Pass. It is good for 1 year so we bought one in August and went to Parks the following July using the same pass. State Parks have their own fees. If you have a child that will be in 4th grade you can get if free with an "Every Kid in a Park" voucher and if active military, free also.

This is excellent information. Thank you!