Vegas, Grand Canyon, Zion Vacation

[kymom99]

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.

If you can budget for it, that's great. It will save a lot of driving time.

Two different trips when we went to multiple locations, this is what my strategy was. As soon as we arrived we got the car and drove. So the first day was almost all travel. One trip we flew to San Diego and drove straight to Anaheim. That way after we went to DL for a couple days we drove leisurely back down the coast to SD for the second part of the trip. That put us very close to the airport on departure day so that we didn't have to risk delays with a long drive in order to make a flight.

Then the trip we just came back from, you may have noticed, we had a 4 hour flight and a 5 hour drive all in one day. It worked out good and the last day we were able to take our time taking the car back and getting ready to come home. We were in Vegas the last 2 nights and flew home from there. We just made a circle.

 

[2TxAgs]

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!

I have not done the Rushmore/Badlands trip, so I can't speak to that. I've done Denver/RMNP several times and have been to Arches and Zion. Since you haven't been out west, just know that drives can be loooong without much to stop to 'do' to break things up. Not sure if you have kids, but that would be something to consider. There are some good itineraries if you google "Utah National Park Road Trips". The drive from Denver to RMNP to Arches to Zion to Phoenix is estimated to be 20 hrs. Divide up your trip so that you spend 2-3 nights as a 'base' and don't feel that you just are driving from one place to the next. Possibly, Denver - 3 nights (one day in Colo Spgs), RMNP - 2 nights, Moab or Grand Junction - 2 nights, Zion - 3 nights (see Hoover Dam and Bryce from here), Grand Canyon - 2 nights, and finish out in Phoenix. It's a lot to see, so same advice as is given to folks on a long Disney trip - build in some 'downtime' or an early evening at the pool to let everyone unwind. I once planned a Colorado trip and posted my itinerary on trip advisor - most responses were that it was too much and I'd be spending all my time on the road. And that was just within Colorado! So I would say to plan it such that you are not driving more than 3-4 hrs in any one day. Look for places to get out for short hikes, definately go into/tour the NP visitors centers which just have amazing displays and great information and AIR CONDITIONING. As marthachick said, always keep water in the car - more than you think you'll need. Enjoy your planning

 

[HHMcG]

Trip 1 - IF you have a chance, I would also go to Devil's Tower in the edge of Wyoming.

General actual trip & planning recommendations:
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.

As soon as i read your post i mapped where Devil's Tower is to see if we could add it to our trip. Wrong side of WY. Bummer
I added window cleaner, paper towels and paper plates to my 'grocery list' for our trip. Hadn't thought of those.

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.

As a reference;
We are doing the trip in the NW this summer (start in Seattle end in Salt lake City). My rental agreement list the 'one way fee' as $378. Our total rental cost is over $2000 so not a big addition and our trip would be impossible without it.

 

[WVMomof3]

As soon as i read your post i mapped where Devil's Tower is to see if we could add it to our trip. Wrong side of WY. Bummer
I added window cleaner, paper towels and paper plates to my 'grocery list' for our trip. Hadn't thought of those.


As a reference;
We are doing the trip in the NW this summer (start in Seattle end in Salt lake City). My rental agreement list the 'one way fee' as $378. Our total rental cost is over $2000 so not a big addition and our trip would be impossible without it.

$2000 for a vehicle??? What are you renting and for how long? That is crazy high. Unless it is a RV.

 

[HHMcG]

$2000 for a vehicle??? What are you renting and for how long? That is crazy high. Unless it is a RV.

We are renting a Suburban (or equivalent) for 17 days. Price started out over $3000 I'm thrilled to get it down to $2200. I'm still checking daily hoping to get it down below $2000.

 

[disny_luvr]

As soon as i read your post i mapped where Devil's Tower is to see if we could add it to our trip. Wrong side of WY. Bummer
I added window cleaner, paper towels and paper plates to my 'grocery list' for our trip. Hadn't thought of those.


As a reference;
We are doing the trip in the NW this summer (start in Seattle end in Salt lake City). My rental agreement list the 'one way fee' as $378. Our total rental cost is over $2000 so not a big addition and our trip would be impossible without it.

Thanks for the amount you are spending on your rental. It gives me an idea of what to budget for. Which company do you typically rent cars through? Are there any I should stay away from? I only rented a car once and that was many moons ago.

 

[disny_luvr]

I have not done the Rushmore/Badlands trip, so I can't speak to that. I've done Denver/RMNP several times and have been to Arches and Zion. Since you haven't been out west, just know that drives can be loooong without much to stop to 'do' to break things up. Not sure if you have kids, but that would be something to consider. There are some good itineraries if you google "Utah National Park Road Trips". The drive from Denver to RMNP to Arches to Zion to Phoenix is estimated to be 20 hrs. Divide up your trip so that you spend 2-3 nights as a 'base' and don't feel that you just are driving from one place to the next. Possibly, Denver - 3 nights (one day in Colo Spgs), RMNP - 2 nights, Moab or Grand Junction - 2 nights, Zion - 3 nights (see Hoover Dam and Bryce from here), Grand Canyon - 2 nights, and finish out in Phoenix. It's a lot to see, so same advice as is given to folks on a long Disney trip - build in some 'downtime' or an early evening at the pool to let everyone unwind. I once planned a Colorado trip and posted my itinerary on trip advisor - most responses were that it was too much and I'd be spending all my time on the road. And that was just within Colorado! So I would say to plan it such that you are not driving more than 3-4 hrs in any one day. Look for places to get out for short hikes, definately go into/tour the NP visitors centers which just have amazing displays and great information and AIR CONDITIONING. As marthachick said, always keep water in the car - more than you think you'll need. Enjoy your planning

Thanks for this information. I do have kids, twins that will have just turned 13-years-old. I am a little concerned about all the driving and the distance between places. Your comments give me some things to think about. Thanks!

 

[Dakota731]

We would like to do a west trip but don’t want to drive hours every day. Is there a city we can fly into and stay then do a few couple hour trips to see the highlights? The only thing we’ve done so far is flying into Phoenix then seeing Grand Canyon and Sedona which was perfect. We had time to relax and enjoy without much driving. Is there anywhere similar we go visit since we don’t need to see everything on one trip? Maybe we can do a trip each year

 

[WVMomof3]

We would like to do a west trip but don’t want to drive hours every day. Is there a city we can fly into and stay then do a few couple hour trips to see the highlights? The only thing we’ve done so far is flying into Phoenix then seeing Grand Canyon and Sedona which was perfect. We had time to relax and enjoy without much driving. Is there anywhere similar we go visit since we don’t need to see everything on one trip? Maybe we can do a trip each year

You could look into staying in Kanab, Utah. From there you could see Bryce, Zion and Page, Az for short trips. Not ideal, but I think doable. Just remember that it is not advised to drive in the dark around there because it is very remote and large animals do wander on the roadway. It will likely take longer than mapquest says for each trip. Of course, this means you would be traveling twice as much because you have to go there and back. I think the ideal is to stay in each place and not drive back and forth.

Another would be to stay in Moab and just see what is around there. I think you could fill a week with the town and surrounding parks, depending on what you like to do.

 

[2TxAgs]

Thanks for this information. I do have kids, twins that will have just turned 13-years-old. I am a little concerned about all the driving and the distance between places. Your comments give me some things to think about. Thanks!

When our kids were about that age, we spent a week in Yellowstone and Grand Teton NP. Went with extended family and the kids (now adults!) still talk about that trip. So much to see and do. It's very crowded mid June thru August, but if you can get there in early June or early September, it would be fabulous. I expect Colorado and Utah will give you a taste for the west and you'll be wanting another trip (kinda like so many who plan their Disney trip as a once-in-a-lifetime and then want to go back the next year!) Keep Yellowstone in mind for next time

Is it a requirement that you leave from Phoenix? If not, you could have Las Vegas be your final base. From there you can reach the GC and Zion and if, by the time you get there, you're tired of driving and hiking, then you can walk around and tour the hotels and swim and just relax before your flight home.

 

[kymom99]

When our kids were about that age, we spent a week in Yellowstone and Grand Teton NP. Went with extended family and the kids (now adults!) still talk about that trip. So much to see and do. It's very crowded mid June thru August, but if you can get there in early June or early September, it would be fabulous. I expect Colorado and Utah will give you a taste for the west and you'll be wanting another trip (kinda like so many who plan their Disney trip as a once-in-a-lifetime and then want to go back the next year!) Keep Yellowstone in mind for next time

Is it a requirement that you leave from Phoenix? If not, you could have Las Vegas be your final base. From there you can reach the GC and Zion and if, by the time you get there, you're tired of driving and hiking, then you can walk around and tour the hotels and swim and just relax before your flight home.

Also from Vegas there are a number of relatively smaller things to see, such as valley of fire and red rock canyon.

Another idea is Yosemite and surrounding national forests.

 

[2TxAgs]

We would like to do a west trip but don’t want to drive hours every day. Is there a city we can fly into and stay then do a few couple hour trips to see the highlights? The only thing we’ve done so far is flying into Phoenix then seeing Grand Canyon and Sedona which was perfect. We had time to relax and enjoy without much driving. Is there anywhere similar we go visit since we don’t need to see everything on one trip? Maybe we can do a trip each year

Fly into Vegas - Zion and Death Valley NP are doable day trips (opposite directions, so not on the SAME day!)
Fly into Denver - RMNP is 2 hrs away. Spend a couple days there. Colorado Springs, with Garden of the Gods and Pike's Peak are day trips from Denver.
Fly into Seattle - Mount Rainier NP and Olympic NP are both within a couple hours, as are the San Juan Islands. You've got mountains or ocean to chose from!
Yellowstone is a bit trickier....we've flown into SLC and driven up, but it's six hours, so not a day trip. Same with Boise. Bozeman, Billings and Jackson Hole are closer, but flights there from our area are expensive and less frequent.

There are so many possibilities with a California trip too. So many options....have fun planning

 

[disny_luvr]

When our kids were about that age, we spent a week in Yellowstone and Grand Teton NP. Went with extended family and the kids (now adults!) still talk about that trip. So much to see and do. It's very crowded mid June thru August, but if you can get there in early June or early September, it would be fabulous. I expect Colorado and Utah will give you a taste for the west and you'll be wanting another trip (kinda like so many who plan their Disney trip as a once-in-a-lifetime and then want to go back the next year!) Keep Yellowstone in mind for next time

Is it a requirement that you leave from Phoenix? If not, you could have Las Vegas be your final base. From there you can reach the GC and Zion and if, by the time you get there, you're tired of driving and hiking, then you can walk around and tour the hotels and swim and just relax before your flight home.

Okay, I just looked at pics of Yellowstone and Grand Teton, and wow, it looks beautiful! Do you know where the closest airport to those two would be?

 

[2TxAgs]

Okay, I just looked at pics of Yellowstone and Grand Teton, and wow, it looks beautiful! Do you know where the closest airport to those two would be?

We've flown to Salt Lake City and driven in from the south (6 hrs) and we've flown in to Billings and driven in from the east (2 hrs to the northeast gate). If you come from SLC, you can spend a couple days in the Grand Teton area before heading into Yellowstone. Often the hotels within and nearest the park book up months in advance, so if you're thinking of going next year, start looking at hotels now. (We booked our hotels for June in October.) On our trip we stayed in Gardiner to do the things on the North and West sides of the park, then we moved somewhere more central (Lake? Bay Bridge? I can't remember) to cover the south and east sides. On a map it looks like a simple loop and the distances don't look far, but you stop to see animals and to see mud pots and to see geysers and before you know it, the day has passed and you've only driven a portion of the loop! Found several good TRs on youtube, this is one: