Road trip Las Vegas to Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Lake Powell, the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam

All distances and times are indicative and do not include stops.

Total mileage; 700 miles round trip

Total drive time; 11 hours 30 minutes

How long do I need? This trip is easily done in 10 days but I would take 14 days if possible to allow for enough time at each destination to do some exploring.

Vegas is a great place to start a holiday. The other worldly feel to the place makes it easy to leave the stresses and strains of life at home behind. The built environment has to be seen to be believed, there is great shopping, there are some fabulous restaurants and there is all manner of entertainment including those famous casinos as well as plenty of theatre. Once you have had your fill of Vegas (I usually find a couple of days is plenty), it is then a great jumping off point for a road trip.

How about a trip out of Las Vegas, taking in the stunning Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Lake Powell, the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam? Zion National Park contains an incredible 2,500 feet deep canyon created by the Virgin River. There are beautiful red rock side canyons which are fabulous to explore as well as waterfalls to look at and the river to play in. The scenic drive through the Park is amazing. Look out for our full guide in the coming weeks.

Bryce Canyon is just beautiful. The canyon forms an amphitheatre and you drive along the rim and look down into the eroded rock formations called hoodoos. There is wonderful hiking through the hoodoos or you can just take some time out and enjoy the view.

From here head to Lake Powell to relax or enjoy a range of water sports and the opportunity to stay on a houseboat (complete with hot tub if you are feeling flush) so you can enjoy the particular beauty of the sunrise or sunset in peace and quiet.

From Lake Powell, drive on to the Grand Canyon National Park to marvel at the amazing view and maybe take a trip into the canyon bottom, on foot or by mule or helicopter. Its a mile down and the canyon is 10 miles across so if you go down on foot you will need to spend the night at Phantom Ranch in the canyon bottom.

The drive back to Vegas returns via the Hoover Dam  which is simply huge and well worth a look.

For more information on what to see and do in Las Vegas, check out our city guide.

 

 

 

 

Point to note about Vegas

Smoking is still allowed inside casinos in Vegas. The ventilation systems are excellent so it is a long way from a smoke filled fug, but if you really dislike cigarette smoke you may want to keep clear of the casinos. The other public areas are smoke free and not every hotel has a casino so this is easier to do than you might think, unless of course you want to gamble……

 

Getting there…

 

 
To find the best deals on your flights and accommodation, we recommend 1Plus2Travel. They are a great search website and search all the online consolidators so you don’t have to!

 

Otherwise, we like Skyscanner for a good listing of all the operators running flights.

 

 

 

We recommend Holiday Autos or Easycar for car hire. Check out our car hire info for ways to save money. You may want to cover your excess and increase your liability cover with a policy like that from Worldwide Insure or Insurance4carhire.com.

 

 

Where to Stay…

 

Las Vegas has so much hotel choice that it can be quite bewildering picking your way through it all. I prefer to be within walking distance of the Strip as that is primarily where I want to hang out at night. This is where most of the big casino hotels are, the big attractions at the hotels like the water features at the Bellagio, the swanky shops and the majority of the theatre. Not to mention the people watching. You can however, save a lot of money by staying slightly off the Strip. If you stay in a non-casino hotel this also has the advantage of being completely non smoking. One word of warning. If you decide to stay off the Strip be really careful to look at a map and make sure your hotel is not miles away from anywhere. the properties are huge and distances very deceiving. A block in Vegas can be a really long way…….

For a top value, just off Strip stay, The Signature at MGM Grand is a great option. Each suite is massive with a separate sitting area, free Wi-Fi and either a kitchenette or full kitchen. Some have balconies. There are three outdoor pools with a really nice outdoor sitting area. The same suites are also managed by a company called Luxury Suites International, so if you see Luxury Suites International At The Signature, this is the same place.

Also just off the Strip, I like the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas. By Vegas standards it is a small hotel and I really like not having to walk through a Casino (or stand in one) to check in. The rooms are massive with separate sitting areas and kitchenettes. The pool area is lovely, you can eat in the poolside restaurant and also have drinks there. Very civilised.

If you want to stay in more of a traditional Vegas style hotel, complete with massive casino and shopping complex, my pick would probably be Wynn Las Vegas. The pool area is lovely and the floor to ceiling windows give great views of either the Strip or the golf course.

Zion National Park is right next to a community with plenty of accommodation choices – Springdale, Utah. The free Park Service shuttle bus runs into Springdale which is really handy. Once you have parked your car you can ignore it for the duration of your stay, unless you want to explore outside the valley. For more info on the shuttle see the NPS website. We have stayed at the Majestic View Lodge and the Driftwood Lodge. Both hotels have fabulous views, an outdoor pool, free Wi-Fi and are on the shuttle bus route.

The best place to stay for Bryce Canyon is the snappily named Best Western Plus Bryce Canyon Grand Hotel. It is right by the entrance to the park so is fabulous in terms of locations. The rooms are a decent size, there is an onsite restaurant and bar, an indoor pool and free Wi-Fi.

There are various operators offering houseboat rental at Lake Powell. Lake Powell Houseboat Rentals appears to have a good summary of the available boats. If you elect not to houseboat, the Courtyard by Marriott Lake Powell is a good place to stay in Page with reasonable amenity and within walking distance to the shops and restaurants.

We have a full guide to accommodation in the Grand Canyon in our main guide. The pick of the nearby hotels is the Best Western Premier Grand Canyon Squire Inn.