National Parks from Las Vegas, April & May 2015

<p>In the last week of April and the first week of May 2015, my wife, my 8 year old daughter and myself will be travelling to Las Vegas to visit some National Parks. This will be our first visit to the USA and we would like some information on a nice roadtrip for 2 weeks, visiting some National Parks. We do not want to travel every other day, we prefer to spend a few days in each park. Death Valley and the Grand Canyon are on our list, but can someone with knowledge of the area advice us on a nice route te drive? Maybe it is possible to include Yosemite?<br>

Of course we need to prepare ourselves more but to get some ideas would be really helpful. <br>

Thanks in advance, Frank<br>

<a href="http://www.frankbunnik.zenfolio.com">www.frankbunnik.zenfolio.com</a></p>

A nice family trip which we did a number of years ago was to go from Vegas to Bryce Canyon National Park, to Lake Powell, to the Grand Canyon (north rim), to Zion National Park, and then back to Vegas. The longest drive was about 4 to 5 hours from Vegas to Bryce, while the rest of the drives were generally shorter. You will need to check to see when some of these parks open for the season, especially if you travel in April. You should also start to book accommodations in and around the parks. Death Valley in early April would be wonderful, but it is the opposite direction of the Utah and Arizona locations. Yosemite is a considerable drive from Vegas and some you would also need to check what roads are open early in the season. From Yosemite I would consider flying out of San Francisco instead of going back to Vegas

 

I have visited all these locations with family, and you really can't go wrong with of them. Compared with some of the other National Parks, Bryce is smaller and very accessible , with incredible photo opportunities.

<p>I've live in Santa Barbara California and have often used Las Vegas as a jumping off point for those parks, because of its location and because accommodations are cheap there. The first trip that Kenneth describes,</p>

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<p>. . . Vegas to Bryce Canyon National Park, to Lake Powell, to the Grand Canyon (north rim), to Zion National Park, and then back to Vegas.</p>

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<p>is wonderful. Make sure to carry plenty of water when out walking, more than you think you'll need, even in April and May. Especially with a child, keep an eye out for rattlesnakes. Assuming the roads are open and you can extend the driving, Yosemite is more worthwhile than Death Valley.</p>

<p>Zion and Bryce are beautiful. Zion is about 3-4 hours from Las Vegas, sits at an elevation of 4000 ft (1200 meters) and is generally pleasantly warm to somewhat hot in April and May. Bryce is at double the elevation and it can still snow in April (probably less so in May). The drive between Zion and Bryce is a about 1.5 to 2 hours if memory serves right and is quite scenic.<br>

If you visit Death Valley, you may as well spend a day or two to drive to the Eastern Sierra. The mountains will most likely still be snowed in, but you can at least see Mono Lake and the Ancient Bristlecone Pines in the White Mountains near Big Pine. <br />To get to Yosemite, you have to drive from Death Valley back down to Mojave, then to Bakersfield and then to Yosemite. It is impossible to cross the Sierra Nevada (Tioga Pass) since the roads are snowed in and closed. Along the way you can also stop in the Sequoia and King Canyon national parks which are really beautiful and streams (and waterfalls) will have lots of water in April and May. So it's quite a drive from Las Vegas, but certainly worth the trouble.<br>

Google maps (and driving directions) is your friend, look up each national park and connect them by roads.</p>

 

<p>The itinerary that Kenneth suggested is the classic loop in that neighborhood. Depending on your interests, you might want to investigate a couple of other locations which are equally interesting, but you will have to whittle your list down. You can't see them all in a relaxing 2 weeks. I suggest that you strongly consider Canyon de Chelly - I have found that to be the least crowded example of red rock sights. Or - another spectacular day may be spent in Monument Valley, AZ. If you have ever watched a US cowboy movie with John Wayne, you will instantly recognize Monument Valley. Both are reasobly close to LaKe Powell which was recommended above. If you prefer to see red rock from a boat, Lake Powell in the place to be, but unless you are willing to rent a boat for the day, you might not enjoy Lake Powell as much as some of the other locales. By the way, Lake Powell is the place to stay if you intend to do the Antelope slot canyons, but in the past decade, the slots have been just too crowded to do any serious photography. If you go to Monument Valley, you want to hire on to a guided day trip out of Goulding's ranch. I personally find MV to be one of the more breathtaking spots on the planet. Great diversity in red rock "monuments", all sorts of sand dunes, critters and Native American folks. </p>

<p>If you want something truly different from the typical red rock vistas and don't mind the additional drive, you might want to look into Durango CO. It may be a bit too far for your taste, but keep in mind that the roads are wide open and speed limits quite high so don't necessarily discount a locale based on the number of miles between destinations. You will be driving at a good rate of speed. The attraction in Durango is the narrow gauge steam railroad trip into the San Juan mountains. Train goes from Durango up the mountain to Silverton. A sensational sightseeing/photo opportunity. If you happen to do this trip, take the train up and the bus back. It will save you about 2 hours - the bus is a short ride back while the train returns over the same tracks and take way longer. Completely different scenery in that part of the country compared to the Red Rocks.</p>

<p>I also mention Sedona AZ if time and route permits. Near Grand Canyon and again, lots of red rock scenery. And of course there is a famous red rock Canyon just 17 miles from the Vegas Strip. </p>

<p>Trick is not to overdose on red rocks. To that end, Zion, lake Powell (if you are willing to rent a boat) and Durango offer alternatives to red rocks. <br>

Last point - while I understand your desire not to live out of a suitcase, some locations lend themselves better to longer stays than others. I have found that one night is sufficient at Grand Canyon unless you want to take a mule ride down to the bottom. One night is generally sufficient at Bryce also due to the small size of the park itself. The trick at Bryce is to spend some time around the rim of the canyon and then time on the floor. Two entirely different perspectives of the park that are mandatory. But it is a small park. If you go to Bryce, the place to stay is Ruby's Inn which is right at the edge of the park. Don't need more than one night at Lake Powell either, unless you just want to relax for a few days and enjoy the gorgeous lake itself or go to the slots. <br>

You will love that part of the US. The scenery is breathtaking almost anywhere you visit. Google the sites I mentioned. </p>

In 2004 my wife and I flew to Las Vegas and started our 8 days 9 parks road trip. We started from Las Vegas headed north to Zion, Bryce, stayed one night at Salt Lake City and continued to Yellowstone, turned south to Glen Teton, Arches, Canyonlands, Glen Canyon (a national recreation area, not a national park), Monument Valley (Navajo Tribal Park), Grand Canyon North Rim and then back to Las Vegas.

 

The longest drive, about 10 hours, was from Grand Teton to Arches. We stayed one night inside Yellowstone. If I had more time, I will stay longer at Yellowston, Bryce and Arches.

 

It may save you some entrance fee if you buy your National Park Pass at the first entrance. However, Monument Valley is not in the national park system so you have to pay separate entrance fee.

 

Hope this help and have a great trip.

<p>Thank you all for the quick and extensive information and good advice. I saw that Valley Fire state park is not far from Vegas and the pictures I saw of that park looked great. Monument Valley is high on my list too, being a lifelong fan of western movies... <br>

Thanks also for the warning of the snakes. Here in the Netherlands there are hardly any dangerous animals so it is easy to forget. </p>

<p>For your schedule, make your plans around seeing the Grand canyon from the south rim - the north rim doesn't open until May 15. That requirement is significant to your other plans - moving among the north rim, Zion, Bryce and others is much easier if you could get to the north rim. But getting to the south rim from Zion (or going the opposite way) requires driving around the canyon - Google maps can help here - it's not the short, couple-of-hours drive that the north rim would allow. But that bit of reality will make the recommendations of Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly, and Lake Powell area more attractive as well as practical.</p>

<p>Death Valley is the opposite direction from Las Vegas, but IMHO it can be a day trip, which means it can be an easy overnighter, too. One can easily drive out from Las Vegas on US95 North and turn left following the sign for Death Valley Junction, and be in Furnace Creek in DV in 2.75 hours. Or you can start the same way and go farther out to the town of Beatty and turn left, and be at the sand dunes at Stovepipe Wells in DV in the same amount of time (assuming you don't stop at Rhyolite, a ghost town just west of Beatty). You can even take NV160 west from Las Vegas, turn toward DV in the town of Pahrump, and enter DV at its south end in the same 2.75 hours. Kinda funny that way. But making a day trip out and back to Vegas would require 5.5 hours of driving altogether in a single day, and lots of folks don't think of that as vacation. I live in Vegas and do that drive whenever the spirit moves me, but I'm not taking kids with me for that long day, either.</p>

<p>From Las Vegas, plan for the drive to Yosemite to take a full day by itself. And another one coming back to head east from Vegas. Roads going over the mountains to Yosemite will not be open at the time of your visit, so you'll have to go around the southern end of the mountains and then up the west side to get to Yosemite. Yosemite's a special place, but only you can decide if the fraction of your vacation time you'd need to go there is worthwhile.</p>

<p>For Zion and Bryce, snow at the end of April is possible but unlikely, and if it occurs, it's very unlikely that there would be enough snowfall to hamper your travel plans.</p>

<p>Zion operates a fleet of shuttle buses that travel up and down the canyon continuously because there isn't near enough parking in the canyon to allow visitors' cars. The bus system is excellent, with a number of stops where people get on and off, and another bus comes by every few minutes. Be advised that the park will get quite crowded on weekends - it suffers a bit from its own popularity, and you'd do well to try to plan your park-to-park travel on weekends so you can spend weekdays enjoying the parks.</p>

<p>The entrance to Bryce is at about 7,000 ft and if you travel southward to the end of the road in the park you'll be at 9,000 ft. It will be cool up there, but if you hike down into the amphitheater, it will get warmer as you go down. And remember that when you hike into the hoodoos, the end of the hike requires climbing back UP to the rim where you started, and the slope is significant.</p>

<p>The advice about water is correct - you'll be in a desert and you'll dehydrate even though the temperatures are below summer's worst. If you plan to hike, tell someone where you're going and when you should be back before you go. Take your cell phone and keep it on - it won't work for making calls in just about 100% of the parks, but the GPS chip in it can be detected from search aircraft if it comes to that. If you hike down into the Grand Canyon, plan for the hike back up to take 2 hours for every hour spent going down, more if you have any limitations on walking (like me - it takes me 3 hour up for every hour down, but I'm partially disabled).</p>

<p>Did anyone mention you should keep plenty of water with you?</p>

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<p>Ancient Bristlecone Pines in the White Mountains near Big Pine</p>

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<p>Quite likely to be still closed in late April/early May.</p>

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<p>To get to Yosemite, you have to drive from Death Valley back down to Mojave, then to Bakersfield and then to Yosemite.</p>

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<p>If you are going to see Mono Lake, then another option is to continue north - the first pass that likely is going to be open is Kit Carson Pass (you could make a bee-line to see Lake Tahoe). From Lone Pine (where you arrive when crossing Death Valley), the trip north or south towards Yosemite are about equal in length - it's a very long day driving from Vegas in either case (12+ hours). Depending on the snow pack, all you might be able to visit is Yosemite Valley though - unless you cross-country ski to Glacier Point, for example. In all, going from Vegas to Yosemite that time of year involves a lot of driving. Definitely check which passes are open before leaving from Vegas.</p>

<p>Given your 2 week timeline, I suggest to either go East or West, Death Valley and Valley of Fire can be made as day trips from Vegas. Then either West towards the Sierra or East (which I recommend). Zion, Bryce, (Capitol Reef), Arches, (Canyonlands), possibly Canyon de Chelly, Monument Valley, South Rim Grand Canyon (North Rim facilities definitely still closed), Lake Powell and back to Vegas. Doable in two weeks I think - about 1500 miles of driving (or about 24 hours).</p>

Let me ask this, what sort of temperament do you and your family have?<br>

Are you looking for somewhat out-of-the-way destinations, or are you content to 'hit' the major tourist spots? Does the possibility of encountering a rattlesnake cause anyone to freak out? Camping or motels? Hiking? (As little as possible? A few easy KM? Several KM, with hundreds of meters of elevation gain/loss?) Etc. In short, what sort of activities do you folks have in mind???

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Two weeks is a fair amount of time, but there is SO much to consider. If you're the outdoorsy types, you could easily spend a week or more in Southern Utah alone. There's no reason you can't see any of the NP in the area, but you will have to pare down the list to keep the in-car time at a minimum. Don't fall into the Bucket List trap that has you driving frantically from one 'must see!' destination to the next. Wherever you go, there will be zillions of of interesting, photogenic destinations along the way. You'll never see them all, so you may as well take the time to thoroughly enjoy a few.

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A few climatic notes:

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Death Valley is already starting to get hot. Do a drive-through if you're in the neighborhood but don't devote more than half a day or so, visiting the 'standard' hot spots. Leave from Vegas before dawn, arriving in time for sunrise.

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The eastern entrance of Yosemite will almost certainly be closed. Going through California's Central Valley, it's a ~8+ hour drive from Vegas to Yosemite Valley. Pleasant camping en-route just east of Lake Isabella, if you're game.

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Southern Utah is just about ideal this time of year. Nights will still be chilly, but generally above freezing, with usually sunny days around 20~25C. As mentioned, Zion, etc. will be much warmer than Bryce, Grand Canyon, and other high altitude destinations. If cold weather is predicted, head for lower elevations.

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Elevation of various Points of Interest.

Cedar Breaks 10,000ft<br>

Bryce 8000+<br>

North Rim GC 8000<br>

Flagstaff area. 7000+<br>

South Rim 7000<br>

Natural Bridges / Anasazi Canyons 6500<br>

Kodachrome Basin 5800<br>

Calf Creek 5350<br>

Hole in Rock area ~5200<br>

Goblin Valley 4950<br>

Coyote Buttes 5000<br>

Paria Canyon 4400<br>

Arches 4400<br>

Zion 4000<br>

Lake Powell area 3800<br>

Snow Canyon S.P. 3200<br>

<p>My wife and I visited Las Vegas this past early April. We visited Death Valley and Valley of Fire. 2hrs drive to DV from LV and 1hrs drive to VoF from LV. I highly, highly recommend both of those places, they are incredibly vast and beautiful and you will get some awesome pictures. In April, the temperatures will not be hot and you might even get some rain, as we experienced this past April.<br>

Next visit to LV we'll do Zion and Bryce. Have a good trip!!</p>

<p>Thank you all for your kind advice. My wife and I did a lot of trekking in the Himalaya, both in Nepal and India. The highest point we reached was somewhere above 5,800 meters so we have expierence with regards to trekking. Our daughter alas less so.<br>

My goal is to photograph some of those famous landscapes but some less crowded places would also be nice and it is a family trip of course where I can go photographing a few hours a day from time to time. <br>

We have done some planning and our itinerary is probably something like:<br>

- Grand Canyon, 2 nights;<br>

- Monument Valley ... (photo tour)<br>

- Page (2 nights) <br>

- Bryce Canyon<br>

- Zion NP<br>

- back to Vegas<br>

Would 2 nights in Monument Valley be enough or would you advice an extra day? <br>

I know the drive from Monument Valley to Page is short but we thought that when we arrive in Page we can do a family tour of the slot canyon(s) and the next day I could do a photo tour of the canyon(s). <br>

Zion looks nice for some walks. <br>

If you have any advice on this route, please let me know. Any advice is greatly appreciated. </p>

<p>In my experience, Monument Valley is seen via a tour. A one day tour is generally sufficient so I think a third day there would be a poor use of valuable time. Are you planning on staying at Gouding's? If so, why not give them a call and see what they suggest?</p>

 

<p>Thanks Eric. We tried Goulding's but it appears to be full in that period. Maybe 1 full day is indeed enough</p>

<p>Well - there aren't a lot of choices in that neighborhood. The town is Kayenta AZ and calling it a "town" is generous. It is more like an intersection on which sits a couple of hotels, gas stations, etc. A buddy of mine stayed at the Hampton Hotel there and found it adequate. It really doesn't matter too much except for cleanliness since there is absolutely nothing to do there other than see MV. You can try one of those hotels and sign up for a tour with Gouldings.</p>

<p>I would try to put myself on a waiting list at Goulding;s or call them regularly to check on cancellations. </p>

<p>by the way - if you have not already checked it out, Ruby's Inn is the place to stay at Bryce. </p>

<p>Hi Frank, <br>

Here's a photography and travel guide I wrote about our trip from Las Vegas to some of the National Parks and State Parks in Utah and Arizona. Hope you can find some useful info there!<br>

Cheers, <br>

Jairo<br>

http://www.jairophoto.com/blog/photography-guide-national-parks-in-utah-and-arizona/</p>

<p>Jairo - those blogs (SW and MV) are the best I have seen on these subjects. Great, practical advice and stunning photography. Well done - will be a useful tool for anyone contemplating that trip. </p>

<p>Frank,<br>

First, welcome to the USA and I hope you and your family have a great trip. You certainly have a lot of great possibilities you can see.<br>

Second, seeing National Parks is great. But you're in a part of the USA (especially Northern Arizona and Southern Utah) where the scenery is spectacular even without hitting a national park. For instance, something that isn't on your list but I'd highly encourage is to take the time to stop and visit a slot canyon in Northern Arizona or Southern Utah. There are hundreds of them that are not that inaccessible. The most famous ones are the Antelope Creek ones (upper and lower) in Northern Arizona.<br>

Third, as others have pointed out, Yosemite is in the opposite direction. But to be honest (and this is coming from someone who has been to Vegas a couple of times, has family in Utah so have been there maybe 60-70 times in my life, plus taken a couple of visits to Arizona), as beautiful and diverse as all of those places are, to me the two greatest national parks in the USA are Yosemite and Yellowstone. It would be a major drive to get to Yosemite but if that were all you saw (with it's amazing diversity...the waterfalls, El Cap and Half Dome, Merced river, Tuolumne Meadows, the entrance to the Valley, bear sightings and other wildlife), I'd pick Yosemite over all of the other options--it really is that incredible of a location.</p>

<p>No argument with Joe about the splendor of Yosemite - truly memorable, but I have to disagree with the idea of taking in that park when on an LV trip. I respectfully suggest that it is just too far away for practical purposes.</p>

<p>On the other hand, if this is your once in a lifetime visit to the US, then <strong>you</strong> will have to decide whether Yosemite is "better" than the red rock southwest. If you ask 100 travelers which is better - Yosemite, Yellowstone or the desert - you will get many varied responses. Personally, Yellowstone is my favorite spot in the US.<br>

Yosemite's splendor, while undeniably sensational. is completely different from the vistas in the SW. And as others have pointed out, the entire drive from LV <strong>anywhere</strong> through AZ, UT and NM is just one continuous photo op, ableit red rock, red rock and more red rock. The drive to Yosemite is far different. Spelndid sightseeing along the way, especially in the Sierra's, but a totally different kind of scenery. Again - which you will prefer cannot be determined by anyone but you. </p>

<p>But you are going to be based in LV - your airfare and hotels are presumably booked. I would suggest staying in the general vicinity.</p>

<p> </p>

With two days in Page, you really need to go hike Buckskin Gulch. Any 8 year old will greatly enjoy the descent into the narrows of Wire Pass, and Buckskin is sublime. There are quite a few other neat, photogenic places in the immediate area west of town. Search for Toadstool Hoodoos, Whaweap Hoodoos, Nautilus, Pariah Townsite, etc. A half-day tour of Cottonwood Canyon Road is also time well spent. Hike to Yellow Rock, Cottonwood Narrows, Hackberry Canyon, Round Valley Draw, and more.

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If you're loaded, http://www.overlandcanyontours.com/xphoto offers nice (spendy!) tours to a third segment of Antelope Creek that is not clogged with busloads of drooling touron zombies.

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Waterholes Canyon is the budget alternative, located just s. of Horseshoe Bend and costing something like 8$ a person for the Navajo permit. (This may be included in a Jackalope or 'X' visit, so the hike may be free!)

<br><br>

As for Jackalope itself, IMO Lower is the better bang for the buck vs. Upper. Bring a camera and tripod and they'll let you off the leash for 2 hours. They may or may not allow the family members w/o equipment the same two hour tour. Wife and kid may need to join one of the faster paced guided tours.

<p>Thank you all so much for your advice.<br>

Jairo, your travel guide will certainly help. I read it quickly and I saw some very good information already. I will print it and read it more thoroughly.<br>

I am afraid Yosemite will be too far away. But this will probably not be our one and only visit to the states. It is indeed a lot of red rock we now plan to visit so maybe we change our route and include Death Valley. Zabriskie point is also one of those places I long to visit. Something to sort out this weekend.<br>

After Vegas we will be visiting friends in New York for a week so I plan to bring my micro 4/3 camera instead of the Canon 5d3 with the 3 TS-E lenses I normally use for landscpes.<br>

My widest micro 4/3 lens at the moment is a 34mm equivalent so I will get a wider lens. Would you advice a 24mm equivalent or would 28mm be wide enough? </p>

<p>Re: accommodations in Monument Valley. Also check out the town of Mexican Hat, UT. I was able to get walk in accommodations there in early April a couple of years ago. </p>

<p>I'd probably consider the 24mm instead of a 28mm, especially if you are also taking the 34mm eq lens as well.</p>

<p>Another lodging option at Monument Valley in lieu of Gouldings, Kayenta AZ, or Mexican Hat, is The View, located at the visitor center and providing sunrise/sunset views of The Mittens right from your room. It's definitely the most upscale of any lodging available in the area.</p>

<p>http://monumentvalleyview.com</p>

<p>My suggestion is to go out via Death Valley Junction and Pahrump to Las Vegas. You'll approach Las Vegas from the Blue Diamond area on Hwy 160. Follow the directions for I-215 for Henderson. This route skirts the southern edge of the city and you'll never be in the busy downtown or strip area.<br>

From Henderson, take Hwy 93 to Kingman, then I-40 to Williams.<br>

This whole route is about 400 miles. You don't even have to go into Las Vegas; if you want to eat or buy anything, do it in Pahrump, Henderson, or Boulder City.</p>