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Las Vegas - Grand Canyon - Bryce - Zion trip


swami

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We are planning a trip to Las Vegas - Grand Canyon - Monument Valley - Page -

Bryce - Zion in the first week of June. Had few questions about what to do/look

for in Vegas. We'll be in Vegas for two nights and a day and staying on the Strip.

 

* Given that we are going to this big trip around the Grand Canyon etc., is it

worthwhile to go to the Red Rock Canyon?

 

* Am interested in seeing the hotels on the Strip (no interest in gambling).

Which hotels would be worth going to? Was planning to see the hotel interiors

during the day and the Strip at night. Makes sense?

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Red Rock Canyon is fine, but unless you have extreme weather it will pale by comparison to the other places you mention. I haven't been in Las vegas for four or five years, but to me the most innovative and interesting hotels are Caesars Palace, Bellagio, The Venetian, and the outside of New York, New York. Walking the Strip at any time ofthe day makes sense-its not just the hotels that have architectural interest.

 

The trip looks like a bit of a rush. Will you have much time to actually see anything?

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The Palazzo is also a good hotel to see.Also, Caesar's Palace for the "sky", the Bellagio for the fountains, If you are traveling with kids, you have to go to the hotel with the pirate ship (sorry, the name escapes me) :). Hope that helps
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I would say not to waste your time with Red Rock Canyon. If you want to spend a day somewhere near Vegas that is scenic, go to Valley of Fire instead. As far as what to do in Vegas, if you do go to the Venetion, definately go see the Peter Lik gallery. Mostly southwestern landscapes, printed HUGE, maybe too big, but nice none the less. Also, head to the stratosphere and ride the Big Shot, an amazing experience at night, if you're a thrill seeker! Dont try to cram too much in to your week. You'll spend more time driving than photographing.
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I agree Red Rock is nice but not really needed if taking in the round the canyon trip and other parks.

 

The Bellagio lobby has quite an interesting art glass "ceiling" by Dale Chihuly, and you can't miss it on the way to the conservatory, an interior garden with seasonal decorating! Sunset is a good time here if you want to catch the area, it's across the street from the "Eiffel Tower." Main Street Station (old downtown, near Fremont Street.). has a lot of interesting glasswork and Victorian era glitz, early AM can be good as there are fewer gamblers and they may be relaxed about shooting it. Luxor used to be very King Tutish but have heard they are remodeling. The intersection with MGM Grand, Excalibur, Luxor and New York is good for photogrpahy because there are pedestrian walkways so there are convenient uncongested places to deal with tripods.

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Thanks for the feedback.

 

David, I've read a number of your posts on this forum and have learnt a lot from them. So, thanks for your reply as well as your other posts.

 

You are right about this trip being rushed. You have no idea ;-)))) Am trying to fulfill my parents' lifelong wish to see the Grand Canyon and the Southwest. Have to balance that with the fact that my two year old wouldn't particularly like to go on a long trip away from home. Would have preferred to go on a longer trip but can't do it this time.

 

The trip will be spread over 8 days with approx. 3 hrs. driving each day. I've tried to keep 3 hrs. for sunrise and 3 hrs. for sunset each day; with the rest of the day open. As long as the weather co-operates, it should work out fine. Keeping my fingers crossed ;-)

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Just remember that in June it's likely to be over 100 degrees in the daytime. So, hanging out in the casinos in the daytime and walking the Strip at night might be a good plan. Though, oddly sometimes it doesn't seem to cool off that much at night. The casinos on the strip are pretty far apart in places, they look closer than they are because they're so big.

 

The top of the Stratosphere is a great place to be at sunset. There's a restaurant at the top, not as I remember a great one, but worth it for the view. There's also a observation deck.

 

I'd suggest spending some time downtown on Fremont Street, the downtown casinos are smaller and much closer together, though not as posh. There are lots of gift shops too. Fremont has a cool overhead light show at night. Main Street Station is really pretty, my favorite downtown casino.

 

I second Valley of Fire over Red Rock.

 

And remember, if you do have the kids with you, you can walk through the casino part with them but you're not suppose stop and gamble or linger. There used to be rules against taking pictures inside the casino, the gambling area, but not sure how well that is enforced these days.

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Las Vegas - Grand Canyon - Monument Valley - Page - Bryce - Zion in 8 days? And 2 nights of it on the strip? I strongly recommend you examine a map and the distances involved and reconsider your schedule.

 

Vegas: everyone has provided good advice so far. The Bellagio Conservatory and fountains are great. I like to shoot from the front of Bellagio (elevated) over the fountains toward the Paris - particularly good at twilight. The views from the top of the Eiffel Tower and Stratosphere are excellent around twilight, too. The Stratosphere has some of the most radical rides on top of the tower, too, but not for the timid.

 

Elevated crosswalks over the strip can provide good shooting spots. There are stores like Peter Lik's also at the Planet Hollywood shops (used to be the Desert Passage, may still be) and Caesar's - can't recall the store names at the moment. The casino with the pirate ship is the Treasure Island, but the show isn't family-friendly anymore. Kind of a "Bimbos of the Caribbean" thing these days. The kids will probably like the 4-story M&M's store.

 

Red Rock pales in comparison to the other destinations, but is an easy drive from the strip and a pleasant air-conditioned ride with the parents to see its distinctive geology. It takes about 20-30 minutes to get there, and it's a 12 mile loop to drive thru. There's a fee (national conservation area). Valley of Fire is a state park about an hour from the strip (out I-15, following the signs). This would probably involve more walking the desert heat than Red Rock. You have to decide whether that's an issue.

 

Beware the June weather. Expect 100 degrees in Vegas and hope there's no wind (like pointing the blow dryer in your own face). Take plenty of water in the car everywhere you go. And Ronin is right - those casinos are most definately farther away than they look - something to be careful with in the heat unless you and the parents are in very good physical condition. The London-style double-deck buses (called the Deuce) run up and down the strip and are a good alternative to a cab. Given the climate here, good weather is likely for early June.

 

Have a great time. Any one of your destinations would make a great week's trip.

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I fully appreciate your concern about this being a rushed trip and have been agonizing over it myself for quite some time.

 

I would have preferred to skip Grand Canyon & Las Vegas altogether and spend the 8 days in Zion - Bryce - Page - Monument Valley. But can't do that due to a million personal reasons. Grand Canyon and Las Vegas have to be on the trip and I really want to see Bryce and Zion.

 

Given the constraints, any suggestions on how the trip could be restructured to be more manageable. Options are:

* Maybe dropping Monument Valley or Page may be an option.

* Go to the GC North Rim instead of the South and cut out Monument Valley

 

Will going to the North Rim make the trip less hectic? I really would like to be able to some good photographs of the GC (given the limited time). And my dad is an avid photographer too.

 

Thanks again for all your comments and suggestions.

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You could spend the first day and night at the strip. Head out early the next day, and spend the day at the South Rim of GC. Shoot sunrise the next day, then head up to Page and do the slots during the day, and maybe stay in Page that night. You could then head to Monument Valley and spend the afternoon and next morning shooting there. Then you could head all the way back to Bryce for the afternoon and sunrise the next morning. Finally, head down to Zion and spend the afternoon and next day there, then head to Vegas for the last night. I think that works in your schedule, or close to it. Of course, this is all based on good weather, and you and your family being satisfied with seeing all these areas, even if you dont get great pictures of each location. Its a comprimise between seeing everything, and coming back with wall hangers. It'll be difficult to do both to the maximum.

 

Adam

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"We are planning a trip to Las Vegas - Grand Canyon - Monument Valley - Page - Bryce - Zion in the first week of June. Had few questions about what to do/look for in Vegas. We'll be in Vegas for two nights and a day and staying on the Strip."

 

Ok, I've been to these places a few times, and your 8 days is not enough time.

 

2 nites in vegas.

 

Drive to Grand Canyon, this is the best part of a day, including a stop at Hoover Dam. stay at the Red Feather Lodge, book in advance, this place is packed. Shuttle buses take you along the west rim from the village, unless you have a valid handicapped parking permit.

 

2 nites(3,4) at the GC. Don't miss the Imax movie, its awesome.

You can stop at the viewpoints on the east drive on your way out.

 

Drive out thru the park heading northwest to Monument valley. A good 1/2- 3/4 a day's drive.

Overnight(5) in Kayenta.

 

Full days drive, 240 miles of scenic highway and the Glen Canyon Dam, over to Hurricane UT (6)just west of Zion.

 

There is little driving in Zion, they have free shuttle buses to take you thru the park.

Odds are you'll be spending 2 nites (6,7)here (Hurricane)as well.

 

Times up, head home. You will need two more days to squeeze in Brice Canyon.

 

Now if you drop Monument Valley, you might be able to squeeze in Brice. Depending on how you are getting to and from Vegas from where ever you live. Brice is a whole day, and vehicle friendly. You can drive there from Zion and have a few hours and then head west to Cedar City for accommodation, but you'd better have something booked. There is not much accommodation at Brice.

 

Your three hours a day of driving per day is way underestimated. It's an hour alone from Williams to the Grand Canyon, Allow 5 hours from Vegas to the GC, plus a security check before you drive over the dam. On the rest of the trip, you are mostly driving on two lane roads, use 45-50mph as your average driving speed to calculate time from A to B.

 

I'm not trying to factor in delays with children, as mine are grown up and I don't mind 800 mile days in the land yacht or on my motorcycle. :)

 

Plan well and enjoy. You will need a cooler, ice and LOTS of bottled water.

 

Personally, I'd only spend one nite in Vegas, the real scenery out of town is much nicer than the Vegas combination of Walt Disney and George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic on speed. :)

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Your trip is just too ambitious to be enjoyable because you have not alloted enough time to

accomplish it all. If you don't already have reservations for the Grand Canyon, it's entirely

possible that you will not be able to get them at this late date. It is the most popular tourist

attraction in the country, rooms go very fast. I would also make reservations for Kayenta

(Monument Valley), if you plan to stay there, and the best place to stay is the Holiday Inn.

Unless things have changed, there are only two motels in Kayenta, and you plan to go during

the busiest part of the year.

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Ok, let me specify the itinerary that I have. It is not set in stone and your experiences seem to indicate that it might be too much to do.

 

Here goes:

 

Day 1:

- Fly into LAS.

- Drive out to Kingman AZ (pit stop at Hoover Dam): 2 hour drive

- Stay at Kingman: Have reservations

 

Day 2:

- Kingman to Grand Canyon South Rim: 3 hrs

- Spend day in GC, watch sunset

 

Day 3:

- Watch sunrise

- Leave for Monument Valley around noon: 3 hr drive

- See Monument Valley -> Watching sunset not possible because this would be a long day for the kid. Really want to experience the place more than anything else.

- Monument Valley to Page: 2 hrs

 

Day 4:

- Stopping at Page mainly to break up a long drive and am keen on seeing the Antelope Canyons. Wouldn't mind dropping Page.

- Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon tour

- Page to Bryce Canyon: 3 hrs.

- Sunset at Bryce

 

Day 5:

- Sunrise at Bryce

- Day in Bryce

- Bryce to Zion: 2 hrs

- Sunset at Zion

 

Day 6:

- Sunrise at Zion

- Day in Zion

- Zion to LAS: 3 hrs.

 

Day 7:

- LAS

 

Day 8:

- Catch flight in the morning

 

So, on most days, we would be driving for a max of 3 hrs. usually in the middle of the day or after dark. I've used Google maps to determine the time taken to from point A to point B. But your experiences seem to indicate that it might take longer. I do have reservations everywhere except LAS and Bryce (waiting for confirmations from Bryce). And I'm hoping that the weather will hold up. Fingers crossed.

 

Of course, I would love to double the amount of time in each one of these places. The other option is to cut a couple of places. Any ideas on what could be cut?

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Oh one more thing, that I should have clarified earlier. There will be almost no hiking involved in this trip. I may go on a couple in Zion but that's about it. And I'm fully aware that my photography would be limited by it, but can't do it on this trip.

 

So that does cut down on the time taken to see most of these places.

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It's a really long drive, and while you probably could save some by not looping around the canyon on the south, just going from Vegas along the north side to Monument Valley and 4 Corners, I'm not sure that it's really that big a difference. You'd have to count the miles on a map or mapping program. There is somewhat less to see between Page, South Rim village, then Williams and back via Kingman (or vice versa) but that may be faster travel as well.

 

Having a 2 year old along will greatly complicate things, depends on their tolerance for a car seat and your tolerance fopr a 2 year old in a car seat. You should expect hot to brutally hot daytime temperatures for much of the area - how well your whole party can deal with that will make a difference in what you can do.

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4 Corners? He didn't say anything about going as far East as 4 Corners. There's not much

to see there anyway. The way he has it routed offers the best traveling time, plus he can

exit the Grand Canyon to the East, going past Busy Bee (Desert View), providing quicker

access to Kayenta and Monument Valley.

 

A word of caution, if there's any night driving involved to or from Kayenta, and around

Page, watch out for horses and cattle in the roadway. In fact, the entire reservation area

offers that hazard. The horses will likely be hobbled, so they can't move very fast. Anyway

hitting one can not only ruin your trip, but folks in the vehicle are subject to injury, or

worse.

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bryce is awesome. when i got there i took one picture, packed my stuff and called home for more film! i spent 7 days there. one of the best photo ops around! i was not that thrilled about zion (and i am/was a rock climber!)

 

it is better to see a lot of a little than a little of a lot!

 

eddie

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"Bryce is awesome"

 

Interestingly my opinion was the opposite. I thought Bryce was pretty much a one trick pony - first hour of the day, from the rim at various points, and most of the shots look very similar unless it snows. No late light to speak of, since the amphitheatre is east facing. The walks down in the amphitheatre weren't terribly productive and are really a way of filling in a bit of time between early mornings- that's maybe a little harsh but 90% of my photos and all the good ones are from the rim. A trip to Cedar Breaks in the afternoon (it faces west and is nearly as nice) is useful if you get fed up of driving between the Bryce viewpoints in hard overhead light.

 

Meanwhile Zion has much more variety- views in all directions, at least three very different environments- the valley, the plateau, and the walk to and through the narrows. More variety in the walks. A decent village nearby (Springdale) if you need an expresso or something different from hotel food.

 

I think I'd as soon spend a day in Bryce as Zion, but if its two or more days, I'll take Zion. I have to say though that the shuttle buses there (and at GC south rim) are a pain- and its really frustrating to spend part of your limited time at these locations waiting at bus stops with loads of people. Its like being in London.

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I'm not sure were I got that 4 Corners thing. Sorry about that. I think what I was thinking about was would it make a difference if you cut off the south rim side of the trip and while it might save some overall travel distance compared to out and back from Vegas around the north side and entered 4 corners into Mapquest to get a spot for a map. The one really long stretch being from Vegas to South Rim and I was thinking if you could stretch the first day all the way to the South Rim or maybe Williams but I'm not sure you'd gain anything (except earlier arrival at the canyon) and depending on what the travel to Vegas is like, making that kind of long drive the first day might be really uncomfortable. And would maybe require juggling reservations and that might be tough now.
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I wanted to drive all the way to the South Rim the first day. But after a four hour flight, another four and half hours of driving would make my daughter too crabby for the rest of the trip. Hence dropped the idea.
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The advantage of Four Corners over Bryce/Zion/Grand Canyon is that it's real-world...no cynical photo-mocking-of-tourists, no ripoffs, no culture-trash. Actual cowboys, actual oilmen, actual Indians, actually doing what they do. The real America, the real West.

 

Do Vegas if you're like that, forget nature. Or do nature, forget Vegas. The Canyon rim is worth a trip when you have a lot of time, but you'll blow away an entire day...and you'll mostly see German tourists and mobile homes, parking lot squalor. Driving around the Canyon is in no way similar to hiking into the canyon.

 

If it were me, I'd abandon the entire Vegas idea (what's the point..do you like that stuff?) and go to Canyon de Chelly in Arizona, and I'd walk (gentle hike) in with a Navajo guide or guided group (do both...cheap). Learn something, take a significant experience home with you.

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Of course all of this calls for the personal choices of the individual making the trip. But,

there's very little to see between Kayenta and 4 Corners. I would not make the trip just to

pass by Baby Rocks, Dennehotso, Mexcian Water, and Teec Nos Pos. Once you get to 4

Corners, don't expect much beyond the Teec Nos Pos trading post, and a plaque at the

actual 4 Corners site.

 

As for seeing indians, yep, what else would you expect smack in the middle of the Navajo

Reservation? In fact, the indians around Kayenta, and Monument Valley, look just like the

indians that you very likely will not see at 4 corners. As for cowboys, in 25 years of

regularly serving and traversing that entire part of the US, I've never seen even one on the

reservation.

 

4 Corners is a place that one passes by on the way to someplace else. It's a little photo op,

where you can stretch your legs before continuing your trip to a real place. I've nothing

against 4 Corners, but in most cases it's a very long way to travel just to see that plaque.

I'd stop there on the way to Mesa Verde, or Cortez, Colorado, or other destinations that

carry you that way. I wouldn't go there specifically, it would be a major let down.

 

The Canyon deChelly is a great place to visit, but probably not with a two year old in tow.

One must also understand that services are not always close at hand on the reservation.

There's not much out there on the reservation but wilderness, and a few small settlements.

If I wanted to take a trip to that area East of Kayenta, I would not fly into Las Vegas to do it,

there are other airports much closer.

 

From the Grand Canyon, it's easy to make Monument Valley a stop, but going further East

on a limited time schedule is another matter. It would cost an entire day of the trip, for

little in return.

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Had some questions about zoom lens and filters for this trip.

 

I have a Canon Rebel XTi with a Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 lens. An adequate setup. Does it make sense to get a 70-300m lens for this trip? I suspect that Monument Valley and Bryce are two places, where having a zoom lens could come in handy. Opinions?

 

Also, I have a circular polarizer and UV filter from my Canon Elan II days. Does it make sense to use a circular polarizer with a DSLR? E.g.

can't one post-process the photo to make the sky look bluer?

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