Planning roadtrip from LA to Arizona...suggestions needed

[fluteboi]

Hi everyone,

I am planning a trip from LA to see the grand canyon in September. Here is a brief outline of my plan so far.

Day 1 - LA - Havasu City - Flagstaff
Day 2 - South rim
Day 3 - North rim
Day 4 - North rim - Las Vegas

After that is kind of flexible as to how long I am staying in vegas before returning to LA.

Anyone have any suggestions as to what are must see along the routes that I am traveling? Scenery for great photos are highly desired. Thanks for the tip!! :)

[Mass Tim]

Welcome to the RoadTrip America Forum!

I don't see anything wrong with this plan, though the first day seems a bit tight if you are planning on stopping for more than a couple of hours in Lake Havasu City.

Also, I think you will find plenty of great scenery along these routes. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon provides quite a contrast to the South Rim, especially upon approach due to the higher elevation.

[RedCorral]

Howdy,

A scenic alternative to the I-40 Lake Havasu City route would be to take I-10 to Blythe (side trip north 15 miles to the geoglyphs - you can see 4 or 5 after a short drive on a fairly bumpy gravel road) then on to Prescott.

From there to Sedona and north to Flagstaff. (It is the Prescott to Sedona to Flagstaff part of the trip that is particularly scenic, but the first part is all classic SW desert.)

All totalled, 475 miles.

If you got a very early start and didn't mind driving all day, you could even do a loop from I-10 to Twenty-nine Palms through Joshua Tree NP and back on I-10. It wouldn't add a lot of miles, but it would add some time.

Just a thought to make your travel planning more complicated!

Craig Sheumaker
co-author of the travel guide: America's Living History-The Early Years