Phoenix to Grand Canyon to Kanab to Vegas

i need some advice and fast! i would like to get some info on this road trip...places to stop, sights, etc...
my friend and i are flying from nj into phoenix to spend some time at best friends animal sanctuary in kanab, utah in august 2010. we are giving ourselves bumpers for the first and last day to see some sights.
here's our time frame and loose schedule:::::

tuesday: arrive in phoenix 9:30am / camp at grand canyon pm
wednesday: leave grand canyon early morning
wednesday-sunday: animal sanctuary, utah
monday: leave sanctuary early morning / drive to zion
tuesday: leave vegas 4:30pm


i basically need info on places to camp in the south rim of the grand canyon and zion. also sights along the way AND things to look out for! i am not a traveler.
also i am packing my tent, sleeping bag and stool on the plane. is that smart?

thank you sooooooooooooo much!
-lankykarkks, NJ

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

For the Grand canyon I would recommend the Mather campground and for Zion the Watchman campground, the only problem being is that it is most likely that both are already booked up. You can check out your options here, and get info on the parks by looking here. At the Grand canyon the Desert view campground is on a "first come first served" basis, but if you are not arriving untill after lunch that could also be booked out.