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Hey guys, i'm going to be in Vegas (from Hawaii) for a week and looking to road trip a few days while on the mainland. I'm thinking maybe driving to Yosemete, Utah Salt Flats, or Grand Canyon and staying in maybe 2 of those sites for a night before heading back to vegas as the central point. Which points do you guys would be the most worthwhile and maybe have the best scenery in between? Thanks a bunch!!
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Unfortunately, Las Vegas sits in the Mojave Desert, which is bounded on the south by the Sonora Desert and on the north by the Great Basin Desert. So there's nothing as scenic as what you're used to in the Islands. The area just to the south of the Grand Canyon is mountainous and forested, as are the Sierra Nevada between Las Vegas and Yosemite. But neither of those sites is an easy day trip from Las Vegas. You will need to plan on staying at least overnight near the Canyon and at least two nights in the Yosemite area to make such trips worthwhile. Otherwise the scenery is going to consist of mostly scrub desert interspersed with some spectacular red rock formations. There are a couple of smaller venues, Red Rock and Valley of Fire State Parks, near Las Vegas, and Zion National Park north of town. Zion will also require an overnight stay if you want to do much more than drive there, take a quick look, and drive back. The Bonneville Salt Flats are a full day's drive each way and flat, featureless playa when you get there. For my money, I'd take two days to go to the Grand Canyon and back, making every effort to be on the Rim Trail for sunset and sunrise, and two days to go up to Zion for some hiking.
AZBuck
RoadTrip America is based in Las Vegas because of the direct proximity to outstanding road trip venues and destinations all within a day's travel. Here are some daytrip options from Las Vegas. A few more Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, Sheep Range, Joshua Tree National Park. Grapevine Canyon, etc. etc. You can find some pretty incredible places to road trip from Las Vegas. But AZBuck is correct, you need two days to go to either the Grand Canyon or Yosemite from Las Vegas.
Mark