Las Vegas 5 Day Loop Trip

Hello all, newbie here so thanks to all who help me out. I will be leaving Vegas on a Tuesday and plan on staying over near the South Rim of the Grand Canyon 2 nights. Arrive Tuesday eve and leave Thursday morning to our next destination. My thoughts were to see Antelope Canyon then to Zion NP for a couple nights. I need to be back in Vegas by Saturday eve so was wondering if this was the best use of my time. I have never been to any of these places.

Can I stop and see Antelope Canyon on the way to Zion or should I stay over in Antelope Canyon? If I stay over then I would only have 1 night to stay in Zion, arriving Friday pretty early but having to head back to Vegas sometime say noon on Saturday.

I am all ears and want to of course make the most of my time so any suggestions on what should be my priorities would be greatly appreciated. Less at GC, more at Zion or maybe other ideas. I hope to get some good suggestion. Thanks!

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

Visiting Antelope Canyon can only be done by booking a reservation on a tour. Slots (forgive the pun) for these tours fill up fast, so it may already be too late for a last minute sign up. However, don't despair. There are more than enough scenic and historic sites to easily fill a five day loop out of Las Vegas. As a basic itinerary, I'd look at spending two or three nights in the Flagstaff area and visit some of the following: Grand Canyon National Park (NP), Walnut Canyon National Monument (NM), Sunset Crater Volcano NM, Wupatki NM. After that head into southern Utah for Zion NP and possibly Bryce Canyon NP. That's more than enough to fill five days so I certainly wouldn't be looking to do more than that. But you might want to consider using one of the longest remaining stretches of old Route 66, now marked as AZ-66 from Kingman through Peach Springs and rejoining I-40 at Seligman.

AZBuck

Personally speaking I would stick to Grand canyon and Zion NP as you have seen neither before. With a day and a half of travel it only really leaves you a day and a half at each to explore with a little time to enjoy the journey in between. As Buck mentioned, a trip on Route 66 through Kingman, Peach Springs and Seligman. That will still allow you some time to enjoy the Grand canyon that afternoon and the following day where you could stay in the park or exit via the east entrance and stay at Cameron Trading post to give you a 'head start' the following day. On route to Zion you could stop at Horseshoe bend, Marble canyon and Checkaboard Mesa to take in the views. Just before the Mt Carmel tunnel into Zion there is a small parking lot for the Canyon overlook trail. Unless you stay in the park, Springdale has a variety of lodgings and is a lovely little town. If Antelope canyon is a priority then you could make it work and you certainly could visit some of the great suggestions made by Buck, it's finding a balance between quantity and quality that suits your idea of a good trip.

Cut something short and add Bryce Canyon!

Take the trails from Sunrise Point to Sunset Point. It will be the highlight of your vacation, surpassing Grand Canyon, because you get to experience it yourself!

Standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon looking down can be nice, but few can actually hike down into it. There is no personal experience.

Just about anyone can hike the three mile loop at Bryce Canyon National Park. Hike down Sunrise Point, walk along the valley floor, and hike out at Sunset Point. You will remember this for the rest of your life. It is a MUST do.

Here is a taste of what you’ll see. The video doesn’t do it justice.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nwe7L_R46Dk

And yes, it’s open in winter

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=akZxQvipS9k

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1D0EKMzr9_M

If you had to choose between Grand Canyon and Zion NP, which one would you choose?

Hi Buscher and welcome to RTA !

That's a loaded question and one that's not easily answered as it's a personal choice and they are both fantastic in their own right. On our first ever trip to the US the whole trip was planned around the Grand canyon, afterall it is a wonder of the world and shouldn't be missed ! Now that we have visited both the Grand canyon North and South rims as well as Zion NP, I wouldn't like to choose. If it was a first visit decision I would say the Grand canyon, for a re-visit I would probably opt for Zion to continue exploring the many hikes within the park. There really is no right or wrong answer so you should go with your gut, or better still try really hard to see both !