3 Days in Sept - LV, GC, Bryce

Hi,
I need to plan a trip. I have 3 days. Arriving Aug 31st afternoon and leaving on Sept 3 morning/afternoon. Wanted to cover LV (1 day), Bryce Canyon(overnight stay), Zion NP(half day) and Grand Canyon(South or North). Wanted to know whats the best option.

Is it a good idea to fly to LV and then rent a car and move around or fly to Salt Lake City and drive from there towards LV covering the places en route ?

Also it would help a lot if you could suggest which order to cover the places.

Thanks!

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

I really don't think there is a way to do what you want to do, with the time you have available.

First, as far as which way to go, doing a loop from Vegas is your best bet. Distance wise, it wouldn't make much difference, and flying in/out of Vegas is likely going to be cheaper.

But I don't see how you fit it all in.

Here's the best case I can see:
You see Vegas on the afternoon you arrive (31st)
(1st) Drive to Bryce in the am, see the park in the pm.
(2nd) Drive to the North Rim in the am, see the park in the pm, drive back to Kanab for the night.
(3rd) Drive back to Vegas via Zion.

The problem is your flight is on the 3rd, and you've got a full day of stuff to do there. Between spending a half day at the park, and having 4 hours of driving, I don't see how you make it back in time to make even an afternoon flight.

That's also an extremely rushed itinerary, where I don't think you could do things any faster. At the very least, I think you have to cut either Bryce or GC just to have a chance to make things work.

Hi,
If I cut out Bryce, how much time can/should I spend at GC ?
If anyone can help with suggesting time it takes to cover major viewpoints with either a sunrise or sunset, without hiking in the GC ?
Also is just driving through Zion NP enough or is it recommended to take shuttle and hike in Zion ?
Appreciate the help!

Although the drive out of Zion is good, I would try and spend 2 or 3 hours in Zion NP by catching the shuttle bus into the canyon and strolling along the Virgin river, wonderful ! In that case I would get an early start from Vegas on the 1st and drive to the North rim, [6 hours] have a walk and enjoy a sunset. If your budget can mange it [and there are availabilities], stay at the North rim and witness the sunrise. On the 2nd drive to Zion and stay in Springdale the night before heading back to Vegas,[3.5/4 hours to airport] providing you have a pm flight that is.

For a more relaxed and focused trip you could simply head to the South rim of the Grand canyon and take in all that this wonder of the world has to offer. Hoover dam, Sunset Crater and Cameron Trading post are a few other quick visits you could consider doing this.

Hello All,
Sorry to post late and add to the same post. I have had to change my itenary. I have almost 5 days at hand now. I will be arriving in LV on Oct3 night and leaving LV on Oct 8 evening(7 pm). My plan is to spend about 1.5 -2 days in LV, a day in GC, a day in Bryce and whatever time I can, in Zion NP. Are there any better spots to choose over Bryce and Zion NP ? I am unsure whether Grand Canyon North rim is the best choice around first weekend of October ? I read that it closes around mid October ? Would Grand Canyon South Rim be a better option at that time of the year ?
Also I earlier thought to do the loop from LV--> GC --> Bryce --> Zion NP --> LV. Is there a better route ?

I am not a very experienced road tripper., thus appreciate any help/hints that can be provided. Thank you!

If you plan your time very carefully, you should be able to see the GC south rim, Bryce, and Zion, in that order.

Rough drive times with no significant stops or delays:

LV-GC : 5 hours
GC-Bryce: 6 hours
Bryce-Zion: 2 hours
Zion-LV: 3 hours

I don't recommend you drive in this part of the country off the Interstate highways after dark, because of the open range. Animals on the road (especially black cows) are hard enough to see in the daytime.

You probably need a full day to properly see the GC, 1/2 a day is doable for Bryce, and close to a full day for Zion.

So -

Oct 5 - drive from LV to the GC, spend the night in the park or in Tusayan.
Oct 6 - finish seeing the GC, drive to Bryce, spend the night at Ruby's or in Panguitch or Tropic.
Oct 7 - see Bryce, drive to and through Zion, spend the night in Springdale.
Oct 8 - see the rest of Zion, get on the road early enough to make it back to LV in time for your flight.

You would give yourself a much better cushion if you leave LV on the afternoon of the 4th and try to get as far as Williams. You could do this in the dark, but I wouldn't go north of Williams after dark. LV to Williams is 4 hours.

Hello all,
So the plan is like
Oct 3rd -reach LV..
Oct 4 afternoon - Leave LV for GC North Rim reach GC by midnight or later
Oct 5 - explore GC till sunset then leave for Bryce Canyon
Oct 6 - explore BC till sunset then drive to Zion. (Does Zion NP have any lodging or hotel facilities nearby ?)
Oct 7 - explore Zion. Option to stay back in Zion on 7th night or drive back to LV
Oct 8 - reach LV by afternoon either way.. explore half day in LV and then fly back in evening.

Does the above sound doable and is it a right choice or going to GC north instead of south Rim ( the drive from GC South Rim to BC is a long one :( )
Also I thought of doing most of the driving after dark as in Oct the days being short, I don't want to use most of daylight in driving.

Would appreciate it if you could let me know if this sounds a fair enough itenary.

I think your plan to do most of your driving in the dark is a bit problematic.

First, you'll be missing out on some great scenery, but more importantly, you're talking about driving in pretty remote areas, with limited cell phone coverage, with plenty of wildlife that could cross your path.

The other aspect is that your current route involves a lot of backtracking. You'll be driving through Zion to get to the North Rim, and then backtracking again to get back from Bryce to Zion. It would make more sense to do Bryce-GCNR-Zion, or vice versa.

There is very little lodging at the North Rim. Based on your current plans, having only one day at the Canyon, I think it would make more sense to stay in Kanab before and after your visit.

Hello,
But if I am going from LV to BC, even then wouldnt I be driving through Zion ?
Also while going from BC to GC, would I be going through Zion again ? Google maps shows that as the path, though there might an alternate route ?

I could see Kanab being 2 hours from GC. Any idea if there are any lodgings nearer to GC ?

I wish I could make the trip a little earlier with more daylight and the weather warmer :(
So need to make the most of what I can :)

From Vegas to Bryce, the fastest way is to take I-15 past Cedar City to UT-20 (which is the Google default). You can also go through Zion, which is a bit shorter, but slower too.

A big reason that the North Rim of the Canyon is less crowded is because it is in a much more remote area, and yes Kanab UT/Fredonia AZ 80 miles away is the closest town of any significant size. There are a couple of lodges that are closer, but don't expect them to be cheap.

Hello,

I got reservations at Jacob Inn,GC for Oct 6th. Thus that is dictating my itenary now.

Oct 3,4th -- Las Vegas. Reservations done

Oct 5 early AM to BC. Reach BC by afternoon and explore BC till sunset. Stay at BC (no lodge/hotels nearby available, trying for Cannonville or Panguitch)

Oct 6 -sunrise at BC and then leave for GC to reach GC by afternoon. explore GC till sunset. Stay at Jacob Inn

Oct 7 - sunrise at GC and explore till afternoon and then leave for Zion. Would I be I entering Zion from the east entrance when travelling from GC North Rim ? if so will try to do the Canyon overlook . Stay at Springfield.

Oct 8 - explore Zion during day and leave by 3 pm to reach LV by 6PM for evening flight.

Doable or too much rushed ?

The only part that would be a really big concern would be the very end of your trip. If your evening flight is at 7, like you'd mentioned previously, then I think you need to leave Zion quite a bit earlier. Its possible you could make the drive in 3 hours, but you're going to need time to return the rental car, and even worse, you'd be getting to Vegas right during rush hour. I just would want much more margin of error, probably leaving by 1 at the latest. At worst, you get back a little early and have a meal before your flight.

Don't forget, even Jacob Inn is 45 minutes from the Grand Canyon. That shouldn't impact your plans too much, but you will need to factor the commute into your plans.

May I suggest the following route from LV to Bryce? Take I-15 to Cedar City, then take UT-14 to UT-148 and go up through Cedar Breaks. From there, you can take UT-173 to Panguitch. Panguitch has several motels, none of which get very good reviews. You can also check for lodging in Tropic.

From the GC north rim, you can go in to Zion either way - you make your choice at Fredonia. Staying on Alt-89 will bring you back to Kanab to take US-89 to UT-9 to go in the east entrance through the tunnel. AZ-389/UT-59 will take you to UT-9 at Hurricane.

Hi GLC,
Is the route from LV to BC through Cedar Breaks more scenic than I15 ? google shows it takes about 30-40 minutes more to reach Bryce.

Also from GC to Zion I would definitely wish to take US89 then UT9 to go through the east entrance to Zion. I believe that route is more scenic.

Also from Bryce to GC is there any easier/faster route than US-89 through Kanab and then US89A ?

UT-14/UT-148/UT-173 is MUCH more scenic than staying on I-15 to UT-20, and it's actually about 10 miles shorter.

Nothing is faster from Bryce to GC North than US-89/Alt-89 through Fredonia.

Hello All,
The revised itenary is :
3rd Oct : LV
4th Oct : LV
5th Oct AM : LV to Bryce Canyon. Reach BC by 1-2 PM. Trying to go by I-15 through Cedar Breaks. I-15 to UT14 to UT 148 to UT143. Any idea if UT 14 is open now? (read somewhere that it is open selected times of the day).
Start at Rainbow point at BC and work way towards Sunset point. Do the Navajo trail around 4ish. Watch sunset. Night at Ruby's Inn.
6th Oct : Watch sunrise at Bryce. Leave for Grand Canyon on UT 89. Reach Grand Canyon by 1 pm. Not sure which trails are doable in a couple of hours at GC. Check various points at GC. Watch sunset. Night stay at the lodge.
7th Oct : Watch sunrise at GC. Check remaining lookout points and start for Zion by 1-2 PM to enter Zion through the East entrance by 4 PM. Check the Canyon overlook trail before the tunnel and reach Springdale at sunset. Lodge at Springdale.
8th Oct : Zion -weeping rock, emerald pools, is angels landing feasible in a couple of hours ? .Try to leave Zion by 2 PM to reach LV by 6 PM (gain an hour on entering Nevada) to fly out at 7 PM.

Would appreciate if anyone had suggestions on good short trails at Bryce, Grand Canyon and Zion ? Any other advice would help too. I know this is a very short time at each of the places. But that's the best I can with the available time and I would rather cover all 3 than drop any one.\

Thanks again!

Utah 14 is open 24/7 but it's still a construction zone. Shouldn't be a problem.

To do the complete Angels landing hike, I believe it would take 4-5 hours. The ever popular Riverside walk is a very pleasant and rewarding stroll through Zion, as you follow the Virgin River to the Narrows, where you have to walk in the River to continue. Weeping rock is a quick walk and Emerald Pools is very nice and will take an hour or two depending on if you go to the 'upper pool'.

The rim Trail between Sunrise and Sunset point in Bryce is a comfortable stroll with nice views. As you arrive at the parks you will be offered leaflets and Rangers are only to happy to talk about their favourite spots, so really you can leave the final plans until you arrive and see how you feel with the time you have available and decide from there, but I think with the limited time in Zion, Angels Landing could be too much. Like me, you could put it on your 'to do list' and save it for another visit !

When you enter each park, tell the ranger in the booth exactly how much time you have and ask for a recommendation for the best use of your time. They may refer you to the visitor's center but they may be able to tell you directly.

Thanks for the updates glc and dave!
I had done the 'lower Emerald pool' in June this year, but was disappointed as there wasn't much water. Hope the 'upper pool' is better this time. I had done the riverside walk last time and it was good. Hope to go a little further this time to the opening of the narrows (ambitious.. :))