Las Vegas - Las Vegas

[morphsie]

I'll be travelling the south-west between 28 september and 9 october:

This is the itinerary:

28-30 sept: Las Vegas
30 sept: Las Vegas - Red Rock Canyon - Death Valley - Ridgecrest - Barstow
1 oct: Barstow - Mojave Desert - Kingman - Williams
2 oct: Williams - Grand Canyon - Flagstaff
3 oct: Flagstaff - Holbrook - Kayenta (visits to Barringer Crater, Painted Desert and Petrified Forest)
4 oct: Kayenta - Monument Valley - Goosenecks State Park - Moki Dugway - Page
5 oct: Page - Glen Canyon Dam - Lake Powell - Big Water - through Grand Staircase - Kanab
6 oct: Kanab - Bryce Canyon - St. George
7 oct: St. George - Zion Park - Henderson
8 oct: Henderson - Hooverdam - Las Vegas
9 oct: flight back home...

I know it's a busy program and it's like 2200 miles of driving...
Is it possible? We would like to time some time to get out of the car and make some short strolls.
What about driving in the dark?
Toll roads?

Any information is welcome!

[Robert Schaller]

You're right, this is mostly driving. Without resorting to times and distances, I'd say that just eyeballing it, it can probably be done. You won't have much time to stop and explore though, I'm guessing, as your miles are ambitious.

I'd discourage your driving in the dark -- there's no problem in doing it, but there's so much scenery that you'll not want to miss anything by passing by in darkness.

I think your route could be a little more efficient -- you've got a bit of doubling back in this one. I'll work on this and see if I can come up with a more direct route for you. Back later! Bob

[Mark Sedenquist]

I'll be travelling the south-west between 28 september and 9 october:

Although it is technically possible to cover these distances on these days, you will not have time for walking about. So, a couple of suggestions:

30 sept: Las Vegas - Red Rock Canyon - Death Valley - Ridgecrest - Barstow

If you drive the "loop" inside the park at Red Rock -- I recommend it -- the speed limit is 35 mph and your average speed will be about 15 mph or less -- so I would recommend that cut out Ridgecrest and Barstow and stay overnight in Baker, or if you can -- Furnace Creek in Death Valley.
Day 2: From Baker you can either drive through part of the Mojave National Preserve and drive past Kelso Dunes: down to I-40 and over to Kingman and points east or you can continue north on I-15 to exit 286 and take the road to Nipton and then NV-164 over to US-95 crossing the Colorado at Laughlin. That road between Nipton and US-95 has an awesome Joshua Tree forest. Plus, the route to Laughlin takes you right past the petroglyphs at Grapevine Canyon (take 1 hour and walk up there -- you will be amazed) if you push it, you could make Williams this night.

2 oct: Williams - Grand Canyon - Flagstaff
3 oct: Flagstaff - Holbrook - Kayenta (visits to Barringer Crater, Painted Desert and Petrified Forest)

Phew! This is a long day of driving -- you need to figure that your time spent in the parks will average no more than 15 mph average speed. The rest of your schedule is doable -- but I can guarantee that you will have to spend 2-3 hours driving at night every day to see what you have listed during the day.

In any case, we look forward to reading your field report!

Mark

[Robert Schaller]

MS Streets and Trips comes up with the most efficient route as -- the one you outlined, only in reverse. They just have to be different, I guess. However, there are a couple of adjustments I'd make (the order of one or two stops), if you're still planning to do the whole thing after reading Mark's response. The route can be covered in 43 hours of driving time, plus the additional time in the parks as Mark suggests (at slower speeds). I'm also mentioning a couple other attractions for your consideration, just to complicate things.

Las Vegas -- Red Rock Canyon -- Death Valley -- Ridgecrest -- Barstow -- Oatman, AZ - Kingman -- Williams -- Grand Canyon -- Flagstaff -- Meteor Crater -- Petrified Forest -- Hubbell Trading Post (Ganado, AZ) -- Canyon de Chelly -- Monument Valley -- Goosenecks -- Moki Dugway -- Capitol Reef National Park -- Bryce Canyon -- Grand Staircase/Escalante -- Lake Powell/Page -- North Rim, Grand Canyon -- Zion National Park -- Valley of Fire State Park -- Hoover Dam -- Las Vegas

There really aren't any toll roads this far west, so no worries there. Bob

[PNW Judy]

I think Mark gave you some great advice on how to shave off a few miles but still get a great trip. Bob's suggestions on re-routing are also good and worth considering.

To be honest, I'm all for speed runs but I think you're over-scheduling yourself. If I were you, I'd make a few cuts in the sights you plan on seeing along the way so you have a bit more time in the other places. You might want to make a list of the "must-sees". I just think you're going to regret not having more time to explore the great places you're going to be whizzing by.

[morphsie]

Thanks for the great tips!
Yeah I considered it was a bit too rushy and a bit much driving...
The one problem I have is:
Flagstaff to Kayenta (it's just a bit too much...)
But how do I get close from Flagstaff to Kayenta without missing out on the petrified forest and the meteor crater?

What about driving to Chinle? And the next day to Monument Valley and so on?

What do you consider as must-sees?

[Mark Sedenquist]

Yeah I considered it was a bit too rushy and a bit much driving...The one problem I have is:
Flagstaff to Kayenta (it's just a bit too much...)
But how do I get close from Flagstaff to Kayenta without missing out on the petrified forest and the meteor crater?

I really enjoy driving and exploring the four corners area, specifically Monument Valley and the mesas in the Hopi Nation lands. Gerald Thurman, one of our RoadTrip Advisors, has a great field report & slide show from this four corner region. That being said, my advice would be to cut Holbrook, Canyon de Chelly, Monument Valley and Kayenta from your trip. Save that for next time. And use this "found time" to really enjoy your exploration of Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce. Judy is right -- it is shame to blast past so much natural wonder. Here is a field report I prepared about the north Rim and Bryce and a couple of other prime spots on the way. Here is another one about Zion. And finally a brief one about Hoover Dam.

Mark

[morphsie]

Well I'm starting to get a bit confused...

Maybe someone can make a suggestion for this road trip?

Arrival in Las Vegas 2 nights

I want to see IF possible in a normal way:

Death Valley and bad water basin

Grand Canyon (South rim)

Barringer Crater

Drive Thru Petrified Forest

Monument Valley

Bryce Canyon

Zion Canyon

Hoover Dam

Back to Vegas :)

[Mark Sedenquist]

Well I'm starting to get a bit confused...

This is a community of roadtrippers, many of us have a couple million miles of road trip experience. There are ample examples of routing suggestions on this board, in fact, your original route is doable, as we have mentioned, but it would not be the route that most of us would choose. That being said, you get to choose your own route -- you are in charge -- if you want to be on the road 12-14 hours each day, the route & interim destinations you have specified will work just fine. If, on the other hand you would like to travel at a slightly less hectic pace, you will have trim the destinations a little bit. We are thrilled to share our experiences, but point a to point b roadtrip routing is not generally what we share here.

Mark

[morphsie]

Ok maybe I underestimate the vast size of the outback...
I downloaded Streets and Trips and Inserted a slightly modified route.
I'm now at 1600 miles in 8 days that seems more doable I guess.
Thanks for all the answers!