The trip of a lifetime!

[The Diceman]

Hi, I am from England. I am taking my family on the trip of a lifetime. We are spending a month touring the States. The East Coast, Florida and this is where you guys come in………we are spending the last 10 days of our trip driving from Las Vegas to Denver. I am after suggestions of great things to do, routes to take, places to stay, keeping in mind kids are 10 and 15 and we’ll need to get the balance right. Also wouldn’t mind advice on cheap car hire? Have travelled, worked and lived in the States some years ago so know the basics.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Hi, I am from England. I am taking my family on the trip of a lifetime. We are spending a month touring the States.

Welcome to the Forum. Sounds like a great trip. What time of year will you be in the West?

Mark

[The Diceman]

Ooops! Leave UK in 10 days. Will be in the West from 18th through to the 30th. Las vegas for 2 days (cant decide on hotel, so much choice) - then car hire and off we go on the 20th...10 days from Las vegas to Denver and we fly home on the 30th.....10 days and so much to do! Any thoughts re trip? Cheap good car hire? Many thanks!

[PNW Judy]

You might just check the Web for prices of the various car agencies. If you go to Expedia or Travelocity or other similar travel websites, most of them have where you can choose renting a car and then they will list available options to choose from. This should give you a good idea on pricing and get you started with choice. But prices are always hire if you pick-up in one area and drop-off in another so plan for that. Also, there is the matter of the daily insurance rate. Depending on your own vehicle insurance and the credit card you use, you may or may not need this.

You might check out the International Page here for some more info that might be helpful.

There are so many ways you can go Las Vegas-to-Denver that it's hard to give you recommendations without knowing what you want to see. Do you have any particular sights on your "must-see" list?

You can do Vegas-Grand Canyon-Zion-Bryce-Grand Staircase/Escalante-Arches-Glenwood Springs-and onto Denver.

You can do Flagstaff-Gallup-Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Taos-and north to Denver.

You can do Grand Canyon-Monument Valley-4 Corners-Mesa Verde-Durango-and more to Denver.

And there's even more routes than that. Give us more specifics on what you want to see and we can all probably give you better advice. You might try a search for the many threads of that area to give you some ideas. I hope this gets you going in the right direction.

[The Diceman]

Thanks for taking the time to post! Am thinking of Grand Canyon, Monument Valley......and then not really sure. Thinkng of Moab, Arches NP, Grand Junction, then a train to Granby, a Dude Ranch and then onto to Denver and home! What do you think? Anything else along that route you can suggest - places to see, to stay, etc. Thanks again!

[PNW Judy]

There are others here far more familiar with this part of the country. Hopefully, they'll chime in. If not, there are scads of posts here about these areas so you might do a search and see what you can learn by gleaning old posts.

Here's what I would suggest:

* You might consider leaving Las Vegas by going north on I-15 so that you can see Zion first.
* After Zion, you'll go through Kanab which is a neat little town. Movie Town is kinda fun there.
* Then head to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. It's quite different than the view from the south rim (which is where most tourists go). It's less crowded, more green, and amazing.
* Then head toward the south rim. Along the way you might want to check out the displays at the Navajo Bridge and Lee's Ferry. If you have time, you might want to zip into Page. It's a good place to stay overnight and there is lots to see and do there.
* Then head into the south rim area. Don't miss Watchtower and the Tusayin Ruins which you would come to prior to Grand Canyon Village.
* You can retrace just a short bit of this route on the way to Monument Valley but, since I've never been to Monument Valley, I can't offer much advice there.
* Between Monument Valley and Moab, you'll be going through some incredible countryside. If you have time, swing into Canyonlands. When I was through there, I didn't have time for that and I regret it. I hope to get back down that way someday soon.
* Moab: just south of Moab is a fun place called "Hole in the Rock". This is a home actually carved into the rock. A fun, decorated and homey cave. In this hot part of the country, it would be a wonderful cool place to live. No need for air conditioning.
* The chair lift in Moab is kinda neat and gives you a nice view of the are. There are also lots of great river-rafting trips on the Colorado in this area. North of Moab is a fun "ranch" where you can get a great BBQ dinner with a western show. Even my "very jaded" 14 year old son really enjoyed it. I had a blast.
* Of course, Arches is fantastic. If you want to mountain bike parts of it, there are bike rentals available.
* You might enjoy visiting Mike the Headless Chicken and the dinosaur statues in Fruita, CO.
* In Glenwood Springs is my most favorite rest stop in the country. Nice facilities, great trails, and a fantastic river runs through it. It's just on the east side of Glenwood Springs on the I-70. You might also check out Doc Holliday's grave (he died at a sanitarium there) and they have a huge, outdoor hot spring. I didn't stop there so I can't comment on it but I've heard it's very cool.

That's about all I know off the top of my head.

If this route makes your timing tight, you might head just to the south rim of the Grand Canyon skipping Zion, the north rim, Page, etc. And, if you go direct to the south rim, you will be driving past Hoover Dam. Also a great sight to see.

If you have more questions, let us know.