I need help where planning to Travel from Las Vegas to UT➡️AZ➡️CA

[pleumjit]

Im seeking for an advice. Where actually going to Las Vegas this weekend but where planing to travel to UT (Arches and Monument Valley) then AZ (Antelope and Horseshoe ben) and also we wanna visit four corners state monument then headback to LA. Im wondering how we can visit those places in order so we dont waste gas and time within 2days. I need an advice. Thank you!

[Lifemagician]

Welcome to the Great American Roadtrip Forum.

Are you driving from LA to LV? You mention two days. When do the two days start and end? Sat morn to Sun night? in LV or when you leave home?

One of the best things you can do today or tomorrow is to go to the AAA and pick up map(s) of the area. With good maps while on the road, you can see which routes to follow to get from one point to the other. Choose the fastest, most scenic or whatever fancies you. But I fear with merely two days, you may not be able to cover all the sights you mention.

Lifey

[Midwest Michael]

I'm sorry, but with 2 days it's just not physically possible to do what you've proposed. Even if you start in Vegas, it's more than 1300 miles to go from LV to Moab, back down to 4 Corners, Monument Valley, over to Horseshoe Bend, and then back to LA - and much of that is on 2 lane roads.

Even if you didn't stop for more than a minute at each of the places you've listed, you'd have to be on the road from sunrise to sundown just to cover the miles. To me, that's the definition of wasting time and gas.

Honestly, the only way to do this is to add significantly more time (I'd say 4 days would be a bare minimum). I'd usually propose cutting back on your places to visit as an option, but I don't even think that would work in this case - Even trying to drive from Vegas to Monument Valley and back to LA, skipping Moab and 4 corners, is really too much for just 2 days.

[DonnaR57]

If this were me, I'd pick only one: Las Vegas. That's really the only "reachable" thing on your list that's a one-day drive. From LA, it's about 4-1/2 hours (depending on traffic and where in the LA area you're starting from). From LV to Moab is another 9 hours of driving (IF you took the 15 to the 70 and then south from there; taking UT-12 would be even more hours than that).


Donna

[pleumjit]

I will be in Vegas this Friday until Saturday. But I'm planning to go to UT at Saturday night so I'm thinking around 7am on Sun I'm already in UT so do u guys think i can visit Arches Monument and Monument Valley for the whole day of Sunday? Then, I might look for a camp site close by just to recharge then Monday morning my plan is to visit four corners states then go to AZ to visit horseshoe bend and antelope so is it possible to visit those 3 places in one day just for picture purpose only im not really planning to go hiking or something. Then i might go back to LA after. I accept advice maybe u guys have a good suggestions that I can take. Thank you!

[pleumjit]

Sunday morning im assuming i will be in UT around 7am so i just wanna visit Arches and Monument Valley then on Monday i wanna visit Four Corners, Antelope and Horseshoe bend then head back to LA after.

[Lifemagician]

For purely photography purposes, it possibly will work. Though at horseshoe bend it is about 20 mins walk to the view.... and back. If it is busy at 4 corners you may have to wait your turn to get a photo. At monument valley you can take a tour, or simply be satisfied with the fantastic sites along 191 and 160. But for what you want, it probably will work.

Lifey

[Southwest Dave]

Arches and Four corners is a long way out and you woudnt want to go from Arches to MV and then all the way back to FC. I just dont see how you have the time to visit these places and get back to LA. You would be totaly exhausted !! Have you been to Zion NP ot grand canyon ? I would leave LV as you say and head to Springdale UT for Zion NP the next day and then continue to Page. From Page you would head to LA with the briefest of detours to MV or Grand canyon.

[Midwest Michael]

I'm sorry, but nothing has significantly changed in your plan - and I have to strongly disagree with Lifey here - what you are proposing is simply impossible.

I get the impression you just don't have an understanding of how far apart all of these things are.

I'm thinking around 7am on Sun I'm already in UT so do u guys think i can visit Arches Monument and Monument Valley for the whole day of Sunday?

Even if you start the day in Utah - let's say St. George, since you aren't leaving Vegas until Sat. Night, this is 500 miles of driving, much of it on 2 lane roads. Even if you don't factor in the time to drive back into Arches - which take about an hour all by itself - that's 10 hours before you do anything else. If you stop to take a couple of pictures at Arches (not even considering hiking), it's going to be dark by the time you get to Monument Valley.

And that's not even your biggest problem.

then on Monday i wanna visit Four Corners, Antelope and Horseshoe bend then head back to LA after.

This is the part that is completely impossible. Monument Valley to LA is at the very maximum of what you can safely drive in one day (a solid 12 hours) and that's if you don't stop for anything else, or add in the big detours you are talking about.

4 Corners is 100 miles east of Monument Valley - so the wrong direction of everything else - and even going to Page for Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon adds another 70 miles or so compared to driving directly from Monument Valley.

That means to do everything you've talked about you've talked about on Monday, you'd be driving for about 850 miles, again, many of those miles on 2 lane roads. That's about 18 hours before you stop for anything else - so way too far to be safe just for the driving. As has been mentioned, the places you want to stop at take time to visit. Antelope Canyon, for example, requires a guided tour, so that at a minimum will take a few hours out of your day.

By the time you cover the miles, and make the shortest possible stops at everything you want to do on Monday, you could very well need more than 24 hours to fit it all in.