Planning a trip to the SouthWest! Help suggest what we should do and see!

[mad hatter fan]

We are planning on taking a big trip next summer. Driving all the way out there from MN would be a bit too much driving for me so we plan on flying to an airport in the area, renting a minivan and seeing some of the Southwest and then driving to Disneyland and then flying home from CA. We will have about 2 weeks for this trip total. We were just awed by some travel shows about the South West especially Zion and Bryce. We for sure want to see Mesa Verde and Zion and the Grand Canyon but for the most part stay in the Southern Utah, northern Arizona (for the Grand Canyon), and very western CO for Mesa Verde.

1)What should we be sure to see or do? Keep in mind we are not real big hikers, especially the 9 and 6 yr. olds.

2)Has anyone ever rented a boat on Lake Powel and seen the Rainbow bridge natural arch bridge from the water?

3)Which airport would be best to fly into?

4)Any suggestions on good hotels in the area, good places to eat etc.

5)Does the time of summer mater much for this type of trip? I was thinking mid to late June so our Disneyland time would be right after many of the passholders are blocked out.

 

[CPT Tripss]

We are planning on taking a big trip next summer. Driving all the way out there from MN would be a bit too much driving for me so we plan on flying to an airport in the area, renting a minivan and seeing some of the Southwest and then driving to Disneyland and then flying home from CA. We will have about 2 weeks for this trip total. We were just awed by some travel shows about the South West especially Zion and Bryce. We for sure want to see Mesa Verde and Zion and the Grand Canyon but for the most part stay in the Southern Utah, northern Arizona (for the Grand Canyon), and very western CO for Mesa Verde.

1)What should we be sure to see or do? Keep in mind we are not real big hikers, especially the 9 and 6 yr. olds.

2)Has anyone ever rented a boat on Lake Powel and seen the Rainbow bridge natural arch bridge from the water?
3)Which airport would be best to fly into?

4)Any suggestions on good hotels in the area, good places to eat etc.

5)Does the time of summer mater much for this type of trip? I was thinking mid to late June so our Disneyland time would be right after many of the passholders are blocked out.

Although you have to travel to Rainbow Bridge by boat, you can't see it from the water. There is a mile plus walk involved to get from the dock to the "bridge," and the same back to the dock. Given the lack of landmarks, I would hesitate to pilot it (it must be 30-40 miles) on my own. Also, boat rental will be somewhere around $500 plus fuel. A tour with the concessionaire seemed to be the way to go for us.

In order not to go nuts driving, I'd skip Mesa Verde. Zion, Bryce, Lake Powell and both rims of the Grand Canyon can easily fill 2 weeks particularly if you add a couple days in Sedona (highly recommend). Bryce is easy on recommendations - Rubys . . . that's about all there is. Zion, also easy - Desert Pearl. Grand Canyon - stay in the park, which means make ressies now.

Las Vegas is a good place to start as Zion is about a 3 hour drive (or less).

 

[GrandBob]

In order not to go nuts driving, I'd skip Mesa Verde.

Nooooo! Mesa Verde is one of the most fascinating national parks in our system! I'm still amazed that they let you climb into 800 year old archeological sites, and DW & I have always commented that they're gonna have to discontinue that eventually. But as long as you can, I'd make that one of the can't-miss sites of the trip. Other than Grand Canyon, it's the one you've gotta go to!

Other than that, you have a great list. If you can find time, you might add Arches, but it's a little out of the way, so don't sweat it. I agree that Vegas may be your best bet for an airport.

-Bob

 

[Andona]

Bryce is easy on recommendations - Rubys . . . that's about all there is.

Las Vegas is a good place to start as Zion is about a 3 hour drive (or less).

We would add the Cabins at Bryce Canyon Lodge - we stayed there last year, about 1 min walk to the canyon rim. Awesome Make sure you take the effort to get up and watch the sunrise over the Canyon - we have the most amazing photos.

I agree with CPT Tripss that Las Vegas is a good place to start. We spent a week last year doing a loop from Las Vegas up through Zion to Bryce Canyon. We then drove Scenic Byway 12 through Capitol Reef NP to Monument Valley and then down to the Grand Canyon. After that we drove down to San Diego via Joshua Tree NP and Palm Springs. You could easily substitute a stay at Anaheim for our stay in San Diego.

We did this in a week but could easily have spent twice the time on it.

Andona

 

[lvt]

We will be doing a similar trip in 2010. I enjoyed the North Rim of Grand canyon
as well as the south. Much smaller crowds and closer to Zion/Bryce and other
great Utah parks. My sons like Mesa Verde, Colorado national Monument and Arches national park also. I am not a hiker, but I found I could do the 2 miles
or under trails. This gets you away from the main crowds.

 

[2luvmickey]

Best airport to fly into: Las Vegas

We only had a week last Spring Break to see sights. Here was our itinerary:

Two days in Vegas, took the kids to a Cirque du Soleil show at Treasure Island. For the price of the show tickets, they gave us a free room for 2 days.

Drove over the Hoover Dam to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Our hotel was the Thunderbird Lodge on the Rim (El Tovar is the place to stay, but they book up quickly!).

Mule ride into the Canyon - boy were we sore and smelly! But it was memorable! However, unless your 6 year old is 4'7", can't go on the ride. Plus, in the summer it gets really hot past Indian Gardens.

On our drive out of South Rim GC, we did stop at many of the vistas for beautiful breathtaking views.

In our opinion, we LOVED Zion much more than the GC. More manageable hiking trails, different perspective since you are on the floor of the canyon looking up. My DS 14 and DS 18 said the GC was "just a big hole."

I agree, Desert Pearl is the place to stay just outside the entrance to Zion. It was relaxing to sit in the hot tub, under the starry skies with the rock formations nearly across the street. Huge rooms, nice balcony, two beds with a sofa bed and small kitchenette. We stopped at the grocer down the street and picked up items to make sandwiches. Ate our lunch on our balcony.

I'm sorry we didn't have time to visit Bryce. It took my husband 20 years to get us to see these parks, I don't want to wait that long for our next trip.

I would love to visit the North Rim, it is closer to Bryce and Zion, and I don't think it is as crowded in the summer.

Sounds like a fantastic vacation! Have fun with the travels, but I would suggest booking a GC hotel ASAP!