Planning Vegas AZ UT loop day trip

[MrDisco99]

I'm going to Vegas for a work conference in a couple weeks and taking an extra day to make the most of the rental car.  My plan is to leave Vegas before sunrise, head down to Kingman, take old 66 through Seligman and Crookton Rd, I-40 to Williams, then up to the Grand Canyon, stop at a few overlooks and take some pictures, then via Desert View Rd to US 89, up to Kanab via either Page or Vermillion Cliffs, then drive through Zion NP before hitting I-15 back to Vegas probably sometime after dark.

Questions:

Is it realistic to try this in one day?  I know most would say to break it up and stay along the route, but I seriously only have the one day for this.  My main objective is to enjoy the roads and the scenery from the car.  We'll probably only stop to take pictures and for food/fuel, maybe a few shops for souvenirs.

Which is the preferred route between east of Grand Canyon and Kanab?  US89 goes through Page and over the Glen Canyon dam while 89 Alt goes over the Navajo bridge and along Vermillion Cliffs.  89 Alt looks shorter but curvier/slower.  Suggestions?  EDIT: Just found out about US89 landslide so that choice seems to have been made for me.

Where are the longest stretches without gas stations?  Any suggestions on where to get gas cheap?

Is there any advantage to reversing the route?  I mentioned I plan to be on the road from before dawn to after dusk.  I figured there probably isn't much to see along I-15 or between Vegas and Kingman.  We're planning to check out Valley of Fire and Hoover Dam during an afternoon on another day.

Anyone else done this?  How would you do it?  Anything else along the route I should make a point to stop and check out?

Thanks in advance!

[halork]

Realistically, no.  You're going to want to stop to see some some of the sights, not just drive past them. Pick either Zion or the Grand Canyon and enjoy yourself. If you really want to try it, reverse the route so you've at least got a chance to see both parks in daylight. Fill up in St. George and Williams.

[AsphaltPlanet]

I've done a similar route to this before, and your trip seems overly ambitious.  The Grand Canyon is pretty awe inspiring, I think you may have a hard time having to leave as soon as you got there.  Also, even just getting to the Grand Canyon from Vegas isn't an insignificant drive, nor is the drive from Kanab back to Vegas.  I don't recall fuel being particularly sparse on any of those routes, but that said, I wouldn't plan on letting the tank get too low either.

[Jbte]

Well I have been route 66 northeast of Kingman, AZ... I can tell not worth the trip, the road usually its boring and not much to see (rather than a tourist trap cave)

If you got one day, well I suggest to go to Hoover Dam and probably Grand Canyon west which is near Las Vegas, but the problem in Grand Canyon west its pricely and you must aboard a bus to see the canyon (also pay like 40 bucks to see the skywalk).... I went in February this year, the road access was in construction so expect delays... but probably by now the construction is done, the place looks IMO nice, some small canyons and desert cliffs in different places... going to the national park and go round by US89-I15 its an ambitious trip, but you will make it late night to Vegas depending of how you stay in different spots and what time you departed.

[MrDisco99]

Jbte you're thinking of the west viewing point of the canyon on the Indian reservation.  It is closer to Vegas but we won't be going to that one.  $40 per person is outrageous.  The south rim at the national park supposedly has much better views anyway.

halork I kinda like the idea of going in reverse to make sure I get the parks in daylight.  That would mean either skipping scenic 66 or maybe catching it during sunset.

Skipping scenic 66 through Arizona and taking I-40 instead would shave off 30-45 minutes.  That be a big difference in daylight.  How "scenic" is it really?  If this is more of an optional I'd probably want to leave it to the end of the trip rather than the beginning.

We're not spry so we won't be doing much walking around in the parks.  If there are any short easy walks from parking areas that are worth it, though, we might consider it.

[roadfro]

Note that ADOT has been working on bridge rehab along I-15 in the Virgin River Gorge. Although I think they've wrapped on some of the project, there are still areas that are reduced to one lane in each direction.

[dfwmapper]

You wouldn't miss much by skipping 66, except the road itself. Another option for the trip might be skipping the south rim altogether and just visiting the north rim. They shut down most of the services October 15, but as long as you get there before it gets snowed in it's a nice place without the heavy tourist traffic of the south rim. Just remember to dress in layers because the temperatures are a bit unpredictable at 8000 feet. You can't quite do a full loop without a lot of backtracking because of the US 89 closure, but I-15 to UT 9 to UT 59 to AZ 389 to US 89A to AZ 67, then back up 67 to 89A to US 89 at Kanab to UT 9 and back over to 15 would do adequately. I'd probably do the Page loop if the road was open because there's some nice scenery along 89A between 67 and the Navajo Bridge, but it's not worth the 3 hours it would take with the detour. That's already an 8 hour day of driving not counting stops, so you probably don't want to add anything more or you won't have time to stop and see anything.

[Rover_0]

You wouldn't miss much by skipping 66, except the road itself. Another option for the trip might be skipping the south rim altogether and just visiting the north rim. They shut down most of the services October 15, but as long as you get there before it gets snowed in it's a nice place without the heavy tourist traffic of the south rim. Just remember to dress in layers because the temperatures are a bit unpredictable at 8000 feet. You can't quite do a full loop without a lot of backtracking because of the US 89 closure, but I-15 to UT 9 to UT 59 to AZ 389 to US 89A to AZ 67, then back up 67 to 89A to US 89 at Kanab to UT 9 and back over to 15 would do adequately. I'd probably do the Page loop if the road was open because there's some nice scenery along 89A between 67 and the Navajo Bridge, but it's not worth the 3 hours it would take with the detour. That's already an 8 hour day of driving not counting stops, so you probably don't want to add anything more or you won't have time to stop and see anything.

You know that N-20's paved, right? The loop can still be done, though going down to The Gap does add some time.

[Sonic99]

Don't get gas in Williams. The local theives charge about $0.70/gallon more than they should. The Love's Truck Stop won't be open yet (the guy who owns all the stations off the Interstate sued the City and Love's to try to stop it, but was thankfully thrown out of court). Ash Fork is usually about $0.30/gallon cheaper than Williams. Alternatively, about 8 miles north of Williams on 64, there is a Texaco that is actually cheaper than the stations in town as well.

Williams is a great town, I lived there for a total of around 9 years, so I definitely recommend making a stop and a quick stroll around downtown (lots of really neat gift shops, even if they might not be the cheapest). Seligman is neat as well. Seligman and Williams were the main inspirations for Radiator Springs in the movie "Cars" (which also borrowed from Peach Springs for its name), lots of history between them. As for the Grand Canyon, you could spend at least half a day on that alone (if doing the East Rim Drive, Grandview Point and the Desert View Watchtower are must-stops).

I know this particular area pretty well, let me know if there's any other tips you may be looking for.

[MrDisco99]

Sonic99 what are your thoughts on Scenic 66 past Seligman?  I'm thinking I'll be doing the loop clockwise instead so I'd be leaving Grand Canyon late that afternoon.  I'll likely be more interested in a hasty return to Vegas by then.

Maybe I should just plan to find somewhere in Williams or Seligman for dinner and return that night?  Where's good?

[dfwmapper]

You know that N-20's paved, right? The loop can still be done, though going down to The Gap does add some time.

From the 67/89A junction to Page via 89T is 125 miles, and another 75 miles from there back to Kanab, vs. 37 miles direct from 67/89A to Kanab. That's an easy 3 hour difference there. Most of that extra distance is across terrain that isn't particularly worth the trip. I like the part between 67 and the bridge because of the shift from forest to desert, the cliffs, and the bridge itself (and the obligatory walk across the old span to look down at the river), but once you're across the river, it's a whole lot less interesting. The only memorable part of 89 between Kanab and Cameron is where it drops through the cliffs (where the landslide was), so without even being able to see that, it's just wasted time that could be better spent at the Canyon or Zion.

[Sonic99]

It depends on if you've got daylight or not, and just how "nostalgic" you want to be. If it's after dark, just keep on I-40 heading home. Honestly, pushing all that in one day is going to be tough, and you won't be able to "enjoy" it. If theres any way at all possible, try stopping overnight somewhere. Maybe loop down to Flagstaff on 89 overnight, then 180 up to the Canyon the next morning (the first half of that drive is very pretty). Then hit Williams for a late lunch after the Canyon, check out 66, then head back. Its around 3 hours still from Williams back to Vegas going the direct route (40/93).

If you have the ability to split it into two days, you will be much better off. If you decide to overnight in Flagstaff, maybe you can hit Sunset Crater before you get into town for the evening, then see if Lowell Observatory has anything going at night. Early start the next morning, some quality time at the Canyon (minimum 2 or 3 hours), hour drive down to Williams, lunch and downtown route 66 (Bearizona is quite neat if you're into wildlife), 3 hours back to Vegas.

Sonic99 what are your thoughts on Scenic 66 past Seligman?  I'm thinking I'll be doing the loop clockwise instead so I'd be leaving Grand Canyon late that afternoon.  I'll likely be more interested in a hasty return to Vegas by then.

Maybe I should just plan to find somewhere in Williams or Seligman for dinner and return that night?  Where's good?

[hm insulators]

That sounds like at least a 500-mile long loop, and some of the roads are not fast. You'd really be better off doing either Zion or the Grand Canyon, and then do the other park the next time you go to Las Vegas. The Grand Canyon is absolutely enormous and the routes across it are very few and far between.

[MrDisco99]

OK so I figured out a way to get more time so I'm going to make a few days out of this trip.  I'm planning a whole new itinerary with more stuff to see...

I've one question for now... heading from Zion towards Monument Valley, which is the nicer drive?  US89 to SR98 through Page seems the more direct route, but US89A to US89 S to US160 seems like it might have more to see along the way.  What would I miss on the northern route if I take the southern route instead?

[dfwmapper]

89 between Kanab and Page and the entire length of 98 are both fairly uninteresting. No question, 89A is by far the more scenic route.

[corco]

Yeah, absolutely and without hesitation do 89A over 89/98 if you have time.`Do note that you'll have a solid 20+ miles of 35 MPH speed limit on 89A though, but that can be exceeded quasi-legally.

[MrDisco99]

Oh yeah... what's speed enforcement like in this area?  Do they look the other way if you're doing 5-10 over?

[corco]

Oh yeah... what's speed enforcement like in this area?  Do they look the other way if you're doing 5-10 over?

Yeah you can get away with 10 over, though keep in mind the road is pretty windy so you may not exceed it by too much.

[MrDisco99]

So I just got back.  A few notes...

I took 66 as an alternative to I-40.  I'm glad I did just to say I did, but there really wasn't much to see other than the cheesy stuff in Seligman and Williams which was neat.  If I get to do it again, I'd opt for the interstate and save some time.

We stopped at the Planes of Fame museum near the junction of SR64 and US180 on the way up to Grand Canyon.  Even though we had no plans to pay to see the exhibits in the hangar, the lady there was super nice and gave us discount coupons for the NatGeo Imax which we ended up not using.  The McDonalds in Tusayan charges about double the prices we were used to.

There's a couple overlooks off US64 east of Grand Canyon offering nice views of Little Colorado River gorge.  The first one is free (dirt road) while the local Navajo charges a small fee for the second (paved road).

US160 and 163 through Kayenta and up to Monument Valley is one of the most amazing drives I've ever seen.  Entrance to Monument Valley closes at 5pm local time.  The Navajo DO observe DST unlike the rest of AZ so time your trip accordingly.  We got in just in time.  Going north into Utah, pull over at milepost 13 for a nice photo op looking back.

CO 41 and NM 597 were easy clinches.

We opted for SR98 and US89 heading back west instead of backtracking to US89A in order to save some time.  Based on the comments you guys had I wasn't expecing much but I'm really glad we did it.  SR98 offers really nice views of Navajo mountain and some nice rock formations along the way.  The Page/Glen Canyon Dam area was a nice break along the route.  US89 through Grand Staircase is also really pretty.  The scenery on US89A might be better but I wasn't disappointed.

US89 and SR12 to Bryce Canyon is another really pretty route.  The woods and autumn colors were a nice contrast to the high desert we'd been driving through the past few days.  I'm glad we got off the "loop" for that.

Cheapest gas of the whole trip was at Kingman, AZ off exit 53.  St. George, UT off exit 4 had decent gas prices as well.  Avoid filling up anywhere near national parks.  Also watch the octane in and near Navajo land.  I was startled to find regular gas in Mexican Hat, UT and in Kanab, UT was only 85 octane.  I went for the "plus" which was the usually regular 87, and a bit more expensive than what's on the sign.

I was able to do 10 over the limit pretty much everywhere with no problem.  Being able to do 75 on a 2-lane road was fun.  Sometimes, though, those limits might actually be higher than they should be and you have to slow down for those curves.  Be careful.

If you plan to visit more than three National Park properties, it's worth getting a year pass at the first one.  I paid $10 to drive through Lake mead and $25 each to Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Zion.  I could've gotten a year pass for $80 and saved $5.  Ah well, it went to a good cause.  Note that state and tribal parks don't take NPS passes.

With the possible exception of Ireland's west coast, this was probably my favorite road trip ever.