Grand Circle trip for next June including Zion, Bryce, Mesa Verde, Grand Canyon

[mad hatter fan]

We have been planning a trip out west for quite a while and will finally be going on it this next June. We will be flying into Las Vegas and renting a car from there. We plan on spending 2 nights near Zion National Park, 2 nights near Bryce Canyon, 1 night between Bryce and Mesa Verde, 2 nights near Mesa Verde, 2 nights near the Grand Canyon, and then 1 to 2 nights back in Vegas before flying home.

None of us are major hikers or campers so we will be sticking to easy hikes only. I have reserved our hotel nights already since the room types we wanted and was the cheapest for us (room for 5 in one room) were in limited.

Any recommendations on restaurants, things not to be missed at the National Parks, or inexpensive or free family friendly things to do in Vegas?

 

[usnuzuloose]

There is the M&M store, the Coca Cola store. You can visit the Pawn stars shop, I suggest you go after 3 pm as the line is long during the day due to filming. Some of the hotels have shows on the outside that are free.

In the Bellagio is the conservatory to take pictures, and right around the corner inside is a huge chocolate fountain and a really good bakery attached.

There is a Earl of Sandwich in Planet Hollywood. Yummy! Vegas has many buffets. You could go down to Freemont st and see the show in the evening and they also have a zipline.

If you look on ebay sometimes you can find coupons for certain things.

There is the pinball museum.

Also look for things on Groupon and living socials , just put in the zip code for vegas and you can find some good deals that way as well. The Venetian also the gondola ride. The strastophere has the rides at the top, but it does cost to go to the top but you can see the rides from the outside. The Fashion mall is extremely huge. There is so much to see and do. Remember to bring good walking shoes, everything looks close but it is not. Hope this helps a little bit.

 

[marthachick]

If you happen to be staying in Kanab, Utah when you're near Bryce, go to Houston's Trails End Restaurant. It was one of the best meals we had on our trip.

 

[minniebeth]

Bumping for similar ideas~

especially looking for restaurant recommendations near Bryce Canyon~

Thanks!

mad hatter fan, sounds like an awesome trip!!

 

[Calliaz]

For Zion, I strongly recommend the La Quinta. It is new and very centrally-located. I know you have hotels, but I thought I'd mention it. Most of the restaurants there were overpriced and mediocre. The best one was the Whiptail Grill. It's small, but the food was really good. I was glad we had brought sandwich ingredients. We generally ate breakfast at the hotel really early and got out into the park because it was very hot. We aren't big hikers, but there were a few easy trails. Bring water shoes with good toe protection as there is a part of one of the easier hikes where you can walk down the river. It is beautiful there. At around noon we went back to the hotel to eat and swim and nap. We went back into the park in the early evening for some of the junior ranger activities and talks.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Cortez near Mesa Verde. It was also updated and it had a good breakfast (just in case again--I know they have a family suite). The only restaurant we went to there was El Burro Pancho. If you like Mexican food (it was more New Mexican/Colorado style) it is very good. Excellent prices and big servings. We really only needed one day in Mesa Verde, but definitely 2 in Zion.

One tip regarding the trip from Mesa Verde to the Grand Canyon, don't stop at Four Corners unless it is a "Must Do." We did and the line to get a photo is very long and it will be very hot and unshaded. They do have some nice shops and food stalls now, but they charge an entry fee. It is very different from when I was a kid. If you need lunch on the way, there is a really good authentic Hopi quick service cafe (they also have American foods). It is at the Tuuvi Travel Center (basically part of a very nice gas station/travel center).

Let me know if you have questions. The only place on your route we haven't been in the last few years is Bryce Canyon. I haven't done Vegas with children, though.

You're going to have a great time!

 

[MunFam]

Bumping for similar ideas~

especially looking for restaurant recommendations near Bryce Canyon~

Thanks!

There is not much at Bryce. There is a Subway at the turn off (clean, good), Ruby's Inn (pricey) and the restaurants at the National Park Lodge. We camped, so we mostly had food with us, but we always eat one meal at the Lodge; its a tradition and the food was REALLLLLY good.

If you are there for the night sky program, do go! It is AMAZING. We took our almost 3 year old and even she LOVED it. My DH, who is a star-geek, was super impressed as well.

 

[PrincessInOz]

I don't know if you have it on your list already....but check out Antelope Canyon in Page. In June, the light beams will be lovely to see. Google it and see if that's the sort of thing you'd like to see. I would recommend that you book a tour early to time your tour with the light beams.
Also in Page...Horseshoe Bend. It will take you about 10 - 15 minutes to walk from the car park to the lookout. The first section is a bit of a climb.

 

[hsmamato2]

Oh why is the 'grand circle' so big???? I too am planning a trip for early fall.... but here's our plan so far...fly into LAS, drive to Zion, stay 2 nites in Springdale, then drive to Grand Canyon North Rim lodge,2 nights, then up to Bryce,stay one night- then head out thru Torry and see Capitol Reef, stay one night- then head up to Moab and see some of Arches,etc near there, staying 3 nights... flying home from SLC since it's way closer than LAS... . Obviously we will be on the road early in the a.m. for our 'travel' days, in order to get near our next stop earlier in the day.... each of these 'hops' between park areas is approx. 3 hours,so not terrible as far as distances- I wish I could squeeze in Antelope Canyon,and Page Az too, but there just isn't enough time.....

 

[Breezy_Carol]

Glad I found this. DH has a conference in Phoenix at the end of April. We decided that I would fly out to meet him for a vacation.

We visited the south rim of the Grand Canyon 5 years ago and wanted to go to the north rim but it doesn't reopen until May 15. We are going to the south rim and will stay at Yavapi Lodge. Going to Zion and have booked La Quinta. Booked Bryce Canyon Cabins near Bryce Canyon. (Duh) Then to Las Vegas to fly home. Did all of this today. Glad to see the La Quinta recommended.

For Zion, I strongly recommend the La Quinta. It is new and very centrally-located. Bring water shoes with good toe protection as there is a part of one of the easier hikes where you can walk down the river. It is beautiful there.

DH was talking about a hike in a river. He is doing most of the planning.

There is not much at Bryce. If you are there for the night sky program, do go! It is AMAZING. We took our almost 3 year old and even she LOVED it. My DH, who is a star-geek, was super impressed as well.

He also wants to go to the night sky program.

Keep up with the ideas.
.

 

[scottandtisha]

We just got back from a two week trip out west. We ended up doing Grand Canyon (spectacular), Sedona/Jerome AZ "loop", Zion, Hoover Dam, San Diego Zoo, Solvang (Danish community near Santa Barbara) and LegoLand. We wanted to see Bryce, but the snow was too bad (its elevation is 8000 ft vs 6000 for GC and 4000 for Zion).

One of our favorite "free" things for the kids is the Junior Ranger program at the National Parks. You can ask about it at the Park HQ but be aware that for Zion, it's only available at the Springdale entrance. We entered from the East and didn't get our material until after we were through the park. Your children must fill out 4 pages from an activity book and, for their efforts, they receive a plastic Jr Park Ranger badge at their "swearing in" ceremony. It's a great activity.

We stayed in Williams, AZ near GC and loved our little lodge (think motel). It was #1 on TripAdvisor (Lodge On Route 66) and very reasonable. We had a couple of good meals here ... the Diner on Route 66 and a wild-west-themed restaurant.

Hoover Dam was cool. I work at an electric utility, so seeing a powerhouse is not exactly a new experience for me. The 30 minute tour is a little pricey (like $15 each) and you have to go through a security screening (I had to take my 1.5" keychain pocketknife back to the car). However, my family did enjoy it. It's a pretty amazing man-made wonder.

The San Diego Zoo was amazing ... allot an entire day. LegoLand was good, but not nearly as good as DL for my taste. Two days is the most I could do there. Miniland really is spectacular though. Thankfully the park was dead when we were there, so we were ALWAYS on the next ride of whatever line we got in. I would've HATED waiting in line for some of these rides.

I'm typing this on my phone, so my fingers are getting tired. If you have questions, please send them along and I'll answer them if I can.

Good luck!

Scott

 

[scottandtisha]

A few photos from our trip ...

 

[ashleysev]

GREAT pictures!

We're going to be doing a grand circle trip in October but driving the entire time. (My mother-in-law doesn't fly.) Plus, it's a trip to spread my father-in-law's ashes. So far we have Denver to Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Flagstaff, Lake Havasu City, Mission Viejo... from there we may drive up the coast to Seattle and then onward... We're still planning out all of the places we want to stop to spread ashes.

 

[bcla]

I like the Moab area, but that's just me.

 

[cedricandsophie]

Unless I missed it, I didn't see Monument valley in north AZ listed. It's a must see. Take Navaho jeep tour through the valley. Fabulous.

If you're just driving through Bryce and Zion, both can be done in a day. Same thing for Mesa verde unless you want a tour through one of the living areas within the cliffs.

Durango, whch is about 50 miles north from Mesa verde, is another must see. Fun little town to walk around. And if you have the time, the silverton durango train is wonderful ride. Take it one way from durango to silverton and then take bus back to Durango. Again, it's a once in a lifetime experience.

Also didn't see Lake Powell listed. At north end of Az north of north rim of Gand canyon and just below Utah border. Easy drive from Utah through lake Powell and then to monument valley on way to Mesa verde. Another fabulous site. You can take a boat tour on the lake or you can even rent a boat of a day and do your own tour. Highly recommend both. Or if you don't have time to stop, just drive around it.

In Vegas, there is a cheap ticket place right on the strip in front of polo towers. You can get half price tickets for certain shows. And the smaller, cheaper casino hotels have much cheaper shows than the big ones. Many are family friendly. Just walking through the Venetian is fun or Paris because they are so pretty. If you want a splurge, have a drink in the Eiffel Tower bar. And the older end of Vegas...Fremont street...has a free light show at night. Restaurants and hotels are cheaper on that end too.

And finally, you probably don't want another recommendation but Canyon de chelly national park on east side of AZ is another must see. Run by the Navajos, they offer a horse drawn tour through it with lots of Indian lore and incredible cliff drawings. One of the most spiritual places I have ever seen.

 

[PatriciaH]

We are doing the Grand Circle in October! This is the way we are going:

Fly into Las Vegas-drive to Zion
Zion Lodge-2 nights
Bryce Canyon Lodge-1 night
Austin's Chuckwagon Lodge in Torrey for Capitol Reef-1 night
Red Cliffs Lodge in Moab-2 nights
Fair View Lodge in Mesa Verde-1 night
The View in Monument Valley-1 night
Lake Powell Resort-1 night
El Tovar or Bright Angel Lodge at the Grand Canyon-2 nights
Fly out of Las Vegas

I have all of the hotels held except Bryce/Grand Canyon. There are rooms but not what I want. I may just hold what they have to have something for those nights. I did hold upper and lower Antelope Canyon tours for our Page day. Very excited!