Family trip out West

[kandb]

I am posting here because I always get the best advice from this group. We are planning a 2 week trip out west this August (I know it will be hot we always go to WDW in August). We have 3 children (16, 16, 10). We want to spend one week in Los Angeles/San Diego and do some things there (maybe Disneyland is our other costs stay reasonable) but maybe just seaworld and the San Diego Zoo. My husband said something about ships in San Diego? The other week will be Las Vegas (I like the slots! Lol) and seeing the Grand Canyon for one day.

We are flying into California and flying out of Vegas (coming from NJ). We are trying to plan the trip and coming up with a plan on getting from one place to the other. I just checked and Los Angeles to the Southern Rim at the Grand Canyon is over 7 hours. It says that Vegas is 5 hours to the southern rim.
It doesn't look that far on the map. Anyone ever drive to the grand canyon from Vegas? We just plan on going to the visitors center and going to a few lookouts and only spending less than a day there.

Any other suggestions for the trip is much appreciated.

 

[kymom99]

We drove to the south Rim from Vegas this past May. It takes every bit of 5 hours but it is an interesting drive. You can stop on remnants of Route 66. I have never been to the west rim but it is not a part of the national park system. I was told the south rim was better and it was. I would consider staying in a hotel for one night and enjoying the drive there and back. I do have a friend who drove to GC and back in a day.

San Diego has the uss midway. It is amazing. I love San Diego. The weather there is pleasant year round.

Any other questions, I’d be glad to answer them.

If you are going to do a one way car rental you may pay a lot more for that. Have you priced it?

 

[StephPlum]

Anyone ever drive to the grand canyon from Vegas?

We recently did this. Flight into Las Vegas, drove to Sedona then Grand Canyon then Zion and finally Bryce before back to Las Vegas. The trip should be 4-5 hours from Las Vegas. Personally I do feel like one day is fine for the Grand Canyon but I would not try to drive there from Las Vegas and then back in the same day. Not sure if that is what you were suggesting. Suggest driving there from Las Vegas, doing the visitor centers, lookouts, hike the rim a bit even perhaps hike down Bright Angel trail for a short distance to get the views from that perspective and stay the night in the park if you can. That way you get the sunset and sunrise views. We stayed at Yavapai Lodge. It is not on the rim. I wasn't able to get reservations at Thunderbird or Kachina Lodges which are on the rim. If you can't get lodging in the park, there is lodging just outside the park in Tusayan.

 

[Wish Upon A Starbucks]

FYI re the car rentals, sometimes it’s cheaper to rent and return elsewhere. We are flying to PHX in April with friends and are both renting cars. They are returning theirs to the same airport (PHX) for $360. We are returning ours to Las Vegas for only $192. We are both getting standard SUVs thru alamo for the same exact days. So don’t let the one way rental discourage you.
ETA... stop at Hoover Dam between Vegas and GC too!

 

[Birdsg223]

Have driven to the South rim and back from Vegas in 1 day. Left early and got back late. Worth it. For us 1 day was plenty to see what we wanted to see.

 

[minnieandfamily]

We love San Diego too. We have been there twice in the last few years (once during March, the other time at the end of August). One year, we rented a home in Mission Beach, which was a convenient and family friendly location. Belmont Park is fun - it's an amusement park right on the beach. They have a wooden roller coaster, rock climbing, wave rider, mini golf, bumper cars, laser tag, carnival-style games, etc. We bought discounted tickets from Costco. Nearby, the Baked Bear has amazing ice cream cookie sandwiches. For restaurants in Mission Beach, we loved Oceana Coastal Kitchen (eat out on their patio!) at the Catamaran resort. It has a Hawaiian feel to it, with tiki torches at night and gorgeous views of bay. For breakfast, we loved the Olive Cafe - so fresh and delicious. The Zoo is fantastic - definitely the best I've ever been to and I am not even a fan of zoos in general. It's very large and hilly - be prepared for a lot of walking. The Zoo is within Balboa Park, which has several museums. We really enjoyed the natural history museum. We also went to the the air and space museum (our kids got bored rather quickly, but they were young at the time) and the science museum (which would be too young for even your 10 year old). A trip to La Jolla is fun to see the sea lions and also check out Sunny Jim's cave, a unique experience! A little north of La Jolla is our favorite restaurant...Jake's Del Mar. If you have an opportunity to do so, book a table at sunset. WOW.
We did not go, but the USS Midway is on our list to see the next time we go to San Diego. I've heard great things. There is also a Maritime Museum nearby (lots of historic ships - actually, one of the largest collections in the US). If your 10 yr old needs to burn off some energy, the Waterfront Park across from the Maritime Museum has a nice new playground, great even for older kids. If you are in the downtown area, I would also recommend a stop at the Seaport Village. Great little shops, restaurants, and just a pleasant place to walk around on the waterfront.
Coronado Island is also beautiful and we would enjoyed our visit to the famous Hotel Del Coronado. We had lunch at the Sheerwater - out on their patio overlooking their ocean. The food was delicious and the views were breathtaking! Or you could also grab an ice cream at Sundae's and stroll the beach.
Hope you have a great trip!

 

[kymom99]

I would recommend Point Loma lighthouse and cabrillo monument. Wonderful views and very interesting. Inexpensive too

 

[kandb]

We drove to the south Rim from Vegas this past May. It takes every bit of 5 hours but it is an interesting drive. You can stop on remnants of Route 66. I have never been to the west rim but it is not a part of the national park system. I was told the south rim was better and it was. I would consider staying in a hotel for one night and enjoying the drive there and back. I do have a friend who drove to GC and back in a day.

San Diego has the uss midway. It is amazing. I love San Diego. The weather there is pleasant year round.

Any other questions, I’d be glad to answer them.

If you are going to do a one way car rental you may pay a lot more for that. Have you priced it?

That's for the information, I really appreciate it. Any hotels you can recommend outside of the Grand Canyon? We usually like to stay in Marriotts/Hiltons but I know out west is totally different. I did not price the rental car and that's a good point about cost. I usually go thru autoslash.com and it saves us a bundle. We usually pick up/drop off at different parts in Florida when we go and it's not much more but out West will probably be higher?

 

[kandb]

FYI re the car rentals, sometimes it’s cheaper to rent and return elsewhere. We are flying to PHX in April with friends and are both renting cars. They are returning theirs to the same airport (PHX) for $360. We are returning ours to Las Vegas for only $192. We are both getting standard SUVs thru alamo for the same exact days. So don’t let the one way rental discourage you.
ETA... stop at Hoover Dam between Vegas and GC too!

Yes, Hoover dam is on our list to do when we stay in Vegas. Thanks

 

[kymom99]

That's for the information, I really appreciate it. Any hotels you can recommend outside of the Grand Canyon? We usually like to stay in Marriotts/Hiltons but I know out west is totally different. I did not price the rental car and that's a good point about cost. I usually go thru autoslash.com and it saves us a bundle. We usually pick up/drop off at different parts in Florida when we go and it's not much more but out West will probably be higher?

Well, we stayed inside the park but my friend stayed just outside in I think a holiday inn express. I know this is part of a bigger trip and I get that you just want a general picture when it comes to the canyon. It’s not hard to see a lot in a little time. If you study up on the different sites you can pick a few things to see. They have a fairly efficient shuttle service inside the park. My favorite spot was on the drive to the east of the welcome center. We went to the watchtower and worked our way back. It was quieter on that end

In san Diego we stayed at the island palms on shelter island. I loved it there. It is owned by best western we had a junior suite and it was just gorgeous.

 

[kandb]

We love San Diego too. We have been there twice in the last few years (once during March, the other time at the end of August). One year, we rented a home in Mission Beach, which was a convenient and family friendly location. Belmont Park is fun - it's an amusement park right on the beach. They have a wooden roller coaster, rock climbing, wave rider, mini golf, bumper cars, laser tag, carnival-style games, etc. We bought discounted tickets from Costco. Nearby, the Baked Bear has amazing ice cream cookie sandwiches. For restaurants in Mission Beach, we loved Oceana Coastal Kitchen (eat out on their patio!) at the Catamaran resort. It has a Hawaiian feel to it, with tiki torches at night and gorgeous views of bay. For breakfast, we loved the Olive Cafe - so fresh and delicious. The Zoo is fantastic - definitely the best I've ever been to and I am not even a fan of zoos in general. It's very large and hilly - be prepared for a lot of walking. The Zoo is within Balboa Park, which has several museums. We really enjoyed the natural history museum. We also went to the the air and space museum (our kids got bored rather quickly, but they were young at the time) and the science museum (which would be too young for even your 10 year old). A trip to La Jolla is fun to see the sea lions and also check out Sunny Jim's cave, a unique experience! A little north of La Jolla is our favorite restaurant...Jake's Del Mar. If you have an opportunity to do so, book a table at sunset. WOW.
We did not go, but the USS Midway is on our list to see the next time we go to San Diego. I've heard great things. There is also a Maritime Museum nearby (lots of historic ships - actually, one of the largest collections in the US). If your 10 yr old needs to burn off some energy, the Waterfront Park across from the Maritime Museum has a nice new playground, great even for older kids. If you are in the downtown area, I would also recommend a stop at the Seaport Village. Great little shops, restaurants, and just a pleasant place to walk around on the waterfront.
Coronado Island is also beautiful and we would enjoyed our visit to the famous Hotel Del Coronado. We had lunch at the Sheerwater - out on their patio overlooking their ocean. The food was delicious and the views were breathtaking! Or you could also grab an ice cream at Sundae's and stroll the beach.
Hope you have a great trip!

Wow, thanks for all the information. It seems like there is so much to do around the San Diego area, I am wondering if we should even go up to Los Angeles? We live 25 minutes from NYC and my husband works in Queens/Brooklyn, so no rush to visit a congested city. Lol Have you been to LA? Is anything around it a must see?

 

[wendow]

Wow, thanks for all the information. It seems like there is so much to do around the San Diego area, I am wondering if we should even go up to Los Angeles? We live 25 minutes from NYC and my husband works in Queens/Brooklyn, so no rush to visit a congested city. Lol Have you been to LA? Is anything around it a must see?

We just did Vegas to San Diego to LA last summer. Only thing worth seeing in LA is DLR. I've been to LA many times though and find the city so not my taste. I do love San Diego (been there 4-5x)! I'm not a huge fan of Vegas but it was fun to visit once. We did not make the drive to the Grand Canyon and I wish we had done that as well. We live in CO though so it's something we can easily do later (and we plan to!).

 

[lovemygoofy]

I love San Diego and I love the Grand Canyon and Vegas is fine too. I don't particularly have anything positive to say about LA but Disneyland is awesome.

I think you are going to narrow the focus in CA unless you plan to split the time and maybe 3 days at DL and 3 days in San Diego. San Diego is very easy drive from DL but yes it can be congested. San Diego is beautiful and such variety of things to do whether you are into history, architecture, out doors or theme parks. My favorite areas are Coronado Island and Mission Beach.

I would drive from CA to Grand Canyon first. I really like Williams, AZ. It is super cute and on Route 66 and decked out in neon. Think the movie Cars, think the scenes at night with everything lit up. It's easy drive up the mountain from Williams to Grand Canyon. The visitor center is outside the park and has a nice movie and area to look around. If you can buy your passes there, I would do it or be prepared to wait in long lines to buy your passes at the gate. We did a pink jeep tour that picks up at the visitor center and does small group (think 6 or 8) does a jeep tour around the rims and lookouts and tells you the history and stories from someone that loves it. My husband still talks about that tour but we did a sunrise tour, which included blankets, drinks and snacks. If you are limited on time but want to see the canyon as easy as possible with the thousands of others, I really recommend Pink Jeep tours. From the Grand Canyon, it's easy drive up to Vegas (bring water and snacks and full tank of gas) and if you just want to see the visitors center and quick look around at Hoover Dam you can knock it out on the way into Vegas.

While in Vegas, take a day and go out into the Red Rock Canyons. They are beautiful. It's easy close looped drive with just gorgeous different mountains than you have seen. I call them naked mountains because there is little greenery or trees to be seen.

Groupon has some decent deals for things to do and eat in Vegas if you have an idea what you want. I know you are think you are used to the heat but the dry, desert heat is MUCH different. You will need to drink much more water and much more sunscreen. You will feel that the sun is trying to melt you into a puddle. Just remember to push lots of water and sunscreen.

 

[kydisneyfans]

Going to agree with the last few posters.

LA is a dump. Traffic is horrible. Outside of DLR there isn't much there worth the aggravation. DLR is far enough outside of LA that you can visit without the traffic nightmares. Hollywood was the most disappointing tourist spot we have ever visited. We then drove to San Diego and fell in love. La Jolla Cove is amazing, the zoo is amazing, the USS Midway tour is not to be missed. We visited Sea World and took the evenings to do walking tours of each section of town. We stayed 4 nights at the Hampton Inn just north of downtown, but within walking distance of the Midway at around $150 a night. We want to and will return to San Diego soon. We went without a rental and used Uber/Lyft/Streetcars to get where we wanted to go.

We have visited Vegas several times and love it too. We are not gamblers but love the shows, the lights, the action. We've done day trips to Valley of Fire, Mt Charleston, Red Rock Canyon, and the Hoover Dam. All are recommended. We normally Uber/Lyft here but do one day rentals(around $40) for day trips.

Our visit to the Grand Canyon was a day trip from Phoenix and we wish we had stayed longer. The scenery is amazing but the day was long. I'd try to overnight close to the park somewhere so the day is not so long. We wanted to visit Sedona but did not make it due to time.

As for rentals, Phoenix has the most expensive rental cars I have seen due to taxes. It very well could be a 1 way rental would be cheaper than returning to the same place. Vegas rentals are cheap, we didn't spend much in LA either.

Lots to do, it will be a fun trip.

 

[kymom99]

Vegas was the only rental car place that really pushed to up sell me on various coverages. Be careful. I bought insurance I wouldn’t normally buy because I was frazzled and a little stressed about getting our vacation started. It’s my fault it happened but just letting you know. I’ve never had that experience any other time I’ve rented.

 

[kandb]

I love San Diego and I love the Grand Canyon and Vegas is fine too. I don't particularly have anything positive to say about LA but Disneyland is awesome.

I think you are going to narrow the focus in CA unless you plan to split the time and maybe 3 days at DL and 3 days in San Diego. San Diego is very easy drive from DL but yes it can be congested. San Diego is beautiful and such variety of things to do whether you are into history, architecture, out doors or theme parks. My favorite areas are Coronado Island and Mission Beach.

I would drive from CA to Grand Canyon first. I really like Williams, AZ. It is super cute and on Route 66 and decked out in neon. Think the movie Cars, think the scenes at night with everything lit up. It's easy drive up the mountain from Williams to Grand Canyon. The visitor center is outside the park and has a nice movie and area to look around. If you can buy your passes there, I would do it or be prepared to wait in long lines to buy your passes at the gate. We did a pink jeep tour that picks up at the visitor center and does small group (think 6 or 8) does a jeep tour around the rims and lookouts and tells you the history and stories from someone that loves it. My husband still talks about that tour but we did a sunrise tour, which included blankets, drinks and snacks. If you are limited on time but want to see the canyon as easy as possible with the thousands of others, I really recommend Pink Jeep tours. From the Grand Canyon, it's easy drive up to Vegas (bring water and snacks and full tank of gas) and if you just want to see the visitors center and quick look around at Hoover Dam you can knock it out on the way into Vegas.

While in Vegas, take a day and go out into the Red Rock Canyons. They are beautiful. It's easy close looped drive with just gorgeous different mountains than you have seen. I call them naked mountains because there is little greenery or trees to be seen.

Groupon has some decent deals for things to do and eat in Vegas if you have an idea what you want. I know you are think you are used to the heat but the dry, desert heat is MUCH different. You will need to drink much more water and much more sunscreen. You will feel that the sun is trying to melt you into a puddle. Just remember to push lots of water and sunscreen.

This was extremely helpful, thank you. We are thinking of not going to DL because we go to WDW every year. I know DL is a little different but there are so many other sites we want to see and even going to DL for one day will be expensive and I heard it is very crowded. Have you ever traveled up to Zion or Bryce from Grand Canyon? How is the ride? Thanks for your help.

 

[kymom99]

This was extremely helpful, thank you. We are thinking of not going to DL because we go to WDW every year. I know DL is a little different but there are so many other sites we want to see and even going to DL for one day will be expensive and I heard it is very crowded. Have you ever traveled up to Zion or Bryce from Grand Canyon? How is the ride? Thanks for your help.

Zion is about 4 hours from the south rim. The drive is pretty easy except for the road approaching Zion. It has hairpins and a mile long tunnel. But it’s pretty cool. You do go through Navajo country and there is not much around commercially so you have to watch your gas and hope you don’t have a flat. Once you get to the Page, AZ area you will see more development. We wanted to go to Bryce but never made it this trip.

Zion is absolutely beautiful. We stayed in Springdale right outside the park. The town has a free shuttle service that takes you to and from the park entrance. We stayed at the driftwood lodge. I highly recommend it.

 

[barkley]

Vegas was the only rental car place that really pushed to up sell me on various coverages. Be careful. I bought insurance I wouldn’t normally buy because I was frazzled and a little stressed about getting our vacation started. It’s my fault it happened but just letting you know. I’ve never had that experience any other time I’ve rented.

if planning on renting a car it's worth calling your existing insurance company to see if they offer a rental car policy. we do this each time-start it up the day before we leave, cancel it when we get back. costs less than $20 and covers everything (our insurance company recommends doing it this way unless you rent all the time and need it month to month).

 

[kymom99]

if planning on renting a car it's worth calling your existing insurance company to see if they offer a rental car policy. we do this each time-start it up the day before we leave, cancel it when we get back. costs less than $20 and covers everything (our insurance company recommends doing it this way unless you rent all the time and need it month to month).

My insurance covers rentals

 

[barkley]

My insurance covers rentals

i'm a cheapskate-i only add the coverage when i need it.