roat trip out West

[luvsvacation]

We are heading out west on a road trip this summer. We're traveling through Arizona, Southern California, Nevada, and Utah. I have a few questions about some of our locations.

We are staying in Laguna Beach one night and hoping to see Hollywood the next day. DS really wants to see it. From Hollywood how crazy would it be to drive through Beverly Hills and to Santa Monica before heading to Anaheim (Disney hotel, for Disney the next day). I'm really not sure if I'm packing too much in this day. Ideal would be to hang at the beach and explore the tide pools, see Hollywood briefly (just interested in walk of Fame, Chinese Theater, Hollywood sign), drive through Beverly Hills, Santa Monica Pier (Ferris wheel ride only), then drive to Disney area to check into hotel. We have some family in the LA area that may want to have dinner, and I was hoping to get some laundry done at the hotel this evening. Is this way too much for one day?

We are going to be spending a few days in Disneyland followed by a day at Six Flags Magic Mountain (for the thrill rides, plus we have Six Flags season passes already). It looks like we want to take Hwy. 5 all the way. Problem is we are leaving the hotel at Disney in the morning and wanting to make rope drop at Six Flags. It will be a Thurs. morning, I'm guessing traffic will be a nightmare. I'm not opposed to leaving the hotel at 5 AM if that's what we have to do, any advise??

Also planning one day at Las Vegas. It will be the day after Magic Mountain. We will leave the hotel early and drive to Vegas. We have kids with us. Plan is to eat at the Rainforest Cafe at MGM and ride the rides at the top of the stratosphere. We probably won't arrive until around lunchtime. Wondering what else we would have time for?? Is just walking the strip and checking out some of the hotels a good plan? Any can't miss places? Planning to be back at our hotel early enough for the kids to swim/chill.

Planning a day at Zion national park. Thinking about hiking a small portion of the Narrows. Has anyone done this? I see that you can rent equipment in town, is this necessary? Can we just wear old tennis shoes and be ok? Any other can't miss hikes in the park? This will be the day after Vegas, so we will not arrive at Zion until lunchtime and the next day we're heading to Bryce so we really only have lunchtime-dark.

We're staying a few days in Page and then heading to the Grand Canyon South rim. I heard that the Hwy. 89 is out in sections. It looks on the map like there is a Hwy. 89 T that will connect. Has anyone taken this? Also we wanted to hike to horseshoe bend, is 89 still open far enough to get to the parking lot for the hike?

Thanks, any help is appreciated

 

[Drusilla99]

If you leave Laguna early you should be able to pack your day in. The hard parts will b traffic, everywhere on this route, and around Santa Monica pier. Maybe the family can meet you at dl hotel for dinner while your laundry is in to insure everything gets done?

 

[PrincessInOz]

I was in Page and the Grand Canyon in September last year. I was heading in the opposite direction to what you're planning (we went from Sedona to Grand Canyon to Page).

The 89T opened about 2 weeks before we got there and aside from a bit of confusion around the turnoff, we did use it. It was a lot quicker than the alternative route round Tuba City.


The 89 is opened right to the parking lot of Horseshoe Bend; so you'll be fine heading down that way.

I've written up all of my road trip portion and posted the pictures of Grand Canyon and Page. If you're interested the link is:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3185788

Head to the second post for the quick links and you'll find the appropriate days/posts listed.

 

[luvsvacation]

Thank you both so much! I like the idea of combining laundry and dinner, that should work well

Thanks so much for the info about Page, so glad we will be able to take the alt route and still drive down far enough for the horseshoe bend overlook. Your trip report was awesome! We're doing the float in Page with Colorado River Discovery also and your pix of it look beautiful!

 

[Tommy_B]

Yes, you can do the "LA day" from Laguna Beach pretty easily, you just need patience if you hit traffic.

In Vegas, where are you staying? The walk from one end of the Strip to the other is long and daunting. Every big hotel has its attractions. I think the canals at the Venetian are kind of cool, but at its heart it is just a gimmicky mall.

Mandalay Bay has the Sharks Reef or whatever they call it, the Bellagio the Conservatory & Fountains, Caesar's has the statues that move in their mall area, Mirage has the tiger habitat and dolphins, NYNY has the roller coaster, etc. Some of these are free, some cost. You just need to decide which ones appeal.

There is also M&M World, which is a big hit too

 

[luvsvacation]

In Vegas we are staying off the strip. We are eating lunch at Rainforest Cafe in MGM though so I thought we could just start walking from there, go down a couple of blocks, cross the street and come back. I wasn't planning to walk from one end to the other. We're going to drive to the stratosphere for the rides. Thanks for the info on cool stuff in some of the hotels, that gives me a jumping off place for what we may want to check out. The kids would love the animal exhibits, planning to skip the NY coaster since we're doing the stratosphere rides. Definitely going to hit M&M world! I've never been to Vegas before. I'd like a pic by the iconic Vegas sign. Is that easy to find when driving into town from the LA area??

 

[Tommy_B]

In Vegas we are staying off the strip. We are eating lunch at Rainforest Cafe in MGM though so I thought we could just start walking from there, go down a couple of blocks, cross the street and come back. I wasn't planning to walk from one end to the other. We're going to drive to the stratosphere for the rides. Thanks for the info on cool stuff in some of the hotels, that gives me a jumping off place for what we may want to check out. The kids would love the animal exhibits, planning to skip the NY coaster since we're doing the stratosphere rides. Definitely going to hit M&M world! I've never been to Vegas before. I'd like a pic by the iconic Vegas sign. Is that easy to find when driving into town from the LA area??

The animal attractions all have admission costs and not cheap, you can Goggle them and see if they look worthwhile.

The iconic LV sign is best seen heading south on Las Vegas Blvd, not coming from LA per se. It is south of the Mandalay Bay and has a small parking area accessible only from the south.

http://goo.gl/maps/GnHQd

 

[ImDMous]

Personally, I would stop at State Line and go on the roller coaster there if your family likes rides. It's in Primm Valley right inside the Nevada border and it is a great coaster. The rides on top of Stratosphere are just very high carnival rides, and I like those too but coasters are way better. It's a nice place to stop and stretch your legs, go potty and have a quick scream before heading into Vegas.

 

[Fantaluminishes]

Personally, I would stop at State Line and go on the roller coaster there if your family likes rides. It's in Primm Valley right inside the Nevada border and it is a great coaster. The rides on top of Stratosphere are just very high carnival rides, and I like those too but coasters are way better. It's a nice place to stop and stretch your legs, go potty and have a quick scream before heading into Vegas.

I agree with this. The roller coaster mentioned is The Desperado, and the resort is Buffalo Bills. Primm Valley is about 40 miles before Vegas when driving in from SoCal. They also have a log ride and some other attractions. Hours are a little strange, so check ahead if you decide to go. There is a nice outlet mall across from Buffalo Bills as well.

In Vegas, there is also the Monorail that connects most of the resorts on the MGM side of the strip. There is a fee to ride it. On the opposite side of the strip, there are several elevated teams that connect the different resorts. All of those are free.
You can save a lot of walking time by using them. But you have to walk to the back of most resorts to get to the team stations. The only tram with tracks out front is the one that connects Excalibur, Luxor and Mandalay Bay.

Regarding Stratosphere, the view from the top of the tower is awesome. But the rides are overpriced, and somewhat lame. Just my opinion.

 

[luvsvacation]

Thanks for the info. The coaster looks awesome. We are going to be at six flags magic mountain the day before riding all the big coasters there. Is this one that much more intense than those that it would be worth a stop?? As far as the rides at the top of the stratosphere go, I understand the rides themselves are not that exciting, but the kids are thrilled with the whole hanging off the top of a giant tower thing. Thanks to everyone for the ideas

 

[Fantaluminishes]

Thanks for the info. The coaster looks awesome. We are going to be at six flags magic mountain the day before riding all the big coasters there. Is this one that much more intense than those that it would be worth a stop?? As far as the rides at the top of the stratosphere go, I understand the rides themselves are not that exciting, but the kids are thrilled with the whole hanging off the top of a giant tower thing. Thanks to everyone for the ideas

Magic Mountain has some great coasters. Desparado at Buffalo Bills is similar to Goliath at Six Flags, but not any more intense. Your family will enjoy MM, if the weather and crowds cooperate. They have the best roller coasters of any park I've ever been to.

 

[Calliaz]

We are heading out west on a road trip this summer. We're traveling through Arizona, Southern California, Nevada, and Utah. I have a few questions about some of our locations.



Planning a day at Zion national park. Thinking about hiking a small portion of the Narrows. Has anyone done this? I see that you can rent equipment in town, is this necessary? Can we just wear old tennis shoes and be ok? Any other can't miss hikes in the park? This will be the day after Vegas, so we will not arrive at Zion until lunchtime and the next day we're heading to Bryce so we really only have lunchtime-dark.

We went to Zion last summer. It will likely be pretty hot in the afternoon but the river will still be very cold. We did the river walk down to the Narrows and then hiked just a short way up the Narrows. My son and I had Keen sandals with the toe protection. DH just had tennis shoes. I would have liked a walking stick. I think I also would have liked different shoes. I kept slipping forward into the toe box and ramming my toes. I really appreciated the extra toe protection, though.

We also hiked the Emerald Pool trail. I only did the lower, but my son and parents went the whole way up. It was hot and we left really early in the morning. I would make sure you take a lot of water and be prepared with hats, sunscreen, etc.

It's a really great place. Beware that the restaurants are overpriced and generally not that good.

 

[Unas]

From LV onward it's likely to be stinking hot, stay hydrated . . . Plus, you will have some higher altitudes, so keep sunblock fresh.