Has anyone driven from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon?

Question

How long does it take? What's the best route and sightseeing spot? Cheers.

Answer 1

There are a lot of interesting little things to see between Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon south rim, you just have to know where to look for them. I will focus my answer on the trip to the South Rim, as the North Rim is closed from mid-October to mid-May. The total drive is about 276 miles and would take about 5-6 hours (not counting stops and detours).

Things to see on the way from Las Vegas:
Hoover Dam - Completed in 1935, this is one of the largest dams in the world and an impressive work of engineering. Highway US93 goes right over it (resulting in a traffic bottleneck at times). There is a museum, gift shop, and guided tours off the north (Las Vegas side).

Chloride Ghost Town - Continuing south into Arizona on US93, there is a turn off to the east (left) leading a few miles to the old Gold-Silver mining town of Chloride (turn off is at a wide spot in the road called Santa Claus about an hour south of the dam). Many historic buildings survive, some now inhabited by a variety of 'funky' artists with their works on display. If you have a high clearance vehicle, you follow the signs into the mountains east of town where an artist painted a giant mural on the cliffs.

Kingman, Arizona - Once a major railroad and Route 66 town, Kingman was also an important fueling stop on the first transcontinental airline (TAT) in the late 1920s. The TAT airfield (now the local airfield) was a major gunnery training base during WWII and many foundations and old hangers survive. Kingman as a very nice museum focusing on the area. El Palacio (near the railroad) is an excellent Mexican food place.

Old Route 66 - Get your kicks on old Route 66. The longest surviving untouched stretch of Route 66 in the US runs from Kingman to Seligman. This is a very pretty drive and much more interesting than taking the faster I-10. Along the way, you can stop at Grand Canyon Caverns - an interesting cave that you can tour and a classic Route 66 tourist attraction.

Seligman, AZ - Another old Route 66 stop. Be sure to stop for a burger and shake at the famous SnoTop Cafe. This place is a classic Route 66 experience with wacky decorations and the owners (the Delgadilla family) are Route 66 authorities (and have a great sense of humor).

Williams, AZ - Old Route 66 and lumber town. Many historic buildings. Also home to the Grand Canyon Railroad where you can take a train ride to the canyon. You can drive directly to the canyon from here on AZ64 or take a slight detour further east through Flagstaff.

Deer Farm - Midway between William and Flagstaff is the Grand Canyon Deer Farm. A petting zoo with deer, llamas, and other interesting creatures. Fun for kids.

Flagstaff, AZ - Another great historic town with many attractions. The old downtown has many historic buildings now filled with great little shops and cafes. Overlooking downtown is Lowell Observatory and museum (where Pluto was discovered in 1930). The Museum of Northern Arizona (on way to canyon) is an excellent museum, especially for Native American culture and arts. Many eating and lodging options.

Valle, AZ (halfway between Flagstaff and GC) - Just an intersection, but home to a small aircraft museum and kooky Flintstone Village (a historic tourist trap and trailer park with concrete reconstructions of the cartoon Flintstones village).

Grand Canyon - What to see and do at Grand Canyon is a whole other topic in itself. Be sure to take some time to enjoy the view from the various overlooks (Yavapai Point, Desertview Watch Tower and the Hermit Trail shuttle stops are my favorites). Also be sure not to overlook the many historic buildings at Grand Canyon Village including the grand El Tovar hotel (1905), Hopi House curio shop (shaped like a Hopi pueblo), Desertview Watch Tower, Hermit's Rest, Bright Angel Lodge and Kolb Studio. Although there are many chain hotels just outside the park boundary at Tuysan, I highly recommend staying in one of the historic lodges on the rim. Make reservations well in advance (see link below).

Note that the area from Seligman onward is pretty high elevation (6000+) and has real winter weather (ie: freezing nights, snow, icy roads after a storm). If you are visiting Nov-Mar, dress and prepare accordingly.

As the poster above mentions, if you are going in summer, the drive from Vegas to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon (which is cooler and less developed) is a little shorter (4+ hours) than the drive to the south rim described above and passes Zion National Park and (with a bit of a detour) Bryce National Park. Both of these places are excellent and a Zion-Bryce-North Rim loop makes a great 2-4 day trip. During summer, I personally prefer the canyon's north rim over the south.

Note however, that the Vermillion Cliffs, Painted Desert and Navajo Bridge mentioned by the poster are all around the eastern end of the canyon (opposite Las Vegas) and would not be along the route from Las Vegas to either the north or south rims.

Answer 2

I just have to respond, although we left from Las Vegas, we went north first to Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon. From Sin City, directly, try highway 93 south to I-40. Try to catch Route 66 for part of the way to Williams, AZ, Then 64N to the South Rim.

But if you have a few days, try to see Zion Park and Bryce Canyon, two very scenic and awe inspiring places. They are north of Las Vegas in Utah.

From Zion National Park it is a much shorter route to the North Rim. But the North Rim is closed for much of the year, usually November through late April or May,

Going to the South Rim, where most of the tourists go, is several hours drive. All of it is scenic. There are Native American places, cliff dwellings, a painted desert and Vermilion cliffs and scenic vistas galore. I made the trip and it took all day, but I stopped many times for photo ops. There is a new Navajo bridge across the Colorado River, but you can walk out onto the old one at the same location. Maybe I am easily impressed, but I highly recommend doing that! There are some old houses made of huge boulders. Indians sell jewelry there. That is worth a stop, too. There is the Kaibab Plateau and national forest. . The Little Colorado River (may be dry) is worth stopping. It just goes on and on. (Maybe you can tell, this is one of my favorite parts of the world)

Have a great trip!

Answer 3

Hoover Dam is not a given The best routing is to go over the top Las Vegas > Hurricane UT via the truly awesome Virgin River Gorge ; get gas in Hurricane Colorado City AZ aka polygamy central >Jacob Lake AZ > Lees Ferry AZ aka Mile Zero for the Colorado River in Grand Canyon > Cameron AZ ; Get gas at the Cameron Trading Post > enter GCNP via Desert View and your first view of the Canyon should be at Lipan Point < watch the Sun set from Maricopa Point and drive back to 'Vegas via Williams and Kingman Fill up before you leave Kingman

Answer 4

Yes, there are couple routes, depends on if you want to pass Hoover Dam or skip it.

We went with a battlion of army transporters, so it was extremely slow. I am assuming 3-4 hours in a car or truck within legal speed limit. You can pass Hoover Dam, however there is a check point (thanks to the terrorists!) So there will be delay at the point. Once you pass Hoover Dam, there is BullheadCity, nothing much there.

Other than Lake Mead and Hoover Dam. There really isn't much to see but desert scenes till you get closers to the Canyon, then you will see more pine trees.

Answer 5

if your time is limited, or even not, i highly recommend taking a helicopter tour of the canyon. they depart from vegas, its about an hour trip out, but you fly over the hoover dam, along the rim, and down INTO the canyon for lunch. it is completely amazing, breathtaking, and will be able to take awesome pictures to take back home. it took about from 10am to 3pm to do it.