West - Need help with my Vegas-Phoenix trip

Hi everyone...first let me apologize for the multiple post, this is a rush post, we have to book our trip either tonight or tomorrow at the latest.

Last August the wife and I went to the Grand Canyon.
Now, I will be the first to admit, I am not a fan of nature, but the wife loves hiking (I don't get it)

So we are planning out another vacation, but would love some advice on the best way to organize it.

We are thinking:
for me:
Las Vegas (I love "sites" so I will love going to the hotels and checking out the fun stuff there...I love the "tourist trap" stuff)
maybe Hoover Dam

for her, she has named such places as:
Zion National Park
Bryce Canyon
Antelope Canyon
Moab National Park

Now, a couple of questions:
1. From her list...which of those would be the same as Grand Canyon?
We can probably remove that stuff, since it would be similar to our last vacation. Of course thats my thinking, she might disagree.
Antelope seems very different from Grand Canyon, but it might be tough to get to (see question 2)

2. What would be the best path for our trip? we are thinking Saturday to Friday. Maybe 3 nights in Vegas...
Fly into Phoenix then drive to Vegas, passing by Antelope and Zion, etc?
Fly into Vegas then drive to Phoenix, passing by .....
What parks do we go to on the path....what parks do we avoid (too out of the way, etc)

3. Is it even possible with our limited time. Should we just forget about some of the parks/Phoenix, and just stay in Vegas and go to some nearby parks as day trips...

4. Is it better to hit the parks on the weekdays because it might be less crowded? (ties into question 2 also)

Any advice/thoughts would be appreciated!

Thanks!

I don't have anything to comment on about the parks you've listed. However, if you're planning to drive between Vegas and Phoenix (either direction), I'd highly recommend a stop in Sedona.

In addition to hiking and the other outdoors stuff, a jeep ride is probably something both of you can enjoy. The scenery is simply amazing... And if you can, I'd drive through Oak Creek Canyon from Sedona up to Flagstaff (or the other way).

Generally any parks that are within an easy drive of a city (Phoenix, Vegas, etc) are going to be more crowded on weekends when people can go without taking much time off from work. Sedona and the Grand Canyon are the same way, I've been there some weekends when it seemed like rush hour in Phoenix.

When are you planning on visiting? Some of those parks that you want to go to may be brutally hot or brutally cold.

-There is no Moab National Park. Perhaps you mean Arches NP and/or Canyonlands NP?
-I thought Antelope Canyon is one small area. Not sure if all vehicles can get there.
-Bryce and Zion each have lodges within the parks. Not cheap and they tend to have reservations filling them up way in advance. Bryce has a few towns not far away. Zion is even easier: the town of Springdale, with lots of hotels, is adjacent to the park and there is a free shuttle bus. We stayed in the park's lodge since we had just one night (and it was nice having lots of peace and quiet after the day's last shuttle bus left and the next day before the first one arrived).
-Sedona is indeed in a very scenic area, though the number of upscale boutiques and New Age crystal vendors put me off a bit. Oak Creek Canyon is close by and is also scenic.

If you fly to Vegas, why will you go to Phoenix? Did you go to just the South Rim of the GC? The North Rim is different: higher, greener, cooler and less crowded. And the views are different from those at the South Rim. But your only options for accommodations are the lodge in the park, right on the rim (http://grandcanyonforever.com/lodging/), the rustic Kaibab Lodge just outside the park and Jacob Lake Inn, basically a large motel, 40 miles from the rim. Tripadvisor has reviews on all three. If you want another park, but not the GC, maybe Capitol Reef?

I guess you know Vegas will be blazing hot in the summer. Not sure what "sites" you refer to. Sure,some parks will generally have more people on weekends, but, as noted, some of the parks are a bit far away for strictly weekend crowds, so the difference may be small. Again, knowing what time of year you are going is important. The North Rim's facilities are open generally from mid-May until mid-October. Bryce is even higher in elevation. We went to Zion one October, and found hotels were packed due to a combination of Fall colors and the opening of hunting season in adjacent areas. it would be easy to hit any of these from Las Vegas.

I'd avoid the drive from LAS-PHX.... I've seen way too many head on accidents on the stretch just north of Wickenburg. Fly if you can.

>>aztimm

Thanks for the recommendation on Sedonna.
But we decided to leave off AZ.

>>SWCPHX

We will be there in 2 weeks, and Im sure it will be very hot :(

>>SoCal
>>-There is no Moab National Park

Oh, I did a quick search on the internet and the movie 127 hours was supposedly filmed there.

Thanks for the info on AZ...but we've decided against AZ. Too far to drive.

>>skitch23
>>I've seen way too many head on accidents on the stretch just north of Wickenburg

Wow. Is that a dangerous road?

We've changed our trip...now its LA to Vegas and back.

Thanks all.