Southwest Road Trip

August 25- September 1, 2022

We have yet to explore much of the western United States, so when Chad had the opportunity to attend a work conference in Las Vegas, we decided this was the time to go. We planned a quick trip, just barely hitting some of the highlights, not even spending 24 hours in any one location. We made it to the Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon, and Zion. It is safe to say we will be back to see more after this trip!

We flew out early Thursday morning, arriving in Las Vegas a little before 9 AM to start our quick 3-and-a-half-day tour. Just 30 minutes from the airport, we made our first stop for breakfast at the Coffee Cup Cafe, which has been featured on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives. I got the highly recommended Papa Con Chili Verde, and Chad went with the Huevos Rancheros. We both thought the Huevos Rancheros was better and more flavorful. The Papa Con Chili Verde was good, but I would not go out of my way to recommend it to anyone. With full stomachs, we only made it about 15 more minutes before making another stop to see the Hoover Dam.

After the Hoover Dam, we finally got back on the road to finish the 4-hour drive to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. When we arrived, we headed to Desert View Drive, where we made stops at Pipe Creek Overlook, Grandview Point, and Moran Point, getting to see the sunset over the Grand Canyon! We went to Yavapai for dinner, and each ordered a personal pizza which hit the spot for us. (We went with low expectations since National Park food isn't always the greatest).

We got an early start our first morning, heading to Mather’s Point around 5:30 AM to try to catch the sunrise, even though it was calling for mostly cloudy conditions. We were able to park and walk from the visitors center instead of taking the shuttle, which is required for some of the other sunrise locations. You could probably enjoy the sunrise from anywhere along Desert View Drive and avoid some of the crowds and the shuttle. Luckily, it ended up not being very cloudy, so we were able to see the sunrise! From there, we walked about 2 miles along the canyon rim trail to the South Kaibab Trailhead. The only options to get to the South Kaibab Trail are to walk or take the shuttle at this time of year.

We started at 6:21 AM in sweatshirts and jackets with temperatures in the low 60s. The trail to the first lookout, Ooh Aah Point (1.8 miles RT) is an easy, downward hike. We didn't have much time, so we decided to turn around here, satisfied with the views, and head back up. The return hike gets you breathing, and the sun was starting to warm things up around 8 AM, which is why it is advised that you start this hike early, especially if you plan to hike to Cedar Ridge (3 miles RT) or Skeleton Point (6 miles RT). We ended back at the visitor center parking lot around 9:30 AM, and luckily some clouds had rolled in, which made the return much more comfortable. We went to the market deli for breakfast bagels and burritos, which again exceeded our expectations for park food. We could not have asked for a more perfect morning in the Grand Canyon with unbeatable weather!

We could have sat beside the Grand Canyon and enjoyed the views and weather for hours, but we had more adventures ahead. Our next destination was Page, AZ, two and a half hours away. We arrived around 2 PM and went to Canyon Crepes for a light lunch/snack, ordering the Banana Nutella and The Beef Wave. We didn’t think the crepes were anything special and are glad we didn’t try to come for breakfast, since some had said the wait could be as long as 40 minutes. Luckily, we had the place to ourselves at 2 PM and did not have to wait.

Horseshoe Bend was next on our itinerary. We went around 4 PM, and it was pretty hot, but luckily some clouds rolled in, offering some relief from the heat while we were out there. We didn’t stay too long, but it was worth a visit! It was starting to get more crowded as we were leaving, likely for sunset, but we had read it can get shadowy then and is not the best time to go, especially if you’re trying to take pictures. (There is a $10 parking fee, they accept cash and cards, and it is about a mile walk from the parking lot.) We ended up enjoying the sunset while eating dinner at Sunset 89.

We did not have sunrise plans Saturday morning, so our day started a little more leisurely at Hot n Sweet Coffee and Donut Shop. The owner provided top-notch service, and he even brought us three freshly made hot donuts for free after we had already ordered four, along with coffee, biscuits and gravy. We enjoyed all seven donuts, but they are cake donuts which are not our personal preference. If you like cake donuts, we would highly recommend going! The service alone made it worth the stop.

We had two tours booked, one for Lower Antelope Canyon at 9:15 AM (they had availability at 8:45 AM when we arrived, so we went early) and one for Canyon X at 12:20 PM. We chose Canyon X because it is supposedly less crowded than the Upper and Lower Antelope Canyons, but we didn’t find this to be true. (Tours are required to visit the canyons, you cannot go on your own since it is on Navajo land.) For each tour, there were about 10-13 people in our group.

Once we checked in for the Lower Antelope Canyon, we took a 5-seater ATV just a few minutes from the check-in center to the canyon entrance to catch up with our group. Our tour guide Lydell helped us with camera settings and took pictures for everyone at several spots along the way. While there were other tour groups in front of and behind us, the experience was so unique we found the experience completely worth it.

At Canyon X, the drive from the check-in desk is about 10 minutes, and then there is a 5-minute walk down a fairly steep hill (or you can take stairs) to the canyon. We personally would not recommend this tour, we were still crossing paths with other tour groups, and this section of the canyon didn’t seem as worth it compared to the Lower Antelope tour. If we could go back, we would have chosen to see the Upper Antelope Canyon instead of Canyon X. The only reason we did not was because it was not advised for pregnant women to go, apparently due to the bumpy ride getting there, but they said they could just put you in the front seat when I messaged them. All the tours I looked at advised that pregnant women not go, but I found no reason for this and was not the only pregnant one to go on a tour. As long as you can physically walk about a mile (there are stops every couple of minutes to take pictures) and go up and down a few sets of stairs, you shouldn’t have any trouble.

One thing to note, just going between the Grand Canyon and Page, but especially for these tours, is the time zone. Some areas in the town observe daylight savings, and some do not, so the time can change within minutes while you’re driving. The tour companies make it very clear what time zone they go by.

While waiting to start our second tour, someone pointed out that the front right tire of our rental car had a gash in it where the rubber was holding on by a flap. We could not tell how deep it went, so we stopped at the Walmart Auto Center to have them look at it. They could not tell us whether it was safe to drive on, and they would not be able to get a new tire for us until Monday. We were already supposed to be on the road to Zion, so we could not wait that long. They hesitantly advised us to drive carefully and not to pass or exceed 60 mph, but you could tell they weren’t necessarily comfortable sending us off, not knowing what might happen with the tire. We tried to find a Hertz to see if we could trade cars, but the closest one just past Zion told us there was nothing they could do until Monday and that our best bet would be to make it to the Vegas Hertz, which was our final destination anyways so we just had to hope and pray the tire would make it there.

We made it to Zion in time to hike the Canyon overlook trail, a quick 1-mile round trip hike. (Canyon Overlook Trail is supposedly a good alternative to Angel’s landing, a strenous 4.4 mile hike requiring a permit.) There is a small parking lot just by the trailhead and overflow areas a little further away. The trail begins with stairs and has some rocky areas where you need to watch your step, but nothing difficult. Since this is an easy and short hike, it can get crowded. After watching the sunset, we got dinner at Whiptail Grill.

Sunday morning, we woke up at 5:15 AM so we could catch the first shuttle at 6 AM to hike part of the Narrows. It was still dark when we got to the last stop, 9, for The Temple of Sinawava, but it was starting to lighten up a little. We hiked about a mile to the river, and the sun was now up, just blocked by the tall canyon walls. We only had time to go about 1/2 a mile in the water. To that point, the water never went up past our knees, but water shoes and hiking poles definitely came in handy. It was in the upper 60s while we were out there. We could have used a jacket, and our feet were quite cold, but nothing unbearable.

If you do the whole hike from the bottom to Big Spring, it is 8.9 miles. (To hike from the top down is 15.5 miles and requires a permit.) You can only get to the Narrows by shuttle at this time of year, which runs from 6 AM-8 PM and you can rent shoes, hiking poles, and waterproof bags if needed. They warn you to be back for the last shuttle if you’re planning to hike the whole thing, or you will have an additional seven mile hike ahead of you. It would have been an experience to do the entire hike, and maybe one day we will get to, but with limited time we thoroughly enjoyed the short part of it we were able to do. We had breakfast at Deep Creek Coffee Company, enjoying the cool morning air before the 3-hour drive back to Las Vegas, where Chad needed to be for a work conference starting that afternoon.

Luckily, the tire held up, and we made it to Vegas. Vegas is not for us, but we enjoyed the food there, and it’s a convenient place to fly in and out of to see some of the National Parks out west. So we may be back one day, but preferably just as a starting and stopping point. And maybe for another slice of cheesecake at Lupo’s.

Itinerary:

Day 1 - Flight RDU - Vegas / Coffee Cup Cafe / Hoover Dam / Drive to the Grand Canyon South Rim / Desert View Drive / Yavapai

Day 2 - Sunrise at Mather Point / South Kaibab Trail / Market Deli / Drive to Page, AZ / Canyon Crepes / Horse Shoe Bend / Sunset 89

Day 3 - Hot N Sweet Coffee & Donut Shop / 8:45 AM Lower Antelope Canyon Tour / 12:20 PM Canyon X Tour / Drive to Zion / Canyon Over Look Trail / Whiptail Grill

Day 4 - The Narrows / Deep Creek Coffee Company / Drive to Las Vegas / Chad Worked / Den Tai Fung

Day 5 - Seabreeze Cafe / Pool / Bonanno’s New York Pizzeria / Chad Worked / Lupo by Wolfgang Puck

Day 6 - Seabreeze Cafe / Pool / Bonanno’s New York Pizzeria / Chad Worked / Eataly La Pizza & La Pasta / Eiffel Tower & Bellagio Fountain Show

Day 7 - Seabreeze Cafe / Chad Worked / Bonanno’s New York Pizzeria / Pool / Lupo by Wolfgang Puck

Day 8 - Flight Vegas - Salt Lake City - RDU

Food Recommendations:

Coffee Cup Cafe (Boulder City, NV)

Sunset 89 (Page, AZ)

Den Tai Fung (Las Vegas, NV)

Lupo by Wolfgang Puck (Las Vegas, NV)

Accommodations:

Maswik Lodge (The Grand Canyon)

Home2 Suites by Hilton Page Lake Powell (Page, AZ)

Zion Canyon Lodge (Zion)

Mandalay Bay (Las Vegas, NV)

Things to Note:

-We purchased the America the Beautiful Pass for $80. This pass is good for one year and can be used to get in any National Park. The fee to enter by car into the Grand Canyon and Zion is $35 each, good for 7 days.

-The time zone changes when crossing within and between Nevada, Arizona, and Utah.

-To see Antelope Canyon you need to book a tour, the earlier the better to ensure you can get the time you want.