Hello - is it too far to drive to the Grand canyon? We are from the uk and have visited Las Vegas twice now - but have not really done anything except walk up and down the strip and look in hotels - we visit for 5 days next May and thought we may take a trip to the Canyon - we have never driven in US before - any suggestions
Drive to the canyon?
It%26#39;s a fair old drive to the Grand Canyon and as you%26#39;re only there for five days much better to take a helicoptor trip. Don%26#39;t bother with the coach trips either, it%26#39;s not a very exciting route and even if the canyon is fogged in you still go, but see nothing.
If you do decide to hire a car make sure you get one with sat nav - I used one for the first time earlier this year and it was brilliant - no way would I have found anything without it (I did try a couple of years ago and it was a nightmare). Can%26#39;t say I%26#39;m passionate about driving on the %26#39;wrong side%26#39; of the road but you do get used to it - though so much driving is automatic and you do have to pay more attention in the States.
Drive to the canyon?
The route is fairly simple, the traffic is light weekdays, 400 km each way to South rim
Early to bed, early to rise, no booze the night before, leave very early so you can relax and enjoy the scenery, and have plenty of time for stops, and at the canyon. Have good maps, and the route well plotted.
See www.americansouthwest.net
Depending on how fast you drive, it can take you anywhere from four to five hours to get to the south rim. It’s really worth spending a night there, but with only five days in Vegas it doesn’t seem to be an option for you. You’ll need to get up bright and early and plan on driving back when it’s dark.
Crowds won’t be horrible at the Grand Canyon during the month of May, but it won’t be dead either – crowds will just be starting to build for the summer months. Hopefully you won’t be there during Memorial Day weekend which it will be horrible (last Monday of the month).
Honestly, a navigation system is not required – all you need is a good map. You can also combine the map with directions supplied from mapquest.com. One thing to keep in mind is the stretch from the Hoover Dam is fairly desolate and there are virtually no gas or food opportunities until you reach Kingman, AZ. After Kingman, there will be a few places to stop along the way for food and gas, but the bulk of it will be in Williams, AZ which is sort of the gateway city for the Grand Canyon. Although, Williams is still a good hour from the Grand Canyon.
I suppose an aerial view of the Grand Canyon is a personal preference, but I don’t recommend it. It’s expensive and from what I gather, there are many flight restrictions (thank god) which don’t give you the full appreciation of the Grand Canyon. Ergo, my opinion is skip it.
Driving in the U.S. is not difficult, but then again I’m from U.S. citizen and I’m obviously a bit biased. You’ll probably be a bit intimidated driving within Las Vegas, but once you get out on the freeway it should be smooth sailing. Slow drivers should keep to the right and you should pass on the left.
Whatever you do, don’t get sucked into seeing the west rim – thankfully I didn’t make the mistake, but I was tempted. From what I gather it’s a gimmick and is not nearly as breath taking as the south rim.
Enjoy!!
Well, yes you can navigate using maps but try doing that when driving alone on the wrong side of the road.
Having said that, the worst bit of my non sat-nav trip was returning the car to the depot in Vegas - never underestimate how dim foreign drivers can be!
Sorry Flossie, but I’ll have to disagree with you again – I always travel alone and have never had a problem using maps. There’s nothing wrong with pulling over on the side of the road to figure out where you are. If the navigation system is free go for it, but if there are extra charges I think it’s a waste of money. In addition, garypawson said “we,” I’m assuming that means he won’t be traveling alone. So yeah, having someone riding shotgun is a plus in many ways.
When did driving on the right side of the roadway become wrong? Considering that most of the world drives on the right side you may want to reconsider that comment (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left_hand_drive) LOL :)
By the way, I don%26#39;t think driving on the left is wrong - just different.
It%26#39;s an easy enough drive but a long one. If you%26#39;ve never driven here before I wouldn%26#39;t suggest doing it in one day. Between the ';challenge'; of driving on the opposite side of the road and the 10-hour round trip driving time I really don%26#39;t think you%26#39;d enjoy your self.
But get a car and take a leisurely drive to the Grand Canyon one day, if you leave at 9:00 or 10:00 in the morning you can stop as often as you%26#39;d like and still get there in daylight.
Then relax, ejnjoy the views, enjoy a dinner, stay in a hotel and get up early the next morning to watch the sunrise over the canyon - magnificent!
Start your return trip after breakfast and you%26#39;ll be back on the Strip by mid-afternoon.
I am going to try to drive out there at the end of January 07. I plan to rent a car and drive to Grand Canyon West from Las Vegas. It is a park on an indian reservation. Below is the website. It is only 120 miles or 2 1/2 to 3hr drive from Las Vegas. I plan to do this in one day. I am only in Vegas for 3 1/2 days.
When my friend and I go to Vegas we always try to take a trip (Thelma and Louie Adventure) outside of Vegas. We are from the East Coast so we do not see desert until we go to Vegas.
Enjoy your trip!
www.destinationgrandcanyon.com/indexe.html
';I am going to try to drive out there at the end of January 07. I plan to rent a car and drive to Grand Canyon West from Las Vegas. It is a park on an indian reservation. ';
All of which is true, but please understand that you%26#39;re not going to ';The Grand Canyon';, ';Grand Canyon West'; may be an enjoyable day trip for you (hope it is!) but the name is a bit of false advertising.
please explain why the grand canyon west rim nor the grand canyon
It looked pretty grand to me and it was most certainly a canyon. Irishfan if you have visited both please explain the difference.
Garry with repect to driving in the US. It%26#39;s a doddle really all the cars are automatic, no roundabouts and the road and motorways
in comparison to the uk are like a drive in the countyside.
They drive on the defence and are much more laid back.
Not a problem at all
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