>has always had a yen to see the Canyon...
>Flagstaff...as our base
Paul, if you're going to use a base city, I would pick Las Vegas
rather than Flagstaff. However, due to the distances involved
I strongly suggest that you don't try to return to the base
every night.
You might consider something like this:
1) Fly into Las Vegas and spend the night there. You may want
to spend the next day sightseeing in the city if you want to
see Las Vegas or if you're prone to jet lag and want to have
a day to recuperate from your flight.
The most popular place to stay in Vegas is "the strip", which
is the area where most of the newer casinos are located.
However this area can also be expensive, and if you're not
interested in gambling there are nice hotels in other parts
of the city that are considerably less expensive. You might
want to visit the Las Vegas newsgroup for advice.
2) Rent a car and drive to the Grand Canyon. It's possible to
do this as a day trip (it's about a 5 hour drive each way), but
if the Canyon is the main point of your trip then it would be
silly to only spend a few hours there. Get a hotel close to the
south rim and spend at least 2 days there if you can. It would
be ideal to get a hotel in the Grand Canyon Village, which is in
the park right at the rim (reservations needed far in advance),
or you can probably save some money by getting a room in the
nearby village of Tusayan which is outside the park.
The Canyon has magnificent overlooks, miles of trails along
the rim, etc.; you'll love it. It's also possible to take mule rides
into the canyon, either as a day trip or an overnight trip to
the bottom (must be reserved far in advance), or you could
hike into the Canyon by foot on the beautiful Bright Angel Trail
(overnight to the bottom, or just walk a few hours on the trail
to get a taste of the experience and to enjoy the magnificent
views from below the rim).
3) Drive to either Zion or Bryce parks and spend the night.
4) Return to Las Vegas. If time permits you might want to visit
nearby attractions such as Hoover Dam, and Red Rock Canyon.
5) Visit Death Valley. You can do it as a day trip from Vegas,
although you won't have time to see everything.
By the way, I noticed that another poster said that Death Valley
wasn't worth the trip. I respectfully disagree; it's a popular
tourist destination and is magnificent *if* you enjoy stark desert
terrain, sand dunes, etc. Do a Google search for Death Valley
info and photos and decide for yourself if it would appeal to you.
Personally, I loved it.
6) Fly home from Las Vegas.
>The weather...late August/early September
In general it'll be very hot, especially in Vegas & Death Valley,
although it gets cooler in the higher elevations. Go to
, look up the place you're going
to visit, and then click the "Records and Averages" link on that
page to see the average temperatures in that place throughout
the year.
If you don't enjoy hot weather, I'd suggest delaying your trip a
few months.
Jim
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