Vegas and Grand Canyon

Have any of you visited grand canyon from vegas?

My cousin is getting married in vegas in april. So we are thinking of doing 2 nights at red rock canyon, where the wedding is, then driving to the grand canyon and staying in sedona 1 or 2 nights then driving back to vegas and staying on the strip 2 or 3 nights.

Doable? Any advice?


Also, as far as strip hotels go, I am seeing Mandalay Bay for $80 a night and Bellagio for like $189 a night. Ceasers for $149. Vdara for $119. Any suggestions or advice?

Vegas and Grand Canyon

I'm sure it's doable. I've done a few trips out west and always squeeze in as much as possible. I would hop on google maps and play with the different locations to see how long each leg will take. I've also done one of the bus trips from Vegas to the Grand Canyon. We were picked up at our hotel, bused with a short stop at Hoover Dam, and then took a helicopter ride into the canyon and a short (stifling) boat ride on the river. It was cool but it was the smaller part of the canyon, I think the western rim, where they now have the skywalk.

Re: Vegas and Grand Canyon

I visited Grand Canyon from Las Vegas about two years ago. We did one of the bus tours like the PP mentioned. It was nice not having to do the drive ourselves. And there were two places that we got off of the bus at the canyon to take photos and stuff. They have tours to both parts of the canyon, where the skywalk is and the other.

Also, we visited Red Rock Canyon when we stayed on the strip. We actually did the following tour of Red Rock and it was so much fun!

Scoot City Tours

Vegas and Grand Canyon

Totally doable. There are day trips from Vegas to Grand Canyon and the drive from Vegas to the South Rim is about 5 hours, which is why we never do the day trips because you spend most of the time driving there and only about 2 hours actually BEING there. So, spending a day or two at the Grand Canyon and seeing the sites around the area at your leisure is ideal.

Hotel prices can and will vary in Vegas depending on the hotel and where it is located in relation to the strip. So, it all depends on what you are comfortable paying, where you want to be and what you are looking for in a hotel. We really like the MGM Grand, which is at the end of the strip. I would go on to www.broadwaybox.com and click on the Las Vegas link and look up hotels there too - they have discounts on most of the hotels in Vegas and can oftentimes throw in a few extras.

Re: Vegas and Grand Canyon

thanks for the tips!

For vegas we want to stay on the strip. Especially since we will be staying in red rock for a couple of nights. My husband and i have never been to vegas so we want to be in the middle of it all for a couple of nights. We don't need super luxury, but I also want to experience a great vegas hotel since the hotels seem to be what a lot of vegas is all about. And it must be clean. :)

For Grand Canyon, I did some research today and seems like it might be a good idea to stay over at least 1 night if not 2. My mom will be with us and she is pretty active, but I think we are going to try to stick to doing a simple easy 1-2 hour hike on the rim. And def don't want to feel overwhelmed or rushed.


Any other tips or suggestions are very much appreciated! :)

Vegas and Grand Canyon

To be right smack in the middle of the strip, you can stay at the Bellaggio. Right next door though is the Monte Carlo, which is beautiful and a little quieter and more affordable. Mandalay Bay is actually at the end of the strip so you'll either have to walk it, drive it or take the tram or something to get to everything else.

Re: Vegas and Grand Canyon

good to know! Thanks! I believe vdara is attached to Bellagio, but I may be wrong. If that is the case, it is a very good price, so maybe I will stay there. And if it is central, the location may be good.

Vegas and Grand Canyon

Def stay at the Bellagio! You will love the hotel and location is great!

Vegas and Grand Canyon

We drove to the GC from vegas and it wasn't bad. We got to do it on our time but we also had a car. I can see the appeal of the bus if you don't have a car.

I did th skywalk - it was a waste of money. You have to wear hospital booties so you don't scratch the glass floor. You can't take anything with you - no cell/camera/etc. They take a pic of you but they came out like garbage and were $$$$. You get better views from the other spots on the canyon that they let you off at.
The food was eh - we ate at the old west city cafe - not sure the name. I'm glad I did do the skywalk b/c if I didn't, I'd always wonder if it was worth it and I'd hate to go back to find out it wasn't!

If you have time check out the Cosmo for lunch - there is a restaurant there that has a 3 course lunch for $20.12 and the scallops were AMAZING!!!

Re: Vegas and Grand Canyon

Vegas and Grand Canyon

Cosmo is in Vegas. The skywalk isn't in the south rim though.

Re: Vegas and Grand Canyon

The drive to the south rim is about 5 hours. Sedona is about 2 hours south of there though, so I'm not sure I'd make the detour.

Definitely stay at least one or two nights at the canyon. If you can, hike a bit of the south kaibab trail. It makes such a huge difference to get down into the canyon instead of just seeing it from the rim. Just remember that it will take about twice as long to get back up as it did to get down.

Re: Vegas and Grand Canyon

are the trails easy to find and marked well? We would like to do a hike the day we are there. But nothing too hard. my mother will be with us and while she is active we don't want anything too strenuous.

Re: Vegas and Grand Canyon

The south kaibab and bright angel trails are very easy to find and very well marked. Bright angel is easier to access as it's right near the bright angel lodge and all the tourist stuff. South kaibab you have to take the shuttle bus too. But I much prefer the views on the south kaibab.

It's definitely strenuous hiking. But for someone who is active it should be manageable. I wouldn't hike down more than an hour though if you are concerned.