Vegas and Grand Canyon all in one...

Trying to figure out which way it would be better to do this. We will be coming from NYS and want to do Vegas and Grand Canyon in one trip.

So since we plan to do GC first, it seems to make more sense to fly into AZ. Which airport is closest to the GC. We would like to stay at EL Tovar.

And since we will be ending our trip in LV, I'm hoping it will be easy to drop the rental car off at the airport and fly out from there. So in that case we would have to book 2 one way flights?

Has anyone ever done anything like this. Any ideas.

 

There isn't a commercial airport really close to GC. Flagstaff may have a few flights originating from Phoenix, so you would have to stop in Phoenix anyway. We fly into Phoenix and drove from there. It's maybe 3-4 hours depending on whether or not you hit rush hour. The drive is fairly scenic though. Are you only planning to visit GC, or are you also looking to explore other parts of the area like Sedona? And how long are you planning to spend at GC?

Your other option is to just to fly Vegas and drive from there. Figure around 4-5 hours from Vegas to get to the South Rim where El Tovar is.

I've also done a flight/helicopter/ground tour from Vegas. If you just want to see GC without staying at El Tovar this might be an option too.

 

In two trips to Vegas- on combined with Flagstaff- I can tell you that the best views are the western rim views, which are a few hours drive from Vegas. So, RT air to Vegas, book a tour to the west rim- I can give you the tour we took and LOVED if you'd like(Not sure if that's Kosher on the open forum or if it needs to be done via PM) and the rest of the time in Vegas. If you have time a trip to Hoover and Lake Meade is also well worth the day. Doing the above you wouldn't need to rent a car- and you DON'T want to drive in Vegas! A future trip for me includes the helo landing on the floor of the CG with a picnic lunch- an entirely different pov looking up rather than down!

 

What's so bad about driving in Vegas? I fly into Las Vegas 6 to 10 times per year, have been doing so since 1999, am there for as much as 32 days at a time, always rent a car and have never had a problem. No accidents, no incidents, no tickets, no road rage, never been lost, never had my rental car damaged, never had it stolen. Every time I've robbed a liquor store the traffic lights were with me. Err... forget that last part.

Traffic can be bad at times but patience is the key - and a good GPS with HD Traffic alerts.

If you fly into Phoenix (Flagstaff would be closer but I'm not sure about air service there, one of the few airports I haven't flown into) do stop in Sedona, Prescott and Jerome. Both are interesting. Sounds like you want to take some time to see the area - I've only seen the Grand Canyon from the air but have been to Phoenix, Sedona, Prescott and Jerome.

Google Earth will give you a good overview of your trip to see if you want to make the drive. Large stretches of it are pretty boring I understand. Good luck in your planning!

 

We want to spend a couple nights at the Canyon, because we have been before and that was by way of a tour bus we took from Vegas. Felt kind of rushed, wanted to do and see more, that's why we are thinking of doing it this way.

 

But if there is some sort of overnight tour from Vegas that would be good.

 

I have been to the west, north, and south rim and i strongly disagree with your statement. The west rim is far less impressive then the south and north rim. I have also been on the helicopter ride using Mavericks(west rim) and its nice and all but you really spend to little time in the canyons and its not comparable to hiking down some trails in the south/north rim.

 

I rent a car on every trip and other than missing a turn and getting stuck
on Las Vegas Blvd on a Sat night for 40 minutes, it's been great to have
a car to explore. The streets are laid out in a logical grid and you can take
many different roads to get where you're going with no problem.
Hope you have a great trip! The GC is amazing!

 

I think we are going to go with flying into Vegas then driving to GC. Then drive back to Vegas after a couple days at GC drive back to Vegas. This at least avoids flying in one airport and out of another.

 

I'm going to GC for the first time this summer, we are staying in Vegas for 4 nights the driving to the a South Rim and staying overnight in the Park, driving back to Vegas the next day, I'm really excited about finally making it to GC, I wanted to do it on my own schedule and not on a tour. Enjoy!

 

Having lived all over the world, not much impresses me. The GC impressed me!

 

Fly to Phoenix, rent a car. Enjoy the drive to the canyon, then to Vegas.

As for accomms in the park, good luck.

Agree with the comment above relative to the West Rim being the third-tier of views. (P.S. I still beats no GC view, of course.) I'm a North Rim guy.

 

when the Brady Bunch went to the GC they went to the South Rim

 

I, too, remember being told that the GC hotels are booked out almost a year in advance.......

 

If people only did some research instead of listening to "they", they be a lot better off. Yes El Tovar could be tricky to get a room at if you are out late and need a room for a specific date since they are very popular with limited rooms. Others is a lot easier and can usually be booked a month before or even later, then there is also Tusayan a 5-10 minute drive from the rim right by the park entrance.
But as always nothing is set in stone when it comes to booking a hotel room, so as soon as you know your dates go ahead and book. If prices drops or another hotel that wasn't available earlier shows up, you can just book a new reservation and cancel the old.

 

Just BE CAREFUL!

 

We have come close to doing this so we definitely are aware of booking way in advance. We're also looking into other Hotels in the area that may be less costly. Especially since we will have a rental car.

 

Tusayan will be your best bet, right by park entrance and 5-10 minute drive and you are right on the edge. Williams and Flagstaff are other options but it will be a long drive but you will also pay a lot less for the room.