American West: Itineraries: Overview: Great West Itineraries
Great West Itineraries
There are several ways to tackle the greater Four Corners region in the American West, chockfull of national parks, monuments and natural splendor, and all involve a good car rental, at least a week of vacation and a keen sense of editing the sights. It’s impossible to see everything, so try to select two or three experiences and do them properly.
The two cities that lend themselves to kicking off a road trip, especially for East Coasters, are Sedona and Las Vegas. The former is a great place if you want to explore the Grand Canyon, which at nearly 300 miles long can be an undertaking all on its own. Las Vegas the better city to start from to head into Utah’s national parks, including famous Bryce Canyon, Zion and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and onward to Lake Powell. Canyonlands and Moab’s Arches are further north, close to the Colorado state line.
Those with more time and a flexible flight schedule can do the grand tour by starting in Sedona, driving via the Grand Canyon to Lake Powell, then onward to Zion and/or Bryce national parks, and ending in Las Vegas.
Distances:
- Sedona to Grand Canyon South Rim: 2 hours
- Grand Canyon South Rim to Lake Powell: 2h 45min
- Lake Powell to Amangiri: 30 minutes
- Amangiri to Grand Canyon North Rim: 3 hours
- Amangiri to Zion National Park: 2 hours
- Zion National Park to Bryce: 2 hours
- Bryce to Las Vegas: 4h 30 min
Read about three Grand Canyon Itineraries
Read member postcards about their road trips in the American West
— Simone Girner 04/23/2012