Grand Circle Road Trip

A western road trip beginning and ending in Las Vegas, with stops at Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Lake Powell, Rainbow Bridge, Antelope Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Zion.

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Grand Circle route map

The Route

My mom and I took a trip out west and was a variation on the Grand Circle trip...

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Trip Style

Scenic, drive-based, and manageable

This itinerary works well as a visually rich travel page because it combines personal storytelling, major destinations, practical observations, and plenty of photos.

Scenery
Driving
Difficult Hiking

Full Itinerary

The actual trip text from the document, organized into readable webpage sections.

Las Vegas Strip photo
Stop 1

Las Vegas

We flew into Las Vegas and walked down the strip that evening. I’m not a fan of Las Vegas so I didn’t have much desire to visit a ton of places but we saw the major casinos and took a picture with these lovely ladies. Before we took the picture, they did not explain that we would have to pay for the picture. But after the picture, they told us we owed them $120. I told them no and that I was sorry and I offered to delete the picture. They said it was fine but for those of you who didn’t know, all the people walking around Vegas in a costume require payment for you to take a picture with them. Oops.

Hoover Dam bronze statue
Stop 2

Hoover Dam

The next morning, we took a tour of the Hoover Dam. I asked the guard how many “dam” jokes he hears in a day and he said, “too dam many.” Two 30 foot tall winged bronze statues stand out front and the toes have been rubbed golden by all the visitors for good luck.

Grand Canyon overlook
Stop 3

Grand Canyon

We then drove to the Grand Canyon. We got there in the early evening and did a little hiking. We stayed in a cabin inside the park and spent the rest of the day exploring. My mom is very scared of heights so I did everything I could to make her feel uncomfortable – ha! The squirrels in the park are so used to people feeding them that one came right up to my hand.

Horseshoe Bend overlook
Stop 4

Horseshoe Bend

From the Grand Canyon, we drove a couple of hours to Horseshoe Bend. When we went in 2019, the parking lot and the Horseshoe Bend itself weren’t too crowded but I hear that visitors have increased the past several years so be prepared. The hike up to the overlook was difficult – it was 1.5 miles round trip on a hardened path. The view suddenly opens up at the top of the trail and is breathtaking.

Rainbow Bridge National Monument
Stop 5

Lake Powell & Rainbow Bridge

We stayed at a small hotel in Page, AZ that night and then we woke up early to do a boat tour of Lake Powell and visit the Rainbow Bridge National Monument. The boat tour on the lake was relaxing and we were offered an audio tour of the geology and Native American history of the lake. It took about 3.5 hours to get to the Rainbow Bridge by boat but it was totally worth it. Other than hiking 14 miles through Navajo Nation, going by boat is the only way to reach the Rainbow Bridge. The Rainbow Bridge is one of the largest natural bridges in the world and it was a short and easy hike after we got off the boat.

Antelope Canyon light beam
Stop 6

Antelope Canyon

We spend the night in the same hotel as the night before and the next day, we went on a tour through Antelope Canyon. The company and our guide were fantastic and I would highly recommend going on a tour. In fact, that is the only way you can visit – Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon so it is extremely dangerous to visit while it is raining.

Bryce Canyon hoodoos
Stop 7

Red Canyon & Bryce Canyon

From Antelope Canyon, we drove to Red Canyon and Bryce Canyon. We stayed the night in a hotel just outside of Bryce Canyon and spent the next day exploring Bryce Canyon. Bryce Canyon’s geology was so unique and I could have stayed for much longer taking pictures of all the hoodoos.

Zion river and cliffs
Stop 8

Zion

From Bryce Canyon, it was a short drive to Zion – about 1.5 hours. We stayed at a hotel just outside the park and we had enough daylight to take a scenic drive. Again, the geology was so cool. Zion is known for checkerboard mesas.

Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign
Final Stop

Back to Las Vegas

After our second day in Zion, we drove back to Las Vegas, which was about a 2 hour drive. After checking into our hotel, my mom and I drove out to “The Sign.”

Final Notes

Would I do this trip again?

My mom was in her late 60s at the time and had some health issues so we didn’t do any difficult hikes. We stayed in hotels and we drove a lot. Honestly, I didn’t mind. It was nice to enjoy the scenery and the experience without some of the difficulties associated with the outdoors. I would definitely do this trip again.

Trip Stops at a Glance

Stop Main Experience Style
Las Vegas Strip and final sign photo City stop
Hoover Dam Dam tour and bronze statues Historic stop
Grand Canyon Cabin stay, overlooks, light hiking National park
Page, Arizona Horseshoe Bend, Lake Powell, Rainbow Bridge, Antelope Canyon Tour-heavy stop
Bryce Canyon Hoodoos and unique geology Photography stop
Zion Scenic drive and checkerboard mesas National park