“Desert. Lots of desert.” Yes, I know, but in addition to that!
So, come the end of August, I’ll be driving from Las Vegas to Phoenix, then - after a week- from Phoenix back home to Bakersfield. I’ve never been down that way before and, generally, I like to break up my horrifically long drives by stopping to see fun things along the way. So, what fun things, if any, are there on those legs of my journey (particularly from Vegas to Phoenix)?
I’ve never seen the Grand Canyon- is that on or at least moderately near the way I’d be going? I like ghost towns and fun historical stuff, but I’m totally open minded. Oh, and good places to grab some food would be nice, too :).
Oh FWIW: I don’t have a particular route set- I was planning to just follow the almighty Google Gods. But since it is a bit open ended now, I’m happy to adjust or take your advice.
The Grand Canyon park is not on your way relative to the length of the trip. It would almost but not quite double the length of your journey (ETA: from LV to Pheonix). However, that’s still only 3 or 4 extra hours (or even less,) so if you’ve never been and have that amount of extra time, I’d say go for it, it’s worth the trip if you haven’t seen it.
If you are in no hurry, you could go down the Nevada side, spend a night or two in Laughlin (really, cheap rooms in nice casinos directly on the Colorado River) and then cross the bridge there and stop by the Ghost Town of Oatman. From there you could drive a bit further and spend a night at a hotel a take a train to the Grand Canyon. If you have time after that, maybe a side trip to Sedona - lots of crazy people with crystals and tin foil hats, but quite pretty as well.
Of course, now you have spent three days and you are only 1/3 the way to Phoenix, but hey…
If you want to keep a mostly-efficient travel schedule, Hoover Dam is certainly on the way to Phoenix. A little less impressive than the Grand Canyon, but neat all the same.
I’ve done that trip, since it’s only like, 30 mins outside of Vegas. I certainly wouldn’t mind passing by again, but it’s not really mandatory (especially since I spent the better part of a day there last time).
One thing you want to be sure to see on the drive from Vegas to Phoenix are the speed limit signs as you approach Wikieup, AZ – notorious speed trap. The speed limit drops a few miles outside the town for absolutely no reason except to write tickets to non-locals.
This is incorrect. It’s well over 4 hours from Las Vegas to the South Rim, more like 5. It’s about 275 miles, after all.
ETA: I live in Henderson, and have done the drive to Phoenix a few times. There’s not really much to see; most people just try and get to Phoenix as fast as possible without getting any tickets.
If you end up in Lake Havasu City and want to see London Bridge, you can drive across it to get to the lake itself … hopefully you won’t miss the little placque that lets you know that it it London Bridge and don’t go driving around, past it under it and over it looking for it … :smack::smack::smack:
*the locals giggle when they point out that you just drove across it …
London Bridge was nothing special when it was in London. Even more so now. Skip it unless you are weird for stone. (I’ve driven over, walked over and sailed under that bridge in both cities.)
Laughlin is Vegas’s “special” little nephew. Skip it, too. There really isn’t anything but desert between LV and Phoenix. Put something entertaining on the stereo and try not to fall asleep.
I’ll repeat my usual advice for road tripping in the area: take Route 66 from Kingman to Seliman. It’s the longest unbroken stretch of 66, the road is good and it runs through some beautiful country.
Suggested stops: the Route 66 Museum in Kingman, the Hackberry General Store, Grand Canyon Caverns, and the Snow Cap Drive in in Seligman. Heading towards the Grand Canyon from Williams, the Planes of Fame Museum in Valle is great if you’re an aviation fan. Right nearby is Bedrock City, a classic tourist trap. It’s seen better days but it only costs a few bucks to wander around and there are some great photo opportunities for kids of all ages.
Right, but I said extra hours, since you don’t have to retrace your entire route to then go on to Phoenix. Although the time added would then also depend on how fast you were driving.
Wickenburg, the old Vulture Mine might be interesting. Without turning a 5-6 hour trip into a 10-12 hour trip there’s not a whole lot to see on the way.
From Sedona [which is an hour and a half from Phoenix - take 260 east towards the Mogollon Rim and Strawberry, then take 87 south [Beeline Highway] into Phoenix. You’ll hit Mesa first. But that road is ridiculously beautiful with fun little stops on the way for all kinds of native trinkets for cheap.
