I have been so impressed by the advice I have received that I think I will ask some more.
We will be spending two nights in Las Vegas (July 3 and 4). Want to stay on the strip and am looking at the Mirage. Recommendations.
Spending two nights at the South Rim. Any Recommended sites.
Two nights at Zion/Brice. Any recommendations?
I am talking either places to stay or sites. Thanks to some advice concerning Lake Powell. I WILL NOT miss antelope, but will take in the lower. Sounds fantastic
By sites do you mean recommended camp sites or do you mean sights, like attractions; things to see?
Attractions to see.
If you are returning to Vegas after Zion/Bryce, the Valley of Fire State Park is a great side-trip with fascinating geology.
A reminder about visiting Zion: you can’t drive your car into Zion Canyon, you have to take a shuttle bus. The buses leave from the visitor center and the parking lots fill up fast in the morning. Show up late and you may have to park in Springdale and then take a different shuttle to get to the visitor center.
The best burgers in town are at Oscars.
First advice, unless you’re talking July 2015, GET YOUR BUTT IN GEAR !!!
If you don’t already have reservations for one of the places on the South Rim, it is pretty doubtful you will be able to book anything this late. 4th of July weekend is “prime time” for the Grand Canyon. So you are probably looking at a motel at that place at the junction of 64 and 180. Or even down at Williams (64 and I-40). Even campsites may be tough as it is a long weekend.
Bryce and Zion are also very popular in the summer. I don’t recall as much about lodging around Zion, but I don’t recall there being that much. There is a big collection of motels outside Bryce, but again, I’d advise getting a reservation somewhere.
Mirage in Vegas is as good a place as any. If you don’t need quite the same level of niceness, I have found more reasonable rates and good rooms at Treasure Island next door. Again, the sooner you book, the better rates you’ll find.
If you search this message board, you can find TONS of advice on what and “how” to do Vegas.
If you’re in the area, Antelope Canyon is a beautiful quickie. Also Monument Valley, on the Utah/Arizona border. You can just drive past it, take a few pics.
South Rim: Cabins, not as “rustic” as the ones on the North Rim.
And yes, you should be planning a 2015 trip now.
Everything is now booked. Yavapai at the South Rim. Finnegans at Springdale. Quality Inn at Page. Mirage in Las Vegas. Any additional restaurant advice in those places
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Inside the Mirage is a Carnegie Deli (not sure if related to the original in NY) that is very good (more for lunch). Awesome sandwiches.
Walking distance from the Mirage is the best buffet I’ve been to in Vegas at the Wynn. It’s a bit pricier, but also very good food.
A little bit of a drive, is Lawry’s prime rib on Flamingo. Best prime rib I’ve had, and very nice setting as well.
At the south rim, the restaurant at the El Tovar hotel is great. And if you’re lucky, you can get a nice view of the canyon with your meal as well.
There is also a steakhouse in the complex at the south rim, but I was not very impressed with that place.
Is the El Tovar anywhere near Yavapai? Would it be a walk or a drive?
We will be arriving at McCarran at 11 am and plan on driving directly to the South Rim. Are there interesting stops along the way. How far out of the way is Sedona, and is it worth a few hour stop there?
First, the El Tovar is maybe 1/4 mile from Yavapai Lodge. So reasonable walking distance.
Driving from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon, you can take a little detour to see Hoover Dam just outside Vegas.
From Kingman heading east, there’s not much that comes to mind. You will see signs for something called “Grand Canyon Caverns”. Though the signs look kinda-national-park-looking, this place is NOT associated with the national park - it is totally privately owned/operated. Is it horrible ? Not entirely. Is it worth the detour/money ? No. This falls under the category of “tourist trap”. The cavern itself is okay, but there are FAR better caverns to visit (if you have the time, go down to Karchner Caverns outside Tucson).
If you’re arriving in LV at 11, I’d head straight to the south rim. The drive to Williams takes a while, and from Williams up to the south rim is one of those “are we there yet ?” kind of drives - seems to take forever.
If you do have some extra time, some things in the area of Flagstaff that come to mind:
Meteor Crater. This is about 45 min. to 1 hour east of Flagstaff (if memory serves). It’s not too far off the interstate. It will be hot (but you should already be prepared for that for the Grand Canyon). I really enjoyed this.
Walnut Canyon. This is a small state park just east (on the outskirts) of Flagstaff. What’s cool is that it is much smaller than the Grand Canyon (not saying much, I know), and you can easily hike down and into it. The walls are also very different geology.
Re: Grand Canyon Caverns–I think it’s worth a stop if you’re a fan of roadside attractions. It’s particularly worth the detour if you have any interest in Route 66–the Kingman to Seligman stretch is the longest remaining intact segment of the Mother Road. I think it’s a joy to get off I-40 and be able to relax and enjoy the scenery for a couple of hours. Seligman is definitely worth a quick stop if only to grab a bite at the Sno Cap Drive In. There’s also a tourist trap/“museum” in Hackberry that’s pretty cool.
Thanks cormac. I think we will stop at Hoover, then drive direct to the South Rim. My hope is that the scenery during the drive will be interesting to someone from the east coast. Is the drive somewhat scenic?
I think “somewhat scenic” best describes it 
There are some kind of barren parts, and then some nicer tree-lined (pines) parts. What comes to mind is that there is a lot of stretches where the scenery doesn’t change all that much.
The drive north from Williams to the south rim is kind of more of the same with some rolling hills thrown in. If you head out the east exit (Desert View), and then head down to Flagstaff, I recall that drive being much more scenic.