It a great stop, and I love supporting places like this. Buy an annual, unlimited National Parks pass for $80 - you're going to use it a lot on this trip! The sunset painted colors over the landscape, and it was the perfect way to end the day. ), Valley of Fire is only about one hour outside of Las Vegas. Make it back to the top of the Canyon and watch the sunset from the Canyon ridge. Day 6: Bryce Canyon to Zion National Park. The Stratosphere was less than $50 to stay at, so we opted to just stay here instead of driving all the way home. I cannot emphasize enough how hot it was in Valley of Fire. stay overnight and leave the next day around 8:00 am, 8:00 am leave from Valley of Fire State Park I already knew we need to go back soon and explore these areas more! Valley of Fire State Park (15 mentions) Your email will not be provided to third parties. Start your Journey from Los Angeles with a stop in the California desert. Not to mention that due to the pandemic things were operating a little differently in Zion. trip dates & more! 21 hours 50 minutes. This museum is one of the best things I found on my trip, it only costs a few bucks to get in, and it has an insane amount of cool stuff. Start New Trip. Next, we headed over to Devils Garden and made the one-mile hike to Landscape Arch, which is the longest arch in the entire world. One of the last stops we made inside the park was Ubehebe Crater, and Im glad we decided to make the drive up to here! Day: After breakfast, drive East through the Navajo Nation to Monument Valley. Find the best hotels, restaurants, and attractions based on the This spot provides a fantastic view of Monument Valley, as well as being the spot that Forrest Gump stopped running at in the movie of the same name. Hi there! What I love about Zabriskie Point is how much there is to shoot there in all directions. Or, if youre only there for a quick stop, take a drive around to find Joshua Trees and beautiful red rock cliff faces. Neon Museum (8 mentions) In summer months, youll also want to start your hike as early as possible, as its not safe to hike when temperatures are high. For more information on things to do in Bryce Canyon, read the article here. It is a fantastic spot with great food and unique charm. . If you have time however, you can easily spend a day here. Just before you reach Zion National Park, you can take Exit 16 for UT-59 and then AZ-389 to visit the Grand Canyon. But they do not sell alcohol or wine (a Utah state law. what is in beaver? Camping in this area is a great lower-cost option as well! During the winter visitor numbers will be significantly lower, though adverse weather conditions like snow could make parts of the route dangerous to traverse. Make sure to have 3 full hours before sunset to make the trail - the uphill second half is quite steep, and you'll want to take a lot of photo stops. Follow the interstate and you will have the option to make a detour to Death Valley National Park by taking Exit 246 for CA-127 just before you reach Mojave National Preserve. On an impromptu road trip from Los Angeles to Sacramento, their past comes into focus and questions their future. Check out our article for how to spend 3 days in Las Vegas. if you're camping, plan accordingly. The best decision we made on this trip was to get extra giant sandwiches for lunch on our way out - and save the second half in our cooler for dinner. Located about 5 hours and 20 minutes from Los Angeles (via either route), Las Vegas is the perfect stop for an overnight stay. Death Valley has so many iconic photo spots, its hard to pick what to see in Death Valley if your time there is short. Where to sleep RV trailer Since this is a bit out of the way, you can choose to skip this part and instead head straight up towards Highway 190 and Death Valley for the fastest route to the national park. You can choose to either hike the 3.8 mile out and back trail (which has a 980 feet elevation gain), or just take in the views from the Visitor Center for a quick photo op. Canyoneer boots, Keen sandals, or old tennis shoes for Narrows hike? Hopefully, this guide was helpful for you and provided a few ideas on how to have a good long weekend adventure outside of CA. We stayed until dark and still made it down after dark easily - just use your phone flashlight. For every 100 miles driven along popular routes in America, an EV driver will save on average $11, but add 25 minutes to their route. We chose to do a partial rim hike out to Little Hebe, which is a one-mile out-and-back walk with some light elevation gain on deep gravel paths that do give a bit of resistance, but is suitable for most hiking levels. We didnt have time to do anything other than take a photo here. How long do you need? I would say that if you are a professional, then you should do that, but if you arent, you should get good enough photos from the regular tour. Many places had updated hours and limited service. , Hike to Delicate Arch (opt to do this early in the morning or late in the day) , Stop to check out the Three Gossips rock formation & the La Sal Mountains Viewpoint. Day 2: Zion. s.type = 'text/javascript'; Their food was our favorite meal of the entire trip! When you reach Joshua Tree National Park, don't pay the regular entrance fee. On the way to Colorado we stopped in Zion, Bryce, and Arches National Parks and a made additional stops in between. Make sure you check road conditions Best tips and casinos for first time gambler? Quick Links: Zion National Park. Top things to do in Las Vegas that don't include gambling? This road doesn't allow many cars in to drive or park, and in normal times there are free shuttle buses that you can freely hop on and hop off anywhere along this route. Beaver (Utah) (2 answers) If you are looking for something different to do with your day, you can take a short drive to the Red Rock Canyon National Park. Disclaimer: This post is in partnership with Visit California. The viewpoint is over 5000 feet above sea level with panoramic sights over Badwater Basin and the Devils Golf Course no hiking required! Los Angeles >> Mt. Rushmore Advice Needed - Road Trips Forum If you want a road trip that is done as a loop from Las Vegas and includes the Grand Canyon and several other national parks, this is my top pick. On your way out of town, I would stop to check out the Glen Canyon Dam. But the scenery is varied and beautiful. If you do decide to go there in the winter, it's a good idea to take your snow chains with you. Is it better to stay on or off the Las Vegas strip? I, for one, planto be in places at sunrise, which is why you will see every day starts with sunrise. The 1,310-mile road trip from Los Angeles to Mount Rushmore takes about 19 hours and 30 minutes to drive. stay overnight at Bellagio Hotel People get stuck here often! Delicate Arch needs no introduction, and I highly recommend visiting at dawn as it was much less busy. The walk to the main site is about 3/4 of a mile and it is very flat but sandy. We have drawn up this list of some of the most interesting spots to visit. drive for about 2 hours, 10:03 am Zion National Park Find the best hotels, restaurants, and attractions based on the Distance from Los Angeles: 107 miles. Its unique and a great way to visit the park! When is the best time to visit/hike Zion national park? Salt Lake City is about 10 hours away from Mount Rushmore National Park via our Utah Route and is the perfect stop before the last leg of your trip. Make sure to bring even more water than you think you need, the Grand Canyon is one place you do not want to run out of water! After a nap and lunch, we hit the road to Page, AZ, which is about 4 hours away, but there are lots of places to stop along the way, including Monument Valley. Trippy is where Day 5: Drive to Page, see Antelope Canyon. Top things to do in Las Vegas that don't include gambling? If you started in the morning as I did, then I recommend stopping about an hour and a half in at the, Since it is most likely lunchtime, I would recommend stopping at. The Northern Route for this road trip from Virginia to California is shorter with respect to distance but takes the same time to cover, i.e., 45 hours. We didnt have the time, but we drove around the area totake a few pictures before continuing on. Visit the Moorton botanical garden and walk through the cactatorium or take a short hike to Taquitz Canyon and a dip in the waterfall here. because there's an entire community of travelers talking Bring food with you! If you have more time, check out Merry Go Round rock for a great sunset viewpoint. Its a little pricey, but it is a super fun location, and they even have photos of the boat on the walls. Morning: Are you excited to get started! I wore sandals and wished that I had regular shoes on the walk. Its just over two hours to drive from Death Valley to Las Vegas. Del Taco Created 150 million years ago during the Jurassic Era, Valley of Fire is named after the red sandstone formations. Day 2 Arches National Park ($10) & Moab. It is a fun pit stop, but you cant get very close to it. questions about Bryce Canyon National Park: trips from Los Angeles to Arches National Park, Family road trip for 6 days in early August. Morning: If you only get up for sunrise once, do it today! Out of Los Angeles, make your way along the Interstate 10 (I-10) and take Exit 58A for Interstate 15 (I-15) as you drive through San Bernardino and Angeles National Forests. My favorite is Sand Bench. The route to southwest Utah will take you directly through Vegas, so you can hit up all the . Los Angeles to Arches National Park via Grand Canyon National Park Los Angeles to Yellowstone road trip - Road Trips Forum This viewpoint is majestic, and the canyon you can see from here is not something you will soon forget. Start early because you will be driving for about 10 hours. Visiting Utah has been on my list of to-visit spots for years after hearing about the beautiful landscapes. Lotus of Siam The Mob Museum (8 mentions) As you can see below, sunset is definitely one of the best times to visit Zabriskie Point, as the sun lights up the hills in shades of orange and pink. Sunset: The Forrest Gump point at Sunset and later at dusk is the perfect time for photos here. Day 4: Grand Canyon. What time of year is the best for scoring a cheap deals in Las Vegas who wants the trip to end? That being said, the arch is small, and it is crawling with photographers, so you need to get there early to get any chance of a good spot. and answers related to Arches National Park. Maya is set to play Michael A .'s wife and Kristen will be playing Michael Cera . But, make sure to stick around for awhile longer, as the sky comes alive with the Milky Way after dark, and Zabriskie Point is a great spot for shooting the stars. Maybe try typing in a faraway location like London, Hong Kong, Bryce Canyon is probably the least developed of the National Parks on this trip - the hotel and food options are good, but limited and very unfancy compared to Zion. LA to Moab. restaurants around Barstow: Arches National Park, located in Moab deserves 2 days at least. Sunset: Drive up to the Grand Canyon South Rim, and first stop at the Visitor's center for the first viewpoint. However traveling in July 2020, we were able to book a hotel inside the park same day. Or get a full Los Angeles to Arches National Park flight plan. Head an hour down the highway to Las Vegas and spend a night there. Find pet-friendly stops. You can buy this right at the entrance gate. If youre looking for a great overlook from a high vantage point, its hard to beat Dantes View. Badwater Basin is home to the famous saltwater flats of Death Valley, and is the lowest point in North America, coming in at 282 feet below sea level! Depending on how much time you have when you arrive, check out some of the hiking trails, or just take a scenic drive and walk around through whatever looks interesting. This is also a great location for sunrise or sunset, and golden hour sees the sand bathed in gold. If you're having issues using the site, please enable JavaScript and refresh your browser. Kristen Stewart to Star in Road Trip Comedy 'Sacramento' with Michael Does the party capitol of the world really need an introduction? The best time to visit Mount Rushmore is between April and May, or September and October when the weather is pleasant with temperatures around 55-65 degrees Fahrenheit. Los Angeles should have Smith and Muncy back over the weekend against the Cardinals. Neon Museum (8 mentions) Stops and things to do on Los Angeles to Denver drive or road trip Our trip was a bit aggressive, so looking back 10-12 days would be more ideal. The most popular time to visit Mount Rushmore is between June and August. Whitney, which is the highest point in the contiguous United States, as well as routes for shorter hikes, such as the 5.1 miles out-and-back trail to Lone Pine Lake. In general, having a 4WD car for this itinerary would be helpful, since itd allow you to go to certain places in Death Valley that you cant go to otherwise (like the Racetrack Playa), and to more easily get to Trona Pinnacles, but its not 100% necessary and we did do the trip in a normal SUV.