For our summer 2021 family vacation we decided to explore the Southwest USA. Our destination included Las Vegas, Valley of Fire State Park, Zion National Park, Horseshoe Bend, Grand Canyon, and Willow Beach. We began our trip by flying into Las Vegas because flights tend to be cheaper at this airport. Before our trip we did research on our destinations and hikes. We then decided which days we would visit each destination in the most logical route so that we could book the hotels. This trip required a lot of driving around, so if you are planning this type of vacation be prepared for a lot of time on the road.
We took our trip in June and it just so happened that the week we were coming, there was an “excess heat warning” issued, temperatures were climbing as high as 120 degrees.
From our experience in the heat. We recommend wearing hats, drinking lots and lots of water, and wearing very light fitting clothes.
We arrived to Las Vegas late in the evening, got an uber to our hotel, slept and spent half the next day hanging out in Vegas.
The first night we stayed at MGM Grand
Here are my thoughts on this hotel:
MGM Grand
https://mgmgrand.mgmresorts.com/en.html.
Pros:
- Good deal if you’re on a tight budget
- Great lazy river
- Large jacuzzi
- Small kiddie pool
- Large pool area
- Easy access to the Las Vegas strip
- Great food court options
- Less expensive food options
Con’s:
- Smell of cigarettes is all over the walking areas of the hotel (except bedroom and bedroom hallway)
- Pool area didn’t allow us to bring our cooler
- Pool area didn’t allow us to bring our own drinks
- Pool area didn’t allow us to bring our GoPro
- No sitting areas in the lobby area
- Hotel seemed very busy all day
We rented a car and left to our next destinations; our first stop was Valley of Fire State Park. We stopped here because it was on the way to Zion National Park.
Valley of Fire State Park:
http://parks.nv.gov/parks/valley-of-fire
It is basically a scenic route with really awesome views. We did not drive through the entire park but stopped at a couple beautiful mountaintops to hike up, sightsee and take some pictures.
We continued our drive up to Zion National Park, but had to make a few stops on the way.
First we stopped for groceries and drinks for the entire trip. Water at the hotels are expensive. We spent $6 for a 1L bottle of Dasani at MGM. Unfortunately Ethan lost his blanket when we were exploring MGM so we had to stop by Target to buy Ethan a baby blanket, otherwise he would have trouble getting to sleep without a blanket to hold onto.
The drive to Zion National Park was beautiful. At one point we drove through a huge canyon. But in all honesty, our entire drive was surrounded by beauty.
Zion National Park:
https://www.nps.gov/zion/index.htm
We stayed at Majestic View Lodge.
Majestic View Lodge:
Majestic View Lodge
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Pro:
- Peaceful atmosphere
- Friendly staff
- Comfortable and accommodating
- Shuttle stop across the street
- Free parking since we are hotel guests
- Amazing view of the mountain
Con:
- Fee for baby crib
- Rooms felt outdated (cabin feel)
We enjoyed our stay at this lodge, it was great. We paid a few dollars extra for a balcony view of the mountain and it was so worth it. Watching the sunrise over the mountain was breathtaking. I was stunned by the view when I opened the balcony door.
Other places to stay near Zion that we considered are:
La Quinta
Zion lodge
I would recommend staying at the Zion Lodge which is deep inside Zion National Park. This would save you a ton of time since you are actually in the park and you don’t have to get shuttled or drive into the park. (There is a parking lot at Zion but it fills up really early, they said it was full at 8am). Also, you wouldn’t have to take as much snacks and drinks on the hike since you could go back to the lodge after your hike. Book in advance because rooms sell out quick.
Zion National Park:
Zion National Park has a shuttle system. You will be taking two shuttles if you stay in Springdale. The first picked us from near our hotel, drove us to the visitor/pedestrian/bike entry. At this stop we paid our park fee and then went into line for the next shuttle, this process alone took an hour.
The second shuttle takes you to the scenic drive and into the park.
Ill go into more detail about this in my blog post about Zion national Park
Hikes:
There are so many options.
We choose to do the lower emerald pools hike and the narrows.
Lower emerald pools hike is stroller friendly. The stroller will only get you to the lower emerald pool, if you want to continue the hike to the upper emerald pool then you can’t take the stroller.
I wish we had known this earlier but the path to get to the narrows is also mostly stroller friendly. Once at the narrows hike there are rocks and water. We did not hike far into the narrows cause our kids got tired, instead we just cooled off in the water.
I’d recommend doing the narrows hike first it was beautiful, and so worth it. We did this hike second and felt so tired already.
After our day of hiking and exploring Zion National Park, we headed to our next stop Lake Powell, Arizona. The drive out of Zion was amazing, tons of canyon views and beautiful colors. We even saw some mountain goats crossing the road in front of us.
Our next stop was Lake Powell, AZ and we planned on visiting Horseshoe Bend and The Grand Canyon on that day.
We stayed at Lake Powell Resort, in Arizona. The hotel grounds are very clean and upkept, we enjoyed an evening and morning walk around resort. Our room had a balcony view of the lake and mountains. We enjoyed swimming in the pool and heated jacuzzi before heading to our next stop. This hotel is perfect for people with boats that want to enjoy lake Powell since it’s right on the lake. They have a lot of boat and RV parking as well. We had breakfast at the restaurant with a view of the lake which was gorgeous.
Lake Powell Resort:
Pro’s:
- Beautiful view
- Spacious rooms
- Friendly staff
- Restaurant on sight
- Boat marina, great immediate access
- Boat and RV parking
- Two pools, one jacuzzi
- Well taken care of grounds
- Starbucks in the lobby
Con’s:
- No elevator
The drive to Horseshoe bend was only 17 minutes from our resort. We wanted to hike the antelope canyon but did not have enough time.
Horseshoe Bend:
Horseshoe bend has a $10 entry fee. The hike is 1.5 miles roundtrip and stroller friendly; it was not strenuous. Make sure to drink lots of water, the hike is not shaded at all. We spent an hour here.
This is a great place to stop before the 2 hour drive to grand canyon.
Grand Canyon North Rim:
https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/directions_n_rim.htm
Driving into North Rim was beautiful, there was an instant change of scenario, we went from dessert to forests and meadows, on the way we saw deer and bison wandering around. The forest we passed was Kaibab National Forest.
We are so glad that we choose the north side of the Grand Canyon. We were able to drive into the park, park our car and do the hike there, without dealing with a shuttle system. Originally, we planned to go to the South Rim but were told they have a shuttle system like Zion National Park.
We hiked Bright Angel Point, which provided great views of Grand Canyon. The hike is stroller friendly but for a smaller size stroller. The hike is short but a little more strenuous because it has hills. The path is narrow so you will have hikers coming in and out of the hike and will have to wait for them to pass at times.
You have to be more cautious at the north rim because there are no rails on the hike, except at the end. I was holding my kids hands very tight!
The north side of the Grand Canyon has additional hikes to choose from, which can be found on their website. You can potentially hike down the canyon but this takes a full day and you’ll need to camp down in the canyon.
We came here around 4pm and it was the best time because the weather was perfect, and it was not as hot. Afterwards we cut up a watermelon and enjoyed the view.
After a few days of hiking we headed back to Las Vegas.
We stayed at The Delano, which is connected to Mandalay Bay and you are able to use the Mandalay Bay beach/pool area.
The Delano
https://delanolasvegas.mgmresorts.com/en.html
Pro’s:
- Spacious rooms
- 2 bedrooms: one with couch and the other with the bed
- Clean
- Hotel lobby, hallways, and room do not smell like cigarettes. Since it doesn’t have a casino.
- Lots of sitting areas in the lobby.
- Offer late checkout for a fee.
- Pool area allowed our own drinks, and cooler.
Cons:
- Food is expensive (ex. 4 chicken fingers w/small fry was $17)
- Further from the Las Vegas strip
- Far walk to the pool
- Walk to the pool will go through the casino, which has cigarette smell.
- Food venues close earlier then 11pm
Willow Beach:
https://willowbeachharbor.com/watercraft-rentals/
The next day we joined our family at Willow Beach and spent the day boating the Colorado River. This was such a fun experience and I highly recommend it. We stopped the boat a few times for a swim. Some spots on the water were freezing, while other spots were warmer. the view of canyons all around while on a boat is great.
The boat was very clean, the staff were friendly, We had a great experience with this location. We are not sure how much the boat was to rent since my father in law rented it but you could check online.
Recommendations:
When visiting Zion or The Grand Canyon get the annual park pass, it is $80 but will cover the cost of both the parks, and even the entry to Willow Beach. Also, this pass works for all national parks in the United States. Or you can purchase the pass online: https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm
Bring sunscreen and apply it a few times, especially for kids.
Book a car in advance, the price increases for last minute reservations and availability decreases.
Book a car rental place at the airport, hotel, or a place near your hotel in Vegas since Uber is expensive. We paid $50 to Uber from the airport to the hotel which was only a few miles away because Uber was in high demand at the time.
Uber prices are high, so renting a car might be the better option.
Get water backpack with a straw for the hikes for the hike.
Buy water, snacks and drinks when you arrive there at a local grocery store.
The hiking sticks didn’t seem needed, most people were just carrying them around, unless you plan to do more strenuous hikes, then maybe.
We got a small yeti cooler (hopper flip 12) that we kept in the car, full of ice, cold drinks, yogurt and cheese. It kept the food and drinks ice cold all day with not that much ice.
If you plan to sit down on the horseshoe bend rocks make sure to bring a blanket, the rocks get extremely hot.
I have linked our vacation must haves on amazon, which can be viewed using this link: https://www.amazon.com/shop/mrs.maksimchuk?ref=inf_own_mrs.maksimchuk
This is an overview of our summer vacation. I will be doing separate blog posts on the national parks and state parks that we visited to narrow down a few details about each location.
dianamaksimchuk 