Epic Road Trips From Las Vegas To Grand Canyon: Ultimate Guide + Itinerary

Get Tickets To A Show. Cirque Du Soleil and the Blue Man Group are some of my favorites.

See Some Magic. No trip to Vegas is complete without seeing what David Copperfield has up his sleeve (get it, it’s punny!)

Tour The Sites By An Open-Top Bus. If gambling isn’t your thing (I don’t blame you) spend your evening sightseeing by bus. Vegas really shines at night, literally! This is the perfect way to see it.

Stroll Through The Venetian. This is one of my favorite things to do in Las Vegas, and it’s free! The Venetian is full of shops and restaurants, but the ambiance is incredible even if you’re not looking to buy luxury goods.

After your quick tour, it’s time to drive from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon – don’t worry though, there are several great stops along the way for your road trip.

Places To Stop From Las Vegas To Grand Canyon

Road trips from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon can be done in 2-3 days. However, if you have more time, I recommend adding stops along the route and planning for 4-5 days total.

During my Las Vegas to Grand Canyon road trip I stopped at a few of these on the way to Grand Canyon, and then a few more on the way back to Las Vegas.

1. Hoover Dam

On your road trip from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon National Park you will drive right past the Hoover Dam. You can catch a glimpse from the car, or you can take a guided tour which brings you into the dam, lets you walk on top of it, and takes you through the powerplant.

2. Kayak To Emerald Cave

This was my favorite part of my entire road trip! You can rent kayaks with a guide who will take you along the Colorado River (which separates Nevada from Arizona) to Emerald Cave – a hidden cove with beautiful deep green water.

The trip itself is fairly easy, as there isn’t much current on this part of the river and paddling is easy. They provide all the gear you need, which makes it easy to just show up! In total we were on the water for around 3 hours, including a break for lunch and snacks.

3. Skywalk

Skywalk overlooks the west rim of the Grand Canyon. It’s a U-shaped bridge with a glass floor that protrudes from the canyon rim 70 feet so you’re hovering 4,000 feet above the canyon floor with unobstructed views.

This isn’t technically part of the National Park. Instead, it sits on the Hualapai Tribe Indian Reservation. From Las Vegas, it’s just over a 2 hour drive. This deviates slightly from road trips from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon, so it’ll add 2-hours total to your trip.

You’ll need two tickets: one to enter Grand Canyon West ($51+ pp), and one to enter the Skywalk ($28 pp). Tickets can be bought in advance, or on site.

You cannot bring your phone or camera onto the skywalk with you. Instead, you can purchase photos from their professional photographers ($17 per print, or $69 for the complete set of digital images)

My personal opinion is that this activity is over-hyped. I chose to skip it. Since you’re heading to the Grand Canyon you’ll still be able to see some insane views of the canyon. For me, the cost isn’t worth it for this activity.

4. Bearizona

Bearizona is located right outside of Grand Canyon and it’s one of the most unique wildlife experiences I’ve come across in the US. They have open ranging bears, wolves, bison and mountain goats.

You’ll drive your own vehicle through the park (do not get out) and get to see these animals up close. Admission is $30-35 per adult, depending on whether you’re visiting during the week or weekend.

Grand Canyon Itinerary

Now it’s time for the star of this road trip – the Grand Canyon! There’s a lot to cover in this section – I’ll highlight some logistics about the park (parking, shuttle, fees) and then recommend a 1, 2 and 3 day Grand Canyon itinerary.

Map For Road Trips From Las Vegas To Grand Canyon

Use this Grand Canyon road trip map to plan your itinerary! I’ve labeled items by location (noted by color) as well as by activity type (noted by icon).

Tip: Open this map in your browser, then click the star icon on the left-side bar. This saves the map to your google maps app on your phone so you can easily reference it during your trip. Locate this map in Google Maps by selecting ‘you’ at the bottom of the app and then scroll down and click ‘maps’ to find your saved trip maps

Grand Canyon Shuttle & Parking

The Grand Canyon gets more than 6 million visitors per year. To say it can get quite busy is an understatement. With that also comes parking congestion. Luckily, the Grand Canyon Shuttle operates smoothly along the south rim and makes it easy to park and ride in the park.

I recommend you arrive before 10am if you want to find parking in lots 1-4 at the Visitors Center. They’ll fill up quickly by late morning. If you’re arriving later, there are additional overspill parking lots available, A-D, which are also located along the south rim and adjacent to shuttle stops.

The best way to see the south rim is to park your vehicle when you arrive and take the free shuttle to the different viewpoints and trailheads.

Along the south rim, there are 4 shuttle routes:

• Village (blue route) – Lodges, campgrounds and Grand Canyon Village Historic District
• Kaibab Rim (orange route) – South Kaibab Trailhead, Yaki Point, Pipe Creek Vista, Mather Point and Yavapai Geology Museum
• Hermits Rest (red route) – operates March 1 – Nov 30
• Tusayan Park & Ride (purple route) – service between Tusayan (town outside of Grand Canyon) and the park

Entrance Fees

Currently, Grand Canyon National Park does not have timed-entry vehicle reservation requirements. This means you can enter the park whenever you want to.

You do have to pay park admission upon entry, though. The park entrance fee is $35 per vehicle (good for 7 days). Alternatively, you can enter with the America The Beautiful National Park Pass. The pass is $80 annually (good for 12 months) and gets you access to all 63 National Parks and over 400 national recreation areas.

If you plan to visit more than 2 National Parks in a 12 month period the America The Beautiful pass will save you money.

Additionally, pass holders can often save time entering the park. During the summer, entry gates to Grand Canyon can take up to 2 hours to pass through. If you’re a pass holder, you can use the express lanes – for the Grand Canyon south entrance lane 1 is for pass holders.

How Many Days To Spend In Grand Canyon National Park

It’s possible to see the highlights at the Grand Canyon in one day, especially if you’re not planning to hike down into the canyon.

If you’d like to hike into the canyon I recommend at least two days in Grand Canyon. 3 or 4 days in the Grand Canyon will give you an in-depth experience, including visiting the north rim.

1 Day Trip To Grand Canyon National Park – Explore The South Rim & Drive Desert View Drive

If you’re short on time, a day trip to the Grand Canyon will allow you to see the highlights. On my most recent trip to the Grand Canyon, I spent a day exploring the park before starting a 5 day backpacking trip into the canyon. These are the top highlights I recommend for one day in Grand Canyon National Park.

Visitor Center & Mathers Point

My first stop at any National Park is to the visitors center. This is a great place to pick up paper maps and park guides, as well as an opportunity to speak with a ranger on duty. The rangers can tell you about current road conditions and trail closures, and they can make itinerary recommendations based on your interests and time in the park.

Walk Rim Trail

Rim Trail is a mostly paved and flat trail that runs from South Kaibab trailhead to Hermits Rest. In total, it’s 12.8 miles long, but you can do as much or as little as you’d like.

The Grand Canyon shuttle route’s run along this trail so it’s possible to hike in one direction and take the shuttle back.

I recommend starting at South Kaibab Trailhead if you’re walking in the morning (so you’re not walking into the sun) and completing 6 miles to Bright Angel Trailhead. If you start in the afternoon you can do this in reverse so you’re not facing into the sun.

This will complete the entire east section of the Rim Trail (the rest is Hermit Road which I recommend biking in my 3 day Grand Canyon itinerary below).

• South Kaibab Trailhead
• Pipe Creek Vista
• Mathers Point
• Yavapai Point
• Verkamp’s
• Bright Angel Trailhead

Rim Trail is a great way to experience the Grand Canyon without having to complete any of the strenuous hikes down into the canyon.

Grand Canyon Desert View Drive

There are many viewpoints along the Desert View Drive that have incredible views down into the canyon. It’s hard to describe the beauty of the Grand Canyon, or capture it on film. You really have to see it for yourself.

In my experience, driving Desert View Drive tends to be less chaotic than the central part of the south rim area, near Grand Canyon Village and Rim Trail.

There are no shuttles that operate on Desert View Drive so you’ll have to have your own vehicle. However, most of the parking at the overlooks turns over quickly, as people are just coming to see the sights and then keep on driving.

Desert View Drive is 23 miles long, along a paved two-lane road that’s mostly flat with wide shoulders (it doesn’t run up against the canyon). It’s an incredibly easy drive, nothing like Going-To-The-Sun-Road in Glacier National Park. There can be a bit of wildlife in this part of the park, so please be careful driving.

Pro Tip: If you’re starting this trip mid-morning, I recommend going all the way to the end point, turning around, and then hitting the viewpoints from east to west. Most people will travel this road from west to east, and if you’re doing so during the busy times throughout the day you’ll be clustered with them the entire way.

These are the viewpoints on Desert View Drive from west (towards the Grand Canyon Village) to east (towards Desert View Watchower):

• Grandview Point
• Buggeln (picnic area)
• Moran Point
• Tusayan Museum & Ruin
• Lipan Point
• Navajo Point
• Desert View Watchtower

That’s a full day! For road trips from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon National Park I recommend booking one accommodation for your entire stay at Grand Canyon. This is because you won’t be moving location each day, so staying in the central Grand Canyon Village area (or surrounding areas) is ideal. I’ve included a section on where to stay below, to help you choose the best hotel or campground for your preferences.

2 Day Grand Canyon Itinerary – Hike Into The Canyon

With 2 days in the Grand Canyon I highly recommend taking a hike into the canyon! This is truly the best way to experience the canyon and understand the scale of it all.

There are two options I recommend:

• Bright Angel (15.8 miles)
• South Kaibab (14.3 miles)

The good news is you can do as much or as little of these hikes as you’d like, to whatever suits your comfort and fitness capabilities.

Bright Angel Trail

Bright Angel is a 15.8 mile round-trip hike – or about 8 miles down to the Colorado River. It’s a pretty popular trail so you’ll have lots of company.

Many people choose not to hike the entire trail, but do just enough that they can get to experience the canyon from below the rim.

There are several stops along this route: you’ll come across a resthouse at 1.5 miles and 3 miles, and then Havasupai Gardens around 4.5 miles down.

At the resthouses you will find water and an emergency phone. There are also restrooms at 1.5 mile resthouse.

At Havasupai Gardens you’ll find restrooms, water, an on duty ranger, emergency phone, and camping!

South Kaibab Trail

The South Kaibab Trail is the sister trail to Bright Angel, but with less shade and a bit steeper. Let’s talk about shade really quickly though – shade on Bright Angel can cause the trail to be icy as the sun never hits it, so in the winter this isn’t ideal. However, in the summer, shade is a great thing!

While South Kaibab Trail is 14.3 miles round-trip, about 2 miles shorter than Bright Angel, consider that they both have the same amount of elevation change. So, on South Kaibab Trail you’re on a steeper hiking incline.

There’s another really important difference with South Kaibab – there is no water. If you hike this trail you must bring all the water you need with you. Unless you hike down to the Colorado River, do not expect to find water sources on the route you can filter – it’s very dry.

Like Bright Angel, you can shorten South Kaibab Trail to suite your needs. There are a few good points to hike to before turning back.

Ooh-Ahh Point is 1.8 miles round trip and only 540 feet in elevation change, which makes this a popular segment to hike.

Cedar Ridge is 3.1 miles round trip with 1,200 feet in elevation change. You’ll find a restroom here, too.

Skeleton Point is 3 miles down, and 6 miles round trip with around 2,000 feet in elevation change.

Safety Tips

I cannot stress enough how much more water you will need while hiking in the desert. During my trip to the Grand Canyon I was drinking double what I normally do in the mountains. The dry air and full sun exposure will strip water from you so much faster than you expect. I recommend planning for 1L+ of water per mile.

Being prepared will make these hikes much more manageable. That means, water and a way to stay cool. These are the two items I would not hike into the Grand Canyon without: a 3L water reservoir and a wide brimmed sun hat.

The water reservoir sits in your backpack, against your back to help distribute weight more comfortably. It also holds far more than a water bottle, and the straw makes it easy to sip as you hike without having to stop. For me, I find this means I’m far more hydrated.

You’ll also want to bring plenty of hiking snacks and water.

Always check with a ranger before you hike into the canyon. Water sources may be off and trails may be icy. It’s crucial to get current trail conditions before hiking into the Grand Cayon.

3 Day Grand Canyon Itinerary – Bike Hermit Road

If you have time for a 3 day Grand Canyon itinerary you’re in for a treat! I recommend renting bicycles and exploring Hermit Road.

If you’re not up for biking, you could also complete this itinerary by shuttle bus (March – November) or by private vehicle (the road is only open to private vehicles from December – February).

On day 1 of this Grand Canyon itinerary you explored the east half of Rim Trail, this is a great way to explore the remaining portion on the west side.

You can rent bikes from bikegrandcanyon.com. They offer traditional bicycles as well as e-bikes. Prices start at $30/2 hours and increase to $55 for 24 hours for traditional bikes. E-bikes are $75 for a half day and $95 for the full day.

The rim of the Grand Canyon is surprisingly flat. A traditional bicycle is really manageable if you don’t want to pay for the e-bikes!

I do recommend making reservations in advance, as they have limited supply and are the only vendor in the park that rents bicycles.

Hermit Road Grand Canyon Viewpoints

You can bike on the Canyon Rim Trail, which follows the rim of the canyon for 7.8 miles alongside Hermit Road.

These are the viewpoints to see along Hermits Road, ordered from east (towards Bright Angel Trailhead) to west (towards Hermits Rest).

• Trail View Overlook
• Maricopa Point
• Powell Point
• Hopi Point (best view of Grand Canyon sunset)
• Mohave Point
• The Abyss
• Monument Creek Vista
• Pima Point
• Hermit Trailhead

Where To Stay When Visiting Grand Canyon South Rim

The first thing you’ll have to decide is whether you want to camp, or stay in a hotel. There are several options for both. Camping is much more affordable, starting at $12 per night. Whereas, hotels and lodges in the area can be quite expensive, but provide a lot more comfort (particularly in bad or hot weather).

Camping At Grand Canyon

If you’d like to camp inside Grand Canyon you have several options:

• Desert View Campground ($12/night, first-come first-serve)
• Mather Campground ($18/night, reservations recommended)
• Trailer Village (prices vary, reservations recommended)

If you’d prefer to camp outside of the park you can find a few more amenities at campgrounds, but you will have to enter through the park gates each morning:

• Camper Village ($30+/night, reservations 6 months in advance)
• Ten-X Campground ($20/night, reservations recommended)
• Wander Camp Grand Canyon Glamping

Lodging At Grand Canyon South Rim

There are several options for hotels and lodges inside Grand Canyon National Park:

• Yavapai Lodge
• El Tovar Hotel
• Bright Angel Lodge
• Kachina Lodge
• Maswik Lodge
• Thunderbird Lodge

Outside the park there are several options in Tusayan, Arizona:

• Grand Canyon Tiny Home Rentals
• Squire Resort, BW Signature Collection
• Grand Canyon Plaza Hotel
• The Grand Hotel
• Holiday Inn Express
• Red Feather Lodge
• Grand Canyon Stargazing Off-Grid Tiny Home Vacation Rental

Best Time To Visit Grand Canyon

The best time to take a road trip from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon National Park is spring and fall. The temperature is more mild during these months (April, May, September and October) and the weather conditions are more favorable with fewer thunderstorms and snow on the trails.

Grand Canyon In Spring And Fall

May and October are some of the driest months at the Grand Canyon. Temperatures on the rim range from 32°F to 63°F. Inside the canyon is always warmer than the rim, with temperatures ranging from 56°F to 82°F.

Grand Canyon In Winter

You can expect snow on the rim of the Grand Canyon in December through February. Some hikes, like Bright Angel, with more shaded trail can experience lasting snow or muddy conditions.

Note: Bright Angel Trail is closed between Havasupai Gardens and Bright Angel Campground from October 21, 2024 through May 14, 2025 for ongoing Trans Canyon Waterline work.

It’s also common for views of the canyon to be obscured from storms during the winter months. Additionally, the North Rim is fairly remote and closes in the winter due to unfavorable road conditions.

Average temperatures on the rim range from 19°F to 45°F, and inside the canyon ranges from 36°F to 56°F.

Check out these other great National Parks to visit in winter.

Grand Canyon In Summer

Summer is the most popular time to visit the Grand Canyon, but also the least favorable in terms of crowds and heat. Average temperatures along the rim are 48°F to 83°F, but inside the canyon temperatures range from 72°F to 104°F or more.

Lightning is also a concern during the summer as it is monsoon season. Lightning storms can be dangerous along the rim, so it’s important to seek shelter as soon as you hear thunder. If you’re hiking during a storm, be extremely aware of flash floods and falling rocks.

Conclusion: Best Road Trips From Las Vegas To Grand Canyon National Park

The best time for road trips from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon National Park are in April, May, September or October. Ideally, plan to spend 3 days at Grand Canyon National Park to make the most out of your trip.

I would recommend prioritizing the south rim. North rim can be added if you have more time, but it’s far more remote and is approximately a 4 hour drive from the south rim.

You might also consider extending your road trip to Sedona where you can find some incredible hikes. I also recommend considering Bryce or Zion, which are a short drive north from the Grand Canyon.

If you like the Grand Canyon then you’ll also love 2 days in Zion National Park. I recommend extending your trip from the Grand Canyon up to Zion and back to Vegas.