I will be traveling to Las Vegas for my nephew’s wedding in early August 2011. We would like to fly in early and stay at the Grand Canyon one or two nights and do the White Water rafting trip from the west rim down and the helicopter back up.

What is your recommendation on where we should fly in to?  Where is a good place to stay that would still have availability?  Is it better to stay at the South Rim and drive over to the West Rim?  We also still need to make flight & room reservations for Vegas.  I have looked at discounted flight/room packages on line.  Is there a way to get rooms in the Grand Canyon 1 or 2 nights and then Vegas the other nights?

We have never traveled to this area and would like to take in as much of the outdoors as possible.  Or as much as we can handle due to the heat in August!

 

Thanks for your help,
Lori L., Pensacola, FL

Hello Lori!

Thanks for your email.

I assume for the Las Vegas portion of your stay, you’ll either stay at or near the location of the wedding and will easily find Las Vegas accommodations that will suit your needs, has availability, etc. August is not the peak season in Las Vegas so you should have no trouble finding a room there.

You may need a total of 3 nights to really do this pre-wedding portion of your trip. This is big country out here… lots of driving, walking, and touring makes for quite action-packed, and thus tiring, long days. Depending on your arrival time (you’re smart to try to arrive early; from the east coast, you’ll be gaining time but still, flying cross-country can be tiring) you may want to spend one night in Phoenix or Scottsdale or Las Vegas, depending on which itinerary you choose, and rest up for the next few days of moderate-to-heavy driving, walking, rafting and touring.

Here are two ways to do this trip with handy links to options for hotels, tours and packages:

• Day/Night 1: Fly into Phoenix (one way). Stay overnight at one of the hotels near Phoenix Airport.
• Day 2/Night 2: Drive to the South Rim (4 hours.) See the South Rim and stay 1 night at one of these hotels near the South Rim.
• Day 3/Night 3: Drive to Peach Springs early (about 2 hours) and depart on the 1-day whitewater rafting. They’ll drive you back to Peach Springs. That night, stay at the Hualapai Lodge in Peach Springs.
• Day 4: Drive to Las Vegas (about 3 hours.)
• After the wedding and the Las Vegas portion of your trip, fly home from Las Vegas (one way.)

Or

• Day 1/Night 1: Fly into Las Vegas (round trip). Have some fun and stay the night in Las Vegas. I suggest you book a nice but budget-friendly hotel off the Las Vegas Strip for this quick overnight.
• Day 2/Night 2: Drive to Peach Springs, AZ very early (about 3 hours) for whitewater rafting all day. They’ll drive you back to Peach Springs. Stay at the Hualapai Lodge in Peach Springs.
• Day 3/Night 3: Drive yourselves to the South Rim (about 2 hours.) See the South Rim all day, stay in or near the South Rim that night.
• Day 4: Drive to Las Vegas (about 5 hours.)
• Fly the return round trip home from Las Vegas.

When you book your whitewater rafting through the Hualapai tribe (Hualapai Lodge and River Rafting Packages are available) do add on the Grand Canyon Skywalk. You might as well do it as long as you’re already paying for the rafting and other mandatory fees applied to being on Hualapai land.

The South Rim is the “real Grand Canyon” and will give you an unforgettable and different experience than the West Rim, with plenty of easy walking, light to moderate hiking, education, dining, etc. Staying overnight at the Rim may be very limited in availability if not sold out for your dates, but you should be able to find something Williams (about an hour south of the South Rim.)

You’ll probably book your Grand Canyon and Las Vegas stays separately, on two separate “packages”… e.g. your Las Vegas nights alone and then a Grand Canyon heli+rafting package through the Hualapai Tribe and/or a Grand Canyon South Rim flight+hotel package through a tour booking service such as Viator.com, AllGrandCanyonTours.com or AllLasVegasTours.com.

Enjoy your trip!
– ChristinaToo

Dear Arizona Travel:

We plan to travel by car to Flagstaff in May and spend two days and two nights. We would like to spend one day in Sedona and one day at the Grand Canyon. What would be the best way to accomplish this?

J.G. — Austin, TX

Hello, J.G. This is a great question many of our readers are probably also asking.

Both Sedona and the Grand Canyon South Rim can be accomplished as day trips, starting from Flagstaff and going outward.  If you’re driving up from Phoenix, why don’t you go through Sedona first on the way to Flagstaff?  Take I-17 to Highway 179 and travel up through Sedona and see the sights.  Check out this suggested driving tour of Sedona for tips on seeing the best of Sedona by car and on foot.

Assuming you arrive in Sedona in the morning, you could see Sedona and be in Flagstaff by dinnertime.  Try Beaver Street Brewery for a casual dinner, or Pasto or Tinderbox Kitchen for a more upscale, foodie-worthy meal.

The following day, head out for the Grand Canyon bright and early.  You can either drive yourselves and see the South Rim on your own, attending free Ranger Talks, walking the Rim Trail, and having a nice lunch at the El Tovar Hotel, or you could drive from Flagstaff to Williams early in the morning and do the all-day round-trip Grand Canyon Railway journey. The GCR is a great way to relax and take in the Grand Canyon plateau, and you’ll have plenty of time at the Rim itself to do almost everything I mentioned above.  You board the train for the return trip about 3pm, and pull back into Williams around 5pm. Then you can have dinner at the Railway resort hotel, or in the town of Williams (try the Grand Canyon Brewing Company or the Red Raven Restaurant) or drive 25 miles back to Flagstaff for more dining and nightlife choices.

Enjoy your stay in Flagstaff! You’ll love touring Northern Arizona this way!

– ChristinaToo

Dear Arizona Travel:

We are traveling from London 1 adult, 3 children- I do not want to drive. We would like to head for the Grand Canyon in late October -  maybe fly into Flagstaff and take the train. Then stay at a lodge, take a scenic flight and take the overnight mule trip. We then need to go back to Tucson where we plan to stay on a dude ranch. Can you help me build an itinerary?
Thanks,
Anne

Hi, Anne. I believe you’re in a position in which many potential Arizona visitors find themselves. It’s easy to misunderstand the geography of the area and be confounded by the array of available tours available at the Grand Canyon.  I’ll be honest and tell you that driving yourself yourself at least some of the trip is the most sensible way to go, but if you’re dead set against driving yourself, it’s not impossible to do it your way.

The Grand Canyon Railway does not depart Flagstaff; it leaves from Williams, which is 39 miles west of Flagstaff. Most people drive from Flagstaff to Williams, but you could take a taxi (try www.afriendlycab.com).  You can certainly stay in a lodge at the Grand Canyon rim, using the free shuttles to explore the South Rim itself, and take your scenic helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon from the South Rim area (flights depart from the airport near the Village of Tusayan. You’ll need a cab from the lodges at the Rim to go about 8 miles to the Grand Canyon airport helicopter pad for your flight.)

You will take the mule trip from the South Rim. Call Xanterra Parks & Resorts at (303) 297-2757 to reserve as soon as possible. Reservations can be made up to 13 months in advance and they fill up very, very quickly.

You may take the train back to Williams on a different day than your train trip up to the Grand Canyon rim, I believe up to 2 nights, 3 days between trips. If the Grand Canyon Railway folks give you the go ahead, note that the train goes back to Williams in the afternoon… just be sure to ask the mule trip folks if you’ll back back up at the Rim in time to catch the train back to Williams.

You’ll need to drive or take a cab back from Williams to Flagstaff and board your flight from Flagstaff, connecting through Phoenix to Tucson. As for transportation to the dude ranch in Tucson, I can only speculate that you’ll be able to take a cab from the airport to your final destination.

Thus, your itinerary might look something like this:

• Day 1:
  • Flight from (or connecting through) Phoenix to Flagstaff
  • Cab ride to Williams
  • Stay overnight in Williams (For your itinerary, I recommend the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel)
• Day 2:
  • Train ride up to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon
  • Explore Rim by shuttle and on foot
  • Cab ride to Grand Canyon Airport for a helicopter tour
  • Cab ride back to Grand Canyon Village at the Rim
  • Stay overnight in one of the Lodges (book up to 13 months in advance)
• Day 3:
  • Depart on Mule Trip from the South Rim
  • Stay overnight at Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Canyon (book at least 13 months in advance)
• Day 4:
  • Return from the Mule Trip, back up the Rim
  • Take the afternoon train back to Williams
  • Cab ride to Flagstaff
  • Stay overnight in Flagstaff
• Day 5:
  • Flight from Flagstaff through Phoenix to Tucson
  • Cab ride to Dude Ranch (theoretically)

Hope this helps! Take care and enjoy this very full and exciting-sounding trip!

–ChristinaToo

Dear Arizona Travel:
I am staying in Scottsdale in April. I want to go to Sedona, see Painted Desert, Grand Canyon, and some place that has black volcanic rock and petrified trees. I have 2 days, and want to spend 1 night and then return to Scottsdale. What’s a good plan?
Sheila O.

Hi, Sheila! First of all…. oooookaaaaaay. There’s no way you can do all of this in two days, but you can do most of it. Which is more important to you, the Grand Canyon or the Petrified Forest/Painted Desert? They’re opposite directions from Flagstaff, and equidistant at about ~170 miles each way. Either way, you’ll definitely be spending a lot of time in your car (about 12-15 hours of driving total). Be prepared to log ~600 miles and about 12 hours of driving and sightseeing one day, 8 hours the other. Be sure to fill up your car in Sedona or Flagstaff (both pricey areas for gas)… the National Park areas you’ll be visiting are REMOTE.

Here’s a sample itinerary for Option 1 – Sedona / Petrified Forest / Painted Desert / Sunset Volcano and links to a maps and helpful National Park Service websites.

Day 1 early morning: Drive to Sedona (90 – 120 minutes, 125 miles.)
Day 1 morning: Stop in Sedona for a bit, walk around Uptown Sedona.
Day 1 morning: Continue up AZ-89 up Oak Creek Canyon toward Flagstaff. (40 minutes from Sedona to Flagstaff)
Day 1 mid-day: Drive east of Flagstaff on I-40 toward Painted Desert / Petrified Forest National Park (3 hours, 168 miles)
Day 1 evening/night: return to Flagstaff for an overnight. The Park closes at 5pm in winter…. not sure if they’ll be on Spring/Summer hours yet or not. See Flagstaff.com for Flagstaff hotel options. (Return 3 hours, 168 miles)
Day 2 early morning: Head north of Flagstaff on AZ-89 toward Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument – this is where you’ll have volcanic rock. (2 hours, 115 miles)
Day 2 midday: Return to Flagstaff for lunch (2 hours, 115 miles.)
Day 2 evening: Return to Scottsdale (2 hours, 140 miles.)

Here are links to some terrific information:
Petrified Forest
Sunset Crater
Painted Desert
Google Map for this custom itinerary

Day 1 early morning: Drive to Sedona (90 – 120 minutes, 125 miles.)
Day 1 morning: Stop in Sedona for a bit, walk around Uptown Sedona.
Day 1 morning: Continue up AZ-89 up Oak Creek Canyon toward Flagstaff. (40 minutes from Sedona to Flagstaff)
Day 1 mid-day: Drive north of Flagstaff on AZ 89 toward Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument – this is where you’ll have volcanic rock. (2 hours, 115 miles)
Day 1 evening/night: return to Flagstaff for an overnight. (return 2 hours, 115 miles)
Day 2 early morning: Head northwest of Flagstaff on Us 180 toward Grand Canyon National Park (100 minutes, 80 miles)
Day 2 late afternoon: Return to Flagstaff (100 minutes, 80 miles)
Day 2 evening: Return to Scottsdale (2 hours, 140 miles)

Here are some resources and links:
Grand Canyon
Google Map for this custom itinerary

Good luck! Let us know which itinerary you choose and feel free to send us pictures of you climbing on volcanic rocks!

– ChristinaToo

Dear Arizona Travel:

I am visiting my son in February who lives in Phoenix, my sister and daughter are coming along and have never been to Arizona.  We are only there 4 days and I want to give them a crash course of the area.  We will be in Sedona for a night and would like to drive to the Canyon from there.  If we arrive at around 11:00am can we see some of the overlooks by just spending the day??  Say from 11:00 to 5:00?? Can’t find anything that gives me the distance we need to travel once we arrive? Realize this is all weather permitting but none of us have seen it and this could be our last shot. My son graduates in June!!
Any help our suggestions would be appreciated.  I have a triptik from AAA showing how to get there from Sedona, just don’t know how much time to allow, or if doable in a day?   Thank you for your time.
–Marlene

Read my suggestions for an hour-by-hour timeline on seeing the South Rim in just an afternoon, after the bump.

snowy tree by vandelizer on flickr.com/creativecommons

Hi, Marlene.  You absolutely can spend 11am – 5pm at the South Rim viewing different overlooks.  It’s hard to tell you how much you’ll be traveling once you get inside the park, as it’s up to you how much you want to do.  However, I highly recommend parking your car at one of the many parking lots and then riding the very easy hop-on-hop-off shuttle around the South Rim area also known as Grand Canyon Village.  You can also walk to several viewpoints along the Rim Trail…you can walk as little as 0.5 mile or up to 11 miles from one end to another.

If you like guided talks and information from park rangers, I highly recommend that you call  (928) 638-2771 before you even arrive to reserve spots for the Kolb Studio talk, which is limited to 12 participants only.  More on that later…

11:00 am

I would start your visit near the Verkamp’s Visitor Center (where you’ll also be near the historic El Tovar Hotel and Bright Angel Lodge and the Grand Canyon Railway train depot.)  You can do the 45 to 60-minute ranger-guided Rim Walk starting at 11am at the Verkamp’s Visitor Center.

11:45 am

Hop in your car and head 7 miles west to Hermits Rest – a popular overlook. (No Hermit Road shuttle available December – February.)

12:30 pm

I would have lunch at the El Tovar Hotel Lounge overlooking the rim. No reservations, it’s a first-come, first-served…but because you are visiting in the off-peak season, you should have little trouble if any.

2:00 pm

Here’s why I recommend making reservations for the Kolb Studio talk (Kolb Studio is back near the Verkamp’s Center.) Kolb Studio, built in 1904, spills five levels down the canyon wall. The Kolb brothers played an integral role in the early years of development at Grand Canyon. From the studio they photographed countless visitors as they began their mule trips. Fascinating stuff!

2:45 pm

Hop on the shuttle (no cars allowed) to Canyon View Plaza, where you’ll find a visitor center, bookstore, restrooms and a short walk to the beautiful lookout at Mather Point.  This is on the east end of Grand Canyon Village.

So to sum up, plan on driving or riding the shuttle up to 20 miles or so within Grand Canyon Village (7 miles out and back to Hermits Rest to the west, and about 2 miles each way to Canyon View Plaza to the east.)  Allow yourself about four hours inside Grand Canyon Village.

4:00 pm

Last, you have two options on exiting the park.  Of course you can head south back through Tusayan toward Williams (if it’s snowy, do this and get south of Flagstaff before the sun sets at around 6pm. You want to avoid the high-country area highways in the snow and the dark.) If it’s clear skies, here’s what I would do: You can see several beautiful overlooks by taking the Desert View Drive (Hwy 64) from Grand Canyon Village out toward the east entrance to the South Rim. This road is 26 miles and will let you out of the park near Cameron (check out the Cameron Trading Post) and then you would take Hwy 89 South back into Flagstaff.  If you take this route, plan on an hour of driving from Grand Canyon Village to Flagstaff without stops.. But because I know you want to see overlooks, give yourselves two hours with stops and weather considerations.

Winter at the Grand Canyon – Helpful Tips

Remember to dress warmly in layers.  It is cold on the rim in the winter (Feburary high 45 / low 21) and you’ll want warm shoes with plenty of grip or tread.  The overlook points are often accessed by stairs that get slippery in the wet snow and ice.  Use caution, but enjoy yourselves!  You will love seeing the Canyon in the winter. I hope the weather is just perfect for you!

PS:
Please find here links to a map of Grand Canyon Village

http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/upload/200909village_map.pdf

and to The Guide, the national park’s visitor newspaper.

http://www.nps.gov/grca/parknews/upload/2009-10winterSRguide.pdf

These are two excellent national park offerings that really help the visitor visualize the lay of the land and get tons of info.

Enjoy your trip!

Photo by snowpeak on flickr.com/creativecommons

Coincidentally, we had two visitors email us at theCanyon.com this week asking how they could see the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley in one day trip. Hmm, okay, yes you can do that. But both these visitors specified that they’ll be starting their trips from Las Vegas, Nevada and wanted to see the West Rim and South Rim. Whoa. Ooookaaaaaaaaayyy.

Listen, we get it… people want to see two spectacular vistas in one day, especially since images of these two parks have become iconic representations of Arizona. But you have to understand that going Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon to Monument Valley and back will span no fewer than 900 miles and 19 hours of driving.

In this post, you’ll find two realistic itineraries, one a 3-day plan and the other a 4-day plan, that each originate in Las Vegas, include sights like Hoover Dam, West Rim, the Grand Canyon Skywalk, helicopter and boat rides, the South Rim, the Cameron Trading Post, Monument Valley and Flagstaff. Shwew!

But PS: Before we do that, it’s interesting to note a couple misconceptions featured or implied in the email questions. First, the West Rim is not actually a part of Grand Canyon National Park, It’s on Hualapai Reservation land. Second, Monument Valley is in Utah, not Arizona. It’s in the Four Corners area of the US where Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado intersect. Neither of these things is a big deal… we just want to be clear as a bell.

Okay, ready to learn how to go from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon to Monument Valley? Me, too! C’mon!

Dear Arizona Travel:

We are thinking of doing a daytrip and helicopter flight from our hotel in Las Vegas in February. We don’t mind if it is a long day including the coach journey, helicopter or plane flights (maybe boat too) etc. We would like to see the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and West Rim of the Canyon. If possible would be great to see Monument Valley but I know that’s quite a long way from the Canyon. I was just wondering what trips you would recommend for that time of year and how much they would cost?

–Rob D., United Kingdom

Dear Arizona Travel:

Your website is really detailed, but I would like to ask your help. I am planning to visit the Grand Canyon this summer. This time I will take my kids too. I plan to drive from Las Vegas and want to see the West Rim, the Skywalk, to take trip on the river and to see the Monument Valley as well. Could you be so kind to recommend me a routeplan, and hotel if it is necessary?
I thank you for your kind assistance in advance.

–Gyorgy P., Budapest, Hungary

Las Vegas to the West Rim

Vacation plans that include the Grand Canyon West Rim, Hoover Dam and Lake Mead from Las Vegas are perfect.

For your coach/helicopter/boat tour of the Dam and the West Rim, there are several excellent choices.

First, Viator and LookTours and All Grand Canyon Tours (all the same company) are brokerage services offering dozens of these tour options that you can easily compare by price, customer rating, etc.  I would start there (viator.com and looktours.com and allgrandcanyontours.com) and see if you find a tour that fits your needs.

For example, their All American Grand Canyon Helicopter tour is extremely popular and priced at about $287 per person (currently on special.)  This tour combines a limo ride from hotel to airport, heli flight to the West Rim, landing down inside the canyon, a champagne picnic inside the canyon (which is great because the floor of the canyon is approximately 10 degrees warmer than the rim… good for February temps, which are still quite warm at an average high of 70 degrees and an average low of 42.) The only drawback to this tour is, I believe, you don’t have time to add a boat trip or walk on the Grand Canyon Skywalk.  You can find the All American Tour on our Grand Canyon tours page.

To get everything you’re looking for in a day trip, you may consider driving yourself. There is a company called U-Drive Tours that will rent you a high-clearance SUV, Jeep or Hummer and gives you everything you need to drive from Las Vegas over the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead to the West Rim. They include all entrance fees and tickets in the price of your package for a seamless day. You can upgrade your package with them to include a helicopter flight from the West Rim airport down into the canyon, a boat trip up the river, the flight back up to the rim and then you drive yourself home.  Meals are even included.  Tell ‘em Christina from theCanyon.com sent you… they will take very good care of you.

Here’s how to do it:

Day 1 – Depart Las Vegas for the West Rim.
Route:     South along US Highway 93 over Hoover Dam
Northeast on Pierce Ferry Rd (County Highway 25)
Take Pierce Ferry Rd north to Diamond Bar Rd (County Highway 261)
Go east on Diamond Bar Rd.
Arrive Grand Canyon West.
121 miles/195 kilometers – Time: 2 hrs 30 min

From here, we recommend you spend the night near the West Rim. You can either add an overnight stay through U-Drive Tours or book your stay at Grand Canyon West Ranch. Another option is to stay overnight in Kingman.

Day One, above, is the same whether you do a 4-day trip or cram it all into 3 days. Depending on how old and car-tolerant you and your kids are, you may want to continue on our 4-day itinerary:

Four Day Itinerary:

Day 1: Las Vegas to West Rim (stay overnight at the Grand Canyon West Ranch): 121 miles this day
Day 2: West Rim to South Rim (stay overnight in Tusayan on inside the park): 242 miles this day
Day 3: South Rim to Monument Valley and back to Flagstaff (stay overnight in Flagstaff): 178 + 174 miles = 352 miles this day
Day 4: Flagstaff to Las Vegas (stay overnight or fly out of Las Vegas): 242 miles this day

West Rim to South Rim

Here are the routes you’ll take:

Day 1 – (4 day trip) See above.

Day 2 – (4 day trip) West Rim to South Rim
Route:      Take Buck and Doe Road to Diamond Bar Rd (County Highway 261)
South on Stockton Hill Rd toward Kingman
At Kingman, take Interstate 40 East to Williams
At Williams, north on Highway 64/180 to South Entrance to the Grand Canyon South Rim (town of Tusayan)
Arrive Grand Canyon South Rim. Be sure to explore Grand Canyon Village, attend Ranger Talks (free), walk the Rim Trail, visit the Visitors Centers. Have lunch at the El Tovar hotel.
242 miles / 389 km – Time: 4 hours 35 minutes

South Rim to Monument Valley to Flagstaff

Day 3 – (4 day trip) Tusayan/South Rim for Monument Valley and then Flagstaff
Route:     From inside the Park, take Highway 64 East to Cameron (also known as Desert View Drive)
Be sure to stop at the various Grand Canyon overlooks along the 26 mile Desert View Drive!
At Cameron, take US Highway 89 North
Turn right on Navajo Trail /US Highway 160 East toward Kayenta
At Kayenta, turn left onto US Highway 163 North
Arrive Monument Valley Start Park (in Utah)
178 miles / 286 km – Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Return approximately 172 miles (4 hours 20 minutes) to Flagstaff for overnight stay OR stay at the Cameron Trading Post Lodge halfway between Monument Valley and Flagstaff in Cameron on Highway 89 North.
Total: 352 miles / 566 km – Time: 8 hours 50 minutes

Flagstaff to Las Vegas

Day 4- (4 day trip) – Depart Flagstaff for Las Vegas
Route:     Take I-40 West
Take Highway 93 North to Las Vegas
242 miles / 406 km – Time: 4 hours

Three-Day Itinerary

For a 3 day trip of heavy driving and less time at the parks:
Day 1: Las Vegas to West Rim (stay overnight at the Grand Canyon West Ranch): 121 miles this day
Day 2: West Rim to Monument Valley and back to Cameron (stay overnight in Cameron): 372 + 172 miles = 544 miles this day
Day 3: Cameron to South Rim to Las Vegas (stay overnight or fly out of Las Vegas): 332 miles this day

Las Vegas to West Rim

Day 1 – (3 day trip) – Depart Las Vegas for the West Rim.
Route:     South along US Highway 93 over Hoover Dam
Northeast on Pierce Ferry Rd (County Highway 25)
Take Pierce Ferry Rd north to Diamond Bar Rd (County Highway 261)
Go east on Diamond Bar Rd.
Arrive Grand Canyon West.
121 miles/195 kilometers – Time: 2 hrs 30 min

West Rim to Monument Valley to Cameron

Day 2 – (3 day trip)  –     Depart Grand Canyon West Ranch for Monument Valley
Route:      Take Buck and Doe Road to Diamond Bar Rd (County Highway 261)
South on Stockton Hill Rd toward Kingman
At Kingman, take Interstate 40 East to Flagstaff
At Flagstaff, take US Highway 89 North
Turn right on Navajo Trail /US Highway 160 East toward Kayenta
At Kayenta, turn left onto US Highway 163 North to Monument Valley State Park (in Utah)
372 miles / 598 km – Time: 8 hours 30 minutes
Arrive Monument Valley
Return approximately 119 miles (3 hours) to Cameron for overnight stay
Total: 491 miles / 790 km – Time: 11 hours 30 minutes

Cameron to South Rim to Las Vegas

Day 3 – (3 day trip) – Depart Cameron and head south on Hwy 89
Route:    Turn right on Highway 64 (Desert View Drive) into the East Entrance to the Grand Canyon South Rim
Be sure to stop at the various Grand Canyon overlooks along the 26 mile Desert View Drive
Explore Grand Canyon Village at the South Rim.  Attend Ranger Talks (free), walk the Rim Trail, visit the Visitors Centers. Have lunch at the El Tovar hotel.
Depart the South Rim on Highway 64 / Highway 180 toward Williams
At Williams, take I-40 West
Take Highway 93 North to Las Vegas
332 miles / 534 km – Time: 7 hours

or…Cameron to Las Vegas

Day 3 Option (3 day trip…skip the South Rim) – Depart Cameron for Las Vegas
Route:     Take Highway 89 South to Flagstaff
At Flagstaff, take I-40 West
Take Highway 93 North to Las Vegas
242 miles / 406 km – Time: 4 hours

There you have it. Hope these tips and sample itineraries help you readers, too.