Travel Advice - Las Vegas/Phoenix

[MayDay]

Hi all, my S.O. and I will be taking some vacation time in late May to visit Las Vegas and Phoenix. We'll be arriving in Vegas, staying for a few days and then driving to the south rim of the Grand Canyon, staying for one night and then spending a few days in Phoenix.

Our itinerary is pretty full but I'm open to any suggestions. One area of concern is driving advice. Are there any roads along the way that we should avoid? I imagine we'll be staying on the interstates - any big construction worries? I'm not a fan of taking winding backroads in the mountains aka no guardrails to keep you from plunging two miles into the earth.

Btw, if anyone is interested in meeting for drinks one night, that might be do-able so let me know. Thanks in advance!

[PHX31]

Coming to the desert during late May?

Personally, if you're going to drive to the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas, I'd go through Utah and go to the North Rim instead of the South Rim. There is MUCH less traffic and it is more beautiful. Plus I would think it is a similar drive time-wise (if not less).

I don't know of any roads with blind turns/gravel/oil slicks/no guardrail in which you might plunge to your death. In fact, ADOT builds some really nice roadways and highways, IMO.

If you were driving from Las Vegas to Phoenix, you have to travel over the Hoover Dam, which is a pain in the ass. Most of Hwy 93 between LV and PHX has already recently been improved/constructed and it is really nice, but there are still some areas which may or may not have construction going on causing delays. They are building a huge new bridge over the Hoover Dam to speed up that trip so you don't have to actually go over the Dam and through all of that traffic. It's not done though, unfortunately.

If the whole reason you're going to the South Rim instead of the North Rim is because you want to see the Hoover Dam, I'd change my mind. Maybe its because I've seen it so many times, but the Hoover Dam isn't as special as the North Rim. The only problem with the North Rim is it takes a while to go around the canyon back to Flagstaff and Phoenix, and you have to travel on the Indian Reservation much of the way.

[wrendog]

if you are going to hit Grand Canyon and Las Vegas, you might as well hit up the NP's in Southern Utah too, while you are at it. That is, of course, if you were driving from Cleveland, but I have to guess that you are not, so disregard what I said.

[MayDay]

^Oh no, if it's over 4 hours, driving is completely out of the question for me

PHX31, I was in Phoenix last year in May and while I'm not a hot-weather fan, it was mostly tolerable. I mentioned my aversion to backroads because I didn't want someone to suggest a beautiful scenic route that's miles from where anyone can hear me scream as I plunge to my doom. I had a friend here who suggested something along those lines and while I'm sure the view is lovely, I'll pass.

The south rim stop is more or less a midway overnight rest and reservations have been made at a hotel, so Utah/north rim isn't an option, unfortunately.

[PHX31]

/\ That sounds good... in that case you should be fine in the driving/roadways department.

[arkhitektor]

Originally Posted by MayDay

I imagine we'll be staying on the interstates - any big construction worries? I'm not a fan of taking winding backroads in the mountains aka no guardrails to keep you from plunging two miles into the earth.

I'm not sure what Interstate you'll be travelling on since there isn't one between Las Vegas and Phoenix. The only way to get to Phoenix from Vegas without leaving the interstate is to go through L.A.

We face a similar dilemma every time we travel from Salt Lake to visit my brother-in-law in Phoenix: go through Vegas and take US 93 or through Page and take US 89. I wish they could build a more convienent highway to connect the two, but the world's largest canyon is inconviently placed between points A & B.

[Locofresh55]

If you are heading to I-17 south to Phoenix...than Sedona is a must.....should be good weather in May and also there are various national monuments and what not (Monztezuma castle, Tuzigoot etc.) Also, If you or your S.O enjoy shopping...there is a great outlet mall in Anthem. Lots of good stuff there.....as far as shopping goes you got your picks from Biltmore, Scottsdale and the various malls in Phoenix. If you have the time.....visit Prescott....

[PHX31]

Originally Posted by arkhitektor

I'm not sure what Interstate you'll be travelling on since there isn't one between Las Vegas and Phoenix. The only way to get to Phoenix from Vegas without leaving the interstate is to go through L.A.

You must really suck to drive with... going through LA to get to Phoenix to Vegas?? That's crazy.

While it's not an interstate, US Hwy 93 is a mostly four-lane (divided highway in a lot of parts) that basically links Vegas with Phoenix. Like I also said, they're adding bridges on 93 to fly over the Hoover Dam, which will cut probably an hour off the drive time. As it is it's about 4.5 -5 hours to get from Vegas to Phoenix. Once construction is done it will probably take around 4 hours, hopefully less...

I don't think he's planning on only staying on interstates (obviously).

[nbrindley]

I was in Vegas two weeks ago, and one day went to the Hoover Dam. I would suggest heading out of Vegas pretty early. It's always been slow going over the dam, but since 9/11, they screen vehicles crossing the bridge, holding up traffic even more. I think we got to the bridge about 10am, and sat in traffic for about 20 minutes heading to the bridge. On they way back to Vegas, around 2pm, the line of cars was at least 4 times as long, if not more.

[combusean]

I highly recommend if possible coming down to Phoenix via the AZ-89A, which routes through Sedona and Prescott. It may be out of your way, but it's definitely one of the prettiest drives in Arizona.

While it has plenty of those death-defying drops on the side, it's fairly well traveled. It shouldn't be much of a problem--it's paved, and there's a guardrail. If you're more advanced than a novice motorist I don't think you will have problems...tho you might find some parts more comfortable if you're driving in 2nd gear.

www.az511.gov has the traffic conditions for the metro freeways, and 92.3 KTAR-FM has traffic updates every 10 minutes "on the 9". US-60 around the 10 was torn up pretty bad last I checked, and of course you have to watch out for the light rail construction in Midtown Phoenix, Washington St, and downtown Tempe/Apache Blvd.

Let me know if you guys would like to meet up somewhere--I'm only a couple blocks from Amsterdam's.

[arkhitektor]

Originally Posted by PHX31

You must really suck to drive with... going through LA to get to Phoenix to Vegas??

Heavens no!!, I was just saying that if a person wanted to get from Vegas to Phoenix only travelling by freeway, that's the only option.

US 93 from Vegas to Phoenix has been improved a lot, but its still out of the way coming from Salt Lake.

[SnyderBock]

You should go to Vegas and have a scheduled layover for 2 or 3 days in Denver, on your flight back to Cleveland! Denver would be on the way home and would workout well as far as scheduling it with the airlines. I'm from Texas and have visited all three cities. Vegas is great, Phoenix isn't worth much of a visit, unless you want to do some desert camping, hiking, etc,... I have had the most fun in Denver. There is even a strip of casinos just 40 minutes west of Denver down a canyon, called Black Hawk/Central City. But,... during spring, Denver and the Colorado Rockies are the most beautiful place in this entire country! It would be a shame to pass them up. Plus, Downtown Denver is one of the more active downtowns in the country, with endless things to do along the 16th Street Mall, LoDo and the Ball Park area, it even has the only downtown amusement park and water park (May be a little earlier for that?).

Just a thought bro, but I can't think of a better May trip then Vegas and Denver!

[vertex]

hmm... a thread about LV and Phoenix.

I know, I'll interject some useless boosterism!

[heyyoucharlie]

When in Vegas, if you can pull yourself away from the strip, I highly recommend going to Red Rock Canyon!!! Take the (13-17?) mile loop drive... the desert at this time can't be beat!!!

[wrendog]

You should go to Vegas and have a scheduled layover for 2 or 3 days in Salt Lake City, on your flight back to Cleveland! Salt Lake City would be on the way home and would workout well as far as scheduling it with the airlines. I'm from Texas and have visited all three cities. Vegas is great, Phoenix isn't worth much of a visit, unless you want to do some desert camping, hiking, etc,... I have had the most fun in Salt Lake City. There is even a strip of casinos just over an hour west of Salt Lake City in Wendover. But,... during spring, Salt Lake City and the Utah Rockies are the most beautiful place in this entire country! It would be a shame to pass them up. Plus, Downtown Salt Lake City is one of the more active downtowns in the country, with endless things to do Gateway Mall, Downtown and the Sugarhouse area, it even has an amusement park and water park 20 minutes up the road (May be a little earlier for that?).

Just a thought bro, but I can't think of a better May trip then Vegas and Salt Lake City!

[MayDay]

I'm not sure why people are skipping the "arriving in Vegas, staying for a few days and then driving to the south rim of the Grand Canyon, staying for one night and then spending a few days in Phoenix." part of my post.

I'm sure Denver, Utah and whatnot are just lovely this time of year but the itinerary is: a few days in Vegas, one night on the south rim, and a few days in Phoenix. The dates and destinations are not subject to change, so any further advice needs to be along those lines. Oh, and did I mention that for the most part, we are NOT outdoorsy types?

@nbrindley, thanks for the advice - hopefully it's not too bad.

@heyyoucharlie and locofresh - I'm pretty sure one of my S.O.'s friends is taking us to Red Rock, so it's on the agenda And yes, we are definitely fans of shopping!

@SnyderBock, while I'm not the biggest fan of Phoenix, I think Scottsdale is a nice area, particularly the downtown area and Biltmore. Also, I live one hour from Cedar Point - that's all the amusement park I need.

@combusean, I imagine we'll be at Amsterdams at some point so I can PM you my number. Sedona and Prescott sound nice, but that 2nd gear thing? We're renting a car and I do NOT do stick-shift!

[PHX31]

Originally Posted by vertex

hmm... a thread about LV and Phoenix.

I know, I'll interject some useless boosterism!

HAHAHA! Yeah, MayDay is spending 4 days in Vegas, essentially the casino and entertainment capital of the world... but let's try to get him to go to blackhawk too, I'm sure it's just as cooL!!1!


MayDay, are you staying at the Biltmore again? Might I suggest eating at the restaurant "Houston's" one night? It is in the Esplanade on the southeast corner of 24th St and Camelback. While it's not local (there are several throughout the country so it's kind of a chain) - but each Houston's is different from the next. In all honesty they have such delicious food and make amazing cocktails I don't care that it's a chain. It's pricey and nice, but not steakhouse pricey. Plus, you could ask my girlfriend to be your server, she works there and is really nice and is a good server or you could ask for any number of the nice gay guys there to be your server, Tim, for one. PM me if you want more info .

Just trying to give you one place you can have a nice meal.

Hopefully the next time you come back to Phoenix you'll not only like Scottsdale, but also downtown PHX. It's one huge construction zone right now, but that means maybe next time it will be that much better.

[PHX602]

Phoenix isn't worth much of a visit, unless you want to do some desert camping, hiking, etc,... I have had the most fun in Denver.

I have visited all 3 cities as well, Denver does have the most active downtown but as far as things to do, metro Phoenix makes Denver look like Pecos Texas.

[MayDay]

PHX31, we didn't stay at the Biltmore - we just dropped by for a few hours. Thanks for the tip on Houston's - that's the kind of info I'm hoping for. We went through downtown Phoenix last year and it seemed alright - sort of a smaller downtown Columbus in the desert.

[combusean]

Originally Posted by MayDay

@combusean, I imagine we'll be at Amsterdams at some point so I can PM you my number. Sedona and Prescott sound nice, but that 2nd gear thing? We're renting a car and I do NOT do stick-shift!

I didn't say stick shift. Next time you get into a car with an automagic transmission, look at the little "2" by the "D". When you select that gear, you're in second, which gives you, amongst other things, better control of the vehicle when going downhill.