Western National Parks In One Week

A loop through some of the western National Parks of America makes a great driving trip. If you’re interested in seeing just how big the American West is… this is one way to do it. If you want to see natural wonders… here they are. If you like hiking… there are hikes galore.

You will need about a week to drive a representative loop through Nevada, Utah and Arizona. The actual starting point for the loop listed in most guides is Las Vegas. For the loop through the western National Parks we’re describing here, you will be driving about 1050 miles (1,690 km).

You can fly directly to Las Vegas from many cities in the U.S. You probably will want to spend a day or two in Las Vegas to gamble, see some shows, or just satisfy your curiosity about “Sin City”, so allow time for that too.

The first stop on this drive is Zion National Park. It is a deep canyon carved by the innocuous looking Virgin River. There’s a great hike up this river into a slot canyon called “The Narrows Hike”…. and the canyon does narrow to only 20-30 feet across in places. You will spend 60% of your time IN the river as the canyon walls soar above you. (You must check on conditions at the visitor center… flash floods are possible.)

If you’re not up for that strenuous hike, there are other hikes that let you see much of what the park has to offer. Scenic drives let you see some sights by car. There is a Lodge in the park and more accommodations are available outside the park. Campgrounds are available.

Bryce Canyon National Park is your next stop. It’s a small National Park, but some visitors come away saying this was their favorite park. It’s famous for its colorful spire-shaped “hoodoos”. A hike into the canyon will make you feel you’ve entered a fairy wonderland. This park has a Lodge in the Park and good lodging nearby. Two campgrounds are near the visitor center.

The drive to Capitol Reef National Park follows along Route 12 and is very pretty. The main feature in this park is the formation known as the “Waterpocket Fold”… an ancient wrinkle in the earth’s crust. No lodging is available in the Park. Find some motels about 12-15 miles (20-25 km) from the park entrance. Some camping is available in the park.

You can pass though Natural Bridges National Monument. A scenic drive will take you to overlooks to view each of the three bridges that were formed by meandering streams. Allow a couple of hours for this. Lodging is about 30-40 miles away. There is a small campground available.

You might want to make it a long day of driving and get to Monument Valley Tribal Park. This huge valley has those iconic wild-west sandstone formations that you’ve seen in the movies… “The Mittens” are the most photographed, but there are other pinnacles and arches, bluffs and buttes.

You can get guided tours from Navajo tour operators. There are accommodations in the area; the only one in the Tribal Park is the new hotel called The View. Bring your camera.

We’re saving the most famous of the western National Parks for last. The Grand Canyon. Clearly this is one western National Park that you must see. There is accommodation and camping available in the park and many options nearby with shuttles into the Park itself.

This is such a popular destination that driving is restricted in the park in some areas. Parking can be a nightmare, so just use the shuttles.

Another day of driving will have you back at Las Vegas. By driving this loop instead of staying in town, you will have kept Las Vegas from getting too much of your money, and you’ll be far richer in experiences… of the Western National Parks.

Grand Canyon Skywalk

The South Rim is the most developed area and where most of the tourists have traditionally gone.  The South Rim is open all year, though some facilities may be closed in winter.

The North Rim is your second choice.  It has fewer visitors and is closed to visitors in the winter.

The Grand Canyon Skywalk is located at the third point of access to the canyon… Grand Canyon West.  This is quite far from the other entrances.  The land here belongs to the Hualapai Nation Indian Tribe.  When we first saw pictures of the proposed bridge on the internet, we thought it was a hoax, but it is real.  It has been built, and it is operating.

This well publicized glass-bottomed bridge sweeps out 70 feet (20 meters) over the canyon in a horseshoe shape…. It’s suspended about 4,000 feet (1,220 meters) above the Colorado River.  If you think you might want to visit the Grand Canyon Skywalk for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to walk over the edge of the Grand Canyon, you will have to plan for this because it is so far from the South Rim.

Grand Canyon West and the Skywalk are actually closer to Las Vegas than to the South Rim.  It’s 242 miles (390 km) from the South Rim Visitor’s Center, so it’s too far for a quick visit from there.  It’s only 120 (190 km) miles from Las Vegas.  You can get day tours to the Grand Canyon Skywalk from a number of tour operators out of Las Vegas.

If you plan to drive yourself, you will need a high-clearance SUV or a 4-wheel drive vehicle because the last 18 miles (29 km) to the Skywalk are on unpaved and bumpy road.  It takes about 2 1/2 hours to drive there from Las Vegas.

You might be able to make it in a small car, but it is pretty rough.  If you are renting a car, we wouldn’t advise taking that sedan on this road.  It is not suitable for Recreational Vehicles (RVs) either.  If you are driving a small car or an RV, there is a “Park and Ride” shuttle service available at the Welcome Center.  There is about a $10 (7.5 Euros) fee for this shuttle.

To experience the Skywalk, you must purchase a visitation permit and a package of activities from the Hualapai.  The Skywalk fee is in addition to one of the packages, so the minimum cost to visit is about $70 (52 Euros).

They only allow 120 people on the Skywalk at any one time.  Access is first come, first served unless you have a reservation.  You will be provided with shoe covers which keep your shoes from scratching the glass… and also help keep you from slipping.

One thing you should know besides the high price of the tours is that no personal cameras are allowed on the bridge… in case you drop your camera and damage the glass.  Womens purses are also checked into lockers.

So if you want to walk OVER the Grand Canyon… visit the Grand Canyon Skywalk.  Just know what to expect and be prepared.

Visit the Grand Canyon Over Land or Through the Air

When you travel to the Grand Canyon, an infinite panorama beckons.

There are so many tourist attractions in the world, some are man-made like monuments, museums and other architectural wonders while majority are naturally-made such as mountains, lakes, falls, gorges and other natural wonders.

In the United States, many of its natural wonders such as the Niagara Falls, Old Faithful Geyser, The Everglades, the Rocky Mountains and many more are visited by a lot of vacationers the whole year round. But there’s one natural wonder that is considered as one of the greatest tourist attractions in America and that is the Grand Canyon, which attracted approximately 5 million tourists every year.

A brief description of the Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is considered as a steep-sided gorge located in the state of Arizona. The canyon was created by the Colorado River over a period of 17 million year time span due to the natural process of erosions. It is situated within the Grand Canyon National Park, which is one of the first National Parks in the country.

The canyon is 446 km (277 miles) long, which attains a depth of more than 1.6 km and ranges in width from 6.4 to 29 km (4 to 18 miles).

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