Grand Junction to Las Vegas trip

[DOUBLE H]

You are right. And that is another plus as people who regularly commute through there are aware that services and help are thin. It's called Western hospitality.

[jdavid93225]

I've done the drive from Denver to Los Angeles many times, so I've covered the Grand Junction to Vegas stretch pretty regularly. As the others have said, it's a fairly easy drive, as long as you don't run into bad weather. Bad weather can seemingly come out of nowhere, so it's always a good idea to keep your vehicle well maintained, and keep emergency supplies on hand, just in case you need them. The longest stretch to be concerned with is the 107 mile run from Green River to Salina, as was pointed out earlier. There are no services along I-70 for this entire stretch, and the services that are closest are quite a distance from the highway (Ferron, UT, is nearly 20 miles from I-70, for example). In this area, you want to make sure you have enough fuel to cross this stretch with plenty to spare. Bad weather or a detour due to an accident can cause your fuel consumption to go way up, so keep that in mind. These things are not too common, but you should still be ready for them.

As the others have already mentioned, be ready to be in awe of the scenery. It changes frequently, and you will see a huge variety of zones. For a while you travel through the desert, then the mountains, then desert again, though nothing like the last desert, and so on. Every time I drive that stretch of road I am amazed by the scenery. I really like the area around the San Rafael Reef, west of Green River. As you drive along, you see this huge wall in front of you, and it looks like the road heads southwest along the bottom of the wall. All of a sudden, it turns into the wall, and you drive through a very narrow passage through the wall, and end up coming out on top. You'll know what I'm talking about when you see it. If possible, do the drive in daylight. You miss everything when you drive it at night.

For some variety, you might also want to consider taking Highway 9 through Zion National Park on the way home. That is another beautiful drive. On the east end, head north on US 89. At the junction with Highway 12, you can either continue north on US 89, or you can go east on Hwy. 12. US 89 will take you north to Sevier where you can reconnect with I-70, or will connect you with Highway 62 east, near Kingston. I have always taken Hwy. 12, so I can't comment on the scenery on the other routes. Hwy. 12 will eventually take you back to I-70, but will take you through the Utah backcountry, which is spectacular. The route I've taken is Hwy. 12 east to Hwy. 24 east (near Torrey). Hwy. 24 east turns north at Hanksville, then heads up to intersect I-70 near Green River. Along the way, you can see Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef National Parks.

My experience with driving through Southern Utah is that the scenery is spectacular, and is reason enough to take the trip. I have seen some beautiful places in my travels through the area, but still have so much more to explore. The same is true for Colorado.

I hope you get to make the trip soon and that you enjoy the scenery. Another neat part of the trip is the Virgin River Gorge through Arizona (between St. George, UT and Mesquite, NV). The drive from Grand Junction to Mesquite is probably my favorite part of the route I've taken from Denver to L.A. and I think you are in for a treat.