Road trip from Denver to Vegas (Durango, Glenwood Springs: hotels, restaurants, price)

[Lacytree]

Can anyone give me some advice on places to stay/visit on a trip from Denver to Las Vegas in September? I'm from South Africa and we want to take a drive through the Rockies and see the Grand Canyon before getting to Vegas. Advice on routes and hotels etc would be welcome!

[cowboyxjon]

I would try to work Moab, Utah into the trip (neat red rocks), or maybe go through SW Colorado and incorporate Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park on your way and Durango, since you want to stop at the Grand Canyon.

My co-worker, who is a native of Colorado, claims that Black Canyon of the Gunnison is the best park in Colorado. I haven't actually been there, but my parents just visited two weeks ago, and they loved it too, and the pictures from their trip are amazing.

[DOUBLE H]

As you want to see the Grand Canyon before you get to Vegas here is how I would do it. Take Interstate 70 west out of Denver. Once you get past the Utah border look for U.S. 191 south which takes you to Moab. It's very touristy these days and the motels are high at this time of the year, but they are plentiful. IMO your best bet would be either Motel 6 or the Super 8 just before you get to the city limits. There is a Denny's restaurant if you want to deal with chain restaurants in between those two motels or you can go into town. The Moab Street Diner has good breakfasts (never had dinner there) and there are many other mom and pop restaurants downtown. Denver to Moab on this route is around 350 miles, and the Utah highway people have done a good job lately on paving new passing lanes as it is a 2 lane highway.

The scenery gets your attention in a big way as you get out of the towns of Blanding and Bluff on 191. When you get into Bluff, exit to U.S 163 which takes you through Monument Valley at the Utah-Arizona border. You'll want to take pictures through this stretch, guaranteed!

163 dead ends at Kayenta which then becomes U.S. 160. Stay west on 160 which takes you to Tuba City. For the last couple hours you'll find you're traveling on the Navajo Indian Reservation. It's a 2 lane road through there. 10 miles past Tuba City the highway dead ends at U.S. 89. Stay south on 89 which takes you into Flagstaff, which is a good place to get a room for the night. As you get to Interstate 40 from 89 you'll find a variety of the chain hotels on the various exits off the interstate; Holiday Inn, Super 8, Quality Inn, etc., etc. Hotels are plentiful in Flagstaff. Several chain type restaurants are near those hotels. The exits to look for off the interstate is Butler ave., Lucky Lane ave., and I-17.

The Grand Canyon is west of Flagstaff, maybe a 45 minute drive. And it is an all day event, is in my top 5 of favorite national parks. If you want to get on down the road in the afternoon, Kingman is a good place to spend the night. A little over 2 hour drive from Flagstaff, you'll find a lot of the chain motels on the Andy Devine Blvd. exit, with several restaurants on that exit. Kingman to Las Vegas is another 100 miles or so north on U.S. Hwy. 93.

[Lacytree]

Thanks for the great info! For first time visitors to the U.S its really good to have advice from those "in the know" we appreciate it!

[craptacular]

My wife and I actually made this trip on our honeymoon. There are lots of great things to see, and unfortunately, we had to skip some of them. Here are the main places we went, from Denver to LV:
Lookout Mountain (just off I-70 as you start up the mountains)
Lake Dillon
Vail
Glenwood Canyon (I-70 goes right through it, with rest areas to stop)
Hot Springs Lodge and Pool (Glenwood Springs) -- nice hotel, with a two-block long hot springs pool
Aspen
(entering Utah)
Arches National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Zion National Park (really wish we spent more time here)
(entering Arizona)
Grand Canyon National Park (north rim)
Flagstaff
Hoover Dam (on Arizona / Nevada border)
Vegas

Other places we would have liked to go:
Colorado - Rocky Mountain National Park (have been there other times), Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Utah - Salt Lake City, Capitol Reef National Park, Monument Valley
Arizona - Glen Canyon Dam, south rim of Grand Canyon, Sedona / Red Rocks

As far as places to stay, the Hot Springs Lodge and the lodging right on the north rim of the Grand Canyon were nice. We stayed at chain hotels for a few nights, and Mandalay Bay in Vegas, although you obviously have lots of choices there. I'd recommend either looking at AAA ratings, or look on sites like Expedia, Orbitz, Hotwire, etc for hotels with good reviews in your price range.

I had never been to Utah before that trip (I had been to Colorado and Las Vegas numerous times), and I was blown away by the beauty. I wish we had spent more time there.

[vegaspilgrim]

Is this drive going to be one way or are you going to make it a round trip loop?

[Mike from back east]

For those who LIKE to eat, there's a place south of the Grand Canyon, in the town of Williams, AZ, just off of I-40 that is a "must" to visit. It's the Pine Country Inn and they bake about 25 kinds of pies each day. The coconut cream pie is awesome, stand 6-inches high.... one slice is a meal.

[OneMoreMove]

I don't have advice except this:

1) Black Canyon is really fantastic.
2) In my opinion, the natural beauty in Utah is really worth some extra time. I hope you really enjoy places like Zion, Bryce, Arches, etc.

Have fun

[Willy702]

If you happen to head south on the 25 Santa Fe is nice at this time of year. But I'd probably side with the others and say go to Moab and then south to the Grand Canyon. Flagstaff is a cool little town as well, spend a day there.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by DOUBLE H

The Grand Canyon is west of Flagstaff,

Isn't it more north?