Roadtrip (Salt Lake City, St. George, Cedar City: how much, hotels, construction)

[poleangel]

Hi
I am from the UK and planning a roadtrip from Salt Lake City, through to Las Vegas then to LA. Does anyone know the best routes and little towns that would be great to stop at along the way?

Thanks

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Bryce Canyon and Zion National PArks are along I-15 and are worth a visit. Of course, in winter, they are closed. Not too far off, like maybe a few hours, is the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It's just as spectacular as the more famous South Rim but quite a bit less crowded.

[Chango]

You'll probably be taking I-15 the whole way. I've driven it dozens of times; you can get from SLC to LA in about 9-10 hours without stopping much except for gas and lunch. Really, there isn't much to see. I am not a fan of Vegas and usually drive straight through, that place is a over-rated tourist trap where they might as well use vaccum cleaners to suck the money out of your wallet.

Otherwise there are such visual delights along the way as the world's largest thermometer in Baker CA, the virgin river gorge in AZ which always seems to have the best traffic accidents, Cove fort in UT (a pioneer fort built for protection against an indian attack that never came) and that rest stop outside of Cedar City that I threw up in at 3 AM a few years back (avoid the middle stall, I doubt it's been cleaned up yet).

[dcisive]

Chango is right, if you are really booking along without stopping but for gas and a bite to go, you can make LA in 10 hours. Getting through Vegas can be a bear if you hit it at the wrong hours. They too have a morning and evening rush hour, and it's ugly. Other than that you can hustle along at 80+ mph at times.

[Chango]

Originally Posted by dcisive

Chango is right, if you are really booking along without stopping but for gas and a bite to go, you can make LA in 10 hours. Getting through Vegas can be a bear if you hit it at the wrong hours. They too have a morning and evening rush hour, and it's ugly. Other than that you can hustle along at 80+ mph at times.

Too right. I forgot to mention that I-15 is under construction in Vegas (and has been for at least 10 years, no joke) so yea, traffic can be pure hell there.

One other thing... there are few man made sights more impressive than comming up over the hill into Las Vegas on a clear night from the North on the interstate. Just FYI.

[markg91359]

In order to see anything you have to get off I-15. I'd recommend you take I-15 southbound to Nephi. Than take the state road eastbound over the mountains to Gunnison. Than drive SR 89 Southbound through Salina, Richfield, Big Rocky Candy Mountain, Junction, Circleville. South of Panguitch if you have time drive up to Bryce Canyon National Park. Continue down 89 through Mt. Carmel Junction and into Kanab. At Kanab you can drive a few miles south to Fredonia, AZ and than take the road westbound to St. George. At St. George you rejoin I-15 and are just 100 miles north of Las Vegas.

This would be a much more scenic route than staying on I-15 the entire trip. Take my word for it. I've done both many times.

[scirocco22]

I didn't sense that you were under a strict time limit where you had to make the trip in 10 hours. But if you're not in that sort of rush, I disagree that there's not much to see.

I'll mention one side trip that I never get tired of even though I've been through it dozens of times. I'm just in awe of its beauty. This side trip is worth it and wont take you too much out of your way. You will see three separate things that I really believe you'll enjoy. After you've finished either or both of the side trips that markg91359 and SouthernBelleInUtah have suggested, stay overnight in St. George or Mesquite NV (Mesquite will probably have less expensive accommodations for a quick one night stay as you can stay in one of the casino's hotels). Again, the Virgin River Gorge between St. George and Mesquite is impressive in itself pertaining to scenery. You'll go right through it on I-15; it's actually in the state of Arizona ...St. George is in Utah, the gorge is in Arizona, and Mesquite is in Nevada.

But these are the things that I'm sure you'd enjoy seeing the next day:

1. Valley of Fire
2. South Shore of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area
3. Hoover Dam

After breakfast, if staying in Mesquite, continue to go south on I-15 for another 45 miles. You'll see signs that will direct you to the Valley of Fire State Park. It should be exit number 75, Hwy 40 or Valley of Fire Hwy. There's a big truck stop there. Continue on this highway and you'll go through the Valley of Fire park. There's lots to see and do in the park depending on how much time you want to allow.

When through seeing the sights in the park, keep going on Hwy 40 until it ends and intersects with Hwy 167 or Northshore Rd. Turn right and continue on Northshore Rd. You'll see some spectacular scenery while continuing down this road. Be sure to stop at the roadside parks to take pictures and take in the breathtaking views. Redstone Dune, Bowl of Fire, Hamblin Peak, and Black Mesa are just some of the sights along the way.

Continue on Northshore Rd. until just after you pass Lake Las Vegas (Celine Dion lives on the south shore, I believe). It will intersect with Hwy 166 or Lake Shore Dr. (Boulder Beach Hwy). Turn left and continue down this highway. You'll be along Lake Mead that you'll see on your left all the way until this road intersects with U.S. Hwy 93. Turn left on Hwy 93 and continue for a few miles until you reach Hoover Dam. Take the tour if you have time or just walk over the dam and look down ...you'll be amazed. Look at the floodgates in the back of the dam too as they're pretty impressive. You'll also be able to easily view the new bypass bridge that is currently being built. It's impressive in itself.

After you're finished taking in the splendor of the dam (it really is impressive), go back into Henderson or Las Vegas to spend the night. You'll probably want to spend at least a day visiting Las Vegas.

If I sound enthusiastic about this side trip, I am. As I say, no matter how many times I've been through it, I'm stunned every time I do it.

[flyinlow]

Greetings:

If you are not in a hurry I would suggest the following: from I-15 south you exit at Spanish Fork and follow state road 6 for 12 miles then turn right onto US highway 89 it will join state road 28 at a little town named Gunnison continue south to a small town named Sigard, then take state road 24 to another small town named Torrey (you will be within a few miles of Capitol Reef National Park, worth a look) then from Torrey take state road 12 purported to be "the most scenic road in america" and follow it and it will rejoin US 89. This part of the journey will take you through some breathtaking scenery from high pine covered mountains to deep sandstone canyons and through Bryce Canyon National Park (a must see) where state road 12 joins US 89 turn south (left) and follow 89 to Mount Carmel junction, then take state road 9, this will take you through Zion National Park (unbelievable scenery) then through a couple of little towns and rejoin I-15 to Las Vegas.

This could be driven in one very long day if you did not stop to view the scenery , but I would allow at least two days to enjoy this trip.

There ar a couple of ways you could go to shorten the trip and still not miss the best sights, from I-15
1- take state road 28 at a town called Nephi (exit 222) or
2- take us 50 at a little town named Scipio (exit 188) it joins state road 28 near Sigard.

Hope you enjoy your trip