Las Vegas - Phoenix - L.A. Road Trip (Los Angeles: movies, school)

[drnick77]

I have a few weeks off in June and was thinking about doing a southwest road trip. My initial plan is to fly into Vegas and stay a day or two before heading to Phoenix for a few days. From there I'll head to L.A. for a couple of days before heading back to Vegas to fly out.

While I'm driving in between these destinations, I would like to explore and put my DSLR camera to work. I already have Death Valley and Monument Valley on my hit list. I'd like to find some historical sites, desert landscapes, quirky tourist attractions or anything to do with the southwest culture. Keep in mind they do not have to be on the most direct route between my destinations. I would appreciate any suggestions you may have. Thanks.

[rubyskye]

Sedona is amazing although it's very built up and there are commercial strips that are shocking given their juxtaposition with the land. It's still worth it and you can quickly and easily get out of the congested areas.
I've always wanted to see Canyon De Chelle although i suppose it's quite a bit out of your way.
Frontier Photographer: Edward S. Curtis
Just driving through the desert is a lovely thing to do.
Happy Trails.

[jdavid93225]

Well, if you're going to go to Monument Valley, you should also visit the Four Corners monument. You know, Moab isn't too far from Monument Valley, and there's a lot of interesting stuff around there, too (Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, for example). Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Parks are between Moab and Las Vegas, too. Then you have the Grand Canyon, both the North and South Rims. Kanab, Utah is right in the middle of all that, and there are several interesting places to visit near there, too. There's the Coral Pink Sand Dunes, the Escalante-Grand Staircase National Monument, and the Paria Town Site, a reproduction of the site where quite a few western movies were filmed. Not too far from there is the Pipe Spring National Monument, along highway 389 in Arizona. Further East is the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, where Lake Powell is located. The Vermillion Cliffs National Monument is also nearby in Northern Arizona.

Once you get into Arizona, besides the Grand Canyon and the other things mentioned above, there's the Desert View Tower near the Grand Canyon's South Rim, Sunset Crater (near Flagstaff), the Grand Canyon Railroad (near Williams), Canyon De Chelly (near Monument Valley - mentioned earlier), Meteor Crater (near Winslow), Petrified Forest (near Holbrook), the White Mountains (near Show Low), Tombstone (near the Mexican Border), Sedona (mentioned earlier), and the small town of Oatman (near the California Border). Once you get into California, there is a lot of old history along the "Old Mojave Road," as well as along Route 66 (in Arizona, too). Near Barstow is the Calico "Ghost Town," though it's rather commercial.

I know I've rattled off way more than you will be able to see in a few days, but there are some other places near where you'll be that I don't know if you were considering. I personally love southern Utah (in case you couldn't tell), and the photo opportunities are abundant there. I think this is probably the best place in the country for a multitude of photo ops. If you head that way from Las Vegas, you would have the benefit of traveling through the Virgin River canyon, which is beautiful. Then you could make a loop through southern Utah before heading to Phoenix (do you really have to go there in June?). Even in June, Phoenix can get hot, so keep that in mind.

The mountains in the eastern and northern parts of Arizona can offer a welcome reprieve from the heat, so that may be somewhere you will want to consider traveling if Phoenix gets too hot for you. There are plenty of photo ops in Arizona, too.

California has plenty of photo opportunities, too. Besides Death Valley (which you mentioned in the OP), there's Dumont Dunes (north of Baker), the Mojave National Preserve, which surrounds the Old Mojave Road in many areas. The museum at the Goffs schoolhouse was pretty neat when I went there years ago. Mitchell Caverns (about halfway between Needles and Barstow) is also pretty neat. In the San Bernardino mountains (near Big Bear), you can visit Holcomb Valley and the area around it, which has several sites of historical significance. Plenty of photo ops here, too. Further south, is the Anza Borrego State Park. Los Angeles has plenty to see and do, depending on your interests. There are beaches, parks, museums, plazas, historical sites, and so on, all over the city and surrounding areas. Point Fermin in the Palos Verdes area has a lighthouse overlooking the pacific ocean. Pretty good photo ops here, too. Griffith Park is full of options for hiking and adventure, and has the L.A. Zoo, and the Travel Town museum. There is also the La Brea Tar Pits and Page museum, as well as the Museum of Contemporary Art in the Wilshire corridor. Exposition Park has the Museum of Natural History and the California Science Center.
As you head back towards Las Vegas, you might want to check out Vasquez Rocks County Park. It is located between Santa Clarita and Palmdale along Highway 14. A bit further north on Highway 14 is the Red Rock Canyon State Park. Here is another place for good photo ops. This is also along the route if you're traveling between L.A. and Death Valley (depending on which route you take). Still further north is the town of Lone Pine, which has a movie museum, because of the number of movies filmed in the nearby Alabama Hills. There is a turn off in Lone Pine that will take you into Death Valley.

I know that I've provided a lot of information for you to digest, and I don't think you'll have anywhere near enough time to visit most of the places I've mentioned. I just wanted to throw some stuff out there for you so you can have an idea of things to check out in the areas you're visiting. I think it would take months to visit all the places I've mentioned. I know it's taken me years of vacations to see most of them, and I still have a few of those places to visit that I have yet to see.

Good luck on planning your trip. You'll have to keep us all posted on where you end up going. If you have any questions about the places I've mentioned, I can supply more info if needed. Just let me know.

[Paula Lynn]

jdavid,

You covered it all. Great job

Paula

[drnick77]

That was an excellent reply, thanks. I appreciate the warning about the heat, luckily I love the heat. I've been to Vegas and the surrounding area 3 times, twice in the mid summer so I have an idea of what I'm in for. I went to Death Valley last time and the temperature that day was 129 but as long as it stays under 120 I should be ok lol. And yes I always make sure to have lots of water with me before I go out in the desert. I wouldn't mind finding a couple of places where I can stay overnight while I'm out exploring. Oh, and anything Wild West would be fun to see as well.

[jdavid93225]

Originally Posted by drnick77

That was an excellent reply, thanks. I appreciate the warning about the heat, luckily I love the heat. I've been to Vegas and the surrounding area 3 times, twice in the mid summer so I have an idea of what I'm in for. I went to Death Valley last time and the temperature that day was 129 but as long as it stays under 120 I should be ok lol. And yes I always make sure to have lots of water with me before I go out in the desert. I wouldn't mind finding a couple of places where I can stay overnight while I'm out exploring. Oh, and anything Wild West would be fun to see as well.

Some of the ghost towns in California and Nevada might interest you. Bodie is probably the most well preserved of all that I've been to. It's a California State Park, and is located northeast of Lee Vining, CA, just a little bit north of Mono Lake. It's probably about three hours north of Lone Pine (referred to in my earlier post).

Still further north of there, across the Nevada state line, is Virginia City. I haven't been there, but I've heard great things about it.

For something different, you could check out Panamint City (in the Death Valley area). Here's a link with some good pictures and info:
Panamint City

Here's more info regarding ghost towns in California:
Ghost Town Explorers Ghost Towns Page