Las Vegas/Grand Canyon suggestions

[viktoria]

First of all - haven't been abroad on a holiday since 2019, and know I'm very lucky to be able to plan this.
My husband is going on a work trip to Las Vegas in November and the plan is that I'm joining him at the end and we'll stay another week.
I have been to Las Vegas a few times - always when my husband was there for work - and don't particularly love it.
But I like how easy it is to travel in the US.
So the plan is to use Las Vegas as a base and then go to the Grand Canyon.
But what exactly would we do there for more than three days (I would think we'd do some hikes and I think there is a bus tour)?
Do any of you clever people have suggestions?
Have you been there and what did you do?

We went last month. You could catch a show, visit Hoover Dam, watch the fountain show at Bellagio. We also flew to LA - 1 hour flight and spent few days there and chilled out on Santa Monica Beach. Have a great time!

do for more than 3 days at LV, at GC, or at both? Where do you need to spend 3 days?

Yesterday it was 10 years to the day that I was at the bottom of the Grand Canyon having gone down by mule! An absolutely fantastic experience.

You go down, stay the night in the most tranquil place imaginable in log cabins, and come back up by mule the next day. My friend and I were in a group of 10, plus two wranglers

www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/mule_trips.htm

We did a trip from LV to the GC - coach to mini airport then small plane over Hoover Dam and start of the canyon then helicopter into the canyon. Then boat trip along the river and then the sky walk. Which was terrifying! I'd skip the boat tour if I went back and I think it was all pretty ££££ but we did feel we had a great day and had some amazing travel experiences as well as appreciating what I know is a tiny part of the canyon.
It's stunning and I still can't get over the scale of it - 200 miles long and up to 1 mile wide - imagine that from London to Manchester!

We are also in LV in November. Planning on visiting GC as the kids dont really rememberit from last time. Have read quite a few negative reviews about the West rim/skywalk so will drive the 5 hours to South Rim. Which is spectacular, stopping at the hoover dam on the way back. Red Rocks (about 30 mins outside LV) is also spectacular. Shows, we are booked to see LOVE by Circue du Solie and Absinthe (not for the kids) which is absolutely amazing and very unPC . We are staying at the Vdara as they have apartment/hotel accommodation and we won't want to eat out every night as there for 10 nights . Have a great trip

Bert3400

Scenic Airlines fly their light aircraft from Boulder City airport to the airport closest to the South Rim. The flight time is about 1 hour each way and the views are spectacular.

Would also suggest a visit to the Valley of Fire National Park just outside of LV.

@AttilaTheMeerkat thank you, checking it out now 😁

If you have a week, you could do Grand Canyon for 3/4 days and somewhere else for 3/4 days. Sedona, for example. Assuming you’re hiring a car.

Close to Vegas you can canoe down the Colorado downstream from the Hoover Dam stopping at hot springs along the way. We had a hire car and just arranged canoe rental and pickup but there are organised tours with guides who'll pick up from Las Vegas hotels

If I was there in November I'd probably also take a trip to Death Valley.

NB that GC will be very cold in November - caught us out when we went there at that time of the year. There was snow on the ground at GC and we’d been in shirt sleeves at LV!! We stayed at the oldest hotel at GC - El Tovar. A tad shabby tbh but full of history and a good spot for all the walking trails etc

Yes, second that it will be very cold at the rim in November. It was May when we were there and it was -10 at the rim just before the sun came up. Much warmer when we hiked down into the canyon though.

It’s a good few years since I went but I was really impressed with the Ranger Programme and free news sheet.

The news sheet included different walks you could do, graded depending on difficulty. The ranger programme ran a variety of talks, some were in the evening e.g astronomy, they were informative/educational.

The North Rim closes mid October. The South Rim is open all year. So plan accordingly. I would look at Sedona and Zion/Bryce canyon too.

I would want to be out of LV asap because there’s a lot more to see. However I’m not sure I would fly to LA when you are already in a decent winter destination.

Definitely Sedona. The scenery took my breath away as much as the GC. Some locals in Las Vegas suggested we go and I’m so glad we did. The sun setting over the red rocks was like I imagine Mars would look.

DH & I had a couple of nights in LV on our honeymoon (many years ago!) - best thing we did was a helicopter flight down The Strip at night - amazing to see it from the air.

If you've done Vegas then I'd head to Sedona too. The hiking is amazing and the scenery is spectacular.

If you have transport you can explore and head up to Utah and see Bryce Canyon...absolutely stunning. In my opinion possibly more impressive than the GC.

Thank you so much everybody! Great suggestions.
We have been to Sedona before (and loved it).
Looking into Utah and Death Valley currently.
Again, thanks so much!

Poor mule 😞

Why poor mule?
Without a working purpose they'd be a rare sight.
They are perfect for the GC trails.
The tourists sustain the mules & the mules sustain tourism.

Absolutely poor mule who doesn’t have a choice in unbearable conditions
Some of these poor animals are badly treated & made to work for tourism and the likes of you
I’ve seen it and wouldn’t spend my money for the labour that those animals go through .
Walk up and down yourself !