Las Vegas guide and MSE thread 2018

John259

stevenhp1987 wrote: »

Has anyone here been on the Grand Circle?

Yes, but not all on the same trip.

It is fabulous. It needs at least two weeks, preferably three or four.

If time does permit then I'd suggest:
Las Vegas > Zion > Cedar Breaks > Bryce Canyon > Capitol Reef > Arches, Canyonlands, Dead Horse Point and the Upper Colorado Scenic Byway > Grand Mesa > Black Canyon of the Gunnison > Million Dollar Highway > Durango/Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad > Mesa Verde > Grand Canyon South Rim > the national monuments near Flagstaff > old Route 66 if that appeals to you > Hoover Dam > Las Vegas.

Have you seen this excellent travelogue of the basic Grand Circle?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWZ7GUQzuR0

stevenhp1987

John259 wrote: »

Yes, but not all on the same trip.

It is fabulous. It needs at least two weeks, preferably three or four.

Obviously with your timescale it's not feasible to do more than a quick sample but if time does permit then I'd suggest:
Las Vegas > Zion > Cedar Breaks > Bryce Canyon > Capitol Reef > Arches, Canyonlands, Dead Horse Point and the Upper Colorado Scenic Byway > Grand Mesa > Black Canyon of the Gunnison > Million Dollar Highway > Durango/Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad > Mesa Verde > Grand Canyon South Rim > the national monuments near Flagstaff > old Route 66 if that appeals to you > Hoover Dam > Las Vegas.

Have you seen this excellent travelogue of the basic Grand Circle?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWZ7GUQzuR0

Thanks!!

We are leaving LHR on Fri 19th April (9 days off due to bank hols!), flying into SLC (and back from LAS).

We have previously done Grand Canyon South Rim, Hoover Dam and route 66.

We are currently thinking the following (not yet chosen how long for each location!):

• Salt Lake City
• Bryce Canyon
• Capitol Reef
• Arches
• Dead Horse Point
• Moab?
• Durango
• Four Corners
• Mesa Verde
• Oljato-Monument
• Horseshoe Bend
• Antelope Canyon
• Lake Powell
• Zion
• Las Vegas

Looks a lot, so I'm guessing we'll have to cut some

And thanks for the video link, we'll watch it after work tonight

John259

stevenhp1987 wrote: »

Looks a lot, so I'm guessing we'll have to cut some

Yes, always true unfortunately but hopefully you can have another trip another year.

BTW it might be worth you creating a new thread specifically for your Grand Circle trip as it isn't really Las Vegas related. Just a thought.

stevenhp1987

John259 wrote: »

Yes, always true unfortunately but hopefully you can have another trip another year.

BTW it might be worth you creating a new thread specifically for your Grand Circle trip as it isn't really Las Vegas related. Just a thought.

I did think that, but I have several questions on Vegas too!.. and most people who do the Grand Circle would more than likely have spent plenty of time in Vegas so I added that question in too

John259

A couple of additional thoughts:

Moab is the most convenient place to stay for Arches, Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point. The nearby Upper Colorado Scenic Byway (UT128 northeast of Moab) is a great drive alongside the river with huge sandstone bluffs rising high above you on each side.
The Wikipedia article for UT128 has descriptions and photos:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_State_Route_128

The actual Four Corners monument is (IMHO) a touristy waste of time, time that could be better spent in Durango or Mesa Verde, etc.

savagenoodles

stevenhp1987 wrote: »

Has anyone here been on the Grand Circle? Lot's of TripAdvisor posts on the matter...

We did it a few months ago (September 2018) but skipped SLC and added on Denver our itinerary was:

Day 1 - Fly into Vegas
Day 2 - Vegas
Day 3 - Vegas
Day 4 - Drive to Zion
Day 5 - Zion
Day 6 - Zion and drive to Bryce Canyon (night time stargazing)
Day 7 - Bryce Canyon
Day 8 - Drive to Capitol Reef (stay in Torrey)
Day 9 - Drive to Canyonlands (stay in Moab)
Day 10 - Visit Arches (stay in Moab)
Day 11 - Drive to Denver
Day 12 - Visit Rocky Mountain NP (still staying near Denver)
Day 13 - Denver
Day 14 - Drive to Durango (visit Black Canyon of the Gunnison)
Day 15 - Drive to Page (visit Mesa Verde)
Day 16 - Drive to Vegas (visit Horseshoe Bend)
Day 17 - Fly Home

Definitely a lot to see in the time, but we're 'old hands' at the mega road-trips, this was our 8th year on the trot doing one in the States, so we know what we can handle. Zion was our favourite of the parks, but they're all amazing.

stevenhp1987

savagenoodles wrote: »

We did it a few months ago (September 2018) but skipped SLC and added on Denver our itinerary was:

Day 1 - Fly into Vegas
Day 2 - Vegas
Day 3 - Vegas
Day 4 - Drive to Zion
Day 5 - Zion
Day 6 - Zion and drive to Bryce Canyon (night time stargazing)
Day 7 - Bryce Canyon
Day 8 - Drive to Capitol Reef (stay in Torrey)
Day 9 - Drive to Canyonlands (stay in Moab)
Day 10 - Visit Arches (stay in Moab)
Day 11 - Drive to Denver
Day 12 - Visit Rocky Mountain NP (still staying near Denver)
Day 13 - Denver
Day 14 - Drive to Durango (visit Black Canyon of the Gunnison)
Day 15 - Drive to Page (visit Mesa Verde)
Day 16 - Drive to Vegas (visit Horseshoe Bend)
Day 17 - Fly Home

Definitely a lot to see in the time, but we're 'old hands' at the mega road-trips, this was our 8th year on the trot doing one in the States, so we know what we can handle. Zion was our favourite of the parks, but they're all amazing.

Hi, thanks for the itinerary.

Can I ask what you mean about "old hands"? I've been to the USA for 5+ years running now, usually 2+ road trips per year. I'm more than happy to drive for 4+ hours at the end of the day...

Zion is a park we've wanted to visit for a while but not been able too!!!

Brats64

Has anyone stayed at the Four Queens Hotel Downtown ?

We always stay Downtown on the weekends during our trips to Vegas, the strip at the weekend is just to busy.
We have always used Main Street Station in the past, it fine for what it is.
Acceptable for 2 nights, lovely old casino with a good cheap weekend “champagne” brunch.
But like most other casinos have now added the resort fee.

So I was wondering how Four Queens compares to MSS..don’t have a problem paying the fee, but if it’s just as good it would be nice to feel we “won” the resort fee battle....still go to MSS for breakie:)

stevenhp1987

Brats64 wrote: »

Has anyone stayed at the Four Queens Hotel Downtown ?

We always stay Downtown on the weekends during our trips to Vegas, the strip at the weekend is just to busy.
We have always used Main Street Station in the past, it fine for what it is.
Acceptable for 2 nights, lovely old casino with a good cheap weekend “champagne” brunch.
But like most other casinos have now added the resort fee.

So I was wondering how Four Queens compares to MSS..don’t have a problem paying the fee, but if it’s just as good it would be nice to feel we “won” the resort fee battle....still go to MSS for breakie:)

We stayed in Four Queens for two nights in 2017. We stayed on a Fri/Sat.

Cannot compare to the MSS though having never stayed there, although I do love their buffet!

The rooms are OK but it was very noisy due to the paper thin walls/windows. We couldn't sleep until gone midnight. We were located on the side near the outside band though.

There is no resort fees, which is a bonus, and the room had a fridge!

beedeedee

My son and I stayed at the Four Queens in November 2018. The decor is a bit tired (think dark wood furniture etc), but beds were very comfortable. We had no noise at all as we didn't look out over Fremont St. The breakfasts were excellent although we got there early, as they were very popular with queues after about 8.00am. The staff were lovely and very helpful and pleasant. I'd stay there again without doubt, but I don't know how the rooms compare with other hotels. Had good luck in their casino though!