Vegas, Grand Canyon, Sedona

It never occurred to me that people visit Las Vegas multiple times without visiting the Grand Canyon. My husband has been to Vegas at least 8 times but never the Grand Canyon, not to mention the Hoover Dam or Sedona, Arizona. Would it be possible to do it all in a short time and still feel like we experienced enough? We were willing to find out.

“When visiting the Grand Canyon, make sure you hike into the canyon. And be careful not to fall or step in mule poop.”

McKenna Shay

This 5-day, 4-night trip was planned over a few birthday beers and a game of cards with my cousin, her fiancé, and my husband for April 2021 and we decided we needed to do it as soon as possible – in four weeks, to be exact. I booked the entire trip on Expedia and planned for a mult-city trip, meaning we would arrive in Las Vegas, NV but fly out out of Phoenix, AZ.

The beginning of April is an ideal time to visit Vegas. The days were around 80 degrees and the evenings got a little chilly. The best advice I have for a trip to Sin City is bring comfortable shoes. Everything looks closer than it actually is. Nasal spray is also not a bad idea if you’re not used to the dry desert heat.

If bright lights and guilty pleasures are not your thing, two days is a good amount of time to spend there. I was happy to be leaving on Saturday morning and couldn’t wait to visit the Grand Canyon.

The North Rim is closed until spring and the South Rim is closest to most things so we headed for the South Rim. I highly recommend staying inside the Grand Canyon National Park property for lodging – the Bright Angel Lodge if you can, and a cabin overlooking the rim, if its available. There aren’t a lot of dining options inside the park (unless its the El Tolivar Restaurant which books up far in advance) but the closest town of Tusayan, AZ had a great steakhouse and saloon option for these hungry travelers.

A sunrise over the Grand Canyon – bucket list! It meant getting up early and it was VERY COLD, but it was so worth it.

I was glad we picked the Bright Angel Trail to hike. It was well marked and there was a spot at the 3-mile stop to stock up on water and use the restrooms.

The drive to Sedona is possibly one of the most beautiful drives ever. None of us had ever been to Sedona and didn’t know what to expect but wow, just WOW. There is not a bad view in Sedona. My biggest regret is not having more time to spend here.

Sedona is a mystical, geological wonderland. That’s the best way I can describe it. Downtown is full of shops and tours that explore the spiritual wonder of the area. We decided that Sedona is one of those towns that we need to come back to when we have more time.

Now for the not-so-great part of the trip…. our flight home on Spirit Airlines from Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, AZ was supposed to depart at 10:50AM. It was delayed multiple times before it was finally cancelled due to unknown issues. We didn’t make it out of Phoenix until around 4:35PM that evening on a Southwest Airlines flight. My biggest complaint was not that the flight was cancelled, but at the lack of customer service representatives (i.e. none) at the Spirit ticket counters to help frustrated passengers and the extremely long hold times when calling the booking line. We did get our money back from Spirit a few days later but really nothing else, no future credits, and certainly not sympathy…and we did finally make it home at some point early late that night.

This was a good lesson in planning for the unexpected and making sure that you have emergency funds or an emergency credit card on hand. Last-minute flights are not cheap! Also, it’s good to have fun travel companions who can make 8 hours stuck inside of the airport fly by.

4-Day Itinerary Without Kids

Day	To	From	Mode	Departure Time	Arrival Time	Trip Notes
1 Thurs	LAS Airport, Las Vegas	BWI Airport	Spirit Airlines	7:36AM	9:56AM	I was lured by the non-stop flight with low airfare ($291 per person). Be aware that it does not include bag fees or seat selection. Or good customer service… more on that later.
	Nu Car Rental (offsite), Las Vegas, NV	LAS Airport	Airport Shuttle	10:45AM	11:15Am	A Jeep rental was a must and a rental facility with a location in Phoenix, AZ was also a must since we would be dropping off here on our last day.
	Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, NV	LAS Airport	Jeep rental	12:00PM	12:15PM	Mandalay Bay is a great hotel for Vegas first-times. It is highly rated in the middle-of-the-road cost range. It features an 11-acre pool paradise, real sand, a wave pool, and the only climate-controlled, poolside gaming in the city. I would definitely stay here again.
	Greenburg’s Deli, New York, New York Hotel & Casino (Greenwich Village Eateries)	Mandalay Bay	Walk/Free Tram	1:00PM	2:00PM	My husband says Greenburg’s has the best Rueben sandwich. We took our time walking through the Excalibur, the Luxor and shops around New York, New York. We might have hit Fat Tuesdays
2 Fri	Breakfast at House of Blues, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino	Our room at Mandalay Bay	Walk	10:00AM	10:05AM	House of Blues has an awesome breakfast and I loved having this located inside our resort.
	Famous Welcome to Las Vegas Sign	Mandalay Bay	Walk	11:00AM	11:15AM	A must-do! The walk to the famous sign is about 1.3 miles from the hotel.
	Mandalay Bay Pool	Our room	Walk	12:00PM	12:05PM	We chose Mandalay Bay for its amazing pool (us and thousands of other people – which meant the pool was on a first-come, first-serve, timed entry system. A major bummer!)
	Bellagio Gardens & Fountain, Bellagio Las Vegas	Mandalay Bay	Walk	3:00PM	4:00PM	A must-do! Take lots of photos and a video of the fountains to send back home.
	Strip House (inside Planet Hollywood), Las Vegas	Mandalay Bay	Uber	6:00PM	6:20PM	My cousin found this restaurant in search of a good steak restaurant in Vegas. The atmosphere was super swanky and the food was incredible!
	Freemont Street Experience, Las Vegas, NV	Planet Hollywood	Uber	8:00PM	8:15PM	A must-do in old Vegas. If you want to book the zip line across Freemont Street – be sure to book way in advance.
3 Sat	Hoover Dam, Boulder City, NV	Las Vegas, NV	Rental Jeep	10:00AM	10:40AM	A must do. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure I was going to find this stop interesting. It really is an engineering marvel that I didn’t fully appreciate until visiting.
	Hoover Dam Cafe, inside the Hoover Dam, Boulder City, NV	Hoover Dam	Walk	11:30AM	11:35PM	A decent lunch option with punny menu items such as The Dam Burger. Get the Dam Burger.
	Bright Angel Lodge Grand Canyon National Park (South Rim Entrance)	Hoover Dam	Rental Jeep	12:30PM	4:45PM	A must-stay place inside the Grand Canyon. Built in the 1930s, it is owned by the park service. It is rustic but located within walking distance of most that the South Rim has to offer. Tip – get a cabin along the rim if you can!
	Big E Steakhouse & Saloon, Tusayan, AZ	Bright Angel Lodge	Rental Jeep	6:00PM	6:15PM	The closest town outside of the park is just 13 minutes. The small town of Tusayan caters to Grand Canyon guests. Big E was a great spot to get a steak, burger, and adult beverages.
4 Sun	Sunrise at the Grand Canyon	From our room at the Bright Angel Lodge	Walk	6:00AM	6:05AM	A must-do bucket list activity! The Grand Canyon in the morning is really cold so plan for warm clothes.
	Breakfast at Bright Angel Lodge Fountain, edge of the Grand Canyon	Rim of the Canyon	Walk	6:15AM	6:18AM	A good choice for a grab-n-go kind of breakfast and coffee before a hike. Located at the Bright Angel Lodge.
	Hike to Bright Angel Trail, Grand Canyon	Bright Angel Lodge	Hike	6:30AM	10:00AM	We hiked to the 3-mile rest house and back. This stop offers water and restrooms. Tip – dress is layers. The colder you go down into the canyon, the colder it is and the higher you hike back up, the hotter it gets.
	Lunch in Flagstaff, AZ	Seligman, AZ	Rental Jeep	12:00PM	1:15PM	Flagstaff is situated against an interesting backdrop of snow-capped mountains and desert. At an elevation of 7,000 feet, smack-dab in the world’s largest ponderosa pine forest, it’s worth finding a reason to stop.
	Downtown Sedona, AZ	Flagstaff, AZ	Rental Jeep	2:15PM	3:00PM	A must-visit! We parked the Jeep and explored – so much to see and do in Red Rock Country. We found The Art of Wine with amazing views and a a great way to sample wines with a wine flight.
	89Agave Cantina, Sedona, AZ	Downtown Sedona	Walk	6:00PM	7:00PM	I really wanted a southwest burrito and this spot proved to be a good choice. The outdoor seating with amazing views can not be beaten.
	Hilton Garden Inn Phoenix Airport North, Phoenix, AZ	Sedona, AZ	Rental Jeep	8:00PM	10:00PM	This was a good hotel near the airport and our Jeep rental drop-off location with a free shuttle service.
5 Mon	PHX Airport, Phoenix, AZ	Hilton Garden Inn Airport, Phoenix, AZ	Free airport shuttle	8:45AM	8:50AM	Located just 5 or so minutes from our hotel, our original flight was scheduled to depart at 10:50AM. It was a long day at the airport.
	PHX Airport	BWI Airport	Southwest Airlines	4:35PM	11:15PM	Last-minute flight since our original Spirit flight was delayed multiple times before finally canceling. We booked the last flight to BWI from Phoenix that day!