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Let’s Roadtrip – Salt Lake City to Las Vegas – Spring 2021
- By Michael Lakus
- Read Time: 8min
Roadtrip for National Parks
The blog is back, taking a domestic roadtrip is the new norm, all is good. I took a semi 2-month hiatus, although I was technically still out and about. An April skiing trip was cancelled so staycations commenced. May could be written off as a self-improvement month. Not to worry, I’m feeling confident about international travel again in the second half of this year! But before the foreshadowing consumes this post, let’s talk about the present and this wonderful impromptu roadtrip from Salt Lakus City down to Las Vegas.
Another splendid 4K video for your viewing pleasure. Happy to be editing these shorts again 🙂
No lie, this roadtrip happened purely by needing to take PTO. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it ultimately came down to a choice of paying out hours or taking vacation. Obvious choice here. Mila was happily onboard, so we booked some flights, got a rental car and chose some spots to hit on the drive down.
Travel Logistics & Costs
Flights were all purchased with points. I scooped up some Marriott hotels in SLC and LAS for roughly $300 per person total. The AVIS rental was $170... until I realized this time was not unlimited miles! Get wrecked. National parks were included with my annual pass, so total was roughly around $700.
Mapping it out
The roadtrip idea was pretty straightforward. Execution? Well, I definitely underestimated the driving for this roadtrip. What did I expect!? However, the scenic drives kept things interesting. I had a pretty awesome co-pilot, too.
The first night was spent at Thanksgiving Point, right outside of Salt Lake City. The following day was roughly 9 hours on the road driving straight shot to Las Vegas. From here, we split the remaining days between National Parks – Bryce Canyon, Zion, Grand Canyon and Valley of Fire.
Rental Car Situations
Ensure the rental car has unlimited miles. Otherwise you will be taking out a loan.
Thanksgiving Point
After we landed in SLC and got our rental, we immediately drove down to Thanksgiving Point, which is apparently a 501 nonprofit complex that includes a very large and well-maintained garden. Although I cannot speak for the museums in the complex, Ashton Garden was an incredible area. The grounds included several spaces with open lawns, a small creek, manmade waterfalls and more. There were ducks playing in the water, bunnies hopping around everywhere and busy bees being… busy. It was a good way to unwind after the flight and take a quick cat nap in the rosarium.
Following the garden, we stocked up on roadtrip supplies and discovered our love for watermelon as a staple snack throughout the remainder of the trip. Essentials. That evening, we pulled into some parking lot, sat back and enjoyed watermelon, kombucha and the sunset.
The Real Roadtrip Beginnings
With the roadtrip now upon us, we buckled up, watermelon front and center, and hit the road. Looking back, the drive passed by fast. We listened to podcasts, audiobooks and took note of potential songs for the video edit. Of course, the slowly changing country around us could not go without mention. Mountains, prairies, sky, and canyons. Speaking of canyons, that was the first stop – Bryce Canyon.
I remember first seeing a photo of Bryce Canyon through a friend. The snow-capped hoodoos were so unique; I knew I had to go. Although it wasn’t winter this time around, those hoodoos were still majestic. And yes, I definitely looked that word up. It’s basically spire-shaped, or finger rocks.
We spent more time in Bryce Canyon than we thought; hiking down into the abyss But who wouldn’t? It was awesome. As a result, the roadtrip was now chasing the sunset into Las Vegas – and although the picture does not do it justice, the sky was painted orange not too long after.
The Grandest of Canyons
Once you see a baby canyon, naturally upgrades are in store. Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon. Let’s gooooo.
Big time roadtrip guy doing that casual 9 hour round trip to see some epic-ness. Worth it? I think so. Especially due to the fact we found ourselves driving the historic Route 66 on the way there by complete accident.
We were able to drive right up to the canyon, probably parking in non-parking, but the convenience was great. We both got some scoops of ice cream and began our walk around the canyon rim. Wadda beaut. The scope of this place must be seen in person. It was like a canyon in a canyon – cayonception. To put the depth in perspective, we could barely see the Colorado river from the top. I appreciated the openness of the Grand Canyon the most – no fences, guardrails or the likes. If living on the edge is what your heart desires, have at it! I’ll never forget walking out on a thin strip of rocks, with nothing on either side. My view became like a telephoto; drawing in the vastness around me. Unreal.
Zion and Valley of Fire
Today was the day the roadtrip took to hiking. We backtracked a little to make it into Zion, and once again found parking right up front. Apparently, previously you could drive right to the trailhead, but now they have buses taking you the remainder of the way outside the village area.
No matter. Our sights were set on Angels Landing, a fairly popular trail nowadays. There were some heat warnings, but we felt the afternoon was more than OK for hiking. Tracking on AllTrails, the trail was 4.4 miles round trip with some 1,600ft in elevation change. It’s most famous for its exposure and chain railings to guide you along the way. It took us slightly over 2 hours to complete and the views were rewarding. Comparing to other difficult trails, I must say both Delta Lake and Four Mile in Yosemite were more gnarly. Fun to get out there and see what the hype was about though!
After a quick pitstop to purchase some well-deserved watermelon, we found ourselves once again chasing the sunset into the Valley of Fire. We took the scenic drive and headed back to LAS for the night.
Valley of Fire photo spot
I drove through and missed this spot twice. The road is call Mouse's Tank Rd
Attempting to get back Home
On the morning of our flights, I made the snap decision to floor it to the good ol’ Hooooover Dam. And damn did I cut it close getting back to the airport.
But if only I knew, my flight would de-plane, get delayed, then cancelled. Then, I’d have to quickly snag a same day flight with another airline, only for that to be delayed as well. I’ll chalk it up to Las Vegas not wanting me to leave yet – it’s a sign.
I met a lot of nice people at the airport club. Still made it out and home by 5am.
-ML
Recap of Places
Check out the MAP for links!
- Ashton Garden – a grand garden to stroll through
- Bryce Canyon – I’ll be adding ‘hoodoos’ to my vocabulary after this
- Grand Canyon – goes without saying
- Valley of Fire – or Fire Canyon; a scenic drive
- Zion – Angels Landing trail for the classic views
- Hoover Dam – beavers got nothin’ on it
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Michael Lakus
IT professional, athlete, musician, ponderer of many things... Born and raised in Florida, I began traveling internationally after college. I created this site primarily to remind myself of where I've been and to share my experiences on traveling with a quirky, stress-free, travel attitude.
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