6 Days: Vegas and Southwest Parks

6 Days: Vegas and Southwest Parks

Six days is where the loop closes properly: Zion, Bryce, Antelope Canyon, and finally the Grand Canyon’s South Rim, the actual national park most Vegas day-trippers never reach because the drive alone is 4.5 hours each way. This version adds that last leg deliberately, as its own overnight rather than a rushed add-on. Not there yet? Step back to 5 days . Have a full week? The 7-day version turns the drive home into a Route 66 run, or read the full Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon and Zion guide .

Book these before you go

Day 1: Arrival and one lap of the Strip

Land at Harry Reid International, not McCarran, rideshare pickup inside the parking garage with a flat $4.50 surcharge either way. Check in, register the roughly $55-a-night resort fee, walk one stretch of the Strip, and catch the free Bellagio Fountains before an early night.

Day 2: Zion National Park, overnight in Springdale

About 160 miles, 2.5 to 3 hours up I-15. Entry is $35 per vehicle, plus the new $100 non-U.S.-resident surcharge from January 1, 2026. The free shuttle needs no reservation and runs March 7 through November 28, 2026. Hike the Riverside Walk or Emerald Pools, then overnight in Springdale.

Day 3: Zion to Bryce Canyon, sunset on the hoodoos

Roughly 85 miles, about 2 hours, to Bryce’s own separate $35 entry. Aim for late-afternoon light at Bryce Point or Sunset Point, then stay in Bryce Canyon City.

Day 4: Bryce to Page: Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend

Sunrise at Bryce, then roughly 155 to 175 miles, about 3 hours, to Page. Your guided Antelope Canyon tour is mandatory by law since a 1997 flash flood, Upper runs about $120 per person all-in, Lower about $80.50. Close the day at Horseshoe Bend, $10 vehicle parking on City of Page land, best near sunset. Overnight in Page.

Day 5: Page to the Grand Canyon’s South Rim

The drive is roughly 135 to 155 miles, 2.5 to 3 hours on US-89 and AZ-64. This is the real Grand Canyon National Park, not the West Rim’s Hualapai land, entry $35 per vehicle plus that same $100 non-resident surcharge. Spend the afternoon working the rim trail between viewpoints near Grand Canyon Village, and stay overnight in Tusayan, right outside the park’s south entrance.

Day 6: Sunrise at the South Rim, then back to Vegas

Catch sunrise at Mather Point or Yavapai Point before the crowds build, then start the long drive back, roughly 275 to 280 miles, about 4.5 hours via US-89 and I-11/US-93. You’ll land back on the Strip with an evening free before your flight home.

Is the Grand Canyon South Rim really worth an extra overnight after Antelope Canyon and Bryce?

Yes, specifically because it’s the view most people picture when they hear “Grand Canyon,” and the 4.5-hour drive each way makes it the one stop on this loop that punishes rushing the most. Pairing it with an overnight in Tusayan, rather than treating it as a long day trip, is what actually makes six days feel complete instead of exhausting.

At a glance

Day Distance / drive time Focus
1 Airport to Strip, 10-20 min Strip walk, Bellagio Fountains
2 Strip to Zion, 160 mi / 2.5-3 hrs Riverside Walk or Emerald Pools, overnight Springdale
3 Zion to Bryce, 85 mi / ~2 hrs Sunset at Bryce Point, overnight Bryce Canyon City
4 Bryce to Page, 155-175 mi / ~3 hrs Antelope Canyon tour, Horseshoe Bend at sunset
5 Page to Grand Canyon South Rim, 135-155 mi / 2.5-3 hrs Rim trail, overnight Tusayan
6 South Rim to Strip, 275-280 mi / ~4.5 hrs Sunrise at Mather Point, drive back

Book the South Rim lodging in Tusayan well before this trip, rooms inside and right outside the park sell out months ahead in peak season, long before the drive itself becomes the hard part.