7 Days: Vegas and Southwest Parks

7 Days: Vegas and Southwest Parks

A full week is the only version of this trip that hits both Grand Canyon rims, and it does it by turning the drive home into the point instead of a chore: Zion, Bryce, Antelope Canyon, and the Grand Canyon’s South Rim on the way out, then a Route 66 return through Williams, Seligman, and Kingman with a Grand Canyon West Rim detour on the way back to the Strip. Only have six days? Drop the Route 66 return and West Rim stop from the 6-day version . Full details on every stop live in the 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, note 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

Roughly 135 to 155 miles, 2.5 to 3 hours on US-89 and AZ-64, to the real Grand Canyon National Park, not the West Rim’s Hualapai land. Entry is $35 per vehicle plus the same $100 non-resident surcharge. Work the rim trail near Grand Canyon Village in the afternoon, and overnight in Tusayan.

Day 6: South Rim to Kingman, the Route 66 stretch begins

Catch one more rim viewpoint at sunrise, then drive to Williams, Arizona, about 60 miles and an hour, the last town Route 66 bypassed, in 1984, and still the classic Grand Canyon gateway. Grab lunch downtown, then continue 43 miles to Seligman, the town credited with saving the whole highway from fading into the interstate system, the start of the longest uninterrupted original stretch of Route 66 still open to drivers. Push on 87 miles to Kingman for the night, through Truxton, Valentine, and the Hackberry General Store along the way.

Day 7: Grand Canyon West Rim detour, then back to the Strip

From Kingman, it’s 75 miles and about 90 minutes to Grand Canyon West Rim, the Hualapai-run home of the glass Skywalk, a genuinely different experience from the South Rim you saw two days ago. Spend a few hours between Eagle Point and Guano Point (general admission $67 plus tax, or $99 for an All-Access Pass with the Skywalk included), then continue toward Vegas, another 120 to 130 miles, 2 to 2.5 hours, landing back on the Strip in time for a real dinner before your flight.

Is visiting both Grand Canyon rims in one trip overkill, or does it actually make sense?

It makes sense specifically on a 7-day version, because the South Rim and West Rim are genuinely different experiences on different land, not two viewpoints of the same thing. Seeing the South Rim’s classic scale early in the week and the West Rim’s Skywalk on the way home, via a real Route 66 stretch instead of a repeat interstate drive, uses the extra day better than resting in Vegas would.

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 Kingman via Williams and Seligman, ~190 mi / ~3.5 hrs Route 66 heart stretch, overnight Kingman
7 Kingman to Grand Canyon West Rim to Strip, ~195-205 mi / ~4 hrs total Skywalk detour, drive back for a late flight

Keep your park pass and Antelope Canyon booking confirmation on your phone and on paper both, cell service drops out for long stretches between Page and Kingman.