If you plan a visit to southwestern national parks like Zion Canyon, Bryce Canyon, the Grand Canyon or even protected spaces like Monument Valley, then you are going to have to do some driving. These areas are remote, and are not surrounded by any cities that support commercial airline traffic. This means that if you do not live in the southwestern portion of the US, you are going to have to fly into a starting point city and then either drive or arrange for transportation to the park from there. The two cities that make the most sense as starting points are Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, depending on which parks you plan on visiting. The majority of the parks are about 4 hours or so from the city, and Zion is actually quite close to Las Vegas being only about 2.5 hours drive. As a starting point, Las Vegas even makes more sense simply due to the fact that there are far more hotels and restaurants there than in Salt Lake, not to mention the entertainment. Las Vegas itself is a destination, and as a result most people who are planning national parks road trips will plan on starting there as well as spending some time in the city as an additional vacation as well. The flights coming into and out of Las Vegas are generally cheaper as well, just because there are so many more people traveling to the destination.
If you are not used to traveling across the desert, it is probably not the best idea to undertake the road trip yourself. Driving through the desert is not like it is driving in more populated areas, and you will literally drive for hours without seeing any differentiation in the landscape. This is quite difficult for many people, and the drive itself is quite exhausting because of the lack of scenery. It is also dangerous to drive a rental car that you are not familiar with into these locations because there are many areas that are so remote that there is no cell service available, and a breakdown can be quite stressful. Our suggestion is to let the driving to a professional company like ours, that will not only get you safely to and from the destination you seek, but also provide you with the history or the area and also coordinate things to do while there. The national parks are essentially huge, wide open spaces and without some familiarity with what to do and see you may miss the best parts. Most people who undertake trips to the southwestern national parks will agree that they are far better with a guide than without one, and that the trip itself is less stressful when someone else is handling the details for you. So for your next vacation to Las Vegas, plan a few extra days to see some of the most beautiful natural areas on earth, and let us take care of all of the details for you. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.