Our Southwest Grand Tour leads from Las Vegas into the canyons and mesas that form the heart of the Colorado Plateau. Here you will find some of the best-known natural wonders anywhere in the world, including Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Grand Canyon National Parks. But here, too, are lesser-known gems, like Utah's Goosenecks State Park and Arizona's Antelope Canyon.
With their array of nearby services, the national parks provide the steppingstones around this area; you'll probably want to center your journey around them. The trip described in this story took us 10 days to complete, but we easily could have lingered longer. (For a four-day option, see "Mini Grand Tour," above right.) Except where noted, the entire drive took place on two-lane roads off the interstates.
LAS VEGAS
Frequent flights from just about anywhere make this a natural place to start your grand tour. Nearby attractions like Valley of Fire State Park (702/397-2088) will whet your appetite for what you'll see later on. For more information, contact the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (702/892-0711).
Approximately 127,000 hotel rooms give you lots to choose from; for a list of lodging options, contact the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (702/892-0711).
ZION NATIONAL PARK
Zion's towering red sandstone formations will stay in your mind forever. Shuttles take visitors through Zion Canyon, where two good short hikes are the 3-mile round-trip Watchman Trail (terrific valley views) and the 2 1/2-mile round trip to the waterfalls and spring-fed pools on the Emerald Pools trails. Less crowded but just as spectacular is the park's Kolob Canyons section, off I-15, where the 5 1/2-mile round-trip Taylor Creek Trail leads to the grottolike Double Arch Alcove. .
Mini grand tour
Don't have the 10 days our Grand Tour requires? Here's a four-day sample, starting from Las Vegas
First day: Kolob Canyons in Zion National Park.
Second day: Cedar Breaks National Monument.
Third day: Bryce Canyon National Park. Then return.
