Q Three friends and I are visiting Las Vegas in early December and want to see the Grand Canyon. Is it worth the long haul for a day visit? We do not want to stay overnight, and the tour companies seem expensive.
Brian Rouse
Sterling
A While it may feel like a awfully grueling drive just to see a hole in the ground -- albeit a spectacular one -- it's doable, provided you don't feel like a caged animal sitting in a car for 10 hours.
The drive from Las Vegas to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon (the North Rim is closed in winter) is 270 miles, or about five hours. Rent a car for two days, so that you can leave early and return late without having to watch the clock. A full-size vehicle starts at $38 a day on Travelocity.com, plus fees for additional drivers, if you want to share the driving. Plan on $50 or so for gas and $20 for the park entrance fee. So you're facing at least $146 for the trip, plus meals.
A bus tour might make more sense. A motor coach trip with Look Tours (800-566-5868, www.looktours.com) is $94.99 a person and includes breakfast and lunch, pickup and drop-off at your hotel, reclining seats and two movies on the return trip. Worth the extra 50 bucks a person? You decide.
Either way, if the idea of a long drive makes you antsy, you could instead visit Zion National Park (435-772-3256, www.nps.gov/zion), 150 miles from Las Vegas, or Red Rock Canyon (702-515-5350, www.redrockcanyon.blm.gov), a half-hour away.
What should we see to make the most of four days in Anchorage in early April? What about taking the train up to Fairbanks and Denali National Park?
Sean Roy
Centreville
