Complete trip planner for Wild wild west tour-Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Death Valley & Lake Tahoe

 
 






Recently I went on a one week tour with my husband across 4 states(Arizona, Utah,Nevada and California) in USA. Planning is crucial and the blessing of the Weather God.
It was a very successful trip and I am going to share with you all the details of the trip along with tips and tricks and dos and donts.


1. Places we traveled- We made Las Vegas our base. We flew down to Vegas, rented a car and went to Grand Canyon south rim, stayed a night there, drove back to Vegas again. Stayed a night there and drove through the Death Valley and all the way up to Lake Tahoe on top of the Sierra mountain ranges. Stayed two nights there ,came back to Vegas and stayed for another two nights. 


2. Type of car that you should rent- You should rent all-wheel drive cars or SUVs. They are perfect for this occasion as the elevation of the four states,namely, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and California, fluctuates so much and so often and these cars offer a much better situation for the driver.

3. Flights- Frontier airlines offer very cheap tickets to Las Vegas compared to other airlines but their baggage policy is strict so that is another problem.  Click here to check rates now.

4. Travel partners- This trip is going to be straining, lots of driving almost like an extensive road trip,tiring. So select your partners well. For this trip you need people who can adjust to any situation, can sit with their eyes open beside the driver for 11 hrs, can eat whatever you get at that given point and have lots of patience.
For example, we failed to find out such people so we went out alone, I mean just the two of us.

5. Things to carry- These places are very dry, arid and hot, weather changing very fast. So carry  all things comfortable like cotton tops and pants, long sleeved shirts to save yourself from the wrath of the sun and tanning, hat ,sun-glass, sunscreen,hand sanitizer. Buy a nasal moisturizing spray because the weather conditions are so bad that lumps of blood can form in your nose so a nasal spray will be helpful, you are going to thank me for this. Carry a jacket for the cool nights and sudden weather changes.

6. Things to buy there- You need to buy lots of water, sports drinks like Gatorade, trail mixes because these help you to maintain the electrolytes of your body. Buy muffins and fresh fruits to snack on the entire driving time. 

7. Restrooms- This factor can be a problem specially the women. In most of the places to visit like Death valley and lake Tahoe there will be primitive style restrooms which are complete nightmares but will help you to survive in some situations. Use those at emergency only, because they stink. Ladies, use a wet tissue to wipe your private part after using such a restroom.Otherwise, you will get gas stations at regular intervals and all gas stations comes with a local store equipped with life saver normal modern restrooms. So run to those stores every time you stop to refill your car. Don't forget to buy something from the stores.

8.Hotels- 
Las Vegas-Some of the hotels at Las Vegas are quite cheap actually during week days, prices soar up during the weekends. Luxor, Excalibur are on the cheaper side of the price factor whereas Caesars Palace and Bellagio which are situated on the heart of the Vegas Strip are very pricey specially on weekends and on seasons.
Grand Canyon- Food and Lodging are pricey here because of the location. The most basic motel room for a night can cost about $200 or more. We stayed at Red Feather Lodge, very close to the Grand canyon entrance, decent rooms,several restaurants around and pricey.
Lake Tahoe-Hotels on the bank of the Lake Tahoe can be pricey because of the location and window view of the emerald blue lake water whereas if you decide to stay in Carson city which is about 20-30 minutes away from Lake Tahoe, you will have more option, better price and more comfort. Views are also not bad from here. We stayed in the Hampton Inn at Carson City and we could see the snow capped mountain peaks of the Sierra Nevada from the bed and amazing complimentary breakfast which I could not forget to this day.

9. Death Valley points:Here is the list of spots where we stopped and had a time of our life.
#Dantes View
#Devils Cornfield
#Zabrieski Point
#Mesquite Dunes
#Vista Point
I could not stop by #Devils golf course which is beautiful and I highly recommend this. Off course, you have to accept that you cannot see everything in one trip, there will always be something or the other which you will miss out but it is okay. We should thank God for whatever opportunities he gives us. The entire journey of Death Valley was amazing, very picturesque place, strange landscape, mining areas, colorful mountains which are best to see at sunrise or sunset which is little difficult.
Special mention: On the way to Lake Tahoe, comes a little town called Bishop in California. It was a beautiful town ,green all around,cattle and you can see the snow capped mountains like a page out of a storybook. 

10.Lake Tahoe points:Lake Tahoe is in the border of Nevada and California. 
#Emerald Bay beach, California- Highly recommend. Amazing view of the entire bay area from the paid parking place ,then you have to go down 2 miles to the beach and Vikingsholm.
# Lincoln Highway, the highway surrounding the Lake Tahoe is amazing,enjoy the drive and in and out of Cave Rock. The road felt like it was one of the road from the computer game bike race Road rash.
#Sand Harbour beach- It is the best beach of Lake Tahoe. Go to the other side of the beach for more views and photographic scope.
I tried going to Secret cove but it has no actual entrance and beach. The spot beside it is Chimney beach which has a parking place but no paved way to beach and it is a good hike going up and down. If you are adventurous enough, you can give it a try. Water is crystal clear. Those beaches are nude beaches and hence so much secrecy I think to guard it from getting overcrowded.

11. Las Vegas points: Why should I tell you? But there are some free shows which everybody sees.
#Bellagio fountain show in the evening after dark
#Mirage volcano show
#Flamingo birds habitat
#Hoover Dam
Get a strip view room and you are all set to enjoy Vegas.
For the famous buffet, I dont recommend it that much. It is not worth it. But you should try one.
Enjoy