In spite of multiple trips to the Salt Lake City area, I had never ventured into the surrounding mountains.  This time around, I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity, because located an easy drive 30 miles east of Salt Lake is the mountain community of Park City.  After the Mormons settled in Utah, Army soldiers were dispatched to keep an eye on them because the government didn’t quite trust Brigham Young and his disciples.   Many of the soldiers had experience as miners and recognized the potential for rich mineral deposits around Park City. Silver was discovered in 1868. ... Read More

When you think of Salt Lake City a few things may come to mind… the Mormon Church, the 2002 Winter Olympics, the Utah Jazz.  Back in the day (30 years ago, but who’s counting), I visited Salt Lake City quite often while working as a tour bus driver at Yellowstone National Park.  It was part of my job to travel the 6 hours south to pick up tour groups.  Although those visits were brief, I thought I had gotten a good feel for what the city was about.  Never did I think “thriving art community.” ... Read More

I’m not an adventure traveler. So when I tell you that I went on the overnight mule ride to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, you should understand that I was way out of my comfort zone. It wasn’t my idea -- it was my father-in-law’s and he thought it would be a great experience. So, one lovely day we headed over from Las Vegas, spent the night in a cabin at Bright Angel and prepared for our journey the next morning. ... Read More

This is the second in a series of posts about visiting 12 national parks in Utah and Arizona over 9 days.

To beat the crowds, we woke up early to drive the 18-mile scenic road to Rainbow Point. Outlooks along the way provide hundred-mile views of Bryce Canyon and the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Buses filled the parking lot by the time we reached Bryce Point, where a vertigo-inducing path leads to a tiny—and crowded—overlook.Read More

This is the first in a series of posts about visiting 12 national parks in Utah and Arizona over 9 days.

When facing a “milestone” birthday, the Grand Canyon seems like a good place to mark the occasion. How better to contemplate one’s mortality than to stare at a big hole in the ground? That was the joke that inspired our spring vacation. Ultimately, we planned a 9-day drive trip through twelve national parks in Utah and Arizona, using AAA TripTik and Magellan GPS to map the route.

We flew into Las Vegas and... Read More

Question: Kathleen Michaelson asks:  I would like to plan a day trip in April with three kids from Las Vegas to Zion or Death Valley. What do you suggest?

Answer: Kathy Mackdanz, travel planner at the AAA office in Minneapolis answers: April is a great time to visit either of these areas. Death Valley National Park, a AAA GEM attraction, is a great day trip from Las Vegas. From the city to Death Valley is approximately 110 miles going via Mountain Springs and Pahrump, Nev. Take the Death Valley shortcut on CR 210 to US 190 into the park. Allow time to drive in the park and take the drive up to Scotty’s Castle, a AAA GEM attraction, which is approximately 55 miles from Death Valley on US 190 and the park road. My suggestion would be to come back south on the park road to Daylight Pass Road, and take NV 374 to Beatty, Nev., and south on US 95 to Las Vegas where you will have spectacular views of Mt. Charleston. The round trip would be approximately 330 miles.

Zion National Park, another GEM attraction, is approximately 320 miles round trip from Las Vegas, all interstate for the majority of the trip. From Easter weekend through October, the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is only accessible by the park shuttle bus. Another awesome day trip is to the town of Oatman, Ariz., on historic Route 66. Oatman is located southwest of Kingman, Ariz. The mileage round trip would be approximately 250 miles driving down across Hoover Dam to Kingman and then connecting on to historic Route 66 to Oatman. Leaving Oatman, I would travel back to Las Vegas via Laughlin, Nev., and north on US 95. In Kingman, be sure to stop at the Route 66 Malt Shop. In Oatman, there are burros walking around town. You can even hand-feed them!

Use TripTik Travel Planner to plan your route. Be sure to expand the Location Type field to find listings for National Parks. The drag-and-drop feature allows you to select the route you prefer to travel or to plan a different way back to Las Vegas.