19 Weekend Getaways From Las Vegas, by Drive Time

Zion is 2h 10m from the Strip, and by the time a Las Vegas brunch crowd has paid its check, you can be wading the Virgin River. The 19 weekend getaways here run from Death Valley, 1h 55m out, to Grand Staircase-Escalante at nearly six. Most of them are canyon country, the reason Las Vegas works so well as a base for the Southwest.

Start with Zion, Death Valley and Bryce Canyon, the three closest parks. For a single day out instead, the day trips from Las Vegas cover Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire and Hoover Dam without a hotel.

All costs are in US dollars for two people: gas there and back, two nights in a comfortable hotel, food and activities. Drive times are one-way from central Las Vegas by road. The remote monuments past five hours are better as a long weekend of three or four days; they are flagged below.

The short list

Filter:

Destination		Best for
Death Valley	~1h 55m128 mi	Nature	$1,000–$1,400	January
Zion National Park	~2h 10m151 mi	Nature	$1,000–$1,400	October
Kanab	~3h 10m199 mi	Nature	$1,000–$1,400	October
Joshua Tree	~3h 45m239 mi	Adventure	$1,000–$1,400	November
Lone Pine	~3h 50m232 mi	Nature	$1,000–$1,400	June
Bryce Canyon City	~3h 55m258 mi	Nature	$1,000–$1,400	September
Flagstaff	~3h 55m253 mi	Nature	$1,100–$1,400	August
Grand Canyon Village	~4h 5m252 mi	Nature	$1,000–$1,400	May
Los Angeles	~4h 10m270 mi	Cultural	$1,100–$1,400	October
Bishop	~4h 15m266 mi	Nature	$1,000–$1,400	September
Page	~4h 15m270 mi	Nature	$1,100–$1,400	October
Palm Springs	~4h 20m267 mi	Nature	$1,000–$1,400	February
Sedona	~4h 35m282 mi	Nature	$1,100–$1,400	May
Phoenix	~4h 45m301 mi	Cultural	$1,100–$1,400	March
San Diego	~5h332 mi	Beach	$1,100–$1,400	September
Great Basin National Park	~5h 5m308 mi	Nature	$1,000–$1,400	September
Vermilion Cliffs	~5h 10m262 mi	Hidden gems (offbeat)	$1,000–$1,400	April
Santa Barbara	~5h 30m359 mi	Beach	$1,100–$1,500	May
Grand Staircase-Escalante	~5h 55m327 mi	Adventure	$1,100–$1,400	October

Under three hours, two nights is plenty. Past five hours, take three nights or the trip is mostly road.

Best for canyon country

Canyon country is what Las Vegas is for: seven of these 19 are canyons, cliffs or slot canyons in southern Utah and northern Arizona. If you make one weekend from Las Vegas a canyon one, make it Zion.

Zion National Park

The Narrows is a hike up the Virgin River itself, wading between walls a few yards apart. Angels Landing needs a permit from the park's lottery; the views from Scout Lookout, below it, need none. The scenic drive is shuttle-only for most of the year, so park in Springdale and ride in.

Don't miss

Angels Landing
Zion Canyon Scenic Drive
Court of the Patriarchs
Zion Canyon Visitor Center

Iconic eats: Utah Scone, Chicken Fried Steak

Bryce Canyon City

Bryce is a bowl of hoodoos, thin orange spires packed so close they look carved. Walk the Navajo Loop down among them at sunrise. The rim sits above 8,000 feet, so nights are cold even in September; pack a layer.

Don't miss

Navajo Loop Trail
Bryce Point
Scenic Byway 12
Dixie National Forest

Grand Canyon Village

The South Rim is the classic view, and Mather Point at sunset is where to take it. The next morning, walk a stretch of the Bright Angel Trail down into the canyon and turn back early; the climb out takes twice as long as the walk in.

Don't miss

Mather Point
Bright Angel Trail
El Tovar Hotel

Page

Page is the base for Horseshoe Bend, the Colorado River's loop under a sheer overlook, and Antelope Canyon, the slot canyon of the photographs, which you can visit only with a Navajo guide. Book the canyon tour before the hotel.

Iconic eats: Navajo Frybread

Kanab

Kanab was a backdrop for hundreds of Westerns, and the Little Hollywood museum keeps the sets. The Coral Pink Sand Dunes are about 25 minutes out, and Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the largest no-kill sanctuary in the country, offers tours. Kanab is also the base for The Wave's daily permit lottery.

Don't miss

Pipe Spring National Monument
The Wave
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
Little Hollywood Movie Museum

Kanab — weekend getaway — 3h 10m drive · Best in October
Coral Pink Sand Dunes create a landscape of shifting red mounds perfect for exploration.
Top sights
Kanab Visitor Center
Rider-Pugh House

Vermilion Cliffs National Monument

The offbeat pick. The Wave, a swirl of striped sandstone in Coyote Buttes North, is reachable only through a permit lottery. Without one, Lees Ferry on the Colorado and the condor viewing site, where wild California condors are released, make the drive worthwhile. Many roads here need high clearance.

Don't miss

Coyote Buttes North
Lees Ferry
Condor Viewing Site
Stateline Trail

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

Peek-a-boo slot canyon, the waterfall at the end of Lower Calf Creek Falls trail, and Hole in the Rock Road, a long dirt track into empty country. It is nearly six hours away and short on services, so plan a long weekend with fuel and water to spare.

Don't miss

Peek-a-boo Canyon
Hole in the Rock Road
Calf Creek Falls
Grosvenor Arch

Iconic eats: Utah Scone, Funeral Potato Casserole, Navajo Taco

Best for the desert and the Eastern Sierra

Death Valley

Badwater Basin is the lowest point in North America, a salt flat you can walk out on. Zabriskie Point is the sunrise. Death Valley is a winter trip: January is pleasant, and summer heat there is a real danger.

Don't miss

Zabriskie Point
Badwater Basin
Golden Canyon Trail
Harmony Borax Works

Iconic eats: Date Shake

Joshua Tree

The Hidden Valley loop winds through boulder piles and the twisted trees that give the park its name. Climbers come for the rock; everyone else comes for Keys View at sunset. November, before the nights turn cold.

Don't miss

Hidden Valley Nature Trail
Park Boulevard
Keys View
Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum

Iconic eats: Date Shake, Chili Cheese Fry

Lone Pine

The Alabama Hills are rounded boulders and arches set against the Sierra, with Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48, behind them. Mobius Arch frames Whitney in a short walk. The Museum of Western Film History explains why every Western seems to have been shot here.

Don't miss

Mount Whitney Trail
Museum of Western Film History
Whitney Portal Road
Mobius Arch

Lone Pine — weekend getaway — 3h 50m drive · Best in June
Alabama Hills feature rounded rocks set against the jagged peaks of Mount Whitney.
Top sights
Mount Whitney Trail
Mobius Arch
Museum of Western Film History
Whitney Portal Road
Alabama Hills

Bishop

The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, in the White Mountains east of Bishop, holds some of the oldest living trees on Earth. North Lake is the September color, and the Happy Boulders are the climbing. Bishop pairs well with Lone Pine on the same weekend.

Don't miss

North Lake
Laws Railroad Museum and Historical Site
Happy Boulders

Great Basin National Park

Lehman Caves are the guided tour, the bristlecone pines on Wheeler Peak are the hike, and the night sky is the reason to stay. Great Basin is one of the least-visited parks in the country, five hours from Las Vegas with few services on the way.

Don't miss

Lehman Caves
Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive
Great Basin National Park Astronomy Program
Alpine Lakes Loop Trail

Best for red rock towns

Sedona

Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock and the Chapel of the Holy Cross, built into the red cliffs, are the sights. Sedona fills on weekends and trailhead parking runs out early; arrive before nine or take the town shuttle.

Don't miss

Cathedral Rock
Airport Mesa
Red Rock Scenic Byway
Chapel of the Holy Cross

Flagstaff

Lowell Observatory is where Pluto was found, and Flagstaff was the world's first International Dark Sky City. Walnut Canyon's cliff dwellings are 20 minutes east. In August, Flagstaff's elevation keeps it cooler than the desert towns around it.

Don't miss

Hotel Monte Vista
Walnut Canyon National Monument
Lowell Observatory
Heritage Square

Best for the California run

Los Angeles

The Getty Center for the art and the view, the Walk of Fame for the photo, Santa Monica Pier for the sunset. Leave Las Vegas on Saturday morning, not Friday evening; the I-15 into Los Angeles is a parking lot at the end of a work week.

Don't miss

Getty Center
Hollywood Walk of Fame
Santa Monica Pier

Iconic eats: Street Taco, Taco al Pastor

San Diego

Sea lions haul out on the rocks at La Jolla Cove, the San Diego Zoo fills a day by itself, and Old Town has the history. September is warm and past the summer crowds.

Don't miss

San Diego Zoo
La Jolla Cove
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
Seaport Village

Iconic eats: Quesabirria Taco, San Diego-Style Mexican Lager

Santa Barbara

The Old Mission, Stearns Wharf and Butterfly Beach, in a town that rebuilt itself in Spanish revival style after an earthquake. At five and a half hours, it is the farthest of the California trips.

Don't miss

Old Mission Santa Barbara
Butterfly Beach
Santa Barbara Museum of Art

Iconic eats: Avocado Taco, Fish Taco, Sea Urchin (Uni)

Palm Springs

The Aerial Tramway's rotating cars climb from the desert floor to pine forest in about ten minutes. Sunnylands and the mid-century houses are the architecture weekend. February, before the spring heat.

Don't miss

Sunnylands Center and Gardens
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
Moorten Botanical Garden

Best for an Arizona city weekend

Phoenix

The Desert Botanical Garden, the Heard Museum's Native American collections, and a sunrise hike up Camelback Mountain. Phoenix is a spring trip: summer heat there runs past 43 °C (110 °F) for weeks.

Don't miss

Desert Botanical Garden
Heard Museum
Arizona Science Center
Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve

Iconic eats: Breakfast Burrito, Chimichanga

Worth a long weekend

Several of these reward three or four days more than two: Grand Staircase-Escalante for the slot canyons, Vermilion Cliffs for a permit day at The Wave, Great Basin for the caves and the night sky, and Bishop with Lone Pine as one Eastern Sierra loop.

Which to skip, and when

Skip Death Valley, Phoenix and Palm Springs from June to September. Skip Sedona on a holiday weekend without an early start. Skip Antelope Canyon unless the tour is booked; Page alone is a long drive for Horseshoe Bend.

Going without a car

Most of these need a car: the parks have no transit from Las Vegas. Guided tour buses run to the Grand Canyon and Zion, and Los Angeles and Phoenix have flights from Harry Reid International Airport, which turns a long drive into an hour in the air.

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Common questions

What's the best weekend getaway from Las Vegas?

Zion National Park, about 2h 10m northeast of Las Vegas, is the strongest weekend getaway: the Narrows, Angels Landing and the canyon shuttle, close enough for two nights. The Grand Canyon's South Rim at about 4h 5m is the bigger trip.

How much does a weekend getaway from Las Vegas cost for two?

A weekend getaway from Las Vegas costs about $1,000 to $1,500 for two people on this page, covering gas, two nights in a comfortable hotel, food and activities. The California coast trips, like San Diego and Santa Barbara, run highest.

What's the cheapest month for a weekend getaway from Las Vegas?

January is the cheapest month for most of these weekend getaways, by about 5 percent, because hotel rates dip after the holidays. It is also the right month for Death Valley, which is dangerous in summer.

Is the Grand Canyon a weekend trip from Las Vegas?

Yes. Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim is about 4h 5m from Las Vegas by car, which suits two nights. Arrive for sunset at Mather Point, then walk part of the Bright Angel Trail the next morning.

Which weekend getaways from Las Vegas are worth a long weekend?

Grand Staircase-Escalante at about 5h 55m, Vermilion Cliffs at about 5h 10m and Great Basin National Park at about 5h 5m are remote enough to reward three or four days rather than two.

What's an offbeat weekend getaway from Las Vegas?

Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, about 5h 10m away, is the offbeat pick: The Wave's swirled sandstone, reached only by permit lottery, and wild California condors at the cliffs.

The bottom line

Book Zion first, Bryce or Death Valley second, and the Grand Canyon when you have the extra hours. The California and Arizona cities are good weekends too, but the canyons are what nowhere else this close can offer. Plan your weekend trip free and the planner ranks these for your dates and budget.

Browse more weekend getaways by city, or keep it to a day with the day trips from Las Vegas.

Drive times are routed by road from central Las Vegas in October 2026; costs come from the same pricing the planner uses. Check park permits, timed entry and road conditions before you go.