NB: I love the southwest US desert, so long post follows.

>>> [Grand Canyon, starting from Las Vegas]

Most comments imply the Grand Canyon south rim.  There's more...
[I am going to ignore the north rim area in the following.]

> hiring a car

If you have a car and time, you can see several spectacular places.

Starting in Las Vegas, take Interstate 515/highway 95/highway 93
east & then southeast out of town.  You want highway 93 going to
& through Boulder City (built for workers who were constructing the
dam).  There's a nice 1950's style cafe in town and a museum on the
building of Hoover Dam.  Continue through Boulder City on hwy 93 to
Hoover Dam.

Spend time visiting Hoover Dam & take the tour.  This gets you a
good view of the Colorado River Canyon (technically not the Grand
Canyon since it's past the official west end) filled with water
(i.e. Lake Mead) and with just the river (i.e. dam outflow).

Continue southeast on highway 93 into Arizona.  Turn northeast at
highway 25 (Pierce Rerry Road), go through Dolan Springs, more on
highway 25, then take Diamond Bar Road (was dirt when I was last
there a few years ago) onto the Hualapai Indian Reservation (road
on reservation is paved).  Finding the turnoff to this road to
Grand Canyon West is not the easiest task -- maybe it's better
marked now.

Hualapai Indians have a rim overlook at Grand Canyon West with
a glass bottomed Skywalk (haven't been on it).  There charge a
not-insignificant entrance fee.  But when we were there, it was
nearly deserted -- wonderfull emptiness & grandeur.

One downside is you essentially have to retrace your path back
out on Diamond Bar Road and highway 25 to highway 93.

Continue southeast on highway 93 to Kingman.  Stay on highway 93
and cross Interstate 40; highway 93 turns into highway 40 and is
named Beale Road.  About 1/2 mile east of Interstate 40, branch
southeast on either Ella's Place or turn south on 1st Street.  Go
50 meters to Andy Devine Avenue (old US Route 66).

In the old powerhouse (between Andy Devine and railroad tracks)
is the Historic Route 66 Museum.  It's next to Locamotive Park
[city park with locamotives in it].

After the museum, you can choose to get on Interstate 40.  It's
fast but you can't see much.

I recommend route 66 (Andy Devine) northeast out of Kingman
through lots of little towns with interesting places.  One of
the several books on Route 66 (sold at museum) will give you
background on the various places you'll be passing through.

Route 66 is north of, and roughly parallel to, Interstate 40.
Area can get some very interesting thunderstorms in summer due
to air mass being heated and rapidly lifting.

In Peach Springs is the Hualapai Indian tribal headquarters.

About 12 miles past Peach Springs is Grand Canyon Caverns &
Inn (www.gccaverns.com).  There's a motel.  Important element
is the Grand Canyon Caverns -- a series of natural underground
cavens 210 feet down.  A natural vent goes many miles from the
caverns to the south face of the Grand Canyon (thus the name).
2007 is the 80th anniversary of the discovery of the caverns.
I really like the caverns.

After Grand Canyon Caverns, continue east on Route 66.  At
Seligman, you can join Interstate 40.  Or you can continue on
Route 66 until it merges with Interstate 40 at Crookton.

Continue east on Interstate 40 to Willaims.  There's the train
from Williams to the Grand Canyon (as previously mentioned).

You can also take highway 64 north to the Grand Canyon.  Near
the rim, highway 64 turns into East Rim Drive.  You can take it
along the south rim (major tourist area) to highway 89 which
you can take south to Flagstaff and Interstate 40.

Continue east on Interstate 40 about 30 miles east of Flagstaff
to Meteor Crater.  I completely endorse the comments that it is
worth seeing and walking around the edge.

After Meteor Crater, you pass through Winslow AZ (memorialized
in a hit song many years ago) and Holbrook.  After Holbrook is
Petrified Forest National Park -- another place worth visiting.

We've now reached the New Mexico border, so I'll desist. :-)

						Lee Jones

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