Las Vegas, Sedona & Monument Valley – Self-Launched Southwest Road Trip
5 days · Southwest USA
Empire Vacations charges £815
No-markup version: ~£620 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A 5-day self-launched version of Empire Vacations' Los Angeles–Las Vegas coach tour, covering the Las Vegas Strip, Hoover Dam, Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona, Monument Valley, Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon, plus Valley of Fire. Instead of a 99-seat multilingual coach on fixed departures, you drive a budget rental car (shared between 2–3) or use Greyhound/FlixBus for the LA–Vegas legs, book your own motels and self-book the Navajo jeep tour and Antelope Canyon entry through GetYourGuide/Klook or direct with the operators. National park entry is covered by the America the Beautiful annual pass (approx. £63) which pays for itself on this route. All costs are rough backpacker/budget-traveller estimates in GBP, per person, excluding international flights and travel insurance.
Day-by-day
Los Angeles → Las Vegas + Strip by night
Las Vegas, NV
Get yourself to LA (arrive a day early if flying in) and pick up a compact rental car from LAX or a Culver City depot — a 5-day economy rental with unlimited miles typically runs £150–200 total, so £50–65 pp if split three ways. Drive the I-15 northeast (4.5–5 hrs) with a free stop at the Nevada State Line outlet mall near Primm for cheap shopping. Check into a budget motel or hostel off-Strip (the Las Vegas Hostel on Las Vegas Blvd or a Motel 6/Ellis Island-style property, £25–40 for a double room). In the evening do the Strip walk yourself for free: Mandalay Bay → Luxor → New York-New York → Paris → Bellagio fountains → Caesars Palace → Treasure Island, roughly 4 miles on foot with plenty of free spectacle along the way. Skip paid casino shows unless something specific tempts you.
🚌Rental car from LA, ~270 miles on I-15 (4.5–5 hrs driving), free self-guided Strip walk
🛏Budget motel/hostel off-Strip, Las Vegas (£25–40 per double room)
- →Self-guided Las Vegas Strip night walk
- →Nevada State Line outlet mall stop
- →Bellagio fountains (free)
- →Optional casino visit
Hoover Dam → Route 66 → Sedona
Sedona / Oak Creek, AZ
Start early to beat the heat and the crowds. Drive 45 mins to Hoover Dam and take the self-guided visitor centre tour (£12) or just walk the dam crest and Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman Bridge for free panoramic views. Continue southeast on US-93 to Kingman, then a stretch of historic Route 66 through Seligman — a genuinely fun, free roadside-America detour. Reach Sedona (total ~5 hrs driving) by late afternoon. Walk the free trails around Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte at golden hour, or drive the Oak Creek Canyon scenic route (Hwy 89A switchbacks) at sunset. Overnight in a Sedona budget motel or the campground at Manzanita/Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood (£20–35 pp).
🚌Rental car, ~300 miles via US-93 and Route 66 (5 hrs total driving)
🛏Sedona/Cottonwood budget motel or state park campground (£20–35 pp)
- →Hoover Dam visitor centre / dam walk
- →Historic Route 66 stop in Seligman
- →Bell Rock & Courthouse Butte trails (free)
- →Oak Creek Canyon scenic drive
Sedona → Monument Valley → Page
Page, AZ
Morning at the Chapel of the Holy Cross (free, built into the red rocks — get there before 9am for parking) then browse the uptown Sedona galleries and Indian arts shops. Drive north on US-89 (~3 hrs) to Monument Valley Tribal Park. Book the 2.5-hr Navajo-guided open-air jeep tour directly with one of the operators at the visitor centre or via GetYourGuide in advance (~£75–90 pp) — this covers the loop road, John Ford's Point and Navajo guides' storytelling, exactly the experience the coach tour includes without the coach. Continue 2 hrs to Page for the night. A basic Page motel (Super 8/Knights Inn style) is £55–75 per double; Page is small so a supermarket dinner or the Dam Bar & Grill keeps food cheap.
🚌Rental car, ~250 miles (Sedona–Monument Valley–Page)
🛏Budget motel in Page, AZ (£55–75 per double room)
- →Chapel of the Holy Cross (free)
- →Sedona uptown galleries
- →Navajo-guided Monument Valley jeep tour (~£80 pp, book direct or GetYourGuide)
- →Optional Code Talkers exhibit & gift shop
Horseshoe Bend & Antelope Canyon
Page, AZ
Sunrise at Horseshoe Bend — the car park is a 10-min drive from town and entry is now a small Navajo Parks fee (~£8); the 15-min walk to the rim is easy and the light at dawn is unbeatable. Then book Antelope Canyon: Upper Antelope (the classic light-beam slot canyon, ~£60–75 pp) or the cheaper, less-crowded Lower Antelope (~£45–55) through a Navajo operator — book online weeks ahead in peak season. Afternoon: swim or paddle at Lake Powell (Lone Rock Beach is cheap and free-ish) or rent a kayak in Page. Cap the day with a supermarket BBQ or cheap tacos in town.
🚌Rental car, local driving (10–20 miles)
🛏Budget motel in Page, AZ (£55–75 per double room)
- →Horseshoe Bend at sunrise
- →Antelope Canyon guided slot-canyon tour
- →Lone Rock Beach / Lake Powell swim
- →Optional kayak rental
Valley of Fire or Zion → Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV
Two options depending on your pace. Option A (shorter, ~4.5 hrs driving): drive Page → Kanab → Valley of Fire State Park near Overton (£8 entry) for the red-rock fire-wave formations and Elephant Rock, then 1 hr into Vegas. Option B (the coach tour's original plan, ~7 hrs driving): Page → Zion National Park (2.5 hrs) for the free shuttle up the canyon and the Riverside Walk along the Virgin River, then 3 hrs to Vegas via I-15. Buy the America the Beautiful annual pass (£63) at your first national park — it covers Zion, Monument Valley entry is separate (tribal), and most other NPS sites on this route. Drop the car in Vegas (£20–30 one-way fee if returning to a different city) and finish at the Luxor end-point area, or take a cheap FlixBus/Greyhound back to LA (~£30–45) if you're flying out of there. Add one night in Vegas (£25–40) if your flight is next day.
🚌Rental car, ~250–400 miles depending on option; one-way drop fee; optional FlixBus to LA (~£35)
🛏Budget hotel/hostel in Las Vegas if needed (£25–40 pp)
- →Valley of Fire State Park red-rock hike
- →Or Zion National Park + Riverside Walk
- →America the Beautiful annual pass purchase
- →Las Vegas Strip finale
Self-launched vs. Empire Vacations
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Empire Vacations | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£620 | £815 |
| Duration | 5 days | 5 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £195 per person (24%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Empire Vacations-style trips? Check them out here.~£620
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Las Vegas, Sedona & Monument Valley – Self-Launched Southwest Road Trip cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £620 per person for 5 days in Southwest USA. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Empire Vacations?+
Yes — Empire Vacations charges around £815 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £620 — a saving of roughly £195 (24%) per person.
How long is the Southwest USA trip?+
This itinerary runs 5 days, covering 5 day-by-day stops through Southwest USA.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, road-trip, culture trip through Southwest USA, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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