Grand Circle Road Trip: Day 1

Even in the planning process I knew this trip was going to be epic. Each stop was timed and our route was set to see everything we could possibly fit into a day.  

Flying into Las Vegas was our best option to start the famous Grand Circle. We arrived late at night, stayed at Park MGM and had an amazing breakfast at a French bakery. After that, we hit up Target on the Strip to stock up on supplies and lots of water. We were ready to head into the desert with nothing but a rented mini van and some suitcases.

Our first stop was 7 Magic Mountains. This place was about 20 minutes south of the famous Las Vegas strip and fun to see in person.

The contrast of the bright colored rocks against the dusty muted tones of the desert was a site to see.

Before we left, we collected some larger rocks and made a few of our own magic mountains.

Next we drove a little more into the rocky terrain to visit the Hoover Dam. We were all in awe of just how massive it was.

I now understand why it is considered one of the 7 wonders of the world because it is an engineering marvel and I had no idea how completely epic it was to see in person.

The Mike O'Callaghan Bridge was the first thing we saw on our drive in and it's beautiful to see from the bridge.

And for anyone who's wondering, yes I did bring a bottle of water with me to pour over the edge. The force of air coming up from the wall is so strong that when you pour water out it actually rises into the air. It's a fun science experiment and I highly recommend it if you visit the Hoover Dam with kids.

We took the long way and cut through north west side of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The beautiful drive takes you along the lake that has been formed as a result of the Hoover Dam barricade. We stopped at the visitors center to learn about the history and development of the area,

Making our way to Springdale, Utah this was our first glimpse of those famous red rocks! We knew we were getting close.

Springdale is probably one of the most beautiful towns I've ever visited. It's nestled in the valley surrounded by those famous Zion National Park peaks. We stopped at an old converted gas station restaurant for dinner before heading to our hotel.

Day 1 was complete and there was a lot excitement about the upcoming day. Something about staying in Springdale was magical and being surrounded by the mountains gave us a little preview of what we were going to experience the next day. We were ready for Zion!

Up Next: Day 2