Need Car Rental Tips - (pick-up and drop-off at different locations)

We're planning a Utah trip. Arches, Canyonlands, probably Capitol Reef, on down to Antelope Canyon around Page, AZ.

We would love to fly in to one airport, and fly out of another. The problem is that rental car prices can be massive for such a trip.

Last year, we flew into Phoenix, and rented one-way to Las Vegas. That price was very good.

But so far, all the airport combinations are coming up very expensive for this trip (like $1,000 or more).

The cities we've been searching: Salt Lake City, Grand Junction, Durango, Las Vegas, Flagstaff, Albquerque. We're just trying to avoid back-tracking.

The ideal scenario is Salt Lake or Grand Junction (coming in from Richmond, VA), and leaving out of Las Vegas.

I'm basically looking for any pointers as to how to get some better rates on these one-way car rentals.

As always, thanks for any help!