Grand Canyon Visit -- Tips?

[pryncess527]

Dh and I are planning a road trip to the Grand Canyon for next Spring/Summer. This is the kind of thing we will likely only do once, so that means I want to do it right!!

I've already decided we will stay at the Bright Angel Lodge on the South Rim (doing it right doesn't mean doing it the most $$$ way possible - no El Tovar for us )

I don't think I can talk DH into a 2-day mule ride or hike to the bottom ;p

I was thinking about one of Water Bus trips and/or a Helicopter/Airplane tour.
I know we want to visit the South Rim, but I'm also up for seeing another part too.

Anything you've done that was worth every penny? Something you wish you'd done? Something you did that was overrated?

 

[momz]

Is your husband willing to take shorter hikes? I have stayed in Bucky's lodge at the Bright Angel. The room is nothing. just a bed and bathroom. It didn't have a tv, but I think there was a radio in there. But, sitting in the room was not on our agenda anyway. And being right at the edge of the rim was amazing! Step out your door and there you are.

During the day, the tour buses come through there so it gets very very crowed. I would recommend getting away from the lodge area during the day. Hop on the hiker shuttle and go ride along the rim. There are many stops to get out, walk around, take some pictures. You can hop on the next bus and go to the next stop, or wherever you have planned.

The bus system is very convenient as there is limited parking. In fact, I think you may not be able to take your car to some areas at all.

Watch the sunset at Sunset point (I think that's what it's called). Go early and take a picnic dinner which you can get at the grocery store there in the park. but take a jacket or a blanket to wrap up in because it gets quite cold out there as the sun goes down.

Take the shuttle down to Hermit's rest. There are some nice photo spots and it is less crowded out there. This is a good place for bird watching too. See if you can identify the birds. We had fun doing that one year.

Visit the art studio that is there near the trailhead for the bright angel trail, but go first thing because it's in the bullseye of the busy area.

There's plenty to do even if you don't hike down from the rim. There are loads of easy hikes along the south rim.

I have hiked down the South Kaibab trail to phantom ranch then back out along the bright angel trail. Let me tell you, that is not for the faint of heart.

If you are serious day hikers, head down the bright angel trail very early. Go to Indian Gardens campground, then return back up the bright angel. It will take 3 times longer to return up compared to going down. But, it is a well maintained trail and there are restrooms and water every mile and a half or so. You can see the Indian Gardens campground from the Bright Angel lodge.

Absolutely get outside at night. It is freezing out there, but you've never seen a sky like that! so many stars. You can look down the canyon and see some night hikers with their lights on their heads bobbing along. I was one of them once...not by choice (but that's another story).

My favorite trail is the Tonto trail. But, it's a doozy to get to. It requires a reservation for camping and a back country hiking permit. We hiked down the South Kaibab to the tip off where the Tonto trail crosses the South Kaibab. Then took off along the Tonto toward Indian Gardens. The Tonto is rarely traveled, and is not maintained. In some places, it was necessary to look for cairns to figure out where the trail went. In other areas, the trail was like following a game trail. But the views were stunning! The hike was easy compared to going up or down and the reward was great!

But, I digress. You don't have to go to the bottom to enjoy the grand canyon!

 

[disneyseniors]

We went several years ago and stayed at a hotel on the south rim, too. We just hiked around the area. I was amazed at the lack of railing/fencing on obvious observation areas. It seemed that anyone could go to the edge of the rim at most places. We took advantage of the free information video/movie. It was well worth it with the history and background. You will have a wonderful trip whatever you do.

 

[pryncess527]

Thank you!!!! That information is so helpful!

I picked the Bright Angel cause I don't need a fancy room, but loved the idea of being on the edge of the rim. We may even splurge for one of the 2 rooms with a rim view ;p - - though like you, i don't expect we'd spend much time there.

Thank you so much for the picnic at Sunset Point idea -- that sounds heavenly.

 

[design_mom]

We went last summer. I agree with going out at night. Try to get far enough away from the hotels that your eyes can adjust to the low light. The stars are amazing.

We spent 2 days there. We stayed outside the park and we pretty much did the "free" stuff (no helicopter or white water trips for us). We hit all of the overlooks on the bus. Desert View is another area (it's also along the South Rim, but not connected along their shuttle bus system. You have to drive yourself.) It was a lot less crowded and the pull-off overlooks along Desert View Drive were some of the prettiest we saw.

We are not hiker-hikers, and anything except the Rim trail has a lot of elevation change. The rim trail is an easy walk and the bus follows a similar route (so if you get tired, you can always hop on a bus and head back.) We did about 40 minutes down on the Bright Angel trail, just to get below the rim. The kids would have liked to have gone farther down, but it took us 90 minutes to climb back up and it was hard work. I'm glad we didn't go farther.

If you plan to leave the park at all RP Stage Stop in Tusayan has really good box lunches. They're only open till 2, so you'd want to pick them up early if you were planning to eat them for dinner... but they were really good.

 

[momz]

Thank you!!!! That information is so helpful!

I picked the Bright Angel cause I don't need a fancy room, but loved the idea of being on the edge of the rim. We may even splurge for one of the 2 rooms with a rim view ;p - - though like you, i don't expect we'd spend much time there.

Thank you so much for the picnic at Sunset Point idea -- that sounds heavenly.

Check on the name of that. It might be Desert View as another poster mentioned. But, it's where a lot of people go to see the sunset. You have to get there early because it gets crowded. You will want to claim your spot along the rim before the crowds show up. Plus there's an entire area to explore. Once the crowd arrives, you can't explore so easily. You have to drive to it, as the bus doesn't go there.

 

[mom2rtk]

Are you planning to visit other national parks in the southwest?

 

[McKelly]

We went last summer. I agree with the above poster who talked about the lack of railings around the edge. I was so glad we waited until our kids were older, 14 and 16, before taking them. I was paranoid even then, I would have probably had a heart attack if they were younger.

My tip: Once you park your car - don't move it. Parking is very difficult to obtain.

 

[mom2rtk]

We went last summer. I agree with the above poster who talked about the lack of railings around the edge. I was so glad we waited until our kids were older, 14 and 16, before taking them. I was paranoid even then, I would have probably had a heart attack if they were younger.

My tip: Once you park your car - don't move it. Parking is very difficult to obtain.

On our first visit, we saw a small child climbing on the railing at one of the overlooks. I was very close and my instinct was to grab him and pull him down. I didn't because one wrong move and he would have been over the edge and I would have been blamed. I had to turn and walk away. It was very disturbing.

I have also witnessed stupid guest behavior in other national parks. At Bryce Canyon, a young adult was sitting on a ledge at an overlook for a photo. Once again, had to walk away.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Dh and I are planning a road trip to the Grand Canyon for next Spring/Summer. This is the kind of thing we will likely only do once, so that means I want to do it right!!

I've already decided we will stay at the Bright Angel Lodge on the South Rim (doing it right doesn't mean doing it the most $$$ way possible - no El Tovar for us )

I don't think I can talk DH into a 2-day mule ride or hike to the bottom ;p

I was thinking about one of Water Bus trips and/or a Helicopter/Airplane tour.
I know we want to visit the South Rim, but I'm also up for seeing another part too.

Anything you've done that was worth every penny? Something you wish you'd done? Something you did that was overrated?

We sort of did a drive by when we visited. We were road tripping from AZ to MO.

My tip is DAYLIGHT. This is something you do not think of right off the bat. Go when you have maximum light. Really makes a difference on what you CAN plan.

We stopped at the GC for several hours, taking pictures and wandering around.

Here are some random kids that obviously went behind the rope. Crazy but there you go.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Here are the kids from far away.

 

[cedricandsophie]

Do you mean 2017 or 2018? If it's 2018 be sure to reserve about 12 months ahead.

You've gotten lots of advice on hiking. I would suggest the north rim too. It's a different perspective.

Also while the Grand Canyon is fabulous there are several other great sites in Arizona. Lake Powell which is on the north end of Arizona. Incredible hiking and views. Take a sunset boat ride to see the colors change on the rocks.

Monument valley...amazing. Take the jeep ride or better yet, ride horses.

Four corners where Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado meet.

Canyon de chelly on the east side of the state. Beautiful wagon tour. A very spiritual place for the Navajos.

 

[pryncess527]

2018

Thanks for the tips! I'll be sure to try and work those into our route. I didn't even think about it, but we are going directly by 4 Corners on the way back. Monument Valley is convenient too, and riding some horses sounds awesome Our current route takes us all over New Mexico & Southern CO with different paths each way, but it's been fun to tweak it and explore things to see along the way

 

[Squirlz]

We found a road that only buses are allowed on. The road up to Lipan Point I think? We parked off the main road and walked up. The canyon rim along the way was completely accessible and not another person in sight. We stood on a ledge with huge drops on 3 sides.

 

[mom2rtk]

We've made the drive from Missouri to the southwest many times. We visit different things each time.

Our family favorite is Arches. We also love Bryce, Zion and Canyonlands. I actually rate Arches and Bryce over the Grand Canyon in terms of beauty. The Grand Canyon of course wins in terms of sheer impressiveness. Honestly, Four Corners was the least impressive of pretty much anything we have visited there. It's sort of cool to be in the place where all 4 states come together, but that's really the only attraction. It's just not picturesque.

If you are anywhere near Page, AZ, do NOT miss the chance to see Horseshoe Bend:

Horshshoe Bend by mom2rtk, on Flickr

If you decide to drive into Moab to see Arches, the scenic byway into the back side of the park follows the Colorado and is my all time favorite drive:

archedrivesyellowflower by mom2rtk, on Flickr

This is from Bryce:

IMG_7805 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

And Arches:

Goodbye Delicate Arch by mom2rtk, on Flickr

If you go to Monument Valley, definitely save time to drive into the valley or take a tour. We had just viewed it from the Visitor's Center previously but took a tour last summer:

In the Valley by mom2rtk, on Flickr

 

[mom2rtk]

When you visit the Grand Canyon, I highly recommend being there for both sunrise:

North Rim Sunrise by mom2rtk, on Flickr

And sunset:

North Rim Sunset by mom2rtk, on Flickr

Note though that these are from the North Rim. We stayed there a few years back. Not the same classic view, but much more intimate and not even remotely as crowded. We stayed in a cabin just feet from the rim. I enjoyed it more than our visit to the south rim, but that visit to the south rim was our first trip to the area and we didn't plan it very well.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Cool pics mom2rtk!

We were going to do MOAB route but we choose to do do Flagstaff. We were coming from SedonaAZ and heading to CO.

I have to say that traveling the southwest is pretty beautiful. We were there this past Oct-Nov. Lack of daylight was certainly an issue with seeing the sights and we had to figure that in. Our "daylight drives" were short and sundown began at 4:00. Here is my favorite pic of the whole trip and a pic of ME!

 

[mom2rtk]

Cool pics mom2rtk!

We were going to do MOAB route but we choose to do do Flagstaff. We were coming from SedonaAZ and heading to CO.

I have to say that traveling the southwest is pretty beautiful. We were there this past Oct-Nov. Lack of daylight was certainly an issue with seeing the sights and we had to figure that in. Our "daylight drives" were short and sundown began at 4:00. Here is my favorite pic of the whole trip and a pic of ME!

Thanks MM! And I love your photo! You were really up there!

I totally agree that the southwest is just an amazing place to visit. Put me there with a camera in hand and I'm as happy as a clam. I'd love to visit in the fall, but hadn't considered the shorter daylight hours! But I have seen photos of snow on the scenery in Arches and know I will have to do that one day.

I hope you can get back one day and visit Moab. It's really my favorite place on the planet.

 

[pryncess527]

Thank you so much!!!

Are you planning to visit other national parks in the southwest?

I'm not sure how long we can be gone yet, so for now I'm just planning a route that includes everything that sounds awesome, and if that turns out to take a month and I can't get that much vacation, then we'll cut as needed.

So far, I've added in Palo Duro Canyon in TX, Carlsbad Caverns, Canyon de Chelly Monument on the drive to the Canyon.

I'm looking at the drive back now. Moab might have to wait for another trip unless we decide to alter some of our So Colorado plans, but I think working in Horseshoe Bend is totally reasonable.

 

[mom2rtk]

We saw Canyon de Chelly Monument last summer for the first time. It was something to break up the drive, but not really that notable otherwise. On the up side, it doesn't take up too much of your day to experience. Spider Rock is pretty cool, but not much else. But you have to keep in mind my basis of comparison is some of those other really spectacular sights we have seen.

Spider Rock by mom2rtk, on Flickr


I got frustrated when we planned our first trip west. Everyone kept telling us how we had to do this or that. So I'm hesitant to offer up my suggestions. But all of those suggestions we got the first time were things that stuck with us and we made a priority on later trips.