We are heading to AZ this summer and have never seen the GC. We want to do the whole shebang - hiking, sight seeing, etc. We also want to spend time in Sedona and possibly Flagstaff. We have no idea where to set up shop for a few days, but will have a rental car. Should we stay in Sedona the whole time and make the ~2 hour drive to the GC each day?
All advice welcomed!
I am no help - visited twice the past five years and both were in a hurry to get to southern California for another portion.
All I can say is it was really crowded on a weekday last June around the middle of the day. Expect crowds and a million folks talking selfies - that in itself made me nuts.
Hey wait, is that a 150# female pipe union at the grand canyon (it's the railing)?
I want to see it, but every time my wife or I bring it up my FIL tells us about how big a waste of time it was to drive from Illinois to the Grand Canyon to “stare at a hole in the ground”
In reply to mtn :
Has the FIL ever seen it? Everyone I've talked to who has and had similar previous opinions had them nixed the moment that "hole in the ground" was within sight.
I want to go, but when I can drive there and not be on any sort of schedule.
Go to the north rim. Skip the crowds, drive down some fire roads and hike along the rim. When i went i camped on the north rim and it was fantastic.
In reply to EvanB :
I came here to suggest the exact same thing.
Insert Clarke Griswold clip
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As has been mentioned I prefer the north rim. However, if you are flying into Phoenix I'm not sure I would make the drive around to the north rim.
If you're flying into Vegas I recommend making the Zion and Bryce Canyon loop ending up at Jacob Lake near the north rim. We did this in one day from Vegas and while we didn't get to spend much time at Zion and Bryce I'm glad we did it. It is a long day and we got a late start, start early. Personally, If i did it again I would skip Bryce.
If you do end up on the north rim we stayed at the Jacob Lake Inn. It's, umm quaint, very basic but clean and the food in the restaurant was very good. You'll not find a lot of options outside the park. I will assume that everything in the park is booked solid by now.
On the south rim there is a town called Tusayan that is essentially nothing but hotels and restaurants. It is about 10 minutes outside the gates. Again, I assume everything inside the park is booked. We hiked along the rim the first time basically along the bus stop route and down to the bottom the second time (3 days 2 nights). There is a spot on the south kaibab trail called ohh ahh point that is worth the trip and it's not too far down. A bit farther down is a flat area with a great vista. There is NO water on the south kaibab so but sure to bring it. The bright angel trail near where all the masses hang does have water at the 1.5 and 3 mile rest areas. Be prepared for the heat if you're hiking.
PS if you visit the north rim make a reservation for dinner in the park lodge. Great views, good food if a little pricey. I don't know if you can do it on line. We went into the lodge and got on the list before we hiked that day.
Ian F said:In reply to mtn :
Has the FIL ever seen it? Everyone I've talked to who has and had similar previous opinions had them nixed the moment that "hole in the ground" was within sight.
I want to go, but when I can drive there and not be on any sort of schedule.
Yes, after a car ride from Illinois in the 60’s or 70’s.
Ian F said:In reply to mtn :
Has the FIL ever seen it? Everyone I've talked to who has and had similar previous opinions had them nixed the moment that "hole in the ground" was within sight.
I want to go, but when I can drive there and not be on any sort of schedule.
It is a hole in the ground, but it is quite literally one of those things you have to see and cannot describe or be shown in pictures.
It's something along the lines of "the largest thing you will ever see and still be able to be truly aware of its size"... or something like that.
If you want to see the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff and Sedona, I would just stay in Flagstaff. It is usually cheaper than Sedona, and centrally located. The Grand Canyon is definitely worth seeing. The south is much busier, than the north rim.
Sedona was beautiful, and the ride from there to the canyon was nice but I don’t think I’d want to do it everyday on vacation. I would definitely want to see both though. The scenery is absolutely spectacular. The canyon is a pretty awesome hole in the ground.
In reply to dyintorace :
We were there 5 or 6 years ago & visited the park a couple days. A couple points I’ve not seen mentioned yet: both the burrow/donkey tours and the Grand Canyon RR are generally booked a year+ in advance, so there probably isn’t much chance of getting tickets for either this late. Also, the hike all the way to the bottom & back up is an overnight trek, so keep that in mind. Camping permits are required for it, and I believe they also need purchased in advance.
If you’re going to be in the Vegas area I’d highly recommend spending a day at the Techatticup mine at Nelson, NV about 30min south of Boulder City. If you’re heading east from the Grand Canyon make time to stop by Meteor Crater - the desolation is mesmerizing.
In reply to mtn :
We took the family on a week long tour of the southwest several years ago, starting in IL -> Denver -> Vegas -> GC/Williams, AZ -> Meteor Crater -> then back home through OK City & MO.
The drive from IL to Denver is pretty boring, but seeing the Rockies loom in the distance as you approach is incredible. We stopped at Buffalo Bill’s museum just west of the city, which has amazing views down across almost the whole city.
The drive from Denver westward should be done in daylight & is absolutely worth experiencing. Take time to stop along the way & enjoy the sights - even just at the rest areas - through both CO & UT. You’ll also be driving past Flyin’ Miata, but unfortunately it was on a weekend & in the evening when we passed by.
The drive from Vegas to Williams, then east through AZ/NM/TX also has some amazing sights, like the interstate running through an old lava flow, but it’s a long trek without much civilization.
I visit that area every couple of years. I would personally not stay in Sedona the whole time if your plan is to visit the GC, although that area is gorgeous and features an amazing variety of trails for day hikes. (Way more options than the Grand Canyon for choice of length/difficulty). Expect crowds there in the summer as well, especially at the easily accessible trailheads. I always like to get to the trails early when I'm there. Flagstaff is a neat town and has quite a bit of trail as well, though the scenery is very different (big pines, cinder cones, lava flows, etc.). There are also several Microbreweries there if you like beer, and hotels will be a bit cheaper than Sedona. If you have time, you might enjoy a trip to Jerome. It's to the south west of Sedona across the valley. It's an old mining town perched on the side of a mountain and has some neat shops and restaurants.
fwiw we stayed in an airbnb in flagstaff...easy drive to the GC.
We camped for a week down in the Grand canyon one spring break when I was in college. Two stories I'll share now.
1. We were hiking between 2 campsites one day and came across a woman who was jogging. The trail was like a 7 mile trail with 1/2 mile up in elevation and 1/2 mile back down. Later in the day while at our campsite, we saw her AGAIN, meaning she had gone at least twice as far as we had that day. This time we stopped to ask her. She had started at the South rim, ran down the 9 mile (1 full mile elevation down) trail to the bottom, ran across (7 miles, 1/2 up, 1/2 down), ran back (7 again), and was still planning to run all the way out (9 more, with a full mile up). So 32 miles with 2 full miles up and 2 full miles down. All in one day. Holy E36 M3.
2. On our last day we hiked the 9 mile trail out (up 1 mile), and we had our backpacks and all our stuff, plus we looked and smelled like we had been backpacking for a week. We passed lots of people riding donkeys down the same trail. You will never see a more guilty looking person in your life than someone who is riding a donkey into the Grand canyon when you are humping your own butt out.
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