First trip to the Grand Canyon...suggestions welcome! About This Page:

[Courtney892]

We leave in about 6 weeks for our first trip to the Grand Canyon!!! We are flying from Nashville to Phoenix, AZ and will get in fairly early in the day on Friday, May 14. We are planning to drive leisurely toward our condos in Pine Top hopefully seeing some sights on the way. I have uncharacteristically done very little in the way of planning for this trip as it is my sister's baby and her desire to go out there, but it is getting close and we're all getting into planning mode.

I think on the way we were going to try to see the crater and possibly the petrified forest?? Then set up for the week in Pine Top and use that as our base of operations to see what we can on day trips. Our Grand Canyon days are Monday and Tuesday....we have booked a couple hotel rooms with partial views of the south rim and are planning to try to do sunrise, midday, and sunset viewings of the GC as well as some type of tour there.

My husband says he does not want to spend all day just looking into a large hole regardless of whether it is the most amazing hole on earth. 1 hour of hole gazing and he is going to be ready to do something else. We have discussed mule/burro trips to the bottom (my sister will likely not do this), several of us would love to raft at the bottom (my sister does not want to get wet though she is open to waiting for us while we do any activity we want. We are getting some positive feedback from a helicopter ride possibility, and my sister mentioned yesterday that she thinks the jeep rides sound awesome to her.

Can anyone give pros/cons of any of the above? Any must sees in this area? Any discounts or special offer advice as far as purchasing National Park passes and like?

Any and all suggestions/advice very welcome. I have never been to this area of the country at all! My farthest west was South Dakota and farthest south was Wyoming so everything here is completely new to everyone in our travel group and we want to really experience it all as fully as possible. THANKS!!

[chezp]

Oh wow - you'll have an amazing time. It's such a stunning place.

On our most recent trip to the Grand Canyon, we flew out there from Vegas, then took a helicopter from the rim to the bottom of the canyon. Wow, that was quite something and I can thoroughly recommend it. We then took a boat ride, as opposed to a raft ride, and that was superb as well. Both got our seal of approval.

planning your trip - it does sound awesome.

[xrosario]

Sounds like fun! I'm looking forward to hearing suggestions as well.

[modisney]

We did the Grand Canyon 2 years ago and it is simply amazing. We based in Sedona and drove up twice. As for the mule ride down, I hear it's not for everyone. It's not a leisurely ride like a trail ride on horses. Mules are shorter than horses and that can make your legs sore. The saddles are different as well which can make for a sore backside. The trails down are fairly steep and narrow at spots. The rafting starts at Lees Ferry which is a bit of a drive north. The trips range from fairly calm at the start of the canyon to the longer ones which go further down the river and into the canyon. For hiking you need to be prepared. The trails are steep and narrow. It's harder coming up than going down. There are no safety rails and a few folks loose footing or go over the edge at various points every year. A young man from Canada went over when we were there. The drive along the rim stopping at the various vantage points is nice because while it's all the Grand Canyon, every view is different. You'll pay an entrance fee to enter the park and that's good for a week. The Grand Canyon has a good website to help in planning. I'd also either buy some books about the area or check them out from your library. As for jeep tours, we did a Pink Jeep tour while in Sedona and were happy with the service and the guides' knowledge of the area. Google pink jeep tours and you'll get their website. I'm not really certain about where you're staying but the crater and petrified forest are a couple of hours from the Canyon. There's a couple of interesting things in Flagstaff as well. If it's operating, the Arizona Snowbowl operates as a scenic lift to the top of the mountain during nonski season. The Lowell Observatory (where Puto was first seen from) is also interesting and schedules night viewings out of their telescope, check out their website as well. Again,not sure where you're basing out of but we flew into Phoenix and drove to Sedona. It was a straight shot and took about 3 hours. It was interesting to see the landscape change. There's a quaint bordering touristy shopping village in Sedona called Tlaquepague Village. It has art galleries and boutiques and some nice restaurants. There's a magazine called "Sedona" that you can buy in bookstores that highlights Sedona and the surrounding area which is a nice resource. It's a beautiful part of the country and you'll certainly enjoy it.

[modisney]

Oh, just want to add that upon entry you'll receive a publication that highlights all of the various activities going on at the Canyon everything from nature talks, to hikes, to family fun by day and time. There's also a table listing sunrise/sunset times. Everything you need to know is in there. Maybe you could call a few week prior to your visit and they'll mail one.

[Huntermom]

I've only been to the North Rim, but you really can spend hours gazing out at the Canyon. It is not just one spot and every place you go is different as is every time of day.

Are you staying in the park? At the north rim, there was plenty to do even though it is the more isolated side. Just relax, look out, lsiten to music, read a book.

[Ashli]

DH and I went to the GC for the first time the summer of 2008. It was AMAZING, and that's coming from someone that really didn't have much interest in it, was more going for DH's sake. It is unbelievably beautiful. I think your husband really might change his tune of not being willing to look at a hole for more than 1 hr when you get there. It's like nothing you've ever seen before. As for the tours...we chose not to do a mule tour, and I'm sort of glad. We walked down the Bright Angel trail and the Kaibob trail to the 3 mile point, and then went back up. I think the trail on the mules would be pretty uncomfortable. The trails aren't smooth. There are large log type pieces of wood that go across the trail every few feet in most places, that the mule (or you if you're walking) has to step over (the wood is there to prevent erosion). I can imagine that on a mule it would be quite a rocking experience. Also, the trail does get narrow in some areas, and although I'm not really afraid of heights, I might be a little scared knowing that I was not completely in control of whether I slipped or not. Walking myself, I knew I had control. The guide books that we read seemed to imply that the BA trail was easier than the Kaibob, but we found that to be the reverse actually. I also thought the views were much better on the Kaibob trail because you go out further into the canyon, as opposed to the BA trail. There is also the Rim Trail, which is paved in some places and has almost no incline, so it is very relaxing walking. Like someone already mentioned, you get different views all along the rim, and depending on the time of day. It is so stunning particularly at sunrise and sunset. We are planning to go back in 2011 or 2012 and hike rim-to-rim. I can't wait!! Have an awesome time on your trip!!!! Oh, one more thing to keep in mind since I just noticed when you are going - it will probably still be quite chilly when you go. We went over July 4th weekend, and it was just starting to warm up then. One day it barely reached 70, another it was in the upper 70s and very nice. Have fun!