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Grand Canyon Advice


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For 24 years I served in the Navy and have been on every continent, but I haven’t been through 99% of our country, so we’ve decided to finally check off a bucket list item and go to the Grand Canyon next year.  We’re both retired so time of year and length of stay are very flexible.  I’ve looked on the inter-web and really couldn’t figure out some basic things so I thought I’d ask here.  How much time do you need? Three days? Two weeks?  North rim or South rim or both?  Any tours you recommend to take or avoid?  I saw there was a train ride that looked cool, has anyone taken it?  We’ll be taking the RV (45 foot MH) so we can’t fit into the National Parks that are right at the canyon so we’re going to have to try to find someplace that’s not too far and has room for us.  Thanks for the help. 

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I hear the train ride is worth the trip!

We stayed at the South end. Two days was NOT enough.

There is an RV park there that can accomidate the rig.

I will have to search the name.

There is a Steak House in the town just before the entrance to the park.

It was the most expensive, but best meal/Rib Eye I have ever had. (It is on the right side...by Mc Donalds)

I say do both sides!

Find RV Parks close by, and I believe most have shuttle busses to the canyon stop offs...many of them.

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The north rim and south rim are only a couple of miles apart as the crow flows.  However to get from one to the other by road is a LONG trip.  The train runs from Williams, Arizona north and there are several RV campgrounds in and around Williams.  One place that is slightly off the beaten trail is to go to Diamond Creek on the Hualapai Indian reservation.  The creek runs through a narrow canyon in the mountains and is one of the few places you can actually go down to river level and stand on the shores of the Colorado.  It is the exit point for many river rafting expeditions.

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In 2008 I had the opportunity to hike the Grand Canyon, from the North Rim to the South Rim, in one day. To do this, it has to be in the cool weather, in mid-October, just before the North Rim closes for the season.

 

So I've been to the North Rim and the South, on just this one occasion.

 

The Grand Canyon is beyond spectacular, and is a must see. But I will say, I thought the North Rim was especially spectacular. It is much less travelled-to than the South Rim, and thus far less touristy, but has a great lodge, cabins, restaurants, etc. It's harder to get to, from the geographical access point of view, as a map will show.

 

I recommend either, but especially the North.

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9 hours ago, Tequila Shooter said:

For 24 years I served in the Navy and have been on every continent, but I haven’t been through 99% of our country, so we’ve decided to finally check off a bucket list item and go to the Grand Canyon next year.  We’re both retired so time of year and length of stay are very flexible.  I’ve looked on the inter-web and really couldn’t figure out some basic things so I thought I’d ask here.  How much time do you need? Three days? Two weeks?  North rim or South rim or both?  Any tours you recommend to take or avoid?  I saw there was a train ride that looked cool, has anyone taken it?  We’ll be taking the RV (45 foot MH) so we can’t fit into the National Parks that are right at the canyon so we’re going to have to try to find someplace that’s not too far and has room for us.  Thanks for the help. 

Take the train out of Williams (round trip over nighter) and leave the MH there overnight.  Spend a night at the rim, eat, laugh, have fun, go back the next day and carry on.  Of course that will only let you see a very small portion of the canyon.  The folks at the rim will be able to tell you how to see other parts.

 

I'm about an hour and a half south of Williams so if you have time drop on down and I'll take you breakfast or lunch where the Earps, Big Nose Kate and others ate...or so I've been told. Look up Lone Spur Saloon and Palace Saloon....and we ain't a tourist trap like Tombstone, Dodge, and other places have become.  We are still just down home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Get this book that tells you pretty much everything not to do on your Grand Canyon adventure. Mrs. Lose scolded me a couple of times for laughing at some of the things that led to some people’s demise. She says I’m “warped”. Get the book, read it and tell me honestly that you did not chuckle just a little bit when the guy is standing on the stone barrier wall posing for a picture and takes a step (fatal) back when told to do so.

 

One of the mysteries to me is why would the Boy Scouts of America let a scout leader take a group of ill prepared scouts into the depths of the canyon, where a large number of them died because they weren’t carrying enough water not once but twice it happened. Heart breaking to read this part. If you find the book get the updated version.

 

 

58E777FC-40D6-4902-BC5B-41C23DAEE92D.jpeg

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A good read, that book!

 

The guy who took me along on the rim-to-rim hike years later gave me a copy of that book and I read the whole thing.

 

He and a friend did the hike annually, starting in his 60s. Then he quit about 3 years ago at near 80. Amazingly tough guy.

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Every American needs to see the canyon it’s spectacular. Be aware if you have children there are no guardrails. Even as an adult you need to stay a body length away from the edge it’s along way down 

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Great trip! And the train trip is spectacular!

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2 hours ago, Yul Lose said:

Get this book that tells you pretty much everything not to do on your Grand Canyon adventure. Mrs. Lose scolded me a couple of times for laughing at some of the things that led to some people’s demise. She says I’m “warped”. Get the book, read it and tell me honestly that you did not chuckle just a little bit when the guy is standing on the stone barrier wall posing for a picture and takes a step (fatal) back when told to do so.

 

One of the mysteries to me is why would the Boy Scouts of America let a scout leader take a group of ill prepared scouts into the depths of the canyon, where a large number of them died because they weren’t carrying enough water not once but twice it happened. Heart breaking to read this part. If you find the book get the updated version.

 

 

58E777FC-40D6-4902-BC5B-41C23DAEE92D.jpeg

 

Thanks I love a good comedy, I ordered it today. 

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4 hours ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

Take the train out of Williams (round trip over nighter) and leave the MH there overnight.  Spend a night at the rim, eat, laugh, have fun, go back the next day and carry on.  Of course that will only let you see a very small portion of the canyon.  The folks at the rim will be able to tell you how to see other parts.

 

I'm about an hour and a half south of Williams so if you have time drop on down and I'll take you breakfast or lunch where the Earps, Big Nose Kate and others ate...or do I've been told. Look up Lone Spur Saloon and Palace Saloon....and we ain't a tourist trap like Tombstone, Dodge, and other places have become.  We are still just down home.

 

FR - Thanks for the invite, and the leads.  I’ll let you know when the time comes. 

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There are plenty of RV parks south of the Canyon in Flagstaff and Williams.  If you lack a towed vehicle I'd rent a car and drive into the park.  Drive the full length of state highway 54 along the South Rim stopping at the overlooks.  Take at least one full day. North Rim is great too but more distant.  I recommend October.  That is the best weather in the Southwest and after families with children quit traveling.  Springtime can be very windy.  The Grand Canyon is one of our most popular parks and summer crowds can detract from the park experience.  A caution about stopping at locations where people are selling handicrafts: some are not sellers and are there just to burglarize unattended vehicles.  There are some national monuments near Flagstaff worth seeing if you have time.

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My daughter and I went there after Winter Range in 2018. We stayed at the Hotel in Williams that is connected with Grand Canyon Railway. We liked it a lot, the train ride was fun with Music entertainment and a hold up.

 

The only downside was the Hotel didn't allow guns so I had to leave them in the truck for the time there. 

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Been to the South Rim a few times and to the North Rim twice. Vastly different. More views on the South Rim as well as visitor accommodations. The North Rim is more rustic. 

 

A few years ago, took an eight day raft trip through the Grand Canyon. Now that is the way to see the sights!:)

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Check in advance to see if the east gate is open. Last I saw only the south gate was open so you could not go to Desert View or out to Cameron. I also read somewhere that the North Rim was closed for a while.

 

All of the shops and road-side stands on the Navajo Rez were shut down due to COVID. The Cameron Trading Post is one of my favorite stopping places and even it was closed. 

 

There are two KOA campgrounds by Williams. There are NF campgrounds by Kaibab Lake and elsewhere but they don't have hookups. There are a few RV parks in Williams as well. There is a KOA in Flagstaff as well as Kit Carson and another that I forget the name of.

 

Bearizona is in Williams. Kids of all ages love it.

 

The train to the Grand Canyon leaves from one of the last remaining Fred Harvey houses in Williams and drops you off at another Fred Harvey lodge, the El Tovar and you can actually stay there. If you don't know about Fred Harvey, it is a topic worth reading up on.

 

I like both rims but the North Rim is the most stunning. If you do the north rim, be sure to check out Zion and Brice Canyon NP.

 

Monument Valley is just a "short" romp up Hwy 160 and you can also stay at the RV park at Goulding's Trading Post, which was the location for one of John Wayne's early John Ford westerns. To paraphrase JW, Monument Valley is where God hid the West.

 

If you want to see some amazing stuff drive through the malapis at Sunset Crater just north of Flagstaff. It is surreal.

 

If you want to explore a mile-long lava tube, check out the Lava River Cave just west of Flagstaff. Bring hiking poles, good footwear, coats, and flashlights.

 

And as long as you are so close you will want to check out Oak Creek Canyon, the red rocks of Sedona, and the mountain-side town of Jerome. I recommend parking the RV in Williams or Flagstaff at one of the RV parks and doing the last part using your dingy.

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I've been in AZ twice. BOTH times is was cold, windy and rainy with some snow and hail.

 

Take a sweater, gloves, light jacket, heavy jacket and rain gear. Just in case.

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9 minutes ago, Tequila Shooter said:

So is October the best month weather wise?  Or would the spring, like April, (before the kiddos get out of school) be better?

 

Either. Monsoons could be present in October. The last time I was at the North Rim, it was October and it rained / lightning / thunder every day. We left a day early because of this and went to Red Rock State Park in Nevada for a couple of days.

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Here is the Grand Canyon Official Site.  According to this article the monsoon season runs from mid-June to the end of September.  Here is the National Park Service's weather summary for the park.  Driving south on US89 after the 4-Corners Regional I encountered strong winds and camped in the trees at a KOA in Flagstaff for shelter.  I watch the weather forecasts carefully when pulling a trailer in the Spring.

 

Cholla is right, the Colorado Plateau of Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico is full of features worth visiting.

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OP, go during the "off" season if you can.

We were there in October, 2 years back and the place was nearly empty.
Our shuttle bus driver told us they had 5 million visitors that summer... wall to wall crowds.

The driving road west on the south rim, west of the visitor center is closed to vehicle traffic during the season.
You can take the free shuttle bus, but this is annoying if hauling equipment, etc.
The East driving rim is open all the way to the termination.

The North rim is only accessible from an entirely different direction.
Seeing both rims is a LOT of driving.

In these days of Instagram and selfies... the attractions are overrun with thousands of picture-takers, all vying to take the same photo from the same spot.
I'm glad we took the kids in the 80s.. when there were not crowds, like there are today.

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19 hours ago, Crazy Gun Barney, SASS #2428 said:

Never been... but I always assumed Chevy Chase had it right:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqNwo2NpmGY

 

He was completely wrong.

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I enjoyed the north rim more.

 

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10 hours ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

Cholla, a visit to Cameron is worth the milage and a day's travel up and back.  They have a wonderful restaurant / gift shop there.  Give me a call and we can go up together.

I’ve driven by it dozens of times. Tempted to stop but it’s always crowded.

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I vote for late spring. Late May or early June. Make the Canyon trip on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.

If the desert gets good rains in late Nov or Dec it will be in bloom and make the trip even better. 

 

Keep in mind that the Flagstaff area is high desert so the weather is going to be a lot different than lower elevations.

 

Jerome and Sedona are worth the visit. Also check out the Verde Canyon Railroad.

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My camera bag snagged a vase in a kitchy shop in Sedona.. cost me a hunnert bux.

Good ideas about going before the season starts, and during the middle of the week.
Flagstaff is 6900 feet, historical snow is 0 in may and june.
Our place in Colorado Springs was at 6500 feet, and we often got a ton of snow in April/May.

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1 hour ago, bgavin said:

My camera bag snagged a vase in a kitchy shop in Sedona.. cost me a hunnert bux.

Good ideas about going before the season starts, and during the middle of the week.
Flagstaff is 6900 feet, historical snow is 0 in may and june.
Our place in Colorado Springs was at 6500 feet, and we often got a ton of snow in April/May.

Sedona! :lol::lol:

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