Places to see in grand canyon (Phoenix, Tusayan: cost, airport, budget)

[jamies]

Originally Posted by rich67

I don't think many people who have never been to the Grand Canyon truly understand what it is like to go there. I think many people just anticipate a moderately large gash in the earth, and have no clue of its grandeur or beauty. My ex-wife (and this is probably another reason she's an ex) went to the canyon at night one time and wanted to see it. Of course, the park ranger denied her access for the simple fact..."it's night, ma'am". Which to him or anyone else would have seemed like a no-brainer. I think she thought there were some Malibu lights shining on a small canyon so you could see it day or night and get a feel for what it is. Ugh.

LOL - Actually under a full moon the canyon is... mystical. I spent several days down in Supai during a full moon cycle. At night I would just sit on the cliff next to Mooney Falls by myself for a couple of hours watching the shadows and reflected light on the canyon walls above, while the roar of the waterfall a few feet away crashed to the pool below.

Malibu lights would be nice though. They should install those on the trails. Write your Senator.

[cjs123]

Originally Posted by jamies

LOL - Actually under a full moon the canyon is... mystical. I spent several days down in Supai during a full moon cycle. At night I would just sit on the cliff next to Mooney Falls by myself for a couple of hours watching the shadows and reflected light on the canyon walls above, while the roar of the waterfall a few feet away crashed to the pool below.

Malibu lights would be nice though. They should install those on the trails. Write your Senator.

On my first visit I was the last one off the shuttle and kept walking past my car in Lot 3--because I couldn't see it! Fortunately I remembered (it was a rental) that I had one of those remote things where I could activate the horn and the lights, or I'd be out there yet.

I'm glad they keep the lighting low and directed downward--I just made sure I had a flashlight with me after that first night on the first trip.

I love watching the full moon rise over the canyon, and have been able to see that twice. Yaki point isn't open to private vehicles so there weren't tons of people up there (November and January) and since the last shuttle picks up an hour after sunset there was time to watch both sunset and moonrise, which were anywhere between 2 and 50 minutes of one another. The twilight skies are lovely from that location as well, and I relished the silence.

Your experience sounds marvelous.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by jamies

T

In LV for one day why not visit Red Rock and Boulder Dam?

Or even better, do a loop from Vegas through the Valley of Fire State Park then swing over to Boulder and back to Vegas. The Valley of Fire is just amazing, especially early in the day --- and it's just an hour from Vegas. But even that can make for a long day if you're actually getting out of the car and not just whizzing by the scenery.

The original poster might want to investigate some of the organized bus tours to Grand Canyon from Vegas, as that way he/she will not have to worry about driving or finding things to see. It would make for a more pleasant day trip to let someone else do all that driving if you're just going for a quick look at the Grand Canyon just to say you did it.

[cjs123]

Agree a shuttle could make it an easier day--I've heard horror stories, but I've also had good experiences. On my last trip I took a shuttle up to the Canyon, and I did enjoy leaving the driving to someone else. If I only had a day, I think I'd want to do it that way.

To me traveling for one day out and back from Vegas sounds exhausting but I remember talking with people at the South Rim who were doing just that (whether by car or shuttle), and they were having a great time.

[sloguy1496]

Sorry to hear you have such a time crunch to see the canyon. You really won't get much out of your visit. You probably have enough time to visit Grand Canyon West, which will not be the most phenomenal experience Grand Canyon has to offer, by any means. But if you must visit, that will have to do. It would also be nice to know what time of year you are planning this trip.

Both the North and South Rim are more or less 4 hours away from Las Vegas (disregarding weather, likely traffic, potential bad weather, etc). Antelope Canyon is about 5 hours. From Las Vegas (provided you have the time) i'd visit the North Rim 10 times out of 10. There are much less people and it is much more beautiful than the South Rim (thick forest, beautiful meadows, great views). Accommodations are closed in winter due to very heavy snow, however.

In Summer, the South Rim can be horrendous. It is overcrowded, parking is awful, and monsoon thunderstorms (while spectacular) will probably drive you away from the canyon between noon and 5. inter is much better, but snowstorms can often obscure the canyon for an entire day or two. If you happen to visit during a winter storm, you are unlikely to see the canyon at all.

I also don't think you have the slightest idea about what the Grand Canyon region is like, which might be an issue if you plan on visiting (it is an unbelievably vast, rugged, and empty landscape). Antelope Canyon is a remote slot canyon near Page, 2 hours past the South Rim. The Grand Canyon is...the Grand Canyon. Both are incredible, but they each deserve their own visit.

[motormaker]

North run is now closed for the winter.

Operating Hours & Seasons - Grand Canyon National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

[jamies]

Just reread this - for future visitors. If you have the budget you can probably charter a private plane out of the No. Las Vegas airport that could fly you to Tusayan outside the canyon then take a cab or shuttle to the canyon. That would cut travel time to about 1 1/2 hours each way. Probably cost about $1,000.

[cab591]

Chartering a flight would cost way more than $1,000 (factoring plane rental, pilot hours, fuel, etc). Plus, there's not much for taxi service around there, and most of the shuttles run between hotels / main airports and the canyon. You'd be better off just doing a packaged helicopter tour out of Vegas.

I would just take 2 days to visit the Canyon from Vegas, 3 if you want to see Antelope Canyon.

With two drivers you could do canyon round trip, but I wouldn't suggest hiking much if you plan on driving back.

Source: I've done plenty of day trips from Phoenix, and it's not much closer than Vegas. As well, used to live outside of Flag, and visited the Canyon often.

[jamies]

^^^ Well whatever. Piper Cherokee $175hr plus $50-75 hr for pilot. 2 hrs each way. Roughly. Not talking a Gulfstream 4.

Clearly you can drive longer and faster than I, so that's fine.

Cars are for driving to the airport, where you park your plane.

[cab591]

Damn where are you getting a Cherokee for $175 / hr? When I got my PPL it was like $250 for a Cessna 172, plus like $75 for pilot. And that didn't even include fuel. (maybe I got ripped off. oh well).

Still doesn't answer the question of getting from the airport to the Canyon. it's a super rural area. No taxis, and because it's not a big airport there's no shuttles or common nothing (well, except for the ones ferrying pre-arranged air tours between the hotels and the planes / helicopters -- which other people can't just "hop on"). You could probably arrange for a private tour service to pick you up but that's just an additional expense.

Driving is definitely the easiest way to the Canyon, excluding bus / van tours that do the driving for you.