grand canyon vacation (Flagstaff, Williams, Tusayan: how much, motel, camping)

[brrrinmass]

Can anyone suggest how long you might want to vacation in the Grand Canyon area? What is there to do and see in the area?

[rambrush]

Well this is a no brainer for me, Base out of Jacob Lake you can easily spend a couple of days exploring the north rim as the south is not so pretty in my opinion.
Vermillon Cliffs, Best Friend Animal Sanctuary, Lake Powell, Grand Staircase Escalante monument, Zion national park, Bryce Canyon to name a few areas.

[Ritchie_az]

You can spend as little or as much time as you'd like. Some will spend a couple hours, take in the view from the rim, and leave. Others explore a little more... do some hiking, maybe go all the way to the bottom... raft, ride the train, take a helicopter tour, etc.... Some will stay a whole week and really take it in.
There are so many things to see and do in northern Arizona, depending on how long you stay in the area and how much of the canyon you want to see will determine how many different places you may want to visit.

[Valley Native]

My recommendation is to stay in Williams and take the train to the Grand Canyon (South Rim). It leaves Williams in the morning and comes back later in the afternoon. That gives you a pretty full day at the canyon itself. There are lots of spectacular views, and plenty of shopping & restaurants in the adjacent village. I would say that a day would be all you need to spend at the South Rim, unless you want to hike or take in more of the natural spots away from the village.

I would agree that the North Rim is prettier, and it's also less crowded than the South Rim. The problem is that you can only visit the North Rim in the summer months because of heavy snow closing the highway up there. Also, the drive to the North Rim is very lengthy & time consuming. North Rim is basically a nature lover's paradise ... while the South Rim is more touristy.

[kdog]

Oh gosh, not the Williams/Grand Canyon Train. I'd rather visit the dentist than spend half a day bored to tears on that thing.

I guess it all depends on what the OP is into. Hiking? Camping? Traveling around to visit the tons of other parks within a day's drive? Or just sticking to the classic south rim area? Kind of hard to make recommendations otherwise. One could spend the rest of their days traveling and exploring the southwest.

[observer53]

I agree, there's no point in taking the train if you really want to see the Canyon and the attractions around the Grand Canyon area. Drive your own car to the Canyon. Take the rim bus tour, if you like, but the train is something to leave out if what you really want to see is the Canyon.

[azdr0710]

Originally Posted by brrrinmass

Can anyone suggest how long you might want to vacation in the Grand Canyon area? What is there to do and see in the area?

are you going to be in other areas, too?...are you driving thru the area to/from other destinations?.......the North Rim vs. South Rim decision is affected by your other plans away from the Canyon.....

if you can possibly manage the time, at least one full 24-hr period directly on the rim is suggested as sunrise and sunset are the best views.....there's a choice of lodging right on the S Rim (inside the Park) and it's nice to get one of those places so you don't have to worry about driving off to a motel in far-flung Flagstaff or Williams at the end of the day, though Tusayan (just outside the Park) has standard motels, too....

walk the rim trail, explore the historic buildings, walk a short or long ways down the Bright Angel Trail (if at the S Rim) for a very different perspective....will be crowded in the summer.....

[dynimagelv]

Originally Posted by kdog

Oh gosh, not the Williams/Grand Canyon Train. I'd rather visit the dentist than spend half a day bored to tears on that thing.

One could spend the rest of their days traveling and exploring the southwest.

I took the train once...on my honeymooon 17 yrs ago....it was fun....once....we stayed 3 days...once.....

I have frequently driven to the Canyon from Las Vegas...had lunch and drove home, JUST because I wanted to look at it again.

[keninaz]

The train is expensive if I remember right. Forget it. Just drive into the canyon and park in one of the many lots and catch the free shuttles that take you quickly where you want to go. It's a simple system.
As pointed out the North Rim is different, has less amenities and is pretty much a summer venture.
Lodging within the canyon books well in advance and it's expensive.
But you can get lodging in the town of Tusayan cheaper and without as much notice. At least you won't have to drive back and forth to the canyon if you are there more than a few days.
It all depends on what you want to do I suppose. Many just do it in one day and they are gone.
I would suggest you take you time though. While there you might want to check there used to be a nice IMax in Tusayan that had a nice show on the canyon that was well worth seeing.
Are you going into the canyon? On foot or by mule that's a day's trip easily. If you plan on hiking you had better be in shape and remember it's high altitude.
And know that the mules have weight limits so not everyone is going to ride those. Details are available on that I am sure.

[rich67]

I'd say spend at least 2 days south rim, 2 days north rim. The south is way overcrowded and over-commercialized, but you will get some really awesome views of the canyon. Take one of those days to hike down the Bright Angel trail and at least get somewhat "down" into the canyon. If you're a hiker, book a night or two at Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the canyon and explore. Zip over to the north rim, and check out the Vermillion Cliffs while en route, maybe take a side trip over to Lake Powell. If you go to Powell, hit Lone Rock beach or head over to the Chains daytime recreation area. They both are the best access points to the lake itself.
Split your time, and that way when you return you can decide which rim is right for you. Then book a whole week and just "chill".