Canadian visitor (near Vancouver, BC). Planning to visit Phoenix beginning of December pending COVID.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by Prickly Pear

Grand Canyon will be snowy in December, which shouldn’t be a problem for a Canadian. But that also raises the other question, would a Canadian want to see even more snow in December?

IMO, if someone from another country is coming to AZ, then the Grand Canyon should be on your bucket list. He said he is coming in early December. And the average snowfall in December is 0.1". That's because in early December, the average high temp is around 60 degrees F (16 C) and the average low is 40 degrees F (5 C). I'm thinking he's going to be o.k. https://www.weather-us.com/en/arizon...ember#snowfall

To the Op. Stop by Sedona on your way up! To put it in perspective, I went to New Zealand in early 2020 for 3 weeks and hiked all over the place. I came back to AZ and went hiking the following day with our daughter in Sedona. It wasn't close: subjectively to my eyes, Sedona blew away all of the trails that (stunning) New Zealand had to offer. Sedona is special and so is the Grand Canyon. Don't miss the opportunity to see them both. In fact, skip the local PHX hikes if you run out of time.

The West has some amazing parks (CA, UT, AZ).

[hikernut]

Originally Posted by Prickly Pear

Not sure why a single person hasn’t mentioned South Mountain. It’s not only the easiest, but has the best views due to the proximity to not only Downtown but Tempe, and you can even drive close to the top of the mountain. There are a plethora of hiking trails. They are better for a novice especially a Canadian not used to the sun intensity of a southern latitude.

South Mountain is also good. Many miles of trails, and less crowded than the two mountain trails mentioned. I personally find the view from Piestewa Peak the nicest, but it's honestly hard to go wrong with any of these.

Parking may be challenging everywhere in December. Avoiding the weekends will help. Going later in the day helps too. Or, as I mentioned before, just take an Uber or Lyft ride and don't stress about it.

[Maroon197]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Camelback and Piestewa are both easy hikes for anyone halfway in shape. The trails is wide and worn from millions of people. They are very crowded. If you don't want to deal with hordes of hikers, South Mountain is a good alternative as is the county's Estrella Park. South Mountain has a nice drive to the top and you can park right at the base of the trails in Estrella and have relative solitude and quiet on your hike.

I hike all the time and Piestewa still kicks my butt every time. I would never describe it as "easy." Doable, but definitely not easy. And regardless of which trail you pick, you need to bring lots of water, even in winter.

[ringler24]

Originally Posted by Maroon197

I hike all the time and Piestewa still kicks my butt every time. I would never describe it as "easy." Doable, but definitely not easy. And regardless of which trail you pick, you need to bring lots of water, even in winter.

Thank you! Agree! I've seen helicopters rescuing hikers from that trail more than a few times (and not because of the summer heat)

OP if you get in shape on your stair climber, you should be good. But it's not an easy hike.

[Prickly Pear]

Originally Posted by MN-Born-n-Raised

IMO, if someone from another country is coming to AZ, then the Grand Canyon should be on your bucket list. He said he is coming in early December. And the average snowfall in December is 0.1". That's because in early December, the average high temp is around 60 degrees F (16 C) and the average low is 40 degrees F (5 C). I'm thinking he's going to be o.k. https://www.weather-us.com/en/arizon...ember#snowfall

To the Op. Stop by Sedona on your way up! To put it in perspective, I went to New Zealand in early 2020 for 3 weeks and hiked all over the place. I came back to AZ and went hiking the following day with our daughter in Sedona. It wasn't close: subjectively to my eyes, Sedona blew away all of the trails that (stunning) New Zealand had to offer. Sedona is special and so is the Grand Canyon. Don't miss the opportunity to see them both. In fact, skip the local PHX hikes if you run out of time.

The West has some amazing parks (CA, UT, AZ).

You do realize what you have to drive through to get to the Grand Canyon from here though? Lots of snow in the Williams and Flagstaff area. Not that the Grand Canyon isn’t worth seeing, but it’s one of the worst interstates in the US to drive in terms of elevation changes and steepness. The 89A wouldn’t be easy with a snow risk either if you’ve actually driven that entire freeway from Sedona to Flagstaff. I’ve done so many times. There wouldn’t be no Canyon if there was no Colorado Plateau, and how do you think you get up that plateau? By climbing the Mogollon Rim. And since that goes across the entire state of Arizona, good luck avoiding that.

Considering OP is a novice hiker, they won’t get much out of going to the Grand Canyon if all they are going to do is stand at the top. There isn’t much else to do at the top other than look at it. Arizona is a hiker’s paradise, but the Arizona/Utah border even more so. It’s really hard to enjoy those unique and beautiful geologic features if you aren’t going to immerse yourself in them. That goes for Monument Valley, Antelope Canyon, Vermillion Cliffs, and the Grand Canyon. Not to mention the many other canyons and mountains and craters that exist in the area like Canyon de Chelly, the Petrified Forest or Coalmine Canyon. And what exists in Utah. I’d recommend to the OP to actually consider going into the Grand Canyon to make the 6 hour drive round trip worth it. But, that means an even more intense hike than Camelback Mountain.

Southern Arizona is just as beautiful but significantly more friendly to out of shape or average people whereas northern Arizona really requires someone to be in very good cardiovascular health to truly enjoy it. Those hikes are difficult, sun-intensive (difficult for someone coming from rainy Canada), steep, dry, and long. I know I can’t do them and neither can a lot of people. You also get to see the Wild West history by going to southern Arizona and more of our cultural heritage. Some people get more of a kick out of that than one of the most difficult hikes in the world, a vertical mile down to the base of the Grand Canyon. We offer more than hiking and it’s time that’s recognized.

[hikernut]

Certainly check the road conditions before deciding to drive to the Grand Canyon. I personally think it's worth the trip even if just spending a couple of hours along the rim. It shouldn't be terribly busy in early December, and the canyon can look even nicer with a dusting of snow.

I find it difficult to know ahead of time which attractions I'll find most inspiring. I remember my first time seeing Old Faithful, and was unimpressed. The Grand Canyon was the opposite. Of course I'd seen it in countless photographs, television productions, movies, etc. My expectations were tempered, but seeing the vast scale of the canyon in person made quite an impression for me.

[Prickly Pear]

Originally Posted by hikernut

Certainly check the road conditions before deciding to drive to the Grand Canyon. I personally think it's worth the trip even if just spending a couple of hours along the rim. It shouldn't be terribly busy in early December, and the canyon can look even nicer with a dusting of snow.

I find it difficult to know ahead of time which attractions I'll find most inspiring. I remember my first time seeing Old Faithful, and was unimpressed. The Grand Canyon was the opposite. Of course I'd seen it in countless photographs, television productions, movies, etc. My expectations were tempered, but seeing the vast scale of the canyon in person made quite an impression for me.

That is true some get more out of standing along the top than others. I just know that for most people they don’t have an experience. It’s hard to say whether or not the OP is like you hikernut or most other people. I’m trying to offer alternatives for the OP. We offer a lot. It’s more than red rocks here.

I had more of an experiencing visiting the fjords of SE Alaska than I did visiting the Grand Canyon. Different strokes for different folks.

[hikernut]

Originally Posted by Prickly Pear

I had more of an experiencing visiting the fjords of SE Alaska than I did visiting the Grand Canyon. Different strokes for different folks.

Sure. I did a trip to Icy Bay when I was younger to do some sea kayaking. It's an incredibly dramatic scene, with Mt. Saint Elias only about 15 miles away. But that's an expensive and time consuming trip.

For someone who's already in Phoenix, getting to the Grand Canyon is not a lot of effort or expense. A very good ROI, if you will.