Grand Canyon ?

[disneygirlatheart]

What is there to do in the Grand Canyon? Is it a lot of hiking or are there other things too? How long to spend there?

 

[Claire L]

There is the shuttle that takes you along part of the canyon that is not open to public cars and you can walk between the stops as well if feeling more energetic! A flight over the canyon either by helicopter or fixed wing plane is well worh it. We spent 3 nights there last year and that gave us time to do everything at a leisurely pace, plus now there is the 'Skywalk'.

Claire

 

[Jeanne B]

plus now there is the 'Skywalk'.

Isn't the Skywalk quite a distance from the South Rim? I was thinking it was a 3-4 hour drive.

 

[kacaju]

Yes, the skywalk is far away from the south rim. It is also quite expensive, $75 a person!! The skywalk is at the *Grand Canyon West* not to be confused with the West Rim of the Grand Canyon which is inside the National Park at the South Rim!!
3 days is probably enough. Sunrise/sunsets are just unbelieveable, so you will see them a few times.
There is the shuttles (free) which drive up and down the rim trails. You could walk a few of the trails and then hop on a shuttle. The East Rim is quite a drive and beautiful, so I would suggest you take the car and take the time to drive that way and stop at all the overlooks. We only did that on our way out and were pressed for time. I wish we had more time to explore the East Rims.
The last stop before you exit the park is the Desert View stop. Take the time to see that.
Are you going to visit other places in AZ or just the GC?
Tina

 

[fireplug]

We had a short visit but there seemed to be quite a bit of hiking/walking trails available. I would have loved to taken some time to go out into the canyon a little but we just didnt have the time. We took the shuttle to the west part and really enjoyed it!

Squid

 

[Claire L]

Wow Skywalk is further than I thought, from what I had read I thought it was about an hour away! Its closer to LV than the GC South Rim NP!

Claire

 

[disneygirlatheart]

Yes, the skywalk is far away from the south rim. It is also quite expensive, $75 a person!! The skywalk is at the *Grand Canyon West* not to be confused with the West Rim of the Grand Canyon which is inside the National Park at the South Rim!!
3 days is probably enough. Sunrise/sunsets are just unbelieveable, so you will see them a few times.
There is the shuttles (free) which drive up and down the rim trails. You could walk a few of the trails and then hop on a shuttle. The East Rim is quite a drive and beautiful, so I would suggest you take the car and take the time to drive that way and stop at all the overlooks. We only did that on our way out and were pressed for time. I wish we had more time to explore the East Rims.
The last stop before you exit the park is the Desert View stop. Take the time to see that.
Are you going to visit other places in AZ or just the GC?
Tina

We will be staying in Phoenix for 2 weeks, and planned on the Grand Canyon. Also looking for other stuff to do those 2 weeks.

 

[kacaju]

lucky you!! I love it out in AZ!
How much time do you want to spend away from the Phoenix area?

There is a lot to do out in that area, but it does require a LOT of driving. I am not sure where you are from, (and how much driving you are used to) but if you can give me some ideas on what you'd like to see, I could try to help you out.
I have a ton of stuff bookmarked on my computer about AZ.

I have been out there twice, the first time I did Phoenix, Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Tucson in a week.
The second time it was Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Bryce National Park (in Utah) and Zion National Park (in Utah).
Both trips were a week long and lots of driving.
Tina

 

[disneygirlatheart]

lucky you!! I love it out in AZ!
How much time do you want to spend away from the Phoenix area?

There is a lot to do out in that area, but it does require a LOT of driving. I am not sure where you are from, (and how much driving you are used to) but if you can give me some ideas on what you'd like to see, I could try to help you out.
I have a ton of stuff bookmarked on my computer about AZ.

I have been out there twice, the first time I did Phoenix, Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Tucson in a week.
The second time it was Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Bryce National Park (in Utah) and Zion National Park (in Utah).
Both trips were a week long and lots of driving.
Tina

We are looking to do the Grand Canyon for sure, other than that I am at a loss. I might try to get to DL for 1 day. I am looking for kid/teen stuff they would enjoy. My dd is outdoorsy my ds is not. Something they both would like. Driving does not bother me, so whatever needs to be done. Thanks for all the help and anything you have feel free. Please feel free to send me what you have, I would love to see it. If you wouldn't mind. Thanks again.

 

[missstcroix]

We just did that trip last month for spring break and I LOVED it!

We flew into Vegas, and drove to Zion Ntl. Park, Kanab, Page/Lake Powell, did Antelope Slot Cavern (thanks to tip from DISBOARDS! , Grand Canyon South Rim, Bryce Canyon and flew out of Vegas again. It was a couple of hours of driving each day..but the scenery is SO beautiful and we rented a convertible and it was great! Stayed in Vegas and Page. The one note I would make is when driving thru Zion, coming FROM vegas is a straight run..going OUT of Zion into Utah is all hair pin winding roads...and so what looks like 10 minutes on a map really takes alot longer. We hiked in Zion and Grand Canyon...and went horseback riding in Bryce. The Slot Cavern was a GREAT TIP..very worth it! Any questions, I would be happy to help.

 

[kacaju]

DL is too far away for a 1 day trip.
How old are your kids?
I will post later today (got to get the kids up for school now)
and I will give you some ideas on driving times and places to see.

 

[kacaju]

I PM'ed you a bunch of websites

 

[wvnative]

The AZ Science Center is pretty cool. Karchner (sp?) Caverns down by Tuscon is really neat too. You've also got Tombstone down that way. Depending on when you are coming, you could go by Sedona and play at Slide Rock. You could also take them to Castles and Coasters up my MetroCenter mall. We've not done that yet. There are a few places you can take trail rides on horseback, and of course the water parks are always a hit with the kids. They'd enjoy Fiddlesticks too.

 

[Barbday62]

If you will be here in the Summer (By here I mean Arizona lol)
Check out our resorts. Summer is our low season in Phoenix and most of the expensive very luxury hotels that go for $400 a night and up are about $150 or less per night in the summer.

I love Sedona and slide rock looks fun to swim in if its summer time. I have done Sedona as a day trip and an over night and over night is very much a better trip. So much shopping and tours and sights to see there.

We go to Disneyland about every 2 to 3 months. Its 5 1/2 to 6 hours drive each way. We go for a weekend but never a day trip.

The Grand Canyon is 3 hours from Phoenix. I have only done it as a day trip.
I would say Sedona is about the same (3 hours) since you have to go West a bit through the mountains.

I have been on a tour south near Tucson in the biosphere 2. It sort of puts learning and touring in the same group. I found it amazing to see. Its been a few years since I been there but Im sure its on the internet. ANd no they didnt not film the movie biodome there with Pauly Shore, lol . (I learned that on the tour)

Back to the original question: The Grand Canyon has as much or a little walking/hiking as you want. My husband uses a wheelchair part time and we do no hiking and very little walking. The buses take you to look outs at the South Rim and you spend as much time as you want and catch the next bus that pulls up to the next pull out. If your disabled you can get a permit to drive your car where the buses go. The buses are free with admission to the park. (Which is a car load price)

Oh the sky walk thing is actually $25 per person plus the cost to get into the park. The park cost $50 per car laod to get into because its run by Native American not US government. SO if your one person its $75 to do it but more in the car makes it cheaper until you have a second car load I guess. Its not near the South Rom but come from the Las Vegas Side.

 

[kimberh]

This is great information, I am looking for a trip next year. If anyone has any web sites that they can send to me, I would greatly apprecitate it.

Thanks!

 

[Barbday62]

Grand Canyon : http://www.nps.gov/grca/
Sedona: http://www.visitsedona.com/
List of water parks in Arizona: http://themeparks.about.com/cs/waterparks/a/AZwaterparks.htm
Biosphere2 http://www.b2science.com/

A resort that offers cheaper summer rates (Like about a half of winter costs)
The Pointe at South Mountain http://www.pointesouthmtn.com/
My brother stayed there once and its real nice

Tombstone: http://www.americanwest.com/pages/tombston.htm
Rawhide: http://www.rawhide.com/

Hoover Dam: http://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/service/index.html

Great links of things to do in Arizona by City: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g28924-Activities-Arizona.html

 

[disneyfaninaz]

You can always take the mule ride down into the canyon.

Sedona is beautiful, if you are driving to the GC from Phoenix you definitely want to stop at Sedona. There is a lot of shopping there, or you can take a jeep tour into the red rocks. Oak Creek Canyon is a beautiful drive, especially in the fall.

There are also a lot of indian ruins in that area near Sedona and Cottonwood. Arizona has a ghost town at Jerome which is near Clarkdale and Montezuma's Castle which is an indian dwelling carved into cliffs.

There is also Out of Africa Animal Park near Cottonwood that is fun to go to as well. They have tigers and lions and other African animals as well as a safari that you can feed giraffes from from your truck. Very cool!

Don't forget Flagstaff. You will go through on your way to the Canyon. Lowell's observatory is cool. They discovered, the former planet, Pluto there.
There's a chair lift you can ride at Snow Bowl which you will take you up the mountain for an outstanding view of the north country.

If you're into meteors, Meteor Crater is a cool place to visit too.

Wherever you decide to visit, have a great trip to the Grand Canyon State!!

 

[queenarmadillo]

Maybe Monument Valley, if its not too far out of the way. I almost prefered that to the Grand Canyon, and they offer guided tours in 4x4 type things or horse rides I think.

We also did a raft trip from the Glen Canyon dam to Lees Ferry, which was realy nice, and I think they do a similar thing from around the south rim.

Also second the suggestion of Bryce canyon someone made earlier. I would have liked to spend a bit more time exploring there.

 

[mom2ian]

I second the idea about visiting the Antelope Slot Canyon - absolutely beautiful. You do need to make reservations as it is on reservation land. You get to ride in an open-air rugged vehicle out to the canyon.

We went at noon when the sun is directly overhead. I got some beautiful shots. I think kids would enjoy it as well.

Do a Google search under 'Antelope Canyon' and you'll see some tour groups.

We also visited the Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion. Arches is a great place to visit as well but a much longer drive.

 

[mom2ian]

I forgot to mention that the half-day mule ride into the Grand Canyon is definitely a good experience as well. Then, head back to your room for a cool shower and a nap!