jjeepa Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 We are headed there this summer and plan on driving over from the northeast. We'll have an 18 and 12 year old with us. We also tend to like out of the ordinary experiences...you know, places that are off the beaten path. I would greatly appreciate any travel advice, lodging recommendations, your must sees, places that are overrated and should be avoided, favorite restaurants, favorite hiking trails...all that stuff. Thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Here are my somewhat unorganized thoughts. We did a western US trip a few years ago. The kids were around 10 and 12. We stopped at Sedona on the way in. I can't recommend this enough if you can work it into your schedule. It's just a great town and if you are at all into hiking, some excellent hiking in the area. My notes show it was about a 2 hour ride from the GC. We stayed at the Sedona Summit, which is a very beautiful resort--the nicest place we stayed during our entire trip because most of our lodging consisted of cabins at campgrounds. Anyway, very nice place. We were originally supposed to stay at Deadhorse Campground but for reasons I can't remember switched it up. While we were there we hiked at Red Rock State Park (the Cathedral rock trail) which took about 4 hours. We went to a Chuckwagon dinner show, which isn't necessarily our thing but we figured it was probably the only time we'd be able to experience one. It was the Blazin' M Ranch in Cottonwood. It was SO much fun! And the dinner was actually really good. There were so many activities at this place that you could do before dinner. It was really a good time. Okay, on to GC. Not sure if you are doing the north or south rim. We went in early May and the northern rim was not open yet, so we had no choice. We were glad we did it, but I do know people who prefer the more quiet, less touristy northern rim. Anyway, we stayed in the canyon, which I would definitely recommend. We were at the Maswick Lodge, which was fine. A standard hotel room. They have cabins there that looked so cute; if we were to ever go back, I'd try to stay in one of those. Definitely go to the ranger station. We hit 11 National Parks on our trip and the ranger stations are so knowledgeable! They will talk to you and help you figure out what to do. I also highly recommend doing some of the ranger programs. The rangers are just so awesome; they make it all come alive for you. We went to Mather Point for our first viewing, which was pretty amazing. Late in the afternoon we did the rim walk. If you are scared of heights, like me, it is a bit unsettling. There are no guardrails or really any other barriers keeping you from falling off the sides. My dh and kids kept going out to these outlooks and it was freaking me out! But I got through it. I don't think I could go if I had little ones. We hiked down the canyon on the Bright Angel Trail, which is heavily traveled but you don't feel super crowded or anything. We only went to the first rest stop. It was really hot when we were there; I can't even imagine what it would be like in the summer. Definitely invest in Camelbacks or the like if you want to hike. Staff and signs will warn you to travel with lots and lots of water and you will go through it! Heed their warnings. Also, we are in good physical shape and are used to hiking, but my dd was still pretty slow on the way back, partly due to not enough water, even though we thought we had plenty. The path is about 6' wide, so again, if you are scared of heights, stick to the inside of the path :) I think it took about 2 hours to go down and back. Since we were only there for a couple of days, we didn't do any additional hiking at GC but there are guidebooks. And again, the rangers are super helpful finding you a hike to match your skill level, etc. There was a Native American dance show near the rim at one point, which we all really enjoyed. The restaurants were nothing to write home about, but the El Tovar lodge is very pretty inside so we thought it was worth dining there. It's all fairly pricey. There are quite a few restaurants and cafeteria type dining places as well. There is also at least one grocery store if you want to pick up easy breakfast or lunch foods or snacks. Lastly, I would highly recommend doing some or all of the southern UT National Parks while you're in the vicinity. I think Zion is the closest, at about four hours. But those parks were some of our favorites of the entire trip. All so different but just beautiful. We are also from the northeast so we had really never seen anything like that part of the U.S., even though we have done a lot of hiking in the mountains of New England. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 I used the Frommer's guide to Arizona to plan our trip, and it was spot on. It has everything you're wanting. The thing to remember about GC is that it's just a hole in the ground. The real question is what you want to DO there. Dd was 1st grade age at the time, so too young to do trails or the mule rides. We ate breakfast at the main lodge there, enjoyed the sunrise, rode the bus to the stops, but there really wasn't that much to DO with her at that age. Couldn't raft, couldn't anything. Oh, and they were doing the prescribed burns, which filled the GC with smoke. We ended up doing a lot of other things that were more memorable. Tuba, the dinosaur tracks, Montezuma's Castle, the train ride through Verde Canyon, riding the black river gorge from Hoover Dam... We stayed in Flagstaff, but if we were doing it again we'd rent an RV. The state is HUGE, so taking your bed with you makes sense. It would be fun (and easy) to explore more that way. Sedona is fine. The hummer and pink jeep rides were both good. The food at the small places is great. Javelina Cantina (a chain) was only so-so. We only had 3 1/2 days, iirc, and that was just really too short. We packed all that in, but we didn't get up to the 4 Corners, Canyon De Chelly, etc. We did the observatory in Flagstaff, and that was memorable. Basically get the Frommer's guide and go through it, picking what appeals to your family. They'll review all the restaurants and tell you their best dishes, everything. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiac Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 If I was going there with a 12yo and 18yo, I would 100 percent do Phantom Ranch, the campground at the bottom of the canyon that "can only be reached by mule, on foot or by rafting the Colorado River." http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com/lodging/phantom-ranch/ We visited Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff and enjoyed it very much. Take sunscreen and hats as it is at very high elevation. And bug spray. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 We went a few years ago at the end of May. The park was really busy, even that early in the season. We camped in the park and spent most of our time at the South Rim. It got down to freezing at night but warmed up to about 70F in the day. We stopped at nearly all the overlooks but only hiked one trail--to Ooh Aah Point. (Take lots of water and snacks--being at elevation made us so hungry and thirsty.) It was manageable even for dd who was 6yo at the time. Our trip included a lot of driving to see Mesa Verde, Arches, and take the train from Durango to Silverton. We stayed overnight in Silverton, though there isn't much to do there. But we did get to see the finish of the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic. We ended with the North Rim which was open by the time we got there--there was still some snow on the ground--but opening dates vary depending on weather. Dh said the hike was great but he was behind mules the whole time. None of the rest of us went because dd had actually gotten really sick that day and the boys were feeling squeamish about mule poop, having experienced plenty of it at the Ooh Aah trail. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeepa Posted March 1, 2016 Author Share Posted March 1, 2016 Thanks everyone! I've done a little bit of research but you each pointed me to new places to consider. I really appreciate your suggestions and advice! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anmom Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 We are planning a southwest road trip this fall. I would love to see any of your itineraries if you have them written down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara in AZ Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 http://grandcanyon.com/planning/south-rim-planning/havasupai-falls-arizona/ This, if you guys really want an off the beaten path adventure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyF Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Shoshone Point. No signs, flat 20 minute walk through ponderosa pines, very few people. AMAZING! You can google directions and mile marker. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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