Can anyone help me plan this one day trip to the Grand Canyon?

[ByGrace3]

This is a little crazy but my extended family cruise got canceled for August and we made a quick switch to take the family to Scottsdale, Arizona instead. 42 people. We are planning for a day trip to the Grand Canyon. I know its crazy but we have done crazier lol. GPS shows just under 4 hour drive but I have read online that GPS directions are not always accurate? Anyone know if that sounds about right? Also I read something about some entrances not open right now? Though, that may change by August. We will most likely renting 15 passenger vans and maybe hiring a guide . . . not sure on that part. 

Anything I could be missing that would be a game changer or trip ruiner?

Looks like we will go to the South Rim . . . 

Thanks! 

[Random]

Fun!  The drive from Scottsdale to Grand Canyon is about 4 hours. 

The South Rim is made up of East and West Rims.  You enter through the south rim, and then can go east or west from there.  The North Rim would be too far away for you to see.  There is a free shuttle service inside the park, and I think you can also walk along the rims on a paved trail.  West is shorter and the vistas are closer together.  East is more spread out.  Parking is always an issue so get there as early as you can, especially if you have multiple large vehicles.  Make sure everyone has good shoes, whether you plan to hike or not because you'll be doing lots of walking regardless.  Take plenty of water.  Plastic water bottles are outlawed inside the park, I think?

The entrances are open for now, though who knows what will be happening in August?  I recommend everyone see the IMAX movie in Tusayan.  It's about an hour long, and you can see it before or after you see the canyon.

August is still the rainy season, so prepare for an afternoon shower. Even if there's not a single cloud in the sky in the morning, by 1 PM you might be caught in the nastiest downpour of your life!  This can also cause flooding on highways and parts of I17 between Phx and Flg.

Would you want to do a driving tour?  Hiking tour?  Airplane tour?  There's the Grand Canyon Railway that can take you from Williams to the south rim.  It might be an option if you are already driving 3 hrs from Scottsdale to Williams because it would give the drivers a break.  Most tours will begin early in the morning, I think.  So, you'd have to leave Scottsdale pretty early to partake.

Have fun!  It's so beautiful!

PS-August in Scottsdale is just...UGH!  So hot!  I hope you're staying in a fancy resort for less than 1/2 price to make it worthwhile.

 

[Miss Tick]

Are any of your 42 in 4th grade?  The government counts 4th grade from September through August (I think). My DD was 4th grader last year which got our family into the park for free.

We parked as soon as we found a spot and then used the rim shuttle and the paved trails. Obviously August is going to be super hot, pay attention to all the posted warning signs.

[City Mouse]

Here is what I found https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/grand-canyon-national-park-public-health-update.htm

normally during the busy season, visitors must park at the visitor center and take the shuttle bus everywhere, but according to this notice the shuttle busses are not running at this time. 
The east entrance is not open right now. 
Of particular importance right now is the part about the Navajo Nation. The native population has been hit hard with the virus.

Edited June 6, 2020 by City Mouse

[Arctic Bunny]

We drove from Mesa and back in one day, with time to stop at outlet stores at Anthem, lunch at Chick-fil-a, Grand Canyon, then Taco Bell for supper.

Now, our kids were very much in the camp of wanting to see the Grand Canyon, but just seeing it was good enough. So we parked, walked to a path, found the Grand Canyon, and spent maaaybe an hour taking pictures, etc. It was a great stop in the middle of a very interesting car ride, watching the elevation display on the car change, going from desert to snow and back.

[ByGrace3]

4 hours ago, SusanC said:

Are any of your 42 in 4th grade?  The government counts 4th grade from September through August (I think). My DD was 4th grader last year which got our family into the park for free.

We parked as soon as we found a spot and then used the rim shuttle and the paved trails. Obviously August is going to be super hot, pay attention to all the posted warning signs.

 

Yes, we actually have 3 4th graders in the group. It says the "family" gets in free with them . . . not sure how  many they will count as the family lol. 2 of those 4th graders are mine. 

 

Thanks for the info everyone! 

We are staying at the Great Wolf Lodge in Scottsdale, I hope it is all it claims to be! 😉

[Miss Tick]

4 minutes ago, ByGrace3 said:

Yes, we actually have 3 4th graders in the group.

Yay!

[PeterPan]

Do you have a resort or something? You could stay in Sedona or Flagstaff and have an easier trip to the GC and do other things. In Sedona they have the Pink Jeep rides and rocks people slide on. We really enjoyed breakfast at the GC lodge and taking the park buses to do each stop. There are dinosaur tracks if you go north to Tuba. To us that area farther north was more interesting than the stuff in the south. But if you're going to hang and swim together, might not matter.

From Phoenix (or Flagstaff for that matter), you could do the Verde Canyon train ride as a nice day trip. Also Montezuma's Castle would be a day trip from there.

Edited June 6, 2020 by PeterPan

[Random]

6 hours ago, City Mouse said:

Here is what I found https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/grand-canyon-national-park-public-health-update.htm

normally during the busy season, visitors must park at the visitor center and take the shuttle bus everywhere, but according to this notice the shuttle busses are not running at this time. 
The east entrance is not open right now. 
Of particular importance right now is the part about the Navajo Nation. The native population has been hit hard with the virus.

 

True.  Sorry about that.  However, the east rim is accessible from the south rim entrance.   I think that's the way Grace is going, anyway?  When it's open, you can enter the park at Desert View, the end (or beginning if you're entering there) of the East Rim drive of GC when coming from the north, but that's pretty remote.  Just FYI.

The Navajo Nation is really struggling, for sure.   Things are improving lately.    Who knows what August will bring?  The Grand Canyon area is excessively busy right now with a huge influx of tourism because it's open.  Crazy busy, according to my family in the area.  The area will be interesting to watch.   FWIW, you wouldn't be close to the Navajo Reservation if you do a "drive-by sighting" of the Grand Canyon coming from Scottsdale, though. 

[WendyLady]

We are planning to a trip to the Grand Canyon at some point this fall.  I have found a few "plan your trip" pins on pinterest, like this:  https://www.earthtrekkers.com/best-things-to-do-in-the-grand-canyon-south-rim/

They have some ideas for shorter hikes, places to stop for a photo, and where to see the sun light up the canyon at sunrise or sunset.  I haven't tried any of the suggestions, but I pinned a few ideas (almost the same thing, right?)

[PeterPan]

PS. Flagstaff is probably cooler too. We stayed https://www.arizonamountaininn.com  From there we did day trips all over. We even went out to the Hoover Dam, which is a long day but worth it. You can float down the Black River Canyon Gorge there, and it's very accessible, good for all ages.

There's an observatory in Flagstaff and we went to a public viewing at night. The sky is very big in AZ and the roads go very fast.

Edited June 7, 2020 by PeterPan

[Lori D.]

Bring LOTS of water, hats, and sunscreen. You'll be at 7,000' elevation, so drink, drink, drink lots of water to stay hydrated and avoid altitude sickness/headaches (esp. if you live at/are used to a low elevation location). If you can at ALL pull it off, consider leaving Scottsdale at 4-5am, and driving your 4 hours, so you arrive at 8-9am, and complete your sightseeing by 1pm, so you are not walking around in the worst of the heat/sun exposure. Again, being at higher elevation means less atmosphere, and much easier/faster to get a sunburn. Also, July-August is monsoon season, so be prepared for potential violent afternoon storm, either at the Canyon, or on the road driving back to Scottsdale.

Edited June 7, 2020 by Lori D.

[Lanny]

The DW of a childhood friend has worked as a Tour Guide on  buses leaving from Phoenix and going to the Grand Canyon and other places in AZ and in UT. I think sometimes they end in  Las Vegas. This year their tours are cancelled. It's a high-end company with an excellent reputation. I don't know how many seats are on their buses. Possibly you could find a bus that you could charter, that can hold that many passengers?

Obviously, it will be HOT (extremely HOT) during August.

[Lori D.]

4 hours ago, Lanny said:

... Obviously, it will be HOT (extremely HOT) during August.

Because of the high elevation, the average temp at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon is in the mid- to high-80s, so not as hot as you might think. Although there really are no trees/shade right at Canyon's edge, so you will be getting a lot of sun, with less atmosphere to cut the UV rays, so you can sunburn more quickly/easily.

Now Scottsdale, is another matter -- average August temperatures are well over 100˚... 😉 

Edited June 7, 2020 by Lori D.