Suggestions for the Grand Canyon? About This Page:

[korki-rad]

We are thinking about taking a road trip west, including a stop at the Grand Canyon for 2 days. We'll have a 9yo and 5yo that will have been cooped up in a car for 2 days, so we'd like to know about some fun activities that do not risk losing any children off scary cliffs. DH will be happy to just sit at the side of the Canyon for 2 days and soak it all in. And me, well, not being a big outdoorsy person, I'll appreciate it all for a couple of hours, be grateful that I can say I was there, then get antsy to something else (like find a spa!).

So, given our eclectic little group -- any suggestions for activities we can plan for the 2 days there? It's a big space -- what is your favorite area to visit? Any not-to-miss places I should be looking at? Am I crazy to think that we can do the Grand Canyon in just 2 days?

[chezp]

I don't think you're crazy to do it in two days. We've been twice before in a day trip from Vegas and got a good glimpse of the Grand Canyon. We really enjoyed the Skywalk and the boat trip we took as well.

[DrDolphin]

We just did a week long trip to AZ including an overnight at the Grand Canyon - what time of year are you planning on traveling? Which side of the canyon will you be on?

[korki-rad]

Originally Posted by DrDolphin

We just did a week long trip to AZ including an overnight at the Grand Canyon - what time of year are you planning on traveling? Which side of the canyon will you be on?

We're looking at the week immediately following Memorial Day 2012...we would leave after school gets out with the intention of arriving at the Grand Canyon on Wednesday or so after the holiday. (We are hoping that will allow holiday crowds to disperse a bit.) Honestly, I am at such an early point in the planning stages that I don't know which side we would stay on. We will be coming from Nebraska (driving) and going on to Disneyland.

[blondie]

Since you are coming from the north and it will be early summer, I would highly recommend a stop on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. It is closed due to weatther much of the year, but is really beautiful and different than the south rim. Then you could go to the south rim .... it's a long drive between the two... then go into the south rim via the east entrance.

On the south rim you can stop at many of the lookouts using your own car on the east side all the way to the main lodges. If you want to go further west, you will need to take the tram that runs in the summer/tourist season. You cannot take your car on
that section in May/early June. We went in February last year and the Grand Canyon in winter is absolutely amazing and very different from summertime. We were allowed to drive our car all the way out to Hermit's West (on the summer tram road) and the scenery is really sspectacular on that end of the road and well worth it.

To go to Grand Canyon West and/or Skywalk, it is a VERY long drive from the Grand Canyon proper. Skywalk is also very expensive, IMHO, for what you get and you can't even take a camera with you on it.

Good luck and have fun! It sounds like a great trip.

[Huntermom]

To me, with outdoorsy, naturalist children, the North Rim is my preferred side. There is lots of wildlife to look at and each overlook presents a new and different view. Most national parks have Ranger programs for kids yours age (at least they did before the economy tanked). At the north rim, the park is huge and uncrowded so your kids will have plenty of opportunities to run off steam.

If you go to the North Rim, you need to stay in the park because there are no other alternatives within an hour of the entrance. The accommodations book early (some within days of booking opening) so you need to book soon.

[modisney]

When we went a couple of years ago, the South Rim and we based in Sedona. It was a bit of a drive to get to the Canyon but we were so taken with it after the first day we went back again. Our experience was that you could drive most of the South Rim say from the Grand Village east, stopping at the various vantage points along the way. It was from the Grand Canyon Village west that was by bus. Most of the vantage points don't have guard rails etc. There is a low rock wall in the Village area. We didn't do the western route so I don't know about that in terms of railings. The Village area has a couple of hotels and shops with authentic crafts and souvenirs. We had a wonderful lunch at the El Tovar. I'd visit their website as well as getting a couple of guide books to read and plan your visit. Sedona was a bit of a drive to get there. You can also base yourselves in Flagstaff which is closer. Another option is to take the Grand Canyon RR from Williams up to the Canyon. If you're going later in the summer, the do have "monsoons" every afternoon (thunderstorms). We were there in early August and it did storm every afternoon for an hour or so. Most resorts in Sedona have spas which are wonderful. While in Sedona we drove to some authentic cliff dwellings and did a pink jeep tour. Both were worth our time. We took the AZ Snowbowl ski lift outside of Flagstaff to the top of the mountain which would have been great but it started raining while we were en route to the top. There's also the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff which is where Pluto was discovered. It's a great part of the country, have a great trip.

[DonaldGirl1]

We've been to the Grand Canyon 4 or 5 times and my favorite adventure was a camel ride when I was like 7 or 8.