Some friends and I are trying to plan a road trip to the Grand Canyon. In order for nothing to be forgotten, I thought 100,000 minds are better than four, so if anyone knows of any websites that could help or any books that I could get or simply any personal advice, I would appreciate it. Thanks
Are you asking us to help plan the road trip itself, or just the Grand Canyon part, or what?
Road trip hint: Take the Interstate.
I may be a bit obsessive about this sort of thing, but when I’m taking a trip, once I’ve got the route more or less laid out, I’ll get out a map and scan the areas I’ll be going through and look for other places that look interesting. Even if something on the map just has an interesting name, I’ll get on the internet to learn more about it, to see if it sounds worthwhile.
How long a trip are you planning, and how long at the Grand Canyon in particular? I definitely agree with Lucky Knight, there’s not a whole lot to do at the Grand Canyon unless you plan to invest a decent amount of time there. You have the option of either driving out and spending a good amount of time at the Canyon (hike in and out of it, or raft through it, or whatever), or, you can plan your trip to hit a bunch of other things along with the Canyon, if you don’t plan on doing anything major at the Canyon. Or, hell, do both if you have the time.
If you have the time, I’d definitely take my time on the drive out. Don’t rush and try to get there as fast as you can (I assume you’re leaving from SC?), make other stops along the way–there’s a lot to be seen between here and there.
As for recommended books and that sort of thing, if you’re into offbeat and kitschy attractions, you can find plenty of that sort at www.roadsideamerica.com Also, in my opinion, the best National Park guide is the one put out by National Geographic. If you’re just going to focus on GC, get a GC guide book, but if you plan on visiting a few other national parks in the area (and I would highly recommend that, southern Utah in particular is definitely worth it, and not far at all), pick up the National Geographic book.
When are you going? Be aware that the road to the North Rim will be snowed in during the winter. The North Rim is much smaller (no nearby hotels, only one campground, I think, and you should make reservations for that) and much less crowded. The South Rim gets the majority of visitors, so if you’re looking for convenience, go to the South Rim, but if you’re looking more to “get away”, go to the North Rim (but, again, don’t plan on that in the winter).
I gotta get going now, but if you’re looking for particular recommendations on other possible stops around there and along the way, I and others here can offer plenty, I’m sure.
What the hell? I swear there was a post here by Lucky Knight just a moment ago.
Well, I’d try to figure out what waypoints are worth seeing between where you live and the Grand Canyon, and plan a general route and basic idea of how much time it takes. Then pack enough clothes for the time, some useful diversions for the passengers, any paraphenalia you plan to use at what stops you visit, camping gear if you don’t plan to stay in hotels, and some junk food, and hit the road. My parents came up with some pretty good vacations without too much planning that way, and now that I’m on my own I plan to continue this tradition with my vacations.
Suurre there was…
[sub]now, where did I leave that net…[/sub]
If you just want to see the Grand Canyon? I-40 west. But if you actually want to see stuff on the way and take your time getting there, buy a road atlas and follow secondary roads til you get to where you want to go. Avoid chain restaurants - ask the guy at the gas station (you’re going to stop for gas when you get down to half a tank or so, right?) for directions to the best cheap restaurant in town. STOP AT ALL THE BROWN SIGNS! Brown signs are 
- and don’t forget the scenic overlooks, either. And don’t ignore the “See the live headless chicken!!” billboards. Then you can zip back home in 1 1/2 - 2 days of round-the-clock driving on I-40 east.
I saw the post too, last night–you’re not dreaming, Cabbage.
Lucky Knight was a returning troll who was banned and whose posts were deleted. We don’t normally delete posts that are commented on by others, so chances are it was deleted while Cabbage was composing his post.
Since gitfiddle is asking for advice, I’ll move this thread to IMHO.
I just got back from a trip across country that included the Grand Canyon. I strongly urge you to avoid interstates as much as possible in your trip. There are lots of state highways that are well maintained and much more scenic and not as congested. Plus, most of the cool side trips you will find from the lesser traveled roads.
I also suggest you plan to visit Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon and Cedar Breaks if you can. They are not far and are simply spectacular!!! Actually, we only had time to experience the Canyon, Zion and Cedar Breaks, but I am told that Bryce Canyon is the most beautiful of them all.
You will not be disappointed in your Grand Canyon visit!! Are you planning on camping? You might want to check out the National Parks website for more info on the park itself. They do have plenty of hiking and trail riding if you are into that kind of stuff. I would also suggest staying a few days, that way you can experience the canyon at different times of the day, sunrise/sunset/night.
Have a great time!!
Yeah, well, what we are trying to do is drive there for our spring break. We are leaving on maybe a thursday afternoon and using contacts we have across the country for room and board. THen we are going to camp at the grand canyon. We will probably come back the following saturday.
If one of your group, or a parent, belongs to an auto club, they may have Triptik, which is wonderful. They plot out the mapping and get it back to you in an organized package, like a spiral notebook. It’s been a while since I requested one, but I was very impressed. You can also check something online like Mapquest. The library is another good resource, as well as just browsing the travel section of bookstores. Should be a fun trip, and you are planning well in advance. The Triptik can take a couple of weeks depending on demand.
Arizona: Since you are going during Spring Break, you’ll need to call well in advance about getting a permit to camp at the Grand Canyon. There is lots of stuff to do (rafting, fishing, hiking, riding the burros) but since you’ll be going during a busy time, you’ll probably need to be flexible with your schedule. You could also try heading down to Flagstaff (NAU, downtown Flagstaff is neat, as is Lowell Observatory) and Sedona (hippies, crystals, pretty red rocks). There are lots of national monuments around there and the weather will be gorgeous for hiking/sightseeing. If you don’t want to spend the whole time camping in the Grand Canyon, Oak Creek Canyon and Slide Rock would probably be fun for a couple days, too.
General Travel: To prevent broken friendships/grisly murder-suicides, bring along plenty of music, games, and snacks. Hope you have a great time.
Some logistical advice about the actual driving.
It’s a good idea to have each person throw, say 100$, into a pool that’s used for gas and other group expenditures. This way you won’t have to ask people for cash every time you stop.
Looks like you’re trying to do the whole thing in about a week and a half. At some point or another you’re gonna have to do a hell drive (24+ hours of straight driving). It’s sually good to get that sort of thing out of the way sooner as opposed to later. Can’t think of any legit reason for that, but in my experience the group tends to be more excited/energetic at the begining of the trip than the end.
Most importantly, good music. Lots of it.
When my wife and I drove to the Grand Canyon, we planned a rout that went (roughly) along I-40 on the way there, then up US 93 to Las Vegas, then I-15 into LA, down to San Diego, and back home (again, roughly) along I-10 (turning in a northerly direction after seeing New Orleans).
We got from AAA (definitely be a member or have some other assistance plan - it can really save your bacon on a long car trip) a big map of the USA, plotted out a rough route, then sat down with the AAA tour books for all states we were going to pass through, marked off on the big map the cities and sites we wanted to see, and then planned an itinerary day-by-day, trimming and adjusting as necessary.
We’ve found this to be a great way to plan a long trip.
My suggestion: try to incorporate some of Route 66 on your trip. There are parts of the old Rt. 66 that can be driven if you choose to. Most of it is now incorporated into the Interstates, so you don’t have to take the blue highways to see many points of interest. For example, the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo is easily accessible off the Interstate.
There are many websites devoted to Rt. 66, and there you can learn about various sites to see and some of its history. It’s a fascinating part of Americana. We hit several of the noteworthy points on our Grand Canyon trip, and it added some color to the journey.
Take a day and drop south of the Grand Canyon to Sodonna. Beatiful red rock formations, nice little artsy town. Make sure you go down via 89A and not the interstate. Beautiful!
Since you’ll be going during spring break, remember that only the south rim will be open. I checked the website
http://www.nps.gov/grca/grandcanyon/trip_planner/camping.htm
and it looks like camping in the park is first come first served. Definitely have a couple of options on hand. It’s probably going to be pretty cold up there (7000 ft.) so bring cold weather gear. And then if you hike in to Phantom Ranch (you should - and you should train for it) it can get really hot, so prepare for that, too. When you get to the top you can go grab some steaks.
Be careful driving out of small towns. I’ve been burnt a couple of times getting up to speed before the speed should have been gotten up to.
Now if you want to have a truly incredible time you should raft it. Hiking down and back’s a good intro, though.
The Grand Canyon is incredible. Rent a cabin on the canyon rim. If you want an experience that you will never forget hike or ride horses into Havasupai Village. It is outside the park about 100 miles from nowhere. It is a tropical paradise there. You need to make reservations with the tribe to get there. It is a 13 mile hike down and back. Here is a link to some photo’s and the tribal contact:
http://www.kaibab.org/gc/supai/gc_supai.htm