After wanting to go for probably a million years, I’m going to the Grand Canyon the weekend of January 20th for my 26th birthday. Hooray! I booked a cabin at Bright Angel, but since it’s so short notice, it isn’t a rim cabin. I’ve shot an email over explaining that it’s a birthday and if a rim cabin comes available, I’d be more than happy to pay to upgrade to it.
Anywho, beyond knowing I want to stand outside a cabin staring at the prettiness, I’m not sure what else to do. I know it’ll be cold, possibly snowy. I’m not sure a donkey ride to the bottom is really on my agenda, but I do like mild hiking and pretty views.
Also: food? What are the best bets for food around the South Rim?
I realize it’s going to be cold and there isn’t too much to do, but I’d love to hear your experiences and ideas.
Not much to do? I suppose if you get bored by the incredible scenery.
There is a lot of hiking you can do in the Park. Just remember that most of the trails start by going down and it takes longer to climb back up that to hike down.
For an incredible dinner, go to the El Tovar hotel. (I am assuming it will be open but I don’t know.)
Don’t worry about not having a rim cabin. You can walk to the rim in a very short time from almost any of the cabins there.
It will be open if the websites are to be trusted. I was just looking up the prices there and it doesn’t seem terribly bad. Definitely worth it for at least one nice dinner. Are there any other good restaurants around?
Given its winter and its a big place and you could always get hurt or lost make sure somebody knows EXACTLY where you are going and if you don’t make it back by nightfall they know who to contact to send out a rescue team. A backpack big enough to carry some extra warm clothes and/or a sleeping bag and a few munchies might not be a bad idea either.
I recommend an airplane ride. When I took one we stayed fairly close to the ground after take-off, then we reached the rim and the ground dropped away revealing a view you can’t get any other way.
I was there for New Year’s LAST year; it had snowed on and off for the previous 2 days, but on that night, it was clear (yes, the stars are wonderful there, but I was enjoying them for all of 60 seconds), but C-C-C-OOOOOOLLLLLLLLD…the high was 16 degrees, and the low was -29 degrees F that night.
Yeah, I only had levi’s and a sweatshirt hoodie on…but I have some wonderful pics of the canyon with snow on it.
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Also, we’ve taken the Rails To The Rim; fun for kids…but if no kids…don’t bother…but since you are already rooming at the Rim…don’t bother.
If you have time, I highly recommend a trip to Zion Nat’l Park. IMHO, a beautiful, rewarding, yet completely different experience than the Grand Canyon. However, probably not possible to add to just a “weekend”.
That’s out of the way, isn’t it? We’re going to the South Rim-- I thought the Sky Walk was closer to Vegas on the west side or something.
I actually bought a LivingSocial deal for a stay in Zion ($99 for two days!). I’m thinking May is probably the idea time to head over- would you agree with that?
For less expensive dining than El Tovar the cafeterias and the other restaurants aren’t bad. I think you need reservations for El Tovar. There are small bars/lounges at Maswik and Bright Angel. I think the closest non-park restaurants are down in Tusayan.
The park shuttles will take you around to the different lookouts but I’m not sure if they go out to the Watchtower, which is several miles east of the village. It’s worth checking out.
The skywalk looks neat but it’s a couple hours drive west of the village, I believe.
I have an SUV with AWD, though it is newer, so it’s not like I want to go backroading on it or anything :). I suppose my point though is: I’m not opposed to a bit of a drive if the view is really worth it.
Oh the roads in the park are fine, including the one to the watchtower. I just don’t think the shuttles go out that far. Some people take the train in and have to rely on the shuttles, but it’s fine to drive around yourself, too.
Seeing the GC from the rim is nice, but to experience the Canyon you MUST go down into it. Forget the donkey rides, they are more unpleasant than walking by far. Start with a short hike, be very conservative with your distance, and see how you like it. There are a few trails that you can try, the scenery is different so try a few.
After you have hiked and eaten and seen it all…I really enjoyed the ranger talks, although I think there are more in other seasons. Here’s the link. My favorite moment happened when we were at the rim and the ranger was talking about the reintroduction of California condors and one came soaring up out of the canyon, right on cue.
The expense of the El Tovar is well worth it IMHO. (Not that it’s very expensive in the first place, I’ve always found them quite reasonable, especially for the service you get.) The park concessionaire does a first-rate job with the staff and food. If you’re going for a special reason–like a birthday, for example, I would try to swing it.
As to the other restaurants, I’ve had good luck with all of the ones in the park. (Same concessionaire.) Since you have a vehicle, you have the option of driving just outside the park into the town if you want a little (very!) bit of variety.
And yes, I believe you’re right about the skywalk being a bit of a drive west–I’ve never done this, but it is outside the park proper.
The donkey tours have to booked up to one year in advance during high season. Since it’s low season, you MAY be able to get a booking, but I doubt it.
There are signs warning you against trying to hike to the bottom and back up in the same day, so take their advice.If you want to go to the bottom, you should book a donkey, backpack down with sufficient gear for an overnight stay, or take a helicopter tour.
Plan so that you’re not on the trail after dark. There are no guard rails for most of the trail, and hikers can and will fall to their death. Sunset this time a year is 5:30pm. Figure that the hike back up will take 50% longer than the hike down.
Dress warmly in layers, and don’t forget the sunglasses. And, of course, bring more water than you think you’ll need. There are only a few places on the trail where you can go to the restroom, and they are spaced quite a distance apart, so bring some tissues in case you have to pee prior to a rest stop. We hiked for 5 or so hours this past May and never made it to a rest stop.
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We packed enough food and drinks to last us an entire day, and used an insulated lunch bag with ice packs in it to keep the food cold.
The GC is beautiful, but I’d had enough of it after a day. I really enjoyed driving through the Painted Desert, which is nearby. There are also a few National Monuments that you can day trip to. If you have an entire day to kill, I highly recommend a detour to Red Rock Country (Sedona, Arizona). Beautiful area.
