What about the Grand Canyon? (long)

[alphamommy]

I posted a question on here a while ago about taking an 8-year-old to Washington. Well, I didn't want to bring up this up in front of DD until I asked DH what he thought about it. It turns out that he isn't interested in going. He has a younger brother who lives in the U.P. and DH would like to go visit him and fish for a week this summer.

I really like his brother, and would love to visit with him. We only get to see him once or twice a year. However, I'm not a fisherperson. DH, DD, and all my in-laws LOVE to fish. For me, a trip like this would be a week in DBIL's house, reading and watching movies (no cable or satellite).

I pointed out to DH that, after 3 severe health scares, I wasn't interested in sitting around for a vacation - I want to see things! I asked what he would be interested in seeing, and he mentioned the Grand Canyon. This sounds like a great compromise to me, since that's on my "Bucket List."

Anyway, the question is: where do you fly to go to the Grand Canyon? We aren't gamblers, but Vegas would be okay, I guess, because I'd like for DH to see Hoover Dam. Is there a more logical place to fly to? Where do we stay? When do we go?

Thanks for any help!

[MartyS]

You might want to try Phoenix or Flagstaff, but a long time ago, I was in Vegas and decided to take the rental car over to see the Grand Canyon. We made to Kingman before stopping to see how much farther it was and found out it was about another 150 miles or so. There's nothing but desert out there. Whole bunch of sand and rocks. We turned around and went back to Vegas. Maybe some day we'll make it to see the Canyon.

[CPT Trips]

Don't let the previous poster change your mind! Tarnation, it ain't but a big hole in the ground.

I suggest you look at both Las Vegas and Phoenix and compare the total cost of airfare and a rental car. My experience is that LV is less expensive, but so much depends on where you fly from.

Do try to stay in the park . . .

Once you decide where you will fly to, I'm sure you can find info on other places to see.

[NJGIRL]

We flew into Las Vegas, rented a car and drove 5 hours to the Grand Canyon. You will drive by Hoover Dam on the way. It was well worth it. We stayed on the South Rim at the El Tovar and it was wonderful. Our stay was three days and we didn't get to do everything we wanted to.

We choose Las Vegas airport for a couple of reasons. We were going back to Las Vegas for seven days so the car rental was cheaper if we picked up and returned to the same airport. Phoenix was only an hour shorter drive to the Canyon but getting out of Phoenix (traffic wise) was alot harder than getting out of the vegas airport.

Also don't discount a side trip to Vegas. We were there for seven days and I didn't gamble at all. My husband went for two hour one night but that was while I was sleeping. We had our 9 year old with us and there were tons to do as a family.

[milhouse]

Before the kids, my wife and I flew into Vegas. We rented a mustang convertible and drove to the Grand Canyon. We hiked down the the Bright Angel Trail and stayed at a very nice Best Western near the South Rim. Then we drove east around the canyon through the painted dessert and up to Zion in Utah. We hiked the Narrows in Zion. All were day hikes because we're not pros at that kind of thing. Then we drove back to vegas. We had a great time and still talk fondly about it ten years later. Not a vacation with kids younger than teenagers though. There aren't any rails in the canyon.

[alphamommy]

To add a little more detail to my question, our daughter is 8, so long hikes probably won't work. I'm not too sure how she'll react to the Canyon, either ("So, it's a big hole in the ground. How long did it take to dig it?").

Thanks,
Tammy

[Tick-Tock]

If she's at all interested in nature she'll probably enjoy it. It's a pretty cool hole in the ground. I (age 37) fondly recall a trip through New Mexico and Arizona, including the Grand Canyon, with my dad when I was about 11.

A Native American tribe recently opened up a glass walkway out over the Canyon somewhere along the South Rim, and they have other activities. It's expensive to try the walkway, but your daughter might enjoy walking out over the canyon.

The National Park Service has the Junior Ranger program, which also would provide some activities for your daughter at the Canyon.

If you decide to go, you might try to find the book "Brighty of the Grand Canyon" by Marguerite Henry. Apparently there's an audio version now too.

[AZ Disney]

I've never been to the Grand Canyon from the Vegas area, but we did vacation in Phoenix and visited the Grand Canyon prior to moving here. I personally would lean toward PHX, but I'm not a big fan of Vegas. There are several ways to get there:

take a day trip with a tour company
drive to Williams and take the Grand Canyon Railway
drive yourself (maybe 3 hours from PHX) and do your own thing.

Depending on what you like to do the GC can be a day trip, a couple days, or more depending on how adventurous you are. It is an unbelievable site. You can't forget Sedona which is about a third of the way there. Another unbelieveable place and make sure you do the pink jeep tours - don't let the other colors fool ya. Flagstaff is nice too. The meteor crator, montezuma's castle (camp verde).
There are lots of fun places in the Valley too, but remember it will be HOT here, so heading North will be nice.

[TheDuckRocks]

My kids were 6, 9 and 13 when we went to the Grand Canyon for the first time, my grandkids were 5 and 7. They all enjoyed the trips, had plenty to do and we didn't lose any of them over the side.
What you might think about is flying into Las Vegas and spending the night. The next day take a look at the Hoover Dam then go as far as Williams, AZ, there is plenty to do there and rooms are plentiful. The following day I would go on to the Grand Canyon. They have accommodations for all price levels and many are very kid friendly.
If I'd not already been there the Grand Canyon would most surely be on my "Bucket List". I can't think of another location on the planet that has had a greater impact on me as to how I feel about God and my place on earth with regards to other people and respect for this planet.

[MNNHFLTX]

The Grand Canyon is an absolutely breathtaking experience for all age--definitely not just a hole in the ground to me! We (DH, DS-10 and myself) flew in/out of Las Vegas, rented a car and spent a few hours at the Hoover Dam--very interesting! Then we drove to Sedona, AZ for a four-day stay (beautiful!), then up to Flagstaff, where we had side trips to the Wupatki National Monument (ancient pueblo ruins) and the Sunset Crater National Monument. Then it was on to the South Rim, where we just spent a few hours. We toured around the canyon rim to the East and spent three days on the North Rim. The North Rim is much more secluded and peaceful than the South Rim and although the log cabin accommodations were rustic at the lodge, our cabin was a mere 20 feet from the edge of the canyon! We did lots of hikes (generally about 3-4 hours each) and there were other activities, like ghost stories around the fire in the evenings at the lodge, trail-riding, scavenger hunts, board games, etc. We then went up to Zion National Park for two days (also hiking the Narrows) and then back to Vegas.

If you do decide to go, make sure and make reservations as soon as possible. In fact, the on-site hotels and lodges have probably all been booked up for some time now, but some of the off-site hotels at the South Rim may still have some availability. Some of the more popular activities, like the mule trail-rides down into the canyon, may also sell out early, so best to make arrangements for that now too, if you wish. Also we heard that the float trips out of Page (east of the canyon) are fun and smooth enough for all ages (we did not do this particular excursion).

[Janmac]

Summer at the South Rim can be hot and crowded. The last two times we visited the Grand Canyon we stayed at the North Rim - a thousand feet higher and much prettier, more trees, shade, etc. Our grandson was 8 or 9 the last time we were there and thoroughly enjoyed it. We drove in from Vegas and stayed at the North Rim. We did some light hiking and did all the Ranger talks and walks we could schedule. Our favorite was a moonlight nature walk that scared me enormously (I have vertigo and no night vision) but it sure was interesting. The Lodge at the North Rim is very picturesque.

I'm wondering about flying into Salt Lake City. On the way down to the Grand Canyon, you might take in Zion Nat'l Park and there's also Bryce Canyon too. One trip we had a base camp in southern Utah, making day trips to Zion, Bryce and Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon was a bit far, especially with some road construction along the way.

Also, if you chose the southern approach, as one poster suggested, Sunset Crater is interesting, as is Meteor Crater.

Both our grandson and granddaughter enjoyed doing the Jr. Ranger programs very much. You can do a search on this or even go to www.nps/grca/ and probably find a link there.

Jan