Anyone here been to the Grand Canyon?

thedoc46

thedoc46

thedoc46

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I'm off there in a few days, just after Christmas.. Just wondering, what exactly is there to do there?

I know the temps are going to be low, so camping this time of year is a no-go !

I will be limited to how much hiking i can do because of my young kids that will also be with me..

Basically I am trying to plan how many nights i should stay compared to Vegas.. I have 5 nights to share between the both of them, and i was going to do 3 nights in Vegas and 2 at the Grand Canyon.. Not ever been to either, but i kind of know what to expect with Vegas, but not sure on what to do other than look in awe at the Canyon.. Does it justify anything more than a one night stay? Is there plenty of other things to do since it's a world famous tourist spot?

Looking for experienced advice here.

Thanks
 
I went in Jan 2006, and it was absolutely freezing!

You can travel over the Canyon in a helicopter, which we did, and it was amazing. Well worth looking at. Their are other cheaper options too.

It's one of the most breath-taking things i've seen in my life.
 
Just make sure you do the South Rim ( I think the North is closed at this time of year).

Most people make the mistake and go to the west rim as it is closer to Vegas.

Edit - I don t think Helicopter are allowed in the Grand Canyon National Park anymore (the best bit)

By the air

The Grand Canyon is a "special flight rules" airspace, and there are detailed charts indicating areas which are restricted, and other areas which have minimum flight altitude requirements. These rules were implemented to reduce noise and pollution in the Grand Canyon area. There is an airport outside of this airspace, designated GCN (Grand Canyon National Park).
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Enjoy it

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As above, I've been and did a helicopter tour which I'd highly recommend.
Apart from that? You could do a hike to the bottom, some are organised.

It's a day trip unless you're planning on staying nearby or camping for the sake of it.
 
I went a few years ago and did the obligatory helicopter trip. We got a light aircraft from Vegas to a small strip next to the canyon, then a helicopter into the canyon, then a boat trip, helicopter back out, lunch with the Indians (Who have a metal hut with solar panels and satellite TV) and then flight back to Vegas.
 
I'm going to be going to USA next year in July and was deffo going to catch the Grand Canyon as part of my journey. Only going to be spending like a few days in Vegas so hopefully I should be able to fit a nice little Canyon tour in there :)
 
CDj-Rossi said:
I'm going to be going to USA next year in July and was deffo going to catch the Grand Canyon as part of my journey. Only going to be spending like a few days in Vegas so hopefully I should be able to fit a nice little Canyon tour in there :)
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All I can say is do the South Rim, ignore the glass walkway thing at the west rim, I have done both and would feel cheated if I went all that way and did the second best.

Sorry I keep mentioning it but the difference is night and day. :)
 
South rim is the main tourist area so by far the best place to go. There are two main helicopter tour companies in the area - Papillon and Maverick (formerly AirStar). Papillon used to offer the tours that land within the canyon, but I'm not sure if they still do (conflicting information from their website).

If you're planning on staying there a bit longer, then maybe look at the Grand Canyon Railway. There's also an IMAX cinema nearby if you'd prefer not to do the helicopter 'thing' :)

PS - If you're staying, there's at least one hotel just outside the park entrance. Might be cheaper than staying inside the park.
 
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The closest town to the south rim is Williams about 60 miles south of the GC, the GC elev is about 2200m above sea level so the hiking down into the canyon will be hard work there is really is not all that much to do at the canyon except the canyon itself, I prefered the view from the highway going down to Cameron (nothing there except a rv hookup place)

http://www.nps.gov/archive/grca/grandcanyon/south-rim/index.htm

If you want to do hiking and biking maybe a better option would be Zion nat park in Utah its about the same distance from vegas the GC is

http://www.utah.com/nationalparks/zion.htm
 
neodude said:
I went a few years ago and did the obligatory helicopter trip. We got a light aircraft from Vegas to a small strip next to the canyon, then a helicopter into the canyon, then a boat trip, helicopter back out, lunch with the Indians (Who have a metal hut with solar panels and satellite TV) and then flight back to Vegas.
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That sounds A LOT of fun.. However including myself, Wife & kids we'll be 5, so I suspect this would be a little too expensive for all of us.
 
cymatty said:
All I can say is do the South Rim, ignore the glass walkway thing at the west rim, I have done both and would feel cheated if I went all that way and did the second best.

Sorry I keep mentioning it but the difference is night and day. :)
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Thanks for the heads up.. I'm actually flying into Phoenix so that is where I'll be heading.. Thanks, wasn't aware that the South Rim was that much better.. But do now...;)
 
dont listen to the people that say go to this rim or the next, i have been to them all and they are all equally stunning.
 
get our your meat and do a c*ckcopter on a precipice overlooking the tourist area/shop etc. whilst singing a russian nursery rhyme.

report back here when done. Good luck :)
 
we did the Helicopter tour with Papillon and landed and had lunch in the canyon, but i wasnt blown away by it, sadly :( and it wasnt cheap. I suspect it may have been better at the south rim, but as we did route 66 in 16 days we were struggling for time. Vegas was awesome though!

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If you go to that part of the USA (well, its not exactly local, but IS mind blowing) you have to visit Monument Valley - blew me away much more than the GC.

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cymatty said:
Just make sure you do the South Rim ( I think the North is closed at this time of year).

Most people make the mistake and go to the west rim as it is closer to Vegas.

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the most important piece of information you need

you CANNOT fly to the real Grand Canyon from Vegas by helicopter

you CANNOT fly below the rim and land at the bottom of thr real Grand Canyon
The Skywalk IS NOT in the real Grand Canyon

as cymatty says go to the South Rim, there is no such thing as the "west rim" this is the "west canyon" and over 100 miles from the real thing
 
neodude said:
I went a few years ago and did the obligatory helicopter trip. We got a light aircraft from Vegas to a small strip next to the canyon, then a helicopter into the canyon, then a boat trip, helicopter back out, lunch with the Indians (Who have a metal hut with solar panels and satellite TV) and then flight back to Vegas.
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that's the "West Rim" , sorry :(
 
When I flew from San Diego airport to Minneapolis on a beautifully clear day anyou could see absolutely everything below and got a fantastic view of the Grand Canyon. Was absolutely amazing. :cool:
 
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