Sylvia

Ten of us (1 child, 1 teen, 8 adults)are going to the Canyon and Vegas the first week of June.
Questions:
North rim or south rim?
I know we are going during peak season, but had to wait for the kids to get out of school.
What's the additional driving time to the north rim from either the south rim or Vegas?
Should we stay in the canyon or outside? There is currently availability at the Yavapai Lodge (we need rooms with 2 beds)
Thank You

travellyn

I like the North Rim a lot better because of the cooler temperatures and fewer crowds, but I don't know if it's open in June. If so, I'd choose the North Rim.

I don't know about the difference in driving time, maybe 2 or 3 hours, but it probably doesn't matter much if you're staying for a few days.

With either rim, it's a lot easier to stay in the park than to have to drive in each day. I can't comment on the lodges, except to say that we took our kids to the North Rim a year and a half ago and camped. I would have preferred being in one of the cabins or the lodge, because the campground was a mile or 2 away.

Howard

Here's another vote for the North Rim, which should be open in June. Definitely stay in the park, as I believe the closest lodging outside the part is at least 40 miles from the North Rim.

Bob Brown

I have stayed at both the North and South rims, on the same trip once.
My vote is for the South Rim.
Why? There are more viewpoints and more places from which to enjoy the canyon on the south side.
The North Rim, while less crowded has a much smaller number of places from which to view the canyon. Also, because of the angle of view, I don't think you can see the canyon as well from the north side.
On the south side, there is the long West Rim Drive that is open only to shuttle buses. You can get off and walk a while and then get back on and ride a while going out. Coming back, I think the bus makes only two or three stops, thus making the return trip rapidly.
We walked a good distance along the rim between view points where we often had the rim to ourselves. We had beautiful views of the canyon. (Of course we carried water.)
Some of the other viewpoints are open only to bus traffic, which helps to reduce the impact of the crowds. The fact that there are fewer places to view the canyon, and the lodge buildings are packed into a tight area, still leads to population density in the peak months of summer.

One appealing feature of the North Rim,however, is that the approach driveis through a beautiful Pondersoa Pine and aspen forest.

Paul Rabe

Can't say whether North or South Rim is better, but will say ABSOLUTELY you should stay within the National Park. To walk to the rim of the Canyon at sunrise is one of the joys of this place, but it will be very difficult to do so unless you're within the Park.

Sylvia

We will definitely try and stay inside the canyon. There seem to be more places available at the south rim. From some of the other posts, it seems like the south rim is a better bet for first timers.