Escaping Las Vegas in March... best hiking?
Nov 7th, 2008, 05:59 AM
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Escaping Las Vegas in March... best hiking?
My sister is getting married in Las Vegas at the end of March 09. We will joyfully attend but we are most definitely not fans of LV. Since we are flying there anyway, what would be the best alternative to escape and go hiking?
The obvious choice is Grand Canyon but I am too late to get a reservation at Phantom Ranch and camping is not exactly my first (second or third) choice. All the nice hikes seem to require an overnight stay. We do not have camping equipment and we have never hiked with serious backpacks either. Nevertheless, hiking down (and up!) into the canyon is one of my life goals.
Thoughts or suggestions on how to do this? (Aside from calling Xanterra every day since the nice lady tells me that they have almost zero cancellations for Phantom Ranch)
I fear that Bryce (one of my favorite places in the world) or Zion would be too cold for us in March, or maybe not even open. I also have The Narrows on my to-do list but... in March?
The obvious choice is Grand Canyon but I am too late to get a reservation at Phantom Ranch and camping is not exactly my first (second or third) choice. All the nice hikes seem to require an overnight stay. We do not have camping equipment and we have never hiked with serious backpacks either. Nevertheless, hiking down (and up!) into the canyon is one of my life goals.
Thoughts or suggestions on how to do this? (Aside from calling Xanterra every day since the nice lady tells me that they have almost zero cancellations for Phantom Ranch)
I fear that Bryce (one of my favorite places in the world) or Zion would be too cold for us in March, or maybe not even open. I also have The Narrows on my to-do list but... in March?
Nov 7th, 2008, 07:01 AM
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There are some areas closer at hand for day hikes.
Just west of LV, Red Rocks State Park has a number of trails. To the north about 25 miles, Valley of Fire State Park has more. Both are quite scenic desert canyon areas. My preference is Valley of Fire but some like Red Rocks better.
At the end of March, chances for tolerable weather are very good. You should be prepared for it to be a little cool or a little warm but, at that time, it's likely to be very comfortable with only a slight chance of rain.
If you wanted to go a little farther, that is also a good time to visit Death Valley. It also has a number of hikes of varying difficulty. You might want to start inquiring about hotel reservations soon since that is the high season for DV.
Just west of LV, Red Rocks State Park has a number of trails. To the north about 25 miles, Valley of Fire State Park has more. Both are quite scenic desert canyon areas. My preference is Valley of Fire but some like Red Rocks better.
At the end of March, chances for tolerable weather are very good. You should be prepared for it to be a little cool or a little warm but, at that time, it's likely to be very comfortable with only a slight chance of rain.
If you wanted to go a little farther, that is also a good time to visit Death Valley. It also has a number of hikes of varying difficulty. You might want to start inquiring about hotel reservations soon since that is the high season for DV.
Nov 7th, 2008, 09:00 AM
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Hi marigross---
Zion has terrific hiking. We went there after our Grand Canyon rim-to-rim hike this year, and I loved it. Zion is at a much lower elevation than Bryce---the canyon bottom is 4,000 feet. The shuttles start running in mid-March, so this must be the start of the season.
Here is the weather page from the NPS site:
http://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisi...nd-climate.htm
The table on the bottom says average temps in March go from mid-30's at night to mid-60's during the day. Sounds perfect for hiking. Of course, if you hiked up to the canyon rim, it might be a bit cooler than that, maybe even with a bit of snow. And March is supposed to be the rainiest month, so the Narrows would be out. But there are lots of other great hikes----Angel's Landing/West Rim trail and Observation Point are the ones we did.
Lots of lodging choices in Springdale if the Zion Lodge is full.
Grand Canyon: if you have the time (4 days), you could hike to the bottom of the canyon on one of the Grand Canyon Field Institute trips.
http://www.grandcanyon.org/fieldinstitute/
Click on "sneak peek" at the bottom for March 2009 classes. They provide all the gear and food. One is even "mule assisted" (mules carry your gear). The "introductory Colorado River" one looks like a good possibility if the timing is right---this is probably the "standard" trip with a night or 2 at Bright Angel camp and an overnight at Indian Gardens on the way up.
As for Phantom Ranch, don't give up. Both times we have been down there in April, we met people who lucked into a cancellation by calling a week or two before. It's very random, but worth a try now and then.
Or you could contact the Phantom group sales office and see if the group cabin is avialable any of the nights you could use it. Then you could invite 9 of your best friends from the wedding to join you in the adventure. . . We did that last September and it was so much fun (maybe you saw my trip report).
Zion has terrific hiking. We went there after our Grand Canyon rim-to-rim hike this year, and I loved it. Zion is at a much lower elevation than Bryce---the canyon bottom is 4,000 feet. The shuttles start running in mid-March, so this must be the start of the season.
Here is the weather page from the NPS site:
http://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisi...nd-climate.htm
The table on the bottom says average temps in March go from mid-30's at night to mid-60's during the day. Sounds perfect for hiking. Of course, if you hiked up to the canyon rim, it might be a bit cooler than that, maybe even with a bit of snow. And March is supposed to be the rainiest month, so the Narrows would be out. But there are lots of other great hikes----Angel's Landing/West Rim trail and Observation Point are the ones we did.
Lots of lodging choices in Springdale if the Zion Lodge is full.
Grand Canyon: if you have the time (4 days), you could hike to the bottom of the canyon on one of the Grand Canyon Field Institute trips.
http://www.grandcanyon.org/fieldinstitute/
Click on "sneak peek" at the bottom for March 2009 classes. They provide all the gear and food. One is even "mule assisted" (mules carry your gear). The "introductory Colorado River" one looks like a good possibility if the timing is right---this is probably the "standard" trip with a night or 2 at Bright Angel camp and an overnight at Indian Gardens on the way up.
As for Phantom Ranch, don't give up. Both times we have been down there in April, we met people who lucked into a cancellation by calling a week or two before. It's very random, but worth a try now and then.
Or you could contact the Phantom group sales office and see if the group cabin is avialable any of the nights you could use it. Then you could invite 9 of your best friends from the wedding to join you in the adventure. . . We did that last September and it was so much fun (maybe you saw my trip report).
Nov 7th, 2008, 10:08 AM
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Thanks for the suggestions!
The Xanterra lady is going to be my new BFF, I have set up a weekly reminder to give them a call.
I'm not sure any of the other wedding guests would be interested in going.
Actually... we are NOT telling one of my sisters that we are planning this. She would want to come along and ruin it for everyone
The Xanterra lady is going to be my new BFF, I have set up a weekly reminder to give them a call.
I'm not sure any of the other wedding guests would be interested in going.
Actually... we are NOT telling one of my sisters that we are planning this. She would want to come along and ruin it for everyone
Nov 7th, 2008, 10:18 AM
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death valley is a nice place to go for a couple of nights. march is a great time as the desert flowers may be in bloom. i recommend taking the tour of scotty's castle - it's not long and very inexpensive and interesting. we stayed at the furnace creek ranch and were very happy with it. more upscale is the furnace creek inn or going the other direction is stovepipe wells.
valley of fire is a great day trip from vegas. you can do a loop - drive the freeway to valley of fire and then on your way home, stop by hoover dam if that interests you.
valley of fire is a great day trip from vegas. you can do a loop - drive the freeway to valley of fire and then on your way home, stop by hoover dam if that interests you.
Nov 7th, 2008, 10:55 AM
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"The Xanterra lady is going to be my new BFF, I have set up a weekly reminder to give them a call."
You really need to call them daily if you hope to snag a spot. Competition is fierce and you can bet there are other people calling every day.
If the Grand Canyon doesn't work Death Valley would be my first choice. Lots of sunshine and a variety of hiking options, from wide open vistas to narrow canyons.
You really need to call them daily if you hope to snag a spot. Competition is fierce and you can bet there are other people calling every day.
If the Grand Canyon doesn't work Death Valley would be my first choice. Lots of sunshine and a variety of hiking options, from wide open vistas to narrow canyons.
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