Retired1

Taking a raft trip on the WESTERN Grand Canyon. Due to health issues, but still wanting to experience at least some level of adventure, this was the best for us. We had to have something with no hiking in or out, but we still get 3 nights of camping, moderate rapids, kinda cool for old timers! The actual GC part of the trip is from Whitmore Wash to Lake Mead.
Anyhow, it sort of starts and ends at McCarran Airport in LV. We're getting in to LV a couple of days prior to the raft trip mainly to ensure that we actually get there in time for the early morning charter flight from McCarran to the GC. I'm ok with seeing some of LV, but I think we will also want to spend a couple of nights at the south rim. Do you think so too? Or do we get a sense of the Grand Canyon from the area where we are rafting?
If you do recommend seeing the south rim in addition to our 4 days IN the canyon, when we're dropped back off at McCarran, I'm wondering if we should fly from McCarran to Flagstaff, get a car and drive to the south rim or just what? I see it takes about 5 hours to get to the south rim driving from LV, but if we fly from McCarran to Flagstaff, it's only around 2 hours to get to the lodges there.
If we drove from McCarran, are there picturesque things along the way so that we actually should do the drive versus the "fast" flight? I had wanted to see some other places like Monument Valley, but that looks to be around 3 hours from south rim, so maybe that is for another trip? What do you recommend for seeing around the south rim area?
We only want to go about 4-5 days past the raft trip, so time is more important than the $$ at this point, but we really have no desire to rush just to cram things in. Would rather be slow and enjoy 2 things vs rushing and seeing but not experiencing 5 things.
So if you think south rim would be redundant after our 4 days on the river, then recommend something else! We are wide open to things that don't require massive hiking on wobbly stones! (Fake knees, back back, blah blah boring old people stuff.) We like beautiful vistas and nature, don't require posh hotels, really like great food but don't require it.

Thanks all!

J62

It is definitely worth visiting the S. Rim of the GC - you will not get a true sense of the vastness of the GC rafting from Whitmore Wash to Lake Mead.

With 4-5 days past the raft trip have you considered Zion?

ziggypop

Please view the canyon at dawn and dusk.

I would just drive from Las Vegas to the canyon, it's desert all the way but only 5 hours. I don't really see saving much time flying as you have to be at the airport early, transferring to a car, etc...

If you are going to go to the South rim get hotel reservations asap.

Zion, painted canyon, and red rock are easy drives and do not 'require' a lot of hiking.

Retired1

ziggypop: I honestly had not thought about there being actually a better reason to drive since the flying would end up being way more than 5 hours once you figure in all the hoopla involved. EXCELLENT POINT! And then I would have to get a rental car anyway.
J62 and ziggypop: Thanks for the Zion idea. I like it a lot.
And if we get somewhere and can do some hiking, well that's even better. I can hike, but my husband just can't, and I'm planning this trip to be more for him since it's on his list more than mine. Don't want to break him into pieces!

Does two nights at south rim sound good? The dawn and dusk thing was really the whole reason I wanted to stay there.I want to decide this week about where to stay and for how many nights. I have not looked at Zion, Red, Painted yet on the forum. But a quick quetion: are there places to stay at Zion, Painted, Red or would those be day trips from the place we pick at the south rim?
Thanks so much, I cannot begin to let you know how much I appreciate it.

emalloy

I agree, do spend at least one night at the south rim. If you get there before sunset and stay for sunrise, you could do bit of walking along the rim trail and down Bright Angel trail or South Kaibab trail at least a little way.

You can to do a day trip to Valley of Fire and Red Rock Canyon from Vegas. VoF is a bit more than an hour north east of Vegas and RRC is less than an hour west. There is no lodging in either unless you camp.

There is lodging in Zion and also in the town of Springdale which is very close. Zion is about 3 hours north of Vegas.