Grand Canyon from Phx or Vegas?

Old Jun 13th, 2016, 04:25 AM
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Grand Canyon from Phx or Vegas?

Hello,

I know there are lots of posts about the Grand Canyon but I haven’t found anything similar to some of my questions.

The wife and I are planning a weekend getaway and want to visit the GC. It’s cheaper and easier for us to fly directly into Vegas, spend the night and then wake up early and rent a car and drive to the GC, but we are also contemplating flying into Phoenix and doing the drive from there. I have a few questions and seeking some feedback from you experts too. We are in our early 30’s and planning on going mid July (maybe the 15th – 19th)

1) Does it make sense to rent a car and do the drive to the GC, spend 1 night, 2 days there and then drive back to either Phx or Vegas? Or does it make sense to do a day tour. I noticed there are lots of day trips from both Vegas and Phx.

2) We are pretty active and are looking to do some hiking, rafting, plane or helicopter tours. Any experience on organized tours? I’ve never loved the bus ones because I feel like its an over-crowded tourist trap with lots and lots and lots of crowds. We hate large crowds.


3) The lodging/hotels in and around the GC don’t seem to be that clean / nice. Is that the standard for this area? A lot of complaints and gross pictures from travelers can be found on trip advisor

4) If we decide to stay in Phoenix as our home base (the option we’re leaning towards), what cool activities are there to do there? I think it would be really cool to do a sunrise or sunset hot air balloon ride (sunrise is probably nicer than sunset, right?

Any other tips and tricks are welcomed.

THX!
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Old Jun 13th, 2016, 07:44 AM
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> Does it make sense to rent a car and do the drive to the GC,
> spend 1 night, 2 days there and then drive back
> to either Phx or Vegas?

Not only does it make sense, but it's the way I would recommend. The Canyon at sunrise/sunset is when it's at its most beautiful.

If you decide to do a day tour, be 100% certain you are going to the South Rim. There's a part of the GC called the West Rim, with a glass walkway. Not a bad place to visit, but it pales in comparison to the National Park.

> We are pretty active and are looking to do some hiking,
> rafting, plane or helicopter tours.

Unless you go to the West Rim, the minimal time for a rafting trip within the actual Canyon is three days.
Planes and helicopters tours are so disruptive for visitors below that they are banned from the most beautiful parts.

https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/day-hiking.htm


> The lodging/hotels in and around the GC
> don’t seem to be that clean / nice.
> Is that the standard for this area?
All lodging in Tusayan is going to be completely filled pretty much every day, no matter how little they spend on upkeep. Thus, the owners have very little incentive to go far above the legal minimum. So, I hate to say it's the "standard," but it is something you'll just have to be prepared for. If you get a room that doesn't meet your standards, don't expect the manager to feel intimidated if you threaten to go somewhere else -- he might hand you his phone and dare you to find a vacancy!
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Old Jun 13th, 2016, 07:50 AM
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Fly in/out of Vegas & do an overnight trip to the south rim.

Lodging in the park at the S. Rim are all ok. There are 6 hotels at the S. Rim / GC village area and they range from basic/spartan rooms (Maswik/Yavapai) to more luxurious (El Tovar). I've stayed in Yavapai several times and never found the rooms to be anything but clean. You are paying for the location in a wilderness area, not amenities at a luxury resort.

For a 1 day trip I recommend you get up at the crack of dawn and hike the S. Kaibab trail about 3 miles / ~1000' elevation drop. I forget the name of the point, but that trail will take you well out into the canyon and below the rim for spectacular views. Then head back up (hike up will take twice as long as the hike down) & be back before lunch & mid day/afternoon heat. You'll need to carry minimum 2 liters of water per person for this hike as there is no water source on the S. Kaibab trail.
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Old Jun 13th, 2016, 08:13 AM
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I agree w/ J62 . . . fly in/out of Las Vegas and spend a night at the south rim. Don't do a day trip/ or tour -- very rushed, you are only there during the most crowded time of the day, and you miss sunrise/sunset.

Not only will your airfare likely be lower, car rentals tend to be substantially cheaper out of Vegas.

Nothing wrong w/ any of the accommodations at the south rim.
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Old Jun 13th, 2016, 08:42 AM
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Thanks for the feedback!

Would it be better to stay in Phx vs Vegas? If I do 1 night/2 days at GC then I could spend more time in Phoenix. I hear its a beautiful city with lots to do.
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Old Jun 13th, 2016, 08:46 AM
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If you are flying in/out of Phx, then stay in Phx. If you are flying in/out of Vegas, then stay in Vegas.

But you seem bent on Phoenix, so if that is what you want to do then by all means, enjoy Phoenix. Nothing wrong with that plan.

If I had more time I'd add time to GC, or add on Zion NP. in fact, I'd do Zion + GC north rim for 3-4 days, and skip the cities all together. The natural beauty of UT/AZ far surpasses any man made glitz any day.
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Old Jun 13th, 2016, 01:14 PM
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Personaly Phoenix is a bit boring, big sprawling city, I would stay in Las Vegas instead (and that is far from my favorite city but has more things to do and good restaurants).
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Old Jun 13th, 2016, 04:17 PM
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Personaly Phoenix is a bit boring...

I agree, but I prefer the drive between Phoenix and the Grand Canyon than the drive between Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. You could stay in Sedona, which would be a treat.

Our room at the Grand Canyon was clean and well-maintained.

HTtY
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Old Jun 13th, 2016, 08:39 PM
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Agree. Stay in Sedona.
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