gnomemom

a family of five - three kids and two adults?

Are any of the lodges better than others for families with kids? Do any of the rooms sleep five? I'm totally fine with a cot for one of the kids - but I can't tell if we need two rooms or not.

Thanks!

Also, Can anyone give me an idea of what weather would be like the first week in June? Still cold, or warming up? And, is early summer the best time to go for crowds (we have a pretty typical school calendar, unfortunately).

Thanks again

MikePinTucson

Probably the best lodging for a family that size would be one of the Bright Angel cabins. Call now to see if any are available. If not, keep checking back every day because there are usually cancellations.

June should be sunny and dry, probably into the 80's, with nighttime temperatures down into the 50's or 40's.

Crowds will be pretty heavy in June because schools are out all over the country. But I wouldn't worry about it, there is plenty of room, and you won't feel really crowded.

emalloy

Another thought for a crowd would be one of the "penthouse" suites on the top of el Tovar. They are pricey but if they would sleep 5, may be not much more that two rooms at one of the other sites.

They are probably sold out, but since people make reservations a year in advance and cancel as time gets close, you may get lucky.

In any case if you get the sold out message on any of the places, take the number and call on the phone and keep calling, cancellations don't always make it to the web site.

colombiana

Not an expert, but I too plan to be there in June it will be 3 adults and Bright Angel in some cabins has capacity for a max of 3. I believe in most of them you will need 2 cabins I wanted to stay in Bright Angel but had to settle for Maswik Lodge since that was all that was available when I made my reservation (end of January) I will only stay one night as MPT mentioned call to see if there are any cancellations, but I do believe you will need two. Good Luck Hope this helps.
Gina

gnomemom

Thanks everyone for your input! I'm planning for a year from June 2012 - so I should be able to get what I need (I'm an early planner ) - I was just trying to figure out what would be the best fit.

The kids will be 8, 8 & 9 - so elementary aged (and sized, LOL).

spirobulldog

Bright Angel Cabins- 4 or 5 of them are on the rim. Since you are booking early, you would probably be able to get one(or two) of those. You are wise to plan this far in advance, most people don't. I would visit El Tovar(maybe for a meal).

I'm not sure how long you plan to stay and if you have other plans for other locations. While the GC certainly is a must see, we really enjoyed most of the parks in Utah far far more. There is a lot more to do there. Unless you are hiking into the canyon or rafting(which we have done both), there is not that much to do after you have seen it. You might consider taking a helicopter tour as that is pretty spectacular.

Cool mornings and warm to hot afternoons.

If you don't want the crowds, go to The North Rim. There is a historic lodge there also.

spirobulldog

Nevermind my last post. I looked at your other posts and see you are doing a Grand Circle Trip. Stay "in park" when and where you can. Which places did you end up deciding on? If you are doing Utah(like I think you are), you might consider The North Rim. It would probably be about as easy to get to it from there as the south. Are you driving or flying into somewhere?

gnomemom

Spiro, I'm just at the beginning of my planning - this is my outline (I think I stole a lot of these from one of your replies from last summer ):

Zion National Park (2 nights), Bryce Canyon National Park (2 nights), Goblin Valley State Park (this looks AMAZING to me, but doesn't seem as popular? I'm surprised - I think my kids would LOVE running around and jumping and posing with the rock formations here). Arches National Park (2-3 days), Monument Valley Tribal Park (2 nights, probably Gouldings), Grand Canyon (2 nights).

My original plan had us flying into Las Vegas and maybe out of Phoenix... But now I'm leaning towards flying in and out of Phoenix? Which would mean doing the circle the other way, right? I'm not exactly sure. It's probably cheaper to fly into Vegas - but a longer drive to get to the Grand Canyon from there?

As you can see, most of my plans are pretty rough at this point. I want to be ready to book when they open up the reservations at 12 months (especially since we'll be traveling at the beginning of June). I'm having a hard time figuring out what all of the driving/mileage is actually going to look like (distances between places).

kayd

It would not hurt to start looking for in-park lodging 13 or 14 months in advance, if my experience with Xanterra for Yellowstone is any indication. I went to the website one year and 10 days before my travel dates and was unable to get my first choice lodging combination because some dates were already sold out (but the helpful agent on the phone helped me work out another itinerary that's just as good).

enzian

Most of the Bright Angel cabins will only work for a family of 5 if you book both sides of a duplex cabin. I don't know if they have connecting doors. There is apparently one of the historic cabins that will sleep 5 (so I heard on Tripadvisor) but you have to book it by phone. I believe it is Historic Cabin # 6186.

Many of the rooms in Maswik and Yavapai Lodges, as well as Deluxe rooms at El Tovar, will sleep 5 people , with 2 queen beds and a rollaway bed. If you book these on the website, be sure and check the room details to confirm that it will sleep 5. They are strict about their maximum party size per room, and it does apply to children.

Bright Angel cabins are right on th erim, so if one of those will fit that would be my first choice.

www.grandcanyonlodges.com

zion Lodge (in the park) has 2-room suites in the main lodge that should take 5 of you. This would be fun for the kids, as there is usually quite a bit of wildlife around in the morning and evening, right on the lawn in front. On the other hand, they might really anjoy the pool at Desert Pearl in Springdale. tough choice!

emalloy

Look at the cost of flights and rental cars before you make the decision on if you should go into Vegas or Phoenix. In the past, both have been very much less expensive for Vegas. If you get an early flight, you can be in Zion by mid afternoon it is only about 3 hours away from Vegas. Grand Canyon is about 5 hours, but not that much less from Phoenix and on the other end, Zion is lots farther.

I've done the circle both ways, depending on weather and what else I wanted to do.

Have a great trip.

spirobulldog

I like your plan. I think one night at Monument Valley would be enough. I still think you would be better off starting in Vegas. I say do the GC first. It will be more impressive if you see it the first thing. If you come from Vegas, you will see Boulder Dam. You could do a tour there. I would add one night in Cap Reef. There is that much to do between Arches and Bryce. Do stop at the Gifford House and have pie there in the orchard. I wouldn't hike there as I don't like it as much. Some people will argue with me on that. I hiked 25 miles there over a weekend and it was good, but I like the other places better. You might consider a hike to Calf Creek Falls as well. You can cool off in the falls. Since you are at Goblin Valley, don't miss Little Wildhorse Canyon(not to be confused with wildhorse canyon). LWC is only 5 miles or so from the goblins.
Try to plan your driving in the middle of the day and do your hiking early or late.
Finish at Zion and then you don't have a long drive to Vegas, but if you start in Phoenix, then you will have a long drive. Phoenix isn't a bad plan if airport and car is less expensive. Usually cars in Vegas are pretty darn cheap.

Most of the lodges open on the 1st day of the month 12-13 months in advance. So 7:00AM on May 1 or June 1 have everything mapped out and get those reservations on that day.

Goblin Valley isn't that big and it isn't crowded. You can let your kids run wild there and be able to see them(for the most part) up on the little ledge under a canopy.

spirobulldog

I should have said that the lodges start booking on the 1st day of the month 12-13 months in advance.

In other words, if you have a trip planned for May 30, 2012. You can probably book on May 1, 2011. So they really book 395 days ahead, not 365(depending on the day of month

spirobulldog

I should have said that the lodges start booking on the 1st day of the month 12-13 months in advance.

In other words, if you have a trip planned for May 30, 2012. You can probably book on May 1, 2011. So they really book 395 days ahead, not 365(depending on the day of month

spirobulldog

The state parks in Utah don't get they hype that the National Parks do. They are a lot smaller, but they have a lot to offer.

ketchpa

For your Grand Canyon lodgings, when booking through Xanterra, ask if the Bucky O'Neill Cabin is available, which I would think would sleep 5 fairly easily (this is likely the historic cabin mentioned by enzian above). The BO Cabin was built in the early 1890's by Bucky O'Neill, a Grand Canyon enthusiast and miner who died in the battle of San Juan Hill as one of Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders. The Cabin was remodeled in the 1930's by Mary Colter when she designed the Bright Angel lodge. The Bright Angel Lodge is now is spread around the Bucky O'Neill Cabin. The Cabin is right on the rim, right next to the Rim View Bright Angel Lodge Rooms (although there is not a great view from the BO Cabin). The BO Cabin has a bedroom and a sitting room.

I have stayed in the Cabin only once, but it slept four adults with no issues. I believe that two of the four of us stayed on a pull-out bed or a roll away bed. The front door of the Cabin opens onto the rim. There is a placard in front of the BO Cabin that almost makes it appear that the Cabin is a museum, but instead it is a lodging cabin that is now considered part of the Bright Angel Lodge.

I like your itinerary. My only change would be to spend a little less time at Arches and more time at Bryce or Zion as I find them considerably more interesting. If you do spend 3 days at Arches, consider spending a half-day rafting on the Green River. Relatively tame river rafting that can easily be arranged at a number of places in Moab, and fun if you have not rafted before.