Any tips on visiting the Grand Canyon?
 

Planning a trip to the Grand Canyon in September. Should we stay at a hotel in the park or near the South Rim? Any hints?

When staying at the South Rim it is desirable to stay within the confines of the park. There is an abundance of lodging options at the South Rim. If nothing is available at the South Rim lodges you can look for something in Tusayan, about 8 miles from the park Entrance.

I'd stay in the park. An article in the past week stated that there are rooms available

I like staying in the park because you don't have to worry about where you park your vehicle. If you are staying in accommodations in the park you have a parking spot and then you can ride the shuttles almost anywhere you need to go.<BR><BR>Utahtea

A few years ago, we stayed in the wonderful cabins that sit directly on the South Rim. In winter, they were only $70/night and they were perfect. If you can get one, go for it. They sit only a few hundred feet from the rim.

type in Grand Canyon in the search area and you`ll get lots of info..stay in the park...ck out xanterra.com for park/lodging info..it replaced amfac.com

<BR>Just to give you another view point...<BR><BR>In April, we decided to stay in Cameron, AZ at the Cameron Trading Post. I had heard of the large crowds at the Grand Canyon and wanted to avoid them, but mostly I wanted to visit the Navajo nation. We also wanted to see the cliff dwellings at Walnut Canyon , the pueblos at Wupatki, and Sunset Volcano Crater so this made the extra driving worth while.<BR><BR>We left for the canyon before dawn so we could see the sunrise. The drive was easy (though seeing elk standing beside the rode before dawn was a little strange) and took about an hour. We watched the sunrise at Moran Point, visited other overlooks, and didn't see anyone until at least an hour after sunrise. We worked our way toward the visitor's center on the South Rim for breakfast. The buses started arriving around 10 or 11 and then the South Rim became "interesting" (crowded :-)<BR><BR>Have a good trip.<BR><BR>Mike Honeycutt

Suggestion: Do a day trip to the Grand Canyon and spend the rest of your time in Sedona !! Much better scenery and more things to do.

Just got back from an unplanned trip to the Grand Canyon. We were headed to Chicago when our plane got turned around due to a "Hydraulic System Failure" After dropping fuel and making it back to the airport safely, we decided to do our vacation from the ground. So, we hit the road from CA and headed to UT and AZ without nary a reservation or plan. We were fortunate to walk in to one of the park lodges and get a room at 5PM on a Friday!! Watching the canyon sunset is a must. But, as the previous post says, Sedona is truly awesome. To do it again, I'd do a day trip to the Grand Canyon and stay somewhere in or near Sedona. Best of luck, whatever you choose!

In my opinion a sunset and a sunrise at the grand is all the time I would want to spend there

A night and a day hike at the grand canyon should suffice. Unless you get El Tovar, I would'nt stay inside the canyon. I've heard too many disaster stories about dirty rooms or cabins