ARIZONA DISTANCES
Feb 5th, 2002, 12:17 PM
#1
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ARIZONA DISTANCES
After reading the post about alternatives to mapquest, I tried mapblast. Mapquest: Sedona to Grand Canyon, 142 miles (4 h.14 min.) Grand Canyon to Bryce Canyon, 290 miles (8 hours,43 min.). Mapblast: Sedona to Grand Canyon, 130 miles (2 hours,51 min.) and Grand Canyon to Bryce Canyon, 237 miles (5 hours,35 min.). So which can I believe? There is a diference of 65 miles and over 4 and a half hours of travel time here!
Feb 5th, 2002, 01:10 PM
#2
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On the Sedona-GC trip, mapblast seems more accurate, but I did notice something curious:
There's a difference of only 12 miles between mapblast and mapquest, but a time difference of almost 90 minutes. Maybe mapquest is giving you the scenic route thru Oak Creek, and mapblast is sending you there via the interstate.
There's a difference of only 12 miles between mapblast and mapquest, but a time difference of almost 90 minutes. Maybe mapquest is giving you the scenic route thru Oak Creek, and mapblast is sending you there via the interstate.
Feb 5th, 2002, 05:18 PM
#3
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It is 130 miles to Grand Canyon from Sedona via 89a (Oak Creek Canyon), to Flagstaff, then 180 and 64 to South Rim. The road is two-lane black top in excellent condition all the way. Takes about 3.5 hours, depending on how many photos you take. There is another way, via 89 from Flagstaff to Cameron, but it's farther and much less frequented. You enter GC Nat Park via its east entrance on 64.
Feb 5th, 2002, 06:26 PM
#4
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Hi Don. I think you are asking a very good set of questions.
All those estimated travel times stike me as being conservative, except possibly the Sedona one. If you take the slow way via Oak Creek Canyon, you can get stuck behind a slow vehicle where there is no room to pass.
As for all of the rest of the drives, I have made all of them more than once in faster times than estimated.
The estimates you list of the time and distance from GC to Bryce yield an average speed of less than 45 mph.
Unfortunately, both of the distances that you cite between the GC and Bryce are way wrong. I thought at first that it might be because of the difference between the South Rim and the North Rim, but it is not.
The distance from the North Rim to Bryce is 174 miles according to AAA.
(I inclueded 10 miles to get you from the entrance gate to the overlook at Sunset Point. The park gate is well away from a view point for Bryce itself.)
From the South Rim of the GC to Bryce, the distance is 257 miles. (Same provision, hotel area of the GC to a major overlook at Bryce.)
If you stop a lot to sightsee, average speeds of less than 50 mph are reasonable, therefore using 6 hours to travel from the South Rim of the GC to Bryce is not unreasonable. For example, on the road from the South Rim motel area to Cameron there are quite a few places that will tempt you to stop and look, even if you have done so already!! And after Cameron, particularly where you cross the Colorado River, there are several temptations to get out and look around.
The figure of 290 miles and nearly 9 hours from the Grand Canyon to Bryce is off base.
Who ever came up with those numbers was thinking about something else. Or s/he is going to Bryce by way of Page, Arizona rather than by Mable Canyon, which is considerably longer.
So in summary, figure on 6 hours for the trip from the motel area of the South Rim to Bryce. That time will allow for stopping and looking at several viewpoints.
All those estimated travel times stike me as being conservative, except possibly the Sedona one. If you take the slow way via Oak Creek Canyon, you can get stuck behind a slow vehicle where there is no room to pass.
As for all of the rest of the drives, I have made all of them more than once in faster times than estimated.
The estimates you list of the time and distance from GC to Bryce yield an average speed of less than 45 mph.
Unfortunately, both of the distances that you cite between the GC and Bryce are way wrong. I thought at first that it might be because of the difference between the South Rim and the North Rim, but it is not.
The distance from the North Rim to Bryce is 174 miles according to AAA.
(I inclueded 10 miles to get you from the entrance gate to the overlook at Sunset Point. The park gate is well away from a view point for Bryce itself.)
From the South Rim of the GC to Bryce, the distance is 257 miles. (Same provision, hotel area of the GC to a major overlook at Bryce.)
If you stop a lot to sightsee, average speeds of less than 50 mph are reasonable, therefore using 6 hours to travel from the South Rim of the GC to Bryce is not unreasonable. For example, on the road from the South Rim motel area to Cameron there are quite a few places that will tempt you to stop and look, even if you have done so already!! And after Cameron, particularly where you cross the Colorado River, there are several temptations to get out and look around.
The figure of 290 miles and nearly 9 hours from the Grand Canyon to Bryce is off base.
Who ever came up with those numbers was thinking about something else. Or s/he is going to Bryce by way of Page, Arizona rather than by Mable Canyon, which is considerably longer.
So in summary, figure on 6 hours for the trip from the motel area of the South Rim to Bryce. That time will allow for stopping and looking at several viewpoints.
Feb 6th, 2002, 04:38 PM
#6
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One more thing, Don, distances out there are long. And sometimes stores are not right where you want them to be.
We always carry water in the car because the climate is so dry.
And we always have a little something to eat, just in case we find something we want to see, and meal time is upon us.
As adults traveling without children, we don't have the problems of eating on schedule we did when our son was small.
We were in Bryce last spring and as always we enjoyed the canyon. The road we were on to Cedar Breaks was still closed because of snow the 3rd week in May, so we did not get there last year.
We might have gotten there from the south, but we did not try it. I have been there several times before.
If you want to stay in the park, the motel style accommodations are ok.
In fact, the room was spacious.
The cabin rooms are ok too, but more expensive. Motels near the park entrance are seemingly ok, and Panguitch has a few commercial motels.
I have not stayed in any of them.
We stayed in the park the last two visits, and I recommend it, if you don't mind paying slightly inflated prices. I enjoyed being able to walk from my room to the canyon rim after dinner and watch the sun go down.
(Be sure you take a flashlight.)
Also, Bryce last year and the year before had good Ranger programs. The quality of the programs are usually a function of the speakers. So they vary.
We always carry water in the car because the climate is so dry.
And we always have a little something to eat, just in case we find something we want to see, and meal time is upon us.
As adults traveling without children, we don't have the problems of eating on schedule we did when our son was small.
We were in Bryce last spring and as always we enjoyed the canyon. The road we were on to Cedar Breaks was still closed because of snow the 3rd week in May, so we did not get there last year.
We might have gotten there from the south, but we did not try it. I have been there several times before.
If you want to stay in the park, the motel style accommodations are ok.
In fact, the room was spacious.
The cabin rooms are ok too, but more expensive. Motels near the park entrance are seemingly ok, and Panguitch has a few commercial motels.
I have not stayed in any of them.
We stayed in the park the last two visits, and I recommend it, if you don't mind paying slightly inflated prices. I enjoyed being able to walk from my room to the canyon rim after dinner and watch the sun go down.
(Be sure you take a flashlight.)
Also, Bryce last year and the year before had good Ranger programs. The quality of the programs are usually a function of the speakers. So they vary.
Feb 6th, 2002, 04:58 PM
#7
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Just checked the mileage distances, between points, on my AAA map.
Grand Canyon Village to Bryce going via rt. 64, rt. 89, rt 89A through Jacob Lake and Fredonia to Kanab to rt 12 to Bryce, just outside the park - 279 miles
Using rt 64, rt 89 through Page and Kanab to rt. 12 to Bryce - 284 miles
Drive time should be in the six hour plus rangel..
Grand Canyon Village to Bryce going via rt. 64, rt. 89, rt 89A through Jacob Lake and Fredonia to Kanab to rt 12 to Bryce, just outside the park - 279 miles
Using rt 64, rt 89 through Page and Kanab to rt. 12 to Bryce - 284 miles
Drive time should be in the six hour plus rangel..
Feb 6th, 2002, 07:20 PM
#9
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I must have left out something.
I just rechecked my AAA map and from the highway marker near Grand Canyon Village to a point 10 miles from route 12 south into the park, I get 287 miles.
I must have missed a 30 mile figure the first time I added it up. I will blame it poor eyesight -- presbyopia and astigmatism and macular degeneration.
The Jacob Lake Fredonia distance is 30 miles and that may be the one I left out.
So, I submit my revised figures and thanks to RQF for pointing out the discrepancy in my figures.
So the 290 is not that far off.
If you throw in 3 miles from the highway marker on the map to the parking lot at the motel area in GC, I get 290. I accept that figure willingly.
I do not accept the 8 hour 43 minute travel time because I know from experience that it does not take that long.
290 miles/45 mph yields 6 hours and 27 minutes. At an even more conservative 40 mph, the travel time is 7 hours and 15 minutes.
I just rechecked my AAA map and from the highway marker near Grand Canyon Village to a point 10 miles from route 12 south into the park, I get 287 miles.
I must have missed a 30 mile figure the first time I added it up. I will blame it poor eyesight -- presbyopia and astigmatism and macular degeneration.
The Jacob Lake Fredonia distance is 30 miles and that may be the one I left out.
So, I submit my revised figures and thanks to RQF for pointing out the discrepancy in my figures.
So the 290 is not that far off.
If you throw in 3 miles from the highway marker on the map to the parking lot at the motel area in GC, I get 290. I accept that figure willingly.
I do not accept the 8 hour 43 minute travel time because I know from experience that it does not take that long.
290 miles/45 mph yields 6 hours and 27 minutes. At an even more conservative 40 mph, the travel time is 7 hours and 15 minutes.
