mlm59

We will be flying into Vegas & driving to the North Rim. Does anyone have an idea how long this trip takes? Not sure if we can get a room at the North Rim. Has anyone stayed at the Kaibab Lodge in Fredonia? We will be traveling from Fredonia to Lake Powell and plan to take the boat trip to Natural Bridge. Is it feasible for us to leave Lake Powell late in the day and travel to Kanab, UT to spend the night before traveling back to Vegas?

utahtea

First, the road to the N. Rim Grand Canyon will NOT OPEN until May 10th. If you are going to be traveling before then you won't beable to go to the N. Rim.

What time will you be getting into Las Vegas? From Las Vegas to the N. Rim is 265 miles to the visitor center. This route will take about 7 hours. Hwy 89 alt to Jacob Lake and Hwy 67 into the park are slow going roads.

From the N. Rim back to Fredonia on the slow going roads is 70 miles but will probably take 3 hours. This is a lot to do in one day! Flying into Vegas and then 10 hours in a vehicle won't leave you much time at the rim.

From Fredonia to Page is 80 miles taking Hwy 89 and should only take 1 hr. 45 minutes. Make sure you schedule the boat tour at least one night before to make sure you can get a tour! The drive from Page to Kanab is only 75 miles and should only take 1 1/2 hours. What you planned for this day is doable if you get a very early start.

If you decide to skip the N. Rim then you would have time to spend in Zion National Park. Which is BEAUTIFUL!


Utahtea

mlm59

Utahtea:

Thanks for the advice. We will be getting into Vegas about 9:00 AM. I was planning to drive to the North Rim and spend the night either there or in Fredonia. We are planning to come in late August or early September and I wasn't sure we could get a reservation at the North Rim then, that's why I was considering Fredonia. It appears there is 1 hotel there and that is the nearest place unless we go all the way back to Kanab, which seems too far. We were at Bryce and Zion last year. The North Rim and Lake Powell are definitely the places we want to visit this year.

Photodog

If you want to visit the north rim of the Grand Canyon and see a view few see would suggest you stay on US89 out of Kanab and look for small sign indicating turnoff to Toroweap Point in the Grand Canyon. Granted it is 50 miles off a paved road but you will be treated to a spectacular view, especially if there at sunrise (there is a dry campground at the rim) with a view down on Lava Rapid nearly 2000' below you. If you continue on to Page you could visit a great walk-in slot canyon called Antelope Canyon and just south of Page is a 1/2m walk to Horseshoe Bend a look about 1000' down into a horseshoe of the Colorado River where you can often see rafting parties. Can also pickup pontoon boat here, if interested in traveling on Lake Powell. Good source of info is www.powellguide.com

banares

Photodog is right about Toroweap Pt - absolutely spectacular. We did not risk driving to it after reading a lot of warnings about the road, and instead took a pricey 4-wheel drive tour. I still would not drive that road; however, I did see 2 campers go on it. By the way, there are only 2 campsites, first come basis. I don't know about tent sites though.

Between Kanab and Kaibab Lodge, there is also Jacob Lake Inn which is about 45 miles from the north rim. I stayed there 1 night since I could not get 1 additional night in the park for a specific date. The Inn has rooms and cabins; cabins were surprisingly cheaper than the rooms.

dsusan

You can stay inside the
National park . Book with Xanterra Parks and resorts. They are chosen by the Park service to run cabins and lodges in the Park. The number is 888-29PARKS or www.xanterra.com

joan

We did some similar stops a few years ago with our teenage daughters, and I just wanted to caution you about the heat...we are from Florida, so are used to the heat. Well, the temps in LV and Powell were over 105 degrees - we (stupidly) went in mid August. The North Rim was the only comfortable spot - we didn't want to leave! When in Lake Powell nobody wanted to go outside - especially because the lake trips we looked at were non-swimming. Vegas was awfully hot too but you're indoors most of the time. Try to push your trip to as late a date as you can.

Postal

I'm surprised to read this comment about the heat. I'm also from Florida, where the humidity is SO high, and I found the dry heat in LV to be refreshing.