Grand Canyon
 

I'll be entering the Grand Canyon from Colorado/Utah then heading over to Vegas. Where is the best place to stay near the Canyon and best place to see the canyon North or South or ?? ANy help would be appreciated it is all a mystery to me. HELP!!<BR>Regards<BR>Jan [Vancouver Island, BC]

The place to start is<BR><BR>www.kaibab.org/gc/serv/gc_serv.htm#south_park<BR><BR>When you narrow down your choices to the few that best suit YOUR wishes, then we can give useful information. Otherwise we're just guessing based on OUR wishes.

For us, it's more of a personal preference for the North Rim- it's not as heavily trafficked. There are some nice aspects to the South Rim, such as the IMAX theater, but we personally like the remoteness of the North Rim. Having said that, your lodging options are very limited at NR- the Lodge in the park itself, or the campground, then one or two small motels before you reach Jacob Lake Inn, 44 miles away. If you do decide to go to the North Rim and want to stay in the Lodge, start making your reservations NOW. Since the area is so remote, it stays booked. Hope this helps.

North Rim is by far the best. Not as many people, signs, traffic etc. The entrance to the N.Rim is over 100 miles off the main highway and they regulate the number of cars in the area so it's not very crowded. The have a great stone lodge w/ a dining room and many cabins or camp grounds to use. The cabins are reserved way ahead of time and the N.Rim closes in early Oct. due to snow. You will see hundreds or deer come out of the woods at dusk and hang around the cabins, eating grass. Huge bucks watching over the does and fawns. It was incredible.

North Rim is great, but if you're planning on going this summer and haven't made reservations yet, then forget the idea and head over to the south rim.

As was pointed out places to stay at the North Rim are limited so it wouldn't be a good idea to go there without an advance reservation. There are more lodging options at the South Rim and additional places to stay in the small town of TUsayan near the south entrance. Your note is a bit confusing. You mention BC in your signature and if that is your starting place I don't see how COlorado, enters into the equation. Is there more to your trip than Gr. Canyon and Las Vegas?

Thanks to all for your advice. Sounds like I should have booked this a bit sooner OH,OH.<BR>To:rqf<BR>We're starting out Vanc. Island,heading to Manitoba, then south to Grand Canyon up to Vegas, Reno,California Coast, Oregon Coast, Washington then home about 5000 miles later. Any more input is greatly appreciated. Hate to miss anything probably wouldn't be able to do this trip again.<BR>Cheers,<BR>Jan

Jan<BR><BR>What a trip! Good luck.!<BR><BR>When you get to California (San Francisco) drive up Highway 1 instead of Highway 101. Make this a two night trip. After you rejoin Highway 101 stop in the redwoods south of Eureka and take a walk. If you have time for only one place on the California coast I would say, go to Pt. Lobos just south of Monterey. <BR><BR>Have Fun<BR>GP<BR>

Skip Reno and come through Yosemite National Park via Hwy 120 to get to the California Coast.<BR><BR>BTW, I prefer the South Rim because you see more canyon.<BR><BR>Utahtea

Utahtea,<BR>How long/much time is that route thru, your right to skip Reno. SHould have seen enough bright lights in Vegas I think. Would like to end up in Carmel/Monterey area.<BR>Regards,<BR>Jan

Jan,<BR><BR>The faster way would be to come up Hwy 95 to Tonopah, NV then west on Hwy 6 to Lee Vining which is about 340 miles. It's not a bad route, we did it last year. <BR><BR>The more scenic way would be to come through Death Valley and go up Hwy 395 to Lee Vining which is 400 miles.<BR><BR>I would recommend trying to get lodging in Yosemite Valley if you possibly can, if not stay in Lee Vining so you can spend some time in Yosemite the next day before heading to the coast. <BR><BR>From Lee Vining taking Hwy 120 through Yosemite (including the side trip to the Valley) it's about 330 miles to Monterey.<BR><BR>Utahtea

There are more automobile accessible viewpoints (viewpoints within a SHORT walk from your automobile) at the South Rim AND there are more man-made amusements/accommodations. The view (in my humble opinion) is the same from wherever you see it. Yes! It's wonderful and it is worth looking at from as many as you can find. The North Rim is more rustic and accomodations are more scarce. Whichever you choose, early reservations are a must! (Most probably too late except for a last minute cancellation this season.) There are crowds at the South Rim, but they have never interfered with my seeing all that I wanted to see for as long as I wanted to see it. There are also tours you can purchase that will take you to the non-automobile accessible parts of the South Rim. That said and re-reading your post that you are going this summer and have no plans to return, I suggest that you might be more likely to find remote lodging in the vacinity of the South Rim and plan to 'do and see' the canyon in one day. There is no remote lodging at the North Rim. Well...it is too remote.<BR><BR>And YES to Yosemite. Skip anything you have to skip to be able to get there, especially since you dont seem to have plans to return to that section. I have visited 35 of the 50 states and my memories of Yosemite are the most outstanding and continue to blow me away.

Thanks to everyone. You are an incredible help in this planning.Its tricky going into the unknown and don't want to miss anything.<BR>As I plan this I wonder why anyone would come to my fine country Canada, you guys down there have so much to see.<BR>Don't get me wrong I love Canada but I am afraid after this trip I will love the US more<BR>Thanks Again<BR>Cheers,<BR>Jan

Hi Jan! Just did the North Rim on Thursday and it was really beautiful. Wanted to wanted to tell you how hot it will be! It was 105 degrees and will get hotter as the days go on. We had a gent from Toronto on our tour and his face was like a tomato the whole time = ) He got the biggest kick out of how hot it was. Be sure to have plenty of cold water and snacks. Have a great vacation!

If you are coming from Utah-north please DON'T MISS Bryce Canyon NP & Zion NP. They are RIGHT THERE above AZ & North Rim!!