My husband and I would like to travel to the Grand Canyon in late April-early May. Is it faster to drive from Phoenix or Vegas? If we plan to hike at the Canyon and then go the Painted Desert and hopefully catch some Indian reservations/ruins along the way, will 5 days be adequate? Is it worth it to go to the Painted Desert or is there something else we should see instead?(keeping in mind we live in Chicago on the lake and have never experienced a desert or the SW US.) Is it too late to get reasonably priced accomodations around the Canyon? I know it's a lot of questions, but we're trying to determine if we can do this as a last minute thing. Thank you in advance.

I just checked the Maswick Lodge and the Bright Angel Lodge (the least expensive and in some ways least comfortable accommodations in the park) for April 30-May 1. Sold out.
There are more expensive places, but they go fast, too. I don't have motel addressed. My guess is that you might be able to find something in Flagstaff and drive up and back in one day to the south rim of the Gc. The driving time is about equal.
The Petrified Forest is out that way too, as is the Meteor Crater. Get a good map and look for the National Mouments along the route. Sunset Crater is in the vicinity. I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but for GC, you start making reservatons about 6 months to a year in advance.

I bring you good news. Plenty of places to stay in Tusayan, just outside the entrance to the South Rim on Hwy. 180. Almost any of the big chains have room, so use their 800 phone numbers and make reservations quickly...but do it now. Same way with Flagstaff or Sedona. Use the 800 numbers. For Sedona lodging, phone 1-800-288-7336 and ask the Chamber of Commerce Visitors Bureau to send you their free 70-page color booklet, "Experience Sedona." IMHO, the Painted Desert is one of the greatest pieces of hokey salesmanship ever invented, i.e., give it a pretty name and they will come. Actually, it is miles and miles of dun-colored mud that looks strangely beautiful under certain light conditions at sunrise and sunset. Bob is right -- look at your map for striking physical features at the National Monuments. Wupatki, Sunset Crater, Walnut Canyon. Sedona by itself is a stunning array of rose-colored canyons set in a big forest. Marvelous for hiking. Email if you have questions; we are former Chicagoans! Incidentally, the drive from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon is about 5 hours; about the same from Las Vegas. The choice has to be yours.

I would just like to add that Hoover Dam is on the way from Las Vegas to the Canyon and is a good reason to fly into LV instead of Phoenix.

Al is an expert. Take his advice, because it's true. I've been to the Canyon twice in the last two years. Also, check out these web sites for more info:

Good luck!

http://www.thecanyon.com/

http://www.kaibab.org/

http://www.amfac.com/

http://www.hitthetrail.com/

Hope this helps!

All the best,

Anders

I understand your desire to experience the painted dessert, but you should not think that it takes an investment of a lot of time...just seeing it on the horizon is the experience...and you will do so if leave Flagstaff heading north on Route 89 and enter the Canyon area from the east on Route 64. Along Route 89 to the east is a loop drive that will take you past some Indian ruins (sorry I can't remember the name but they are well marked on any worthwhile map). On the drive along Route 64, you will get your first view of the Canyon at Dessert View Tower. Don't miss this one. I think this is a much better way to approach the Canyon.

OK, SO:

I wanna drive into the Grand Canyon from San Francisco in early June. I'm pretty sure that I won't be able to get camping sites, because I hear that they are already booked. Is this true? Where can we stay at the last minute?
Also, what can we do for a day or two?
Are these questions too general and annoying?
Why is the sky blue?

Daniel

Replies to Daniel--

1) some of the Canyon campsites are first-come, first-served, and thus you MAY be able to get a spot if you (a) are flexible on where you'll stay (b) arrive early in the day and (c) stop mid-week.

2) you'll probably be better off if you reserve a campsite at a private camp ground just outside the Park. Yes, you MIGHT get a campsite at the last minute, but do you really want to spend two hours trying to find one when you could be viewing the Canyon?

3) for a day or two, view the Canyon from as many overlooks and times of day as possible (on a clear night during a full moon is a view many people never experience). Hike down the Bright Angel Trail SAFELY for a couple hours.

4) your questions are not too general.

5) blue light, being a shorter wave length, is preferentially scattered by air molecules. Thus, most of the light scattered down from the atmosphere is blue, and the light that get through is redder than it would be otherwise. That's also why the sky is red when the sun is near the horizon.