I am spending 2 nights at the Grand Canyon. The first day I am leaving from Kingman. I am still trying to decide whether to take Route 66 and go though Williams or take the interstate and go through Flagstaff. Taking Route 66 and going through Williams ends up being faster than going through Flagstaff and avoids extra miles. Then, when I arrive, I am going to see the Imax movie on the Grand Canyon and then driving into the park and taking the shuttle bus to Hermit's Rest. The second day I am going to get up early and hike the Bright
Angel Trail ether to the 1.5 mile reststop or the 3 mile reststop, hike some of the rim trail, and do a 1 1/2 ATV tour in the forest around Tusayan. The third day I am driving to Page out the east enterance of the park seeing the eastern viewpoints like Desert View and seeing the Little Colorado Viewpoints outside the park. Any suggestions?
Should I just hike down the Bright Angel Trail to the 1.5 mile reststop or should I hike down to the 3 mile reststop?

Depends on your level of fitness and heat of the day. My husband (age 53) and 18 year old son - both in reasonably good shape - did hike to 3 mile point in August 2 years ago - started in early AM, back before lunch. Neither reported any problems.

Some people say the view is just as good at the 1.5 mile reststop than the 3 mile reststop. What do you think?

The key question isn't where you can get the best view. It's how far can you go before you START to feel sore or tired. The view from Panorama Point, for instance, is one of the most gorgeous on this planet -- but if you arrive there worn out in the mid-afternoon without enough water or sun-screen, you're going to leave in (and pay for!) a medivac helicopter.

If you even START to feel bad when you get to 1.5 Mile House, you MUST turn around. The walk back up will be at least twice as bad as the walk down. Plan well, wear a hat and sun-screen, take (and drink!) LOTS of water, and be smart enough to turn around when you need to. It'll make the difference between a wonderful hike and a horrible one.

I will probably only go to the 1.5 mile resthouse because this is more strenous hiking than I am used to. But is the view any better at the 3 mile reststop than the 1.5 mile reststop if I might have the energy? I am also doing a 2 hour horseback ride through the forest that day and eating at the El Tovar which I have dinner reservations for.

I think it's probably a judgement call when you get there. When you get to the first stop, see how you feel and what you'd like to do and let that be your guide. All the advise you can get ahead of time won't make any difference once you get there and don't feel the need/energy to go on. The matter of which place has the best view is subjective. Just being in the canyon and the experience of it is just as good as any of the views. I've been to both of these locations more than once and (as part of much longer hikes) and can just never get enough. I vote for doing what feel right at the time.
Whatever you do, just enjoy it.

That is what i'll do. Has anybody done a horseback ride with Apache Stable not the mule trips that go into the canyon, but in the forest around Tusayan? What was it like? I found a horseback riding trip cheaper than a ATV trip. Plus, it would be more quiet, so you might see more wildlife. Any suggestions on the whole iternery I have for Grand Canyon if you read my first post?
Thanks-

asdaven,

I've never done an ATV or horseback ride around Tusayan but I have camped in the national forest nearby.... so take what I say with a grain of salt. I would forget either of these activities and spend the time at the Grand Canyon or some other national park or monument. They are designated as such for VERY good reasons!

If you want to do an adventure, then try the 1/2 day float trip out of Page, AZ or take a boat tour on Lake Powell.

Utahtea

Maybe I will skip it and spend the time hiking extra miles on the Bright Angel or Rim trails. I already have a reservation for 2 nights in Tusayan. I just don't have the time for that 1/2 day float trip, since Page is a stop/destination on my trip.

Also, there is a observation tower back in the forest that overlooks Grand View Point and the Grand Canyon that the Jeep Tours go to. Is there anyway to hike to this?

Utahtea- I am going to take you advice on the float trip. I only have a day in Page. That day I am going to drive from the South Rim to Page and see the eastern overlooks of the Grand Canyon. Then, in Page I wanted to do the Horseshoe Bend hike, take an antelope canyon tour, hike to the dam overlook, and take a dam tour. I don't have time to see Rainbow Bridge. Of course if I do the float trip I am going to have to eliminate some of these activities. I might have some time in the morning the next day, but I really want to get to Zion early. What should I eliminate and is the float trip much better than any of these activities? Hiking to Horseshoe Point is a must for me because I want to see where I was or where I am going to be if I do the float trip. Glen Canyon Dam I could eliminate because I am seeing the Hoover Dam much earlier in the trip which seems similar. Antelope Canyon I would hate to miss and if I don't see the dam, I would like to at least walk out to the overlook which is a very short walk. What do you think, Utahtea?

Hi asdaven,

I saw your post saying that the float trips were booked. I'm kind of surprized because they told me I could book just a couple of days in advance and be fine. Of course this was in 2003 and before I started pushing the float trip...maybe I should ask for a finders fee...LOL. Anyways before you give up on the float trip, I'd call and make sure your dates are really full. Also ask what the chances of getting in on a cancellation are.

In order of what I would do. Float trip or Rainbow Bridge Tour would be a tie for first place, then Upper Antelope Slots Canyon, Horseshoe Bend hike, and last would be the dam tour.

If you can get the early float trip, then you could fit in the slots canyon in one day. You could even do the short hike to Horseshoe Bend after that or early the next morning before you leave.

As for the other lake tours, it's been almost 30 years since we took a short tour and I can't remember which one. If you do the 3 hour Navajo Tapastry Canyon Tour you will also see Antelope Canyon because you have to travel though this canyon to get to all the other parts of the lake while the water level is so low, so it's kind of like two tours in one.

Utahtea

The boat tour only goes to the mouth of the canyon. The float trip, I decided gets back to late for me. It was booked up the whole week. They run two short boat tours out on the lake, the Navajo Tapastry (3 hours) and the Antelope Canyon (1 1/2 hours). But my biggest priority is Antelope Canyon and the Horseshoe Bend Hike. As for the day I drive from Kingman to the Grand Canyon, is Route 66 worth driving or should I take a detour through Flagstaff? I guess driving Route 66 and driving the way through Williams would be much faster. But, if I go through Flagstaff, I would have to skip Route 66. Has anybody ever done the Red Mountain Hike near Flagstaff? It sounds interesting and it is really the only reason I would want to detour through Flagstaff plus seeing the San Franscisco Peaks. What should I do?

I don't think the Antelope Canyon Cruise goes through the scenic part of Antelope Canyon as the land tour takes you though. I am going to do the Upper Antelope Canyon Tour, Horseshoe Bend Hike (Is it an easy hike?), and the Glen Canyon Dam Tour. The Navajo Tapistry Tour sounds interesting, but should I prioritize that over these activities? Is noon an good time to photograph Antelope Canyon and is that when the light beams are there?