We're planning on coming to Arizona from around March 7-18. Our primary purpose is spending about 3-4 days at the Grand Canyon, but we wanted to ski for 3 or so days & we wondered is the Arizona Snowball near Flagstaff generally has decent snow in mid-March.

We wanted to combine some skiing with the Grand Canyon. Are there other ski areas that might be better?

We haven't booked our flights, & originally thought that we could somehow combine Durango skiing with the Grand Canyon but the drive time from Las Vegas is about 9 hrs & from Phoenix is about 7 hrs.

Just checked & SLC is 6 hrs from Las Vegas.

We don't need a fabulous ski resort, but want to ski at a place that usually has decent snow in March.

We have 2 teenagers so there's 4 of us.

Thanks very much for any help!

seekingnorthstar,

Never been there but Brian Head ski resort in S.W. Utah is relatively close to LAS and the South Rim. We see this resort advertised all the time while in SLC skiing.

mes3

Thanks. I looked it up & it's 5 1/2 hrs from Grand Canyon, which is definitely do-able. Arizona would be preferred since it's even closer to the Grand Canyon, but if there isn't guaranteed snow in AZ, we're much better off in UT. Thanks again for your response

Brian Head would be a good choice, as it is very high (9600 ft. base, 11,000' top) and it is only 3 hours from Las Vegas. So you could do a loop trip from LV. This is a good idea anyway, since car rentals are generally less expensive there (compared to Phoenix, anyway).

Brian Head looks really nice.

The Arizona Snowball or Snowbowl is significantly smaller & not a destination ski area-type place. Which is okay but we're nervous about snow conditions at a small place with perhaps a lot less snow making equipment.

Even though we prefer Arizona, I'm inclined to go with cheaper car rentals & more of a sure bet with snow conditions. Unless somebody who knows SnowBowl believes it's a fairly good bet with snow conditions & trails.

Brian Head looks like a destination ski area with great trails, & the driving looks quite manageable. If we're going to ski for 3 days, it'd be great if it were in great conditions vs. questionable conditions.

I think it's a good idea to fly into Las Vegas with the rental cars being much less expensive. It makes a big difference in cost for a week, & nicer skiing. Good suggestions--Thanks.

Have you looked at Sunrise Ski Resort in Arizona?
http://www.sunriseskipark.com/

Mapquest says it's about 4.5 hours from the Grand Canyon.

Which route are you looking at for getting to Brian Head? You can't get through on Hwy 148 in the winter (that is the highway directly south of Brian Head that passes through Cedar Breaks National Monument). You'd need to drive up to Panguitch and take 143 over from there.

Sunrise looks interesting. Do you know anything about it's snow reliability in the March 7-11 time frame?

I have a slight preference for Arizona. Sunrise looks possible. Do you know anything about Sunrise?

I noticed on Mapquest that the one road was closed going to Brain Head so that adds more time onto the trip. Thanks for making sure I'd noticed.

Thanks again for mentioning Sunrise as an option.

"Sunrise looks interesting. Do you know anything about it's snow reliability in the March 7-11 time frame?"

I've skied at both Sunrise and Snowbowl and they get basically the same storms (or lack thereof) so if one has snow the other seems to have similar conditions.

Sunrise is pretty isolated, on the Apache reservation well away from any mid-sized towns. If you are serious about driving that far from the GC just for skiing then I'd probably just bite the bullet and go to Telluride or Durango, which almost always have better conditions and much better mountains to ski on. People in Phoenix who are serious about skiing drive right by Snowbowl on their way to Telluride even though it's 3x the drive time from Phoenix.

From the Grand Canyon Mapquest indicates 6 hrs 15 min to Telluride and 4 hrs 45 min to Sunrise Ski area so for another 90 minutes of driving you get filet mignon instead of ground chuck.

Should be OK at Snowbowl in March though, they are getting more snow this week in a passing storm.

seekingnorthstar, 3-4 days at the Grand Canyon is a fairly long time unless you are hiking to Phantom Ranch! You might look into Zion NP. You could easily spend 3 days in the Zion NP area and this is close to Brian Head ski resort. All this is very accessible to Vegas As far as skiing, Our family usually skies 2 days rest 1 day and ski another 1-2 days. We found 3 days of skiing was tough on us once/yr ski family. Hope this helps.

mes3

Thanks for comments & ideas. Do you all recommend being at Zion for 3 days & Grand Canyon for 2 days?

How do you think this would work---

1. 2 days skiing at Brian Head
2. 3 days exploring Zion
3. 2 or 3 days at Grand Canyon

Also, is Bryce close to Zion & worthwhile to visit in March while we're "in the area"?

Thanks very much

I can't comment on the skiing part, but Bryce is really only worth a 1 day visit. The hoodoos are cool, but after you've seen them, you've seen them. I much preferred Zion to Bryce. I can't remember how far it is between the 2, but if you're going to be in the area and have time Bryce is worth a stop.

I went on both Zion & Bryce's websites, & had a hard time figuring out the distance between them.

Brian Head resort says that both Zion & Bryce are 1.5 hours away, & from the map it looks like we would go from Brian Head to Bryce in 1.5 hours, and then perhaps an hour to Zion. Sound right?

Do you think the weather in early-mid March will be fine for activities at Zion & Bryce?

Do you all think it'll be warm enough to do a rafting trip in March on the Colorado River, leaving from Page?

Is this the best place to do rafting from? Is the scenery beautiful & well-worthwhile, assuming it's not overly & unbearably cold.

Updated Plan:
2 nights & 2 days skiing
1 night & 1/2 day Bryce
3 nights & 2 1/2 days Zion
1 day in Page for Rafting on Colorado if not too cold?
2 or 3 nights, & 2 days Grand Canyon

Was thinking that rafting on the Colorado would be a good way to see the Grand Canyon. Does that idea make sense?

Thanks again.

the rafting trip in Page is 2-3 hours with a trip around Horseshoe Bend. This is a float trip not whitewater rafting. The rafting trips to the G.C. are multiple days 1.e. 3-14 days and lots of money. Bryce is approx. 2 hrs. from Zion on a good day. Because of weather, Bryce Lodge is probably closed that time of year so look into Ruby's just o/s the park for possible lodging. Zion lodge is open if interested in staying in the park. Make reservations early. As for as hikes at Zion, I'm not sure about The Narrows that time of year but Angels Landing is a great hike but challenging! Our family did The Narrows river hike and scenery was unbelievable. Goggle those outdoor adventures to get more info. IMHO Page, Az d/n have much to offer. You can probably see the Glen Canyon Dam tour and Antelope Canyon and still make it to the S.R. in 1 day. Good luck with skiing and give a report when you get back. We usually ski o/s of Ogden so I'm interested in how Brian Head goes.

Thanks mes & everybody else. Sounds like the 2-3 hr rafting trip out of Page isn't ideal for really seeing more of the GC. We'll skip that.

Is Bryce worth the extra time in March? I'm thinking it would be great to see a bit of it for a day (sort of a preview). We'll look into Ruby's for spending the night. If we just have 1/2 day or 1 day at Bryce, what do you all recommend?

Based on everybody's comments, I'm thinking we'll stay at Brain Resort for 2 nights, Bryce 1 night, Zion 2 or 3 nights, & GC 2 or 3 nights.

Ruby's at Bryce & Zion lodge if available. I'll check for reservations today.

Angel's Landing sounds like a great hike--& challenging. The Narrows look fabulous, but I wonder about the cold & we'll leave that as an option depending on the weather.

Good suggestions re Glen Canyon Dam tour and Antelope Canyon en route to the SR GC.

We've skied at The Canyons, Solitude & Brighton, & will report back re Brain Head.

Any other suggestions? We're most appreciative of your help! Thanks