Grand Canyon in Dec?
 

We're planning a huge family reunion. We will meet at Las Vegas, spend a couple of days there before we head over to Grand Canyon around Dec 20-23. Has anybody visited it in Winter? How's the driving in this wintry condition? Are we crazy to plan a trip there??? Thanks in advance for your comments, greatly appreciate your help :)

I've gone to the South Rim from Flagstaff in March. There was snow in Flagstaff, and the roads were icy. I ended up doing a 180 on the highway, and crashing into a snow bank. Closer to the canyon, the roads were clear. There was snow outlining all the rock strata in the canyon, and it was amazing. If it's anything like SW Colorado, the real snow doesn't start till January.

The only thing I wonder about is whether you can get a reservation for near Xmas at this late date.

Woo, your 180 must have been sca-ry...
Since GC is at a higher elevation, does that mean it might just snow when the area gets the low pressure? Hmm...I'll still hoping to get more feedback about the area b4 we decide to do any reservation. Any suggestions where to stay?

Try to stay in the park, if at all possible. I haven't stayed at a hotel on the South Rim, so I can't address specifics. There have been several threads addressing different hotels, if you want to do a search.

Part of the reason I had my little crash is that I was staying with a friend in Flagstaff, 2 hours from the park ,and I had a long way to drive. I'm sure that if I hadn't been so rushed, I would have waited to leave until noon or so, and the ice would have melted on the roads.

I think the Grand Canyon would be a great place to go at that time of year .

Thks Travellyn, I'd do a search for the thread of South Rim's accomodation. Which highway did you use when you're driving from Flagstaff to GC? 64 then 180 or 180 all the way? Are there a no. of switch backs as you're driving towards GC?

No switchbacks that I can remember.

I don't know the road numbers, but I'm guessing that I took 64 to 180 going to the park, and 180 to I-40 on the return. The accident happened near the cross-country ski area. If I had not taken the short cut my friends recommended, but taken I-40 to the turnoff for the GC, I think I would still have my right front turn signal intact. I'm assuming that 64 must be the short cut. It went much higher than the other route.

Thks Travellyn for all your help and comments. We might be exploring the idea of going to Zion NP instead. Was informed in another thread that it might be quite a drive from Las Vegas to GC during winter. Since my folks are taking 17+hrs of flight to arrive at LA, I'm trying to minimize the hrs on the road for them to enjoy the beauty of nature since they come from a concrete jungle. Will have to dig out more info about Zion: hiking trails, accomodation, restaurants, etc. Any thots to share?

Zion would be a great place to have a family reunion. It's only 150 miles from Las Vegas and an easy drive mostly on Interstate 15. There are many hikes of all kinds. You are surrounded by beauty everywhere you look...even in Springdale, the town just outside the entrance.

Check out the offical Zion National Park website:

http://www.nps.gov/zion/home.htm

Utahtea

The elevation of Zion (valley) is around 4,000 feet so the winters are a lot milder than the 7,000 of the S. Rim of the Grand Canyon.

I don't think the Grand Canyon is very practical for a "huge family reunion" any time of year unless you plan many months in advance. But Christmas week it is probably almost impossible.

The north rim is closed and the nice places at the south rim book up far ahead. Add the probability of serious snow and could create a LOT of problems.

How many is "huge"? and how many cars are you talking about? That is a looooong ways for a caravan fo folks to drive.

as utahtea says, Zion is much more practical weather-wise - but even there you could get heavy snow.

My dad is in his late 70's. He walks but not too much. We have 2-3 days and I plan for hikes like Pa'rus trail, riverside walk, weeping rock, lower Emerald Pools and Canyon overlook. I think they shld be do-able, right?

Also, since we're there at the off-peak season, we could drive in there and don't have to take the shuttle?

mmee,

I don't know what kind of shape your Dad is in, but the Riverside Walk and Pa'rus trail are very easy walks. All the other hikes do have a little elevation gain.

You will be able to drive your own vehicles into Zion Canyon in December.

Utahtea

Well, maybe it's not that huge, our party consists of 12-14 adults and 2 kids. We're going on a 'caravan' of 1 minivan and 2 cars.

Thks for all your help and comments.

I'm reserving our lodging at Flanigan.
The rooms at their website look pretty good. If I would have planned this trip in summer, we would have to stay somewhere else as I heard it's pretty popular? Come to think of it, I would have gone camping!

My wife and I have spent the last 12 Christmas holidays in vegas and we frequently take off for a trip to one of the surrounding NPs. We've hit the Grand Canyon (south rim) twice in December. The first visit we stayed in the park at El Tovar. Great old lodge. However for the high price I thought the room was kind of "motel 6ish". We were there the weekend before xmas and there weren't more that 25 people in the whole place. The second trip we stayed outside the park at the Holiday Inn near the entrance. We actually liked it better because of the restaurants nearby. Not much was open in the park. The HI was about half full, same time of year.
The drive to GC south rim is a boring 5 hour trip along busy highways. The only hang up is crossing the Hoover Dam. The drive seems a bit longer because there's not much to see. The temps at GC are very very cold in the morning. They warm up during the day to the 40-50 range but be prepared with heavy coats if you want to see the sunrise. We did it once, that was enough.
We've also been to Zion twice. Again stayed in the park the first visit (Zion Lodge) and outside the second (Driftwood Lodge). On both trips the places we stayed at were nearly empty ( again, week or so before Xmas). Both places have their advantages. It gets dark very early at that time of year so we thought the outside hotel had a bit more to do. The temps at Zion are a lot warmer than GC.
The drive to Zion is a little more than half that to GC (2 hr. 45 min.). The drive is equally boring.
There is more to see at the GC, but Zion is more intimate. Whatever you prefer, both places are fantastic, anytime of year.

Whoa, whoa, whoa! I haven't driven to GC (though we will, from CT, this Dec.), but we have made the drive between Zion and LV. I would not call that a boring trip! Between Mesquite and LV is kind of flat (although it's a long, long elevation change down to the valley that is LV), but between Mesquite and Utah is FABULOUS! I-15 goes up from LV through some gorgeous canyons and mountains of the Virgin Mountains in NW Arizona. Remember, at that point you're only about 40 miles as the crow flies from Grand Canyon. You will enjoy Mt. Bangs, Beaver Dam Mts. Wilderness Area, and the Paiute Wilderness Area.

Don't let nuggetboy's description of this drive fool you; there is PLENTY to gawk at from your cars as you drive. And it will whet your appetite for the beauty of Zion. We fell in love with Utah last year - Bryce, Zion, Cedar Breaks, Arches... Zion was probably our favorite, so ENJOY! Have a great reunion. Wish I was part of your family. :-)

Nuggetboy, around what time does it get dark at ZNP during Christmas period? 5pm?

After dark, what kind of activities are available in that area? I heard that some of the restaurants will be closed. Do you have any favorites to recommend?

With such a group like ours, I don't think the ride would be boring; mabye not for the ladies, we might be busy yaking with our sisters. However, we will always hold our breath when we see awesome sceneries with our Ooohs and Ahhs!

Do tell us how your trip to GC go for you, Sweens, in Dec. I hope you've a good time too.

Thks nuggetboy and Sweens for your invaluble input!

It was dark pretty early. We eat at 6 and it was dark by then.
The drive to Zion is a matter of opinion I guess. Once you get off I-15, it's interesting, but before then I still think it's boring. Long long straight road, going forever into the distance. You never feel you are getting anywhere. It's really bad coming into Vegas at night from Zion. You can see the lights of vegas in the distance and they never seem to get closer. It just depends on what you like. When I lived in Oklahoma people talked about the beauty of the long rolling plains. I did't find them beautiful. I like trees and mountains. Different strokes for diferent folks. One thing we do agree on is the breathtaking beauty of Zion. It is great. The town of Springdale, just outside the park, is a great place all by itself.
Regarding the GC. We ate our first meal in the El Tovar dining room. It was nice but again I didn't think the price was worth it. After that we ate outside the park. There are several restaurants around the group of hotels just outside the south entrance. At night we basically just sat in the lobby playing cards. I think one night they had a ranger presentation, though it may have been in the middle of the afternoon. I'm not sure. Not much to do in the park once the natural beauty goes dark.
Sweens, have a great time at the GC this December. Just remember that the north rim is closed at that time. The south rim, IMHO, is more beautiful anyway. The problem is always that it is too crowded. By going in December you elimate the crowds and can enjoy the park as it should be enjoyed. We frequently had viewpoints all to ourselves. It was like the park was ours! Awesome!

Yes, I would agree with you, driving towards from LA to LV at night, the ride seems to take forever as you could see the gleam of light at the far corner.

I don't think we're going to make it to GC this trip. So how about the restaurants in Springdale that you could recommend?

I just hope and pray that this winter will be mild enough for my family from the tropics to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

I don't remember any great restaurants in Springdale. The places we hit were good but nothing to rave about. We also ate one night at the Zion Lodge in the park looking out at the canyon. Too dark to really appreciate it and the food was middlin at best (and expensive).

Thks for the tip. Either we load up on snacks or <font color="pink">pig <font color="black">out when we get back to LV.</font></font>

My husband and I enjoyed the Bit and Spur in Springdale this past June.