Grand Canyon: Is 2-3 full days enough?
 

I am planning on visiting the Grand Canyon in late August with my husband and 2 children (14 & 10 years old). We are staying at Maswick Lodge. The plan is to drive from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon on Monday, arriving midday. We are considering leaving Friday, but have been told that is a long time (3 full days there) -- we are better off leaving on Thursday. that sounds short to me. we have never visited the Grand Canyon so I am not sure what is best. I also have overall questions on hikes -- while we are not experienced/advanced hikers, we do want a slightly challenging hike. Are there guided tours or do we just get a hiking brochure and follow that? Thanks everyone.

I think leaving Thursday will give you plenty of time to see and do what you want.

Don't do a guided tour. You can get all the maps you need here:

http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/maps.htm

For sightseeing, you need to drive the east rim road to see all the viewpoints out to Desert View -- and do not skip Desert View.

For the viewpoints west of the Village, you need to either take the free shuttle, hike the rim trail, or a combination. The maps show the shuttle routes and the trail.

Fro slightly more challenging hikes, definitely hike below the rim on the South Kaibab Trail (access on the road to Yaki Point) and the Bright Angel Trail (trailhead right outside Bright Angel Lodge. Hike part way down, and remember that hiking back up will take 2 to 3 times as long as hiking down. And maks sure you wear hats, use sunscreen and bring plenty of water.

Unless you want to do a VERY challenging hike, including an overnight stay in the back-country, two full days should be enough. You can spend the first day visiting as many overlooks as possible, at as many times of the day as possible. On the second day you can do a hike below the rim until any part of the party STARTS to feel tired or sore. If that means turning around after fifteen minutes, so be it. The purpose of this hike is so you begin to comprehend just how big the thing IS -- your visual powers are NOT sufficient to do so, you have to actually walk into it to get the REAL idea.

After this second day, there isn't a lot more to do at The Canyon other than more difficult hikes. You may as well move on.

All good advice from MikeP. With the extra day, you could go to either the north rim Via Marble Canyon (Alt 89) or do a drive through of Zion NP on the way back to Las Vegas.
There are some nice hiking trails in Zion if it is not unbearably hot.

Any suggestions on where to stop on the way back to Las Vegas? We aren't eager to spend extra time there. Is Sedona or Phoenix an option?

Plan to see sunsets and at least one sunrise at the Grand Canyon. There are lots of good ranger activities (talks, hikes). I think 2 or 3 full days is enough if you are not going to hike down to Phantom Ranch. It will be hot so be sure to have lots of water with you when you hike.

Hoover Dam is a good place to visit between Vegas and the GC.

You've got some good advice here. If you want a look at bright angel trail, I have one or two at www.flickr.com/photos/emalloy2009/sets in the 2011 set.

You will be hiking at elevation, so if you are not used to it, you will find it tires you more than you would expect. Drink lots of water.

If you leave Thursday, you could go out towards the east, which has great view points if you don't get to them earlier, and then go north on 89 and over to Bryce or Zion before you return to Vegas. Zion is only a 3 hour drive from Vegas, so if you fly out late in the day, you could spend an extra half day there.

have a great trip

Start your hikes VERY early in the morning while it is still cool. The August heat will quickly zap you--especially coming back up.

Even though the Grand Canyon is amazing, two nights there should be enough. Bright Angel trail is probably the easiest way down. Don't go more than 1/3 of the way down unless you are in good shape. Definitely try and do Zion and or Bryce on the way back to Vegas. They are both fabulous.