Hi,
I've always wanted to do the mule trip. We are going to Vegas for 50th b/day in early December. We are going to take a few days at Grand Canyon. Have read some posts here that say GC is worth visiting in winter. Has anyone done the mule trip in winter? I am picturing a toboggan ride a la the donkey in Shrek! Also if I book a cabin at Bright Angel how far am I from the rim if I don't pay the extra for a 'rim' cabin? Thanks Lin.

I don't think the mule rides operate in the winter. I think they stop in October. Bright Angel is real close to the rim. Any closer and you'll fall in!

Make your reservations early since they fill up very fast. There probably won't be much snow until after January. But it does get cold on top. I love the mule ride and phanton ranch at the bottom but it isn't as easy as you might think. About a 30 degree difference from top to bottom. Have fun.

According to the Grand Canyon National Park website the mule rides at the south rim are all year, but the book almost 2 years in advance.

http://www.nps.gov/grca/grandcanyon/south-rim/mule.htm

Utahtea

Thanks for the replies!
I have already checked with the res service and they space available for the mule trips on the days we are there. Guess they aren't so popular in winter as summer. I have read the various posts about the trip and it sounds both strenuous and a bit scary. My s-i-l has agreed to accompany me, the men are keeping their weight above 200lbs for some strange reason! Are the 'rim' cabins the way to go?
Thanks again!

travellin,

I had to LOL about the men keeping their weight above 200. Last year when we were in Bryce my SIL wanted to do the horse rides in the worse way and since her DH had knee problems she figured this way he could go into the canyon but he was over the 230 pound limit they have there. He was VERY relieved to find out he didn't have to go. DH and I had no plans on going on the horseback ride but we teased that my DH could go if he went naked!

Utahtea

I was doing a search on my name for another post when I was reminded of the Grand Canyon 50th b/day trip. Thought I'd update in case someone was interested in the winter mule trip experince.
It was fantastic. My s-i-l and I booked the trip for early December. We had two rim cabins at Bright Angel. The cabins were very cosy and right on the canyon rim as promised. The lodge was warm and the restaurant was great for breakfast. We did our sightseeing on the day we arrived. It was a beautiful clear, crisp, sunny day and the views were awesome. You really can't believe it until you see it. We were both a little apprehensive about our mule ride the following day as the trail looked pretty icy. We collected our 'gear' and weighed in a day ahead and were told the ride would go ahead. I think my sil was really panicking! Around dinner time it began to snow in earnest which really made us wonder what we were in for. After an early breakfast of hot oatmeal (what else would a wrangler eat on a snowy morning in December?) we headed over to the corral. As the sun began to rise the canyon was so beautiful covered in snow. The visibility was limited as it was quite foggy. After a 'safety' talk about what happens if you don't listen and fall off we were given our mules, set in the saddle and we were off. The path down was narrow, winding and very icy. The mules have crampons on their shoes which (supposedly) gives them a good grip on the icy paths! After the initial deathly fear that this whole idea had been a mistake you begin to realize that the mule doesn't want to go over the cliff any more than you do! Then you can settle in to enjoying the ride. After about 10 minutes ride into the canyon the fog was gone and the scenery, with the snow was beautiful. It is a long ride down and back in one day but well worth the effort. I can't wait to do it again. We passed many hikers walking up from the bottom of the canyon and no matter how scary the mule may seem the hike up looked a thousand times worse!