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Starting to plan my vacation for June 2002.
Any suggestions would be helpful.

We want to Stay At Bright Angel Lodge and hike the canyon, See Bryce Canyon, Zion. Would like to take a smooth water ride on Colorado, or somehow see the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Visit New Mexico, take a mule ride - also would like to see Hoover Dam, if open, and visit Las Vegas.

Looking to put some logic to this trip. Any suggestions for New Mexico.

Mule ride can be other than in Grand Canyon - I personally am afraid of height and not sure about the trail, mule and myself all together

In addition, we are going to be taking Amtrak!

Thanks for your input!

lilipad

you definitely don't want to take the mule ride down to the bottom of the grand canyon - we saw several people walking funny for days after that experience, but if you're up to it, you can spend one day hiking down, spend the night at the bottom (camping or lodge, reserve well in advance for june!!!) and hike back up the next day OR, combine it with water rafting and go with an outfit that takes you through the canyon ... another option has to be arranged with the indian reservation next to the canyon where you are taken horseback or hiked through 7 waterfalls to the canyon, this option though is pricey since the indians have sole ownership for the use of the land and you are required to have a guide.

rqf

Amtrak will get you there but a rental car is going to be needed to get around.
You might consider leaving out New Mexico and taking a tour of the national parks in the southwest. Here is a sample itinerary. Use Amtrak to get to Flagstaff. Then use a rental car to visit these places in order (need at least two weeks): Gr. Canyon, Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, Zion, Bryce, Arches, Monument Valley, Mesa Verde (Co), Canyon de Chelly, Petrified Forest, Flagstaff. Lots of driving but can be done in 14 days (not including the train ride) and you will see the best of the nationa parks.

barbara

we stayed on the North Rim, which has a wonderful restaurant and great views of the stars at night (and, of course, of the canyon, during the day) and a delightful half day mule ride into the canyon for those of us who are afraid of heights, animals and everything else. I would recommend it highly, and I understand the North Rim is much less congested than the South Rim. I would love to go back and do it again.

lisa

The mule ride into the Grand Canyon was really one of my favorite experiences ever. I am not afraid of heights but there were two in my group who were, and by an hour or so into the trip they relaxed and totally enjoyed it. Staying overnight at Phantom Ranch was very special.

rob

....just got back from n. mexico..this is what we did..

2 full days for carlsbad caverns; slaughter canyon (a ranger led tour); guadalupe mtns (in texas). caverns are great if you haven't had the experience.

1 day/night at whites sands national monument. very nice...although you really only need 2 or 3 hours to see this. sunset is the best time IMO.

1 day/night in sante fe and on to bandelier national monument. cute town. spent a couple of hours walking around shops in the old part of town. badelier is an indian ruin built into the side of a cliff. took about 3 hours there.

3 days in grants, nm. a very small town off of the interstate on historic route 66. used this as a base to explore el morro national monument (took about 3 hours) and el malpais national monument (1 full day)...this park was very cool with huge lava tubes (like long caverns) to explore and massive fields of old, black lava to hike on. the town of grants was also very unique with an old movie theatre and local hangouts etc....

sharon

You didn't state how long you vacation is. We just returned from 8 days and in hind sight would have been better to have planned less and spent more time in each place. When I posted questions pretrip someone made a wise statement and said if you plan to do Arizona then do Arizona and save the others for another trip.

We flew into Phoenix, drove to Jerome and spent the first night at Camp Verde area. Day 2 Sedona, day 3 Montezuma's Castle, Meteor Crater, Petrified Forest, Painted Desert, day 4 Canyon de Chelly, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, day 5 & 6 Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, day 7&8 Las Vegas.

To do over, day 1&2 Sedona, day 3 Montezuma's Castle, Meteor Crater, Petrified Forest, Painted Desert, day 4 Canyon de Chelly, day 5-8 Grand Canyon and do the mule ride and spend the night at Phantom Ranch. Leave Mexico for another trip, Utah for another trip and Las Vegas for another trip.

Rey

If you go to Zion stay at the Desert Pearl Inn. It's terrific. You can go to Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Bryce and Zion and North or South Rim of the Grand Canyon. That's a great trip. Don't know much about New Mexico, Sorry

kam

I almost want to suggest that these are two separate trip destinations. One to New Mexico--Santa Fe, Taos etc. and the other to Phoenix, Sedona, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam etc. We are returning for a third time this June--going to Sedona, staying at El Tovar at the GC, and then another night in Winslow before back to Phoenix--total four day. If you don't have lots of time, you might consider a cheap Southwest flight between the two areas. And, my best advice, if you've got a heights problem, don't do the mule trip!! Even standing at the rim affects me. I can't imagine riding those critters down.

Lisa

We will also be going to Arizona in June 2002. I am going to be visiting family for a few days in San Diego and decided why not fly into Phoenix and spend a week at Grand Canyon and Sedona? Haven't been to Sedona yet and it's been five years since I've been to the Canyon but I know you need at least two nights at each. Five years ago, I flew into Vegas and drove through Zion and then over to the South Rim of the Canyon. It was a great trip! There is not alot that can beat the parks of the Southwest! I can't offer much info for New Mexico as I have never been, however, there is so much in Arizona, I thing I would agree to leave New Mexico for another trip.