I am planning on visiting the grand canyon national park in late july. Was wondering if there is any other spots to visit besides the south rim in the park? Also, is it feasible to drive into there ourselves and sightsee by ourselves or is joining one of those guided tours better? In terms of parking and traffic goes. If joining tours is good, can we join on the day we are there, or should reservations be made. Also, how far away is the drive to hoover dam and las vegas?

thanks

The south rim has a number of nice spots that you should visit. During the summer, no cars are allowed on most of the rim drive. Buses are provided to take visitors back and forth along the rim. You do not need an organized tour because the Park transportation system works like one anyway. You should visit Hermits Cabin and Desert Tower as well as the various sites in the center of the south rim area. There are also other great things to see in the northern Arizona area. Flagstaff offers some nice Native American ruins, and a major observatory. That's about 1 hour from S. Rim. Be sure to drive down Oak Creek Canyon to Sedona for some shopping and sightseeing. The red rock formations are unique in the world. The nearby town of Jerome is also a one of a kind art colony west of Sedona. Hoover Dam and Vegas are A LONG WAYS off. Vegas is about 5 hours and there is nothing but desolate country along the way. If you go to Vegas, go one way. Hoover is about 1 hour before Vegas. It's quite a site with a nice little tour, but don't imagine it to be close to the canyon. Have fun. Great area! It'll be busy in July.

I have been to the Grand Canyon seven times and can say with great assurance you WON'T need a tour to tell you where the beauty is! Just drive into the South Rim, stop at Mather Point, pick up your eyeballs that have just popped out :^), and then move around the various overlooks. Take a hike down Bright Angel *IF* you are in good shape; drink lots of water; wear long-sleeved cotton, a hat, and lots of sun-screen; and (most important) TURN BACK the first time you feel any discomfort.

We were at the Grand Canyon in April and it was SPECTACULAR...Automobiles were not allowed on West Rim Drive (shuttle busses were provided for visitors), however you were able to drive freely on East Rim Drive and it was just as beautiful in my opinion....we did both. The IMAX presentation was worthwhile. As stated before: go down Oak Creek Canyon to Sedona for some wonderful red rock views. Jerome was also interesting. Check out the web site for the Grand Canyon and also www.sedonasbest.com
Have a great time!!!!

My family and I went to the Grand Canyon last summer. On advice from others we stayed at the beautiful lodge on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It is the only place to stay on the North Rim - rumored to be the most beautiful and least commercialized spot. I think it is called the North Rim Lodge (how appropriate!). We paid 70 or 80 dollars to stay one night in a two-bed cabin with a full bath. The cabin was very nice. The view is breathtaking. The lodge itself is very pretty. It has cabins all around. There is one very good, nice restaurant at the Lodge and a snack bar-type place as well. I have not been to the South Rim so I cannot compare the two; I can only say that I thought it was fabulous and others have said it was better than the South Rim. It gets booked up very quickly.