Grand Canyon trip in RV
 

Hi,
We are two families with children aged between 11 and 18 yrs, planning a trip in April of next year to Zion national park, Bryce national park and South rim of Grand Canyon in that order. We are renting an RV in Las Vegas for this trip and we'll be spending one night each at Zion and Bryce and two nights at Grand Canyon. If any of you has done a similar trip before, I'd love to hear any dos and don'ts and pointers towards what we should pack, campsite facilities such as availability of water and hookups, sights or activities not to be missed (keeping the age of our kids in mind), etc. I have been reading up, but I love the practical tips that I get on this forum. In the past they have been invaluable for my trip planning. So any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks in advance

seems like a really quick trip to breeze through such a beautiful area. if you can, add a night or two to bryce. you only have daylight from about 8-8 at that time of year. with the gorgeious views, catching at least one sunrise and one sunset would be nice. anyways, just my opinion. too much driving with not enough time to enjoy the areas. you might want to get on an rv forum to get better info on where to camp and you better reserve asap.

> campsite facilities such as availability of water and hookups

Inside Grand Canyon NP, there's not much choice. Mather Campground has no hookups, RV Campground has full hookups.

No campgrounds within either Bryce or Zion have any hookups.

Most national parks do not have hook ups but your RV is made to work without hook ups. You will have a generator for elec, propane for heat, hot water and to run your refrigerator, a large tank for fresh water and large tanks for grey and black water (sinks and sewage). If you have never used an RV the RV company should do a walk through with you and maybe a video showing you how to do everything. The campground will have a place to fill your fresh water tanks and to dump your sewage.

A great forum for anything RV related--about the RV or about locations--is www.rv.net/forums

Ask what all is included in your RV and then make a shopping list of all the things you will need to buy so you can quickly get your shopping done and get out of town.

I don't know how much cooking you want to do. It is a great way to save time and money when you have an RV. There are restaurants at the rims and in Springdale (outside Zion). Bryce is a little more limited as far as restaurants.

I'd like to suggest you go to the north rim of the GC. It's my favorite of the two. Mostly I think the views of the canyon are better because there are points that go out into the canyon. Plus, it 's much cooler (higher elev) and much less crowded. It's a long way around to the south rim.

The one thing the south rim has over the north rim is better views from the hiking trails down into the canyon if anyone is planning to do that. Ask for a good turnaround spot so you don't go down too far. It will be much slower coming back up! I don't know if there will still be snow on the trails but if there is don't let that stop you. A pair of Yak Traks ($15) will give you sure footing. I never felt unsafe on the trail with snow and ice while wearing them.

In Zion the fun thing to do is hike the narrows. The water will be cold the time of year you are going but there is an outfitter in town who rents special booties that helps with the cold and walking on slipper bowling ball size rocks. At the beginning of the narrows you will find sticks people have used and left. Most people use one and still have a lot of trouble. I used BOTH of my hiking poles and had a much easier time of it.

You can see a lot more of Bryce in a shorter period of time if you do the mule ride. We chaperoned high school students on a trip to the area and they really enjoyed the mule ride and hiking the narrows in Zion.

One more thing....

On the south rim, your views down into the canyon will be MUCH better from South Kaibab than from Bright Angel. It is steeper but it gives you almost instant huge views of the canyon. BA is more in a fold and your views are limited for a long way.

In addition to the RV specific website Connie mentioned, I can recommend another, www.irv2.com for getting some great info from friendly people who have tons of RVing experience. I've found both sites to be invaluable to us in our 3 years of first time RV ownership.

I've been to each of the Parks you mention, but in our pre-RV days. You mention the number of nights you have in each place, but what about full days? To me, that matters more.

Visitor services at the North Rim don't open until mid-May. The road in might be open if it's been a mild winter, but they aren't committed to plowing and keeping it open until mid-May either.

I would cut one night/day from the Grand Canyon and add it to Zion as it is more hiker friendly.

Not sure I would rent an RV for such a short trip, seems like by the time you get used to it and settle into a routine it will be time to go home. And with 2 families it might actually be nice to have 2 vehicles and separate rooms at night so you can get some down time from each other. That also gives you the option of splitting into 2 groups if some people want to do certain hikes and the others don't.

Thanks a million all of you for all those wonderful tips and leads. I will definitely do some more research on the websites you've mentioned. I wish we could have had a longer holiday but we are really constrained for time. But nevertheless we would like to cover Zion, Bryce and Grand canyon (unfortunately yes, the north rim will not be open yet). The other family is my sister's. This is going to be our first RV holiday and we are all so excited about it. I totally agree that by the time we are used to it, it would be time to return; But we are keen to do it purely for the element of adventure that it brings on. Thanks again.
Can any of you tell me if will need thick sleeping bags for the cold nights? Connie would you remember the name of the store in Springdale who rents those booties?

About 6-7 weeks ago I was at the Spring Valley cabin (with bunkhouse) about 12 miles north of Parks Arizona. I worked as a Passport in Time volunteer for 5 days staying there. It is available to rent. http://www.reserveamerica.com/campin...O&parkId=75306
For only $100/night it might be worth it to get hot showers, a real bed to sleep in and a real kitchen. The bunkhouse will work for the kids and there are 2 nice bedrooms in the cabin.
Going north from Parks General store, the road is paved for about 6 miles with good gravel road from there to the cabin.
There is a road that cuts over to the road to the south rim without going into Williams.

http://www.zionadventures.com/

Bryce will be cold, that's a certainty. I assume the RV has heat but if you have sleeping bags and room to take them on the plane then you should take them.

As Connie said, the South Kaibab has much better views so if you're going to hike one trail down into the canyon for a little way, that should be your choice. Bright Angel is more convenient because to get to, but it is much more crowded and the scenery does not compare to South Kaibab.

And again, I would urge you to spend 2 days in Zion and just one at the Grand Canyon.

FYI- most RVs get about 8-10 MPG---Even if gas prices "go down" to $3.50 gallon. (presently $4.02) takes big chunk out of travel budget. Also must have 2 days at Zion...the hikes are awesome..We stayed at Park RV campground- of course no hook ups..but clean and lots of space. In May there was a shuttle that took people into Park...not sure when that starts?? That brings up another issue..
If shuttle is not running, there is very limited parking AND often do not allow RVs in parking lot,
Also "walking" up the Narrows at Zion totally depended on weather conditions--if it rains up in hills---streams is closed--too dangerous. We did the "walk" May 1st. (dry year) and it was easy except my feet got sore from the rocks--I did wear "water sandals'--or I would have never made it.. Also, a walking stick helps with balance.
Good Luck

The Zion shuttle begins on March 31, 2013 so that's not an issue.

Your RV will have heat and the company you rent from will check you out on the operation of all systems. You will probably have the option to have it outfitted (sheets, towels, pots, pans etc.) per person, which makes life easy if you are flying into the starting point.

As I recall there is one campground in Zion NP that has electric only. NPS.gov should have all the info you need.Just a heads up, you will need to arrange escorted transport thru the tunnel in Zion for your RV. (Assume due to the number of people you have the unit will exceed the drive alone limit.) You can also get that info on the park website.

Do go over and research your trip and ask all RV and route info on RV.net forums, they are great.

Have fun!

All of you awesome folks, here's the update:
We've finished booking 2 nights at watchman campground in Zion (after your input we're seriously wondering whether we should stay 2 nights at Zion and 1 night at South rim) and 2 nights at Mather camp ground on the South Rim. Once we've firmed up our itinerary, we'll cancel one night that we don't plan on using. If any of you has stayed in the North camp ground at Bryce, can you please tell me how good or bad the coin operated showers are? Are they clean? We still need to book at Bryce.
I'm thrilled that the Zion shuttle begins on March 31st. That's great news, because I had assumed that it would not start until late April.
We are also planning on taking 1 or 2 tents with us to use if and where possible. Your thoughts...

So you have 4 adults and a few teens? How big an RV are you renting? Has the driver ever driven one before? Are you from US and used to driving on the right? Just wondering....

The RV accommodates 6-7. We are four adults and 3 children - 10yrs, 11 yrs and 18yrs (technically adult I guess).Yes, we are used to driving in the US - my sister's family lives there, but this will be our first time in an RV.

Indigo,

I'm glad you found the Watchman campground at Zion. Yes, it's the one with electrical hookups offered.

During a normal snowfall year, you can't hike the Narrows in April. Spring runoff will make the water too high. Spend your time hiking all the other trails instead if it's closed. There are plenty of great hikes.

Bryce will be very cold and may still have snow. North Campground has very few camp sites big enough for a large RV. Sunset Campground has large RV sites, but personally, I like North better. The shower buildings are just fine, but I would always suggest flip flops in public showers.

Ruby's commercial campground just outside Bryce offers full hookups, but the campground is not much of a campground. More like an RV parking lot.

I don't know when the Bryce shuttles start. Probably not as early as April, so do try to stay IN the park so you can walk to the canyon and trails.

Better check out in detail the exact measurements and configuration of the sleeping for the RV. Usually some of the beds realistically will only accomodate small children, not all adults and teens! I'm sure you will use those tents.

If you are flying to your RV pickup, you will need to spend extra $$ to rent bedding and kitchen equipment. What about camp chairs?

Hope this helps!

We've rented RV's twice and all the bedding and kitchen/bath equipment came with it. I think we had to buy things like paper towels and personal hygeine products but everything else was included. The company will let you know.

Connie,
What company did you use? My experience was with CruiseAmerica and these items were additional. Mine was a local rental, so I took my own stuff.

So Bryce will be really cold. In North campground is it mandatory to switch off the generator between 8 pm to 8 am? In which case it will be freezing! If that is the case we should probably think of some other campground.

Connie even I would like to know the name of the RV rental company. We will be flying into Las Vegas and picking up the RV there.

Thanks both of you.

Indigo,

If you go to www.nps.gov. you can check each park and campground regulations, maps, and everything you need to know in advance are there.

One other thing to check with your RV rental company - it the RV "winterized"? Most rentals are NOT.

If not, you will need to be at a campground that offers full electrical hookups to stay warm at night and to keep your water lines from freezing.

This should only be an issue at Bryce.

- So Bryce will be really cold. In North campground is it mandatory to switch off the generator between 8 pm to 8 am? In which case it will be freezing! If that is the case we should probably think of some other campground. -

In addition to the generator there should be propane which will be your alternate energy source. This is what your refrig will run off of when you do not have electricity. The heater should run from the propane also. I would call your rv rental company to verify this.

We have stayed at the Ruby's Inn campground just outside the entrance to Bryce. They have very nice showers. We were able to pick our site. Although many spots are kind of parking lotish, we found several very nice sites.

Regarding the parking at the trailheads. We have never had any problem finding parking for our rv. Many people just park for a few minutes at each pullout, hop out, look at the view and then continue on their way. If there is no parking, just wait a couple minutes and surely something will open up, especially in April.

This was two different companies in Anchorage. Great Alaskan Holidays and the other was around 8 years ago--I don't remember the name. I just know we did not have to bring any bedding, towels or kitchen equipment.

It was like staying in a cabin with a kitchen where everything was provided. I can't imagine they would expect people to fly into a destination with all that or to have to buy all that. I think some companies charge extra for those items but they are available. It did not cost extra with GAH or the other company we used.

Yes Michele, Propane is something we are planning on taking.I was worried about the park shuttle not being there at Bryce at that time of the year - but from what you are saying, I presume we can very well manage with our RV itself to take us to various view points. Can we park it near the Bryce lodge long enough to do a 2 hr mule ride and may be a short trek? We are still deciding between Ruby's and North campgrounds, but now after all your inputs I'm now leaning towards Ruby's. Will decide by the end the day.

I have an idea...skip the RV. We have rented an RV twice. Never again. Maybe it's different if you own one. We don't. Renting is ridiculously expensive, the gas is out of this world, you will probably be required to do an oil change and a cleaning. It's too big on the outside, too small on the inside. Both times we hit something and did minor damage, lost our security deposit. Get all the insurance you can. We had it but still lost the deposit. All in, it's much cheaper and more comfortable to drive a rental car and stay in decent accommodations. Don't know if you get get reservations in the parks at this date, but we stayed in the cabins in Bryce and GC. Bryce has wood burning fireplaces. Very nice but rustic.

One more thing. It's difficult to drive to the sights with an RV. You probably would still need a car. Once we hitch hiked so we could park the RV and not have to move it again. The location you are going to is so pretty. If you want to try renting an RV, do it another time when the RV is the experience.

Indigo 5,
You should not need to bring the propane for the heater in the rv. It is a tank that is in the rv itself. You will fill it at the gas station when you get gasoline. The small propane tanks you will buy will not work for the heater.

The propane tank in the rv will run the refrigerator when you are not plugged in to electricity, and also the heater. Since many people never use electricity when camping, the propane tank is standard equipment in the rv.

Ok, we've more or less finalized the whole trip. sdtravels, we've now been fantasizing about our RV trip so much that it's too late to change plans. I suspect that if I even suggest cancelling the RV, there's going to be murder! So RV it will be - for good or for worse. 2 nights at nightwatchman campground at Zion, one night at Ruby's at Bryce (mule ride and all)and one night at Mather campground on the south rim of Grand Canyon. On the way back to Las Vegas, see Hoover dam. The RV will accommodate 7, and will come with propane tanks (which we intend refilling as needed). We were told by the RV rental agency that winterizing will not be needed at that time of the year. Now we're keeping our fingers crossed so that conditions will be favourable for us to hike the narrows at Zion at least a little. We also plan on doing the south Kaibab trail as much as possible. Does that sound like a plan (though fast paced)?

Read up on the restrictions if you're driving an RV to Hoover Dam.

http://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/crossingguide.pdf

The cheapest gas you will find is on US 93 in Kingman just after you get off I-40.
If you go to Hoover Dam after inspection, go over the dam into Arizona to the second (or third) parking lot and park for free.
It is worth the walk to save $7.00.
If you really want a thrill ride you can park in the parking lot of the Hacienda casino and walk up the hill to take a helicopter ride over the dam and Lake Meade.

I told my husband your story. Neither of us can wait to hear your trip report. We hope you have a good time. I bet it will be worth a story or two!

Indigo,

You should also buy some heavy duty rubber gloves for the person who will be handling the "dumping". Plan on throwing those away at the end of the trip. Not really a souvenier to bring back!

Did you say where you are picking it up? Las Vegas? Not sure if those people realize how cold it can be at 8,000 ft in April. Have them put in writing that you told them where you are going and that they stated winterizing is not necessary.

Hae fun! It's going to be an adventure for you!

Ah yes, the dumping. We used disposable rubber gloves and threw them out after each contact with the hose. Check that you have all the pieces to complete the hookup before you leave. We had a broken part and didn't realize it until we did the first hook-up. Thankfully, the park owner could sell us a universal hookup part. It wasn't optimal but we were able to weigh it down to keep it in the drain.

Geez..I hope you are now happily over on the RV.net forums getting advise from RV friendly people.

I think you will have an amazing time all together in your RV. Since you have electric the first 2 nights I seriously doubt you will have to refill your propane tanks, being gone 4 nights. Also, depending on how much you use the campground restrooms you may not even have to dump.

Have fun!

You guys will have a great time. You are traveling to some of the most beautiful areas of the US. There is nothing like camping under the stars with nothing to distract you. Your kids will remember this trip forever. Great age for hiking. We have been to Bryce, Zion and Grand Canyon several times with our kids as they were growing up. I still marvel at the beauty every time I see the parks. If you can, get up early and do the sunrise at Sunrise Point in Bryce. Nothing like it as the sun comes up. The colors are amazing. Have a great time.

Thanks all of you. I've made a note of all your advise and am planning to incorporate them into a check list, to tick off before we leave. We are all really looking forward to this trip.

Hey Indigo5, how did this RV trip go? We are planning an almost identical trip in Sep. this year and would love to hear any info you might have!
Cheers!

Indigo5 hasn't been on here since 2011. I suggest a new post, jaso162.