Has anyone experienced a visit to the Grand Canyon with your dog? We want to make a short detour on our trip to Texas and take a quick look around. I've heard you can take a leashed dog on a hike around part of the south rim. I'm curious to know more from somebody who's done this.

Dogs are not allowed on the Kaibab and Bright Angel trails, the ones that descend into the canyon from the rim. This is because of the mule traffic, they obviously don't want the mules spooked near the abyss by dogs.

AFAIK you can walk your dog on the rim trails without any problems. There is also a kennel in case you want to board the dog for a bit if you want to do something like hike down. So it's a pretty dog-friendly place except for the inner canyon trails.

From NPS -
Can I bring my dog along with me if I hike into the canyon?
Pets must be physically restrained at all times. Leashed pets are allowed on the rim trails throughout the developed areas in the park but not below the rim. The only exception is certified service dogs. Persons wishing to take a service dog below the rim must check in first at the Backcountry Information Center. There is a kennel on the South Rim but not on the North Rim.

The above is true. If you want to spend the night your dog will have to stay in the kennel. I was there in the middle of summer and opted to let the dog stay in the kennel during the day too. It was really hot and Jake didn't like hot weather.

Here's a link from my dog travel site, Dog Jaunt -- it's got some info and a link that'll help you: http://www.dogjaunt.com/2010/06/phot...-grand-canyon/

We also did a quick visit there with our dog. The walk along the south rim was very nice and we all enjoyed it. As stated previously you can't take the dogs below the rim.