Fodor's Travel Talk Forums

Fodor's Travel Talk Forums (https://www.fodors.com/community/)
-   United States (https://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/)
-   -   How cold is GC in december (https://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/how-cold-is-gc-in-december-1129525/)

Sweden Sep 8th, 2016 08:48 PM

How cold is GC in december
 
We gonna celebrate New year i Las Vegas and we really wamt to visit

Sweden Sep 8th, 2016 11:54 PM

Lets try this again.

I wonder how cold it is at Grand Canyon in December. We live in Sweden so we are used to cold wether :)

Is the park open?

sludick Sep 9th, 2016 04:36 AM

Yes, the South Rim of the GC is open. I will assume you know that this is not a day trip (278 mi./447 km. each way), so you will want to make lodging reservations at the park in advance.

Here is a link to the National Park Service site for the Grand Canyon:

https://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm

As to the cold, here from the website:

"Winter conditions on the South Rim can be extreme. Be prepared for snow, icy roads and trails, and possible road closures. Winter weather typically begins by November and becomes well entrenched by December and January, with frequent light to moderate snows and increasingly colder weather. Low temperatures are generally in the teens along the Rim; however afternoon high temperatures still average in the 40s (4-9°C), due to the amount of sunshine the area receives. Along the river, cold air typically becomes trapped in the canyon leading to high temperatures only in the 40s and 50s (4-15°C) and low temperatures in the 30s and 40s (-1C-+9°C). Even with all of the winter sunshine, significant snowfall can be expected during the winter with an average snowfall of 50 to over 100 inches (1.3-2.5m) per year on the Rim, and occasionally snow will make it even to the river. Between storms, when dry high pressure builds in, winds become light, and fresh snow cover is on the ground, minimum temperatures can plummet, especially on the Rim, with sub-zero temperatures likely. Snow continues to be possible at the higher elevations through April. During the winter and early spring months, fog occasionally forms due to radiational cooling from snow cover on the ground. However, this fog usually breaks up quickly by morning."

janisj Sep 9th, 2016 08:16 AM

>>I will assume you know that this is not a day trip (278 mi./447 km. each way),<<

Yes -- it is MUCH better to stay a night at the south rim of the Grand Canyon. However . . . If you simply don't have time for an overnight trip -- there are several tour operators in Las Vegas that do offer day trips.

This is just one company https://www.canyontours.com/grand-ca...uth-rim-tours/

Not perfect (a LOT of tine on the coach) but better than not seeing the GC at all.

sf7307 Sep 9th, 2016 08:19 AM

Just to add - Las Vegas can be freezing in winter too (it was the one time I was there on New Year's Eve).

Dukey1 Sep 9th, 2016 12:35 PM

Just like Sweden!

sludick Sep 9th, 2016 01:17 PM

I have long wanted to visit the Grand Canyon at this time of year, with snow on the ground and sparse crowds. Ahhhh.

elbegewa Sep 9th, 2016 09:47 PM

I've discovered a great weather website that shows historical (probability) graphs for all of the major weather phenomena (temp, rain, snow, humidity, cloudt cover, sun, etc.) in *many* locations. Unlike other sites where whole months get lumped together, it's shown on graphs where you can easily interpolate specific days:
https://weatherspark.com/averages/30...-United-States


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 02:50 PM.