I've been reading lots of great questions and answers - thanks. We're planning 11 days in April starting and ending in Las Vegas. We are starting with 3 nights in Vegas and ending back in Vegas for 2 or 3 nights. I've read so much about Bryce and Zion, is it worth hiking all the way into the Grand Canyon or are we better off spending a day or maybe one night there and using the time for other places, or is the GC so spectacular that we should hike down and up (hopefully getting lucky with reservations at Phantom Ranch overnight). Maybe stay overnight inside the park but don't hike all the way down? I also don't want to end up so sore that we can't hike anywhere else! It will be our 10 & 15 yo and my husband and I. How difficult is the hike for a person of average physical fitness? Is there anything not to do or something we must do? We've never been out there, so we want to maximize what we do. Any help is so appreciated!

I've hiked to Phantom Ranch as one of my six trips to the Grand Canyon, and I absolutely recommend doing SOME hiking down the trails. But I can NOT recommend going all the way to the Colorado *UNLESS* everyone has spent months preparing for this. No matter how much walking you do each day, unless you get your knees ready (by climbing stairs for about an hour a day), you won't be ready for hiking out.

Unless *ALL* of you have been getting ready for such a hike, I would instead recommend walking down the Bright Angel Trail until you START to feel tired or sore. Remember, the hike up is three times worse than the hike down! But if you hike into the Canyon for only thirty minutes and then turn back, you'll experience more of it than 90% of the visitors do.

Here's a good link for info on the dangers of Canyon hiking.

www.kaibab.org/gc/bc/heatkill.htm

I would hike the rim trail with your family. It's a pretty easy trail, and if someone get's tired there is the shuttle bus that you can catch back to the village. It took us about 4 hours with all the oohs and aahs and we took tons of pictures. The next day we went out to the east end and took shuttles. We spent only one night at the canyon and I wished we had spent two nights and two full days. If you haven't been there before, it is truly amazing.

I would see if you could get a cabin at Bright Angel, it would be fun for your kids. I didn't go down below the rim at all as I knew my physical limitations, but was fine doing the Rim. I saw two guys (young ones) who had just hiked up Bright Angel Trail and they said it took them 8 hours and they looked whipped.

The national parks webstie has good maps online and gives a rating of difficulty on all trails. www.nps.gov plus depending on how interested your kids are in the national parks, they have a passport and a stamp at every national park. It is a fun way to study the parks and gives incentive to visit and learn about the history.

See if Utahtea gives you some advice on Bryce and Zion, she has tons of good tips for this area.

As spectacular as the GC is, I would think two nights there would be enough. You could do 1/3 of the way down Bright Angel one day, and 1/3 of the way down South Kabob the next - this will be plenty of canyon hiking. South Kabob is especially spectacular.
I would plan a night or two at Bryce, a night at Lake Powell, and at least two at Zion. They are all very different, and all very beautiful. Vegas was fun, but 2 nights there was more than enough.

You should add a trip to the Hoover Dam and take the hard-hat tour. You and your kids will really enjoy it. I think you have to reserve ahead, but am not sure. I also urge you to see the IMAX that is just outside the entrance/exit (depending which way you come in) to Zion. Both Bryce and Zion are wonderful.

the trail was shut down for awhile for the mule rides(not for hiking)...the best way is a mule trip..and you can go to the Phantom Ranch that way..reservations are made far in advance...but you could find a cancelation..hiking is very strenuous..$2000 for an airlift out...unless you can take you time and are in very good hiking condition I wouldn't even think about it...ck out ww.the canyon.com---and amfac.com---I know it has changed web address but can't think of it and that should take you there or at least give you a reroute..Bryce and Zion are geat..and there are horse and mule rides there and North Rim..but the N.Rim is closed till May..

Bad News: The HardHat tour has been discontinued at Hoover Dam. I agree it was great but since Sept 11th, tourists are no longer allowed all the way to the bottom. The current tour (a modified version) is said to be nice though.

I agree with Paul - the hike down to Phantom Ranch and back is difficult and not to be taken lightly. We rode the mules down and back and it was one of the most amazing things we've ever done.

In my opinion, you have to get IN the Grand Canyon to really appreciate its scope and beauty. You don't have to go really far down, just a little bit down the trail will open up new vistas. The suggestion to hike a bit down the South Kaibab and a bit down Bright Angel is a great one. My first view of the Grand Canyon was not impressive to me, b/c we had been to Zion and Bryce earlier in the week and had seen such amazing scenery. But after getting just a bit under the rim I was awed; the Grand Canyon is truly amazing.