Need help with planning a Grand Canyon trip
 

Thanks in advance for any help...I need it...

My girlfriend and I are flying into Las Vegas on the night of May 9th, getting in around 9pm. We fly out of Vegas the night of the 15th (technically, at 12:30AM on the 16th). We want to spent the majority of the time in the Grand Canyon, and want to do some hiking and camping. Our original plan: drive down the night we get there, and then catch the 1:30 bus from the South Rim to the North Rim. Then we'd hike across (5/11 at Cottonwood, 5/12 at Bright Angel, and 5/13 at Indian Garden), driving back on either the 14th or 15th. However, a big wrench got thrown in our plans when we finally figured out that the bus doesn't start running until the 15th of May! (D'oh!) First question -- do you see any other way to do a trip where we hike across the canyon?

Alternatively, we've sketched out a new plan: drive to the South Rim on the 10th, checking out Hoover Dam on the way. Hike in starting 5/11, and spend two nights camping (Bright Angel 5/11, and Indian Garden 5/12?) then hike out on 5/12. Then drive up to Havasupai Reservation, hike in to Havasu Falls and spend the night (5/13) out there. Then drive back to Vegas 5/14.

OR.....do you have any other completely different ideas / other places we should definitely try to check out?

So, yeah. There's a ton of sites with info on the Canyon, but I'm having trouble figuring out what the best thing to do is...

Thanks for any tips!

Are you in great hiking condition? Those are two big hikes you have planned!

I haven't hiked the Grand Canyon, but I've rode the trails on mules, and it's a tough hike.

We did do Havasu, which is awesome, but I would recommend 2 nights in Havasu to really explore all 3 waterfalls.

A minor comment - I would not want to be driving from LV to GC starting out a 10 PM at night after being already tired from travel/flight. While the roads are fine, there are some switchbacks, areas that I found a little scary during daylight hours.

I hope you have reservations. We just hiked down and back up last week and had reservations at Phantom Ranch for over 1.5 years.

Be prepared--these are VERY strenuous hikes. I can't even imagine doing it in the heat.

Dan,

You will first have to see if you can get reservations to camp at any of those campgrounds in the canyon. The "window" for making May reservations opened Jan. 1 and it is likely they are already full.

Havasu is a magical place, well worth several nights so you can spend time at all the waterfalls.