Please help! Grand Canyon w/o car first timer
 

Hi there,

I live in New York and I am planning to visit Grand Canyon and LA with mum during the last week of December. We plan to spend 3 days in Grand Canyon but neither of us knows how to drive!!!

Is it even possible to visit Grand Canyon in winter without a car? Any public transportation/tours?

Which airport should we fly into? Either from New York or LA?

Where should we stay given that we are not driving?

I would really really appreciate it if your advice!

There is a train, the Grand Canyon Railway. There are packages that give you a night in Williams, a town about an hour from the GC, with a day tour of the GC. I think it probably leaves from Union Station in downtown L.A. Not sure if they run in winter, winter at the GC is very cold! Our main L.A. airport is LAX, but using public transport in our city is a big pain! There is some kind of airport at GC, but it may be only for sightseeing flights.

Thanks for the advice. I will try to look into the tour from LA. I have friends in LA so we will be able to get around in a car.

We really want to see GC as well and I am just trying to figure out a way to see it without car

The north rim of the grand canyon is closed during the winter, but the south rim is open. Check out: http://www.nps.gov/grca/pphtml/planyourvisit.html (the national park service official site) for more information. It looks like there is public transportation available from Flagstaff, Phoenix and Williams.

Once at the park, there is a shuttle service available which can take you to all of the major areas at the south rim.

If you do a search for "Grand Canyon" on Google or Yahoo, you will also find tour companies that you can book a trip with.

Good luck and enjoy your trip!

I think you can find a tour from Phoenix. try these:



http://www.grandcanyontourcompany.co...adlx.htmloenix.

http://nps.seeamerica.org/pmgr?parkId=193

Sorry if this sounds crass but I really am astounded. 2 adult American women who can't drive???

Yikes! Perhaps I am just an ignorant Midwesterner but I have not heard of this phenomenon.

placeu _ I don't know amytingting's situation, but if you grew up and live in a city such as NYC, you have no need for a car and would have no pressing need to learn to drive.

Just a thought.
Karen

Everyone, thanks so much for the advice. Now I feel much more confident about making the trip happen. Shame on me about not knowing how to drive. I lived in Boston and New York and always managed with public transportation

I have had friends in the past that lived all their lives in SF and never had a drivers license. They used public transportaton and taxies and sometimes trains And flew out of SFO for all the other trips. When the wanted to go to Napa they hired a car and driver. IMHO they probably saved a lot of money over the years plus heaven knows how many hours,days, months looking for parking places.

Instead of Greyhound, look into Open Road tours. Their office is in the Amtrak train station in downtown Flagstaff and they run to the Canyon and to Phoenix. Last week of December will be cold, and can often be very windy, but the Canyon is beautiful no matter what time of year and there won't be crowds. Enjoy.