Prosy

We are a UK couple planning at short notice a 3 week touring vacation of The 4 Corners, S Utah and Grand Canyon in early May. As I recently had spinal surgery but am fit and able to walk several miles at a time, we hope to break our car jouneys with daytime hikes and stopovers. Is it essential to pre book accommodation at this time of year or could we limit making reservations to a couple of days ahead in order to remain flexible? Apologies for duplication but am posting this

kayd

Your plan should work, as Americans don't hit the roads in great numbers until schools let out around the end of May.
Have your first and last nights reserved well ahead, though.

Where2Travel

I did a similar trip in February and we booked everything a month or so ahead of travel. We considered making no reservations but because we wanted to stay IN a number of parks (eg Grand Canyon) or at specific accommodations (eg Gouldings at Monument Valley, Thunderbird Lodge at Canyon de Chelly) then decided against just winging it as we went.

lifelist

As noted, you're traveling before the busy season, though it would be a good idea to reserve at the popular places, like the Grand Canyon. It'd be helpful to see what spots you're looking to visit to help gauge whether reservations are required or not.

Also, be aware that Memorial Day is on the 29th of May, and that weekend will be especially busy. The week after will also be busy. Memorial Day weekend is the traditional start of summer travel in the U.S.

enzian

Actually, many of the "inside the park" lodges are already fully booked for May. There are a few dates available at Yavapai Lodge at the Grand Canyon South Rim, and also a few random dates in May at both Bryce and Zion. You can check the availabilty at the webiste for Xanterra, the concessioner that runs the National Park lodging for these parks:
http://www.xanterra.com/

Of course, there are motels and other accomodations near the parks, just outside the boundaries, in all of these areas. But it would not hurt to make a few reservations for the park lodges just to be safe; you can cancel them up to 24 hours before arrival with no penalty.

Prosy

Many thanks for the help. We now think we may be rushing things a bit and will probably wait till late summer/early autumn, so I'll try to refine our plans and then post to get reaction to our route etc.

gcmaven

Enzian, just FYI, at Xanterra properties, cancellations must be made at least 48 hours in advance for a refund, not 24.

enzian

gcmaven---thanks for the correction; I must have been looking at the "non-Xanterra" reservations for our party. We'll be there (Grand Canyon) next week, hiking down a week from today---and I'm very excited!

Prosy--fall is a wonderful time to visit the Southwest. I hope your back recovery proceeds well and you are able to make your trip then. Best wishes.