How many nights would be good for GC considering that we are not big on hiking, although I've reserved 3 nights at the Yavapai. Would 2 be sufficient to capture the "must-see" and "must-do?" I get the sneaky feeling that 3 might be too long.

We greatly enjoyed staying right on the rim - and found a reasonably priced room at the Bright Angel Lodge with a gret view of the canyon, and we even could look across and see sme fires on the north side burning at night. Yavapai will work - but you are about a half mile away from the Rim, and as suggested - I would keep checking back to see if/when they have cancellations, and even make a rim request when you check in. El Tovar is nice - but the most expensive. This pic shows the lodges right on the rim.http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com/lod...rview-411.html

And if you want a one day excursion - you could drive over to Kaytana, AZ (3 hrs? - and you could get a jump on it - leaving early to greet the sunrise - east from the Lodge area) - the entrance to Monument Valley - and just before you get there - is the Navajo National Monument - where you can see where some Cliff Dwellers used to live. http://www.navajonationparks.org/htm/monumentvalley.htm

Here are some great pics of Monument Valley - and it was the scene of many movies - including those with Hollywood giant - John Wayne - leading the US Cavalry. :) http://tinyurl.com/75pgcwh

And here is some info about the Navajo National Monument/Cliff Dwelling site - and they have a nice visitor center - and you can hike a short distance to look across the valley at the actual cliff dwellings. http://www.nps.gov/nava/index.htm

Here's a map you can play around with for info on the areas around the GC, and just zoom in and out and move it sideways, etc. http://tinyurl.com/6wfzo9a

To get to the Navajo Natioal Monument (a few miles north of hiway 160) and then on to nearby Monument Valley - you leave the GC park - taking the road east - and hook up with the road going north (89 is it?) and then take 160 east (past Tuba City) for an hour or so.

Actually - once you hit hiway 160 - it's about an hour and a half to Kayanta - about 75 miles beyond Tuba City. It's on good roads.

Another thinig to do is drive up to Page and take a half day float trip down the Colordo river. You float through some areas with high walls - not as high as later in the GC - but you still get an idea. :) http://raftthecanyon.com/

Fooey -lost my post. Anyhow - I was going to say you might be better served driving from Yo back to SF (or even Sacramento) and flying into Phoenix - or even Flagstaff - which is two and a hours north of Phoenix - much closer to the GC.

You could rent a car in one of those two places - and turn it in and fly back from there to Boston from there - a whole lot easier.

If you do drive from Yo (the valley floor) out through the Tioga Pass and down 395 - that part is pretty - but once you get to the turnoff for Death Valley - it's pretty much scorched rock/desert from there to Vegas - although it's fun to do once. Driving from Yo to Vegas itself takes 8 hours - and then it's 5 more hours to the GC, so 13 hours total - but of course, if you haven't seen Vegas- you could stop there for a night.

Tomsd, we truly appreciate your great insights and advice, and will very seriously consider them. Please keep them coming if you have more. Ditto for other well-meaning fodorites. As always, thanks very much.

Would 2 (instead of 3) nights at GC be sufficient then?

The Bright Angel Lodge now shows availability of "Standard 1 Double No Tub/Shower" w private toilet but w/o shower/bath, meaning that one has to use showers elsewhere in the building. Any experience with this, please?

Bright Angle Lodge does have some rooms with shared bathroom facilities but I don't know about the shower situation, the cabins have bathrooms with showers. Thunderbird and Kachina lodges are like basic motel lodging with full bathrooms and they are right on the rim also. elTovar is a nicer hotel and is a bit more costly. If the shower is a necessity, keep the Yavapai reservation and hope for an opening at Thunderbird, Kachina or Bright Angel cabin.
Don't pay more for a "view room" as Grand Canyon's view is mostly down and best seen by standing near the rim.

If you don't hike much 2 days at GC will be fine. One day to visit the VC, visit the area west of Bright Angel lodge and one day to visit the pull offs east of BA. There is a shuttle that parallels the rim to the east of BA and stops at various points along the way to Hermit's Rest. you can walk along the rim trail if you wish and pick up the bus at the next stop, or walk out and view the fantastic sights then wait for the next bus. On the east side, take your own car and stop at the pull offs and take lots of pictures.

Have a great trip.

When we went to the GC, there were 3 of us. Bright Angel Cabins only allowed 2 somwe put my husband in the Bright Angel Lodge. He had a room with a toilet and shower down the hall. Keep checking. I think 2 nights will be fine for your plans.

If you want to see more than the GC this trip - you can do the GC in two nights (assuming you have the better part of two days) - and as recommended - the shuttle buses get you around pretty good. You can take them out to see the sunset at the one of the points to the west - and also in the am to see the sunrise, but you can also drive to the east to see the sunrise. I also recommend you take in the IMAX show by the southern entrance - as it has a good bit of history about how the GC was "discovered".

And I still say- having the view of the GC from the room - was great, and we were on the 2nd floor of Bright Angel Lodge and it was't that much more than staying over at the places further away - and maybe we paid a $10 premium for a rim view. Hey - just popping out of your room to walk along the rim (they have a sidewalk)- is a bonus when you are staying right on the rim. We went over to El Tovar for lunch - and on the way back - saw two huge Bull elk - 6 x 6 guys - just casually munching on the grass. That alone (to me) was worth staying right there on the rim. :)

My sister and niece even hiked down about a mile below the rim - the same trail those take going down all the way to the river - and liked doing that.

hello folks, I truly appreciate your valuable insights. Please kindly keep them coming if you have more...can't thank all of you enough.

As advised, I will certainly continue to monitor the room availability at Bright Angel.

Yosemite is the most beautiful place! I'd suggest taking Hwy. 120 on the way to Yosemite and coming back through Merced on Hwy. 140. I think the 140 route is more scenic....it follows along the Merced River. It also has less curves with big drops.

Many of the waterfalls and other sites are not far off the road. You can ride the tram around to parts of Yosemite that it goes, go horseback riding, rent bikes, play a round of golf.

Check out Yosemite's website for events that are happening on the dates you are visiting: http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/index.htm

Howefortunate: OP is continuing over Tioga Pass to head down to the Grand Canyon. Opposite direction.

I've done the maths for the journeys by rental car from Yosemite to GC, and GC to SFO. The drop-off fee at PHX is way too exorbitant. Add the daily rental + gas, it makes no sense for me to drive (mindlessly) for 13 hrs. So, best option is to fly.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any flights from SFO to Flagstaff to Boston, unless the search engines of Expedia & Travelocity are playing games with me. Only to Phoenix.

Now, I have 2 choices of arrival times at Phoenix: 5:35 pm & 7.01 pm. Add 4+ hours to each, and we'll be arriving at abt 10+ pm or 12+ mn.

Is it advisable to drive to GC at such late hours? Are the roads quite safe for night drving? Do the lodges allow late check-ins? Obviously, arrival at 12+ mn is no-no? How about 10+ pm? Any advice? Thanks.

Maybe the best option is to stay the night at Phoenix on arrival, and then making it to some attractions around GC during the rest of the day before checking in for the night at GC. That seems the way to go.

Thanks for your insights again.

Look to flying into and out of Las Vegas. The flights and car rentals are often less expensive and there are many flights every day including direct flights to Boston. As long as you get into Las Vegas by noon you can easily make it to Grand Canyon before night. On the way back you could stop at Hoover Dam to break up the trip. This would allow for a round trip and eliminate drop off charges.

Another option would be to fly to Vegas, and take a bus or small plane to Grand Canyon.

Tch8- I so much want to plan this trip for you!

Option 1: Yosemite , Lake Tahoe, SF, no GC
fly to SF, rent car and go to Yosemite . Spend two nights. Head east over Tioga pass and head north on Hwy 395, stopping at ghost town of Bodie, maybe spend one night enroute ending up at Lake Tahoe. Spend several days. Lake Tahoe is beautiful. Head from Tahoe back to SF to finish up trip.

Option 2: SF, Yosemite, GC
Spend time in SF. Then head to Yosemite, spending several days there. Head back to SF or Sacramento to get flight to Phoenix. Check Southwest Airlines, they do not show up on Expedia or Travelocity and have tons of flights to Phoenix. Also check US Air. Head to GC. You will also be able to spend time in Sedona Arizona before heading back to Phoenix for flight to Boston.

Option 3: Same as # 2, but fly in/out of Las Vegas.

These are just some ideas to consider. My choice would be to skip the GC and do it another time or skip SF/ Yosemite and make this a GC/Southwest United States trip. I know you want to really do this but sometimes you can't do everything.

Good luck and please report back.