What to do in Grand Canyon for 3 day stay?

Old Mar 19th, 2004, 03:09 PM
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What to do in Grand Canyon for 3 day stay?

A friend of mine is planning a 2 week vacation in Arizona and planning 3 days in the Grand Canyon staying at the Best Western just outside of the park. Any recommendations for what to do in a 3 day stay. They enjoy hiking, probably no horse/mule riding as they are doing this elsewhere. Is there any 1 day whitewater rafting trips possible in the vicinity?
They have 3 kids, 13,11 and 7. Thanks!
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Old Mar 19th, 2004, 04:47 PM
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My DH and I did not have a problem filling two days with just walking around the S. Rim around the visitor center and on the free shuttle bus ride. We would start at one location and walk as far as we wanted and then catch the shuttle bus to another spot. Of course, sitting and watching a thunder storm go by helped pass by a few hours! If you plan on going down below the rim at all, you will need that third day to really see all there is to see.

If you get tired of the Grand Canyon you can make a side trip to Wupatki National Monument and Sunset Crater.

Yes, there is a 1 day raft trip in the area. You can arrange to take it from the Grand Canyon, but it cost more than if you start in Page, AZ. It's not a white water raft trip, but a float trip in motorized rafts on the Colorado River starting at the dam and they take you down the river for 14 miles and bus you back to where you started...either Page or the Grand Canyon. It's a fun trip. Here are our pictures:

http://www.utahtea.lithium.com/vacation2003/float.htm

Utahtea
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Old Mar 19th, 2004, 04:59 PM
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There is a 1 day whitewater trip that goes out of Peach Springs, AZ. The price, however, is very steep and I could not envision doing it with 3 kids. The trip runs from Diamond Creek to the West Rim helipad where you get helicoptered out. The reason the trip is so expensive is that the Hualapai Indians run it and they are the only game in town (plus the helicopter ride adds to the expense).

Information on this trip can be found at

http://www.grandcanyonresort.com/rr/rr.html

You spend the night before the trip at the associated hotel (in the middle of nowhere but very nice and very clean) also owned by the Hualapai Indians.

There is a deal on for $999 for 4 people for advance reservations right now--which includes the room at the hotel.

If this is outrageous, you might want to look at spending less time at the Grand Canyon and going to Moab, Utah. Moab is the hub for a lot of different rafting trips of various lengths.

The trip in Page is a float trip and would be very hot in the middle of summer.
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Old Mar 19th, 2004, 05:03 PM
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One more thing: I noticed after I posted that one of your children is 7. Many whitewater trips have age limits depending on how rough the trip is. The 7 year old would probably be a limiting factor in choosing a whitewater trip but there might be some "less exciting" (meaning you do not think you are going to die at some point) for which he would meet the age limit.

Again, you would have better luck if you went to Moab. I am certain you could find a nice whitewater trip for your entire family there.
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Old Mar 20th, 2004, 01:41 PM
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You don't mention when your friends are taking their trip. The Canyon is in high desert. The lower you go the warmer it gets. We were there in late October and temps were still in upper 70's on the rim and almost 20 degrees warmer at Phantom Ranch. One of the biggest problems hikers face is not carrying enough water-and drinking it. They might want to try the Bright Angel trail which has seasonal water at miles 1.5 and 3 miles from the rim and at Indian Gardens 4.6m. If they are extremely fit hikers they might want to try for Plateau Point 6.1 miles (one-way) from the rim. They will be hiking out in direct sun so a early start down is best. For other day hikes check www.nps.gov/grca/pphtml/activities.html.
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Old Mar 20th, 2004, 10:12 PM
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Kind of simple but....make sure to wake up early enough to watch the sun rise and light up the canyon. We stayed on the North Rim and did that one morning and it was SOOO worth it. It is like watching a painter compose a beautiful masterpiece.

Have fun!!
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