When the Grand Canyon and Tusayan are sold out, best bet for lodging?
 

I am toying with the difference between staying in Williams, already far from the canyon entrance.. or actually in Sedona or Flagstaff ( seems like nicer accommodations possible) on a trip from San Diego ( non stop) to the Canyon, spend two nights somewhere " nearby" , and then continuing ( non-stop) to south eastern Arizona to visit friends.

I am thinking of getting a cancelable reservation at W. S. or F. and keep trying for Tusayan ( but not he Grand Hotel which is over$200).

These will be the worst driving days of the whole trip. A shame we were unable to finalize our plans earlier.

Any suggestions or lodging B+B's, private rooms, that don't come up on standard search engines?

I don't know when you are going. However, many rooms are booked way in advance by tours and then in the last month they are released as the bookings are finalized.

Just call everyday in the last 6 weeks.

thanks. will definitely do that to try to be as close as possible.

Forgot to say it is for the busy month of July.

1) There is one and only one small hotel in Tusayan that does not accept reservations, meaning if you get there early in the day you can always find a room since so many visitors are there for just a day. In July this has meant 9 AM the two times I've done this in July (gone up w/o reservations to catch a storm or whatever), which you won't be able to make from San Diego in a day of course, but still an option for the other days.

2) The Cameron Trading Post has a nice hotel, better rooms than most of the GC lodges, better than about half the Tusayan hotels, not too expensive. This is about 30 minutes from the east entrance to the GC (unfortunately the far side if coming from San Diego), about an hour from the main GC visitor center area. Nice restaurant there too ... if you leave SD early you'll have time to drive to the GC from the south before sunset, drive the east rim road late when the light is good and then drive to Cameron for dinner and a hotel room. So that's a possibility.

Seems like a lot of tour busses stay there so perhaps they are filled up too, but generally easier to score a room here than in Tusayan.

3) Three extremely mediocre hotels (all managed by one hotel) in the village of Valle, which is half-way between Williams and Tusayan where 180 and 64 intersect, about 23 minutes from the GC south entrance. Here's their web site: http://www.grand-canyon-inn.com/ ... I only stayed here once, when I was driving up late at night planning on sleeping 6 hours outside south of Tusayan in the National Forest and getting up at 4 AM to hike but it was raining very hard, so I got a room at the cheapest wing here, which was a pre-fab building that rocked in the storm. So don't expect much, but still you are closer than Williams, etc and it's OK for one night.

4) Of the three towns you mention, Williams is an hour drive and has a few OK hotel options, Flag has many hotel options and is about 90 minutes drive. Sedona of course is a nice tourist destination but is about 2 hours drive and for just an en-route overnight I'd prefer being closer.

... to add one more option to my previous post ...

5) Gray Mountain, which is not even a town, just a store and a couple of hotels, is located 8 miles south of Cameron. Stayed there once in a heavy snowstorm on the way back from Moab and it was OK. Inexpensive (web site says $60-$70 + tax). Probably be better off in Williams or Flag coming from California, but it's still a viable option if everything else is filled (or for people coming from the east).

http://www.anasaziinn.com/graymountain/index.html

I would keep trying for one of the lodges inside the park. There are usually cancellations, so check the website at least twice a day. Also, call Xanterra once a day to ask about availability.

http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com/lod...88750-411.html

My choice would be: make a refundable reservation in Sedona and call for cancellations at the Canyon. We stayed at Sedona and loved it, but the commute is a bit too long if you want to do it for 2-3 days.

If you can, make Sedona your planned stop, it's beautiful.

Thanks for the suggestions. Looking a bit grim but will keep trying.

Good to know about those other options.. just checked out the cameron lodge.

<b>just checked out the cameron lodge</b>

If you book here ask for one of the rooms overlooking the Little Colorado River gorge, these are very quiet and peaceful, with nice views ... rates here are about half what you pay in Tusayan and the rooms are nicer than in most of the T lodges.

thanks , Bill_H

Another vote for Cameron

From me, too. And at their restaurant, order the Navajo taco. But, unless you have a huge appetite, order the medium one.

I'm back on a computer and can write more. If a basic hotel room is okay with you, I recommend the Cameron Trading post. My sister and I drove in VERY late and weren't really sure when we got there - but I kept on saying that a Fodors Friend assured me it was okay. The restaurant/ main building was closed and we were checked in at a tiny office in the parking lot with old fashioned hotel registration cards and real key! Our room was at the back of the complex and we were thrilled to open the door and see the view Bill describes above.

As Mike says, the restaurant/diner is VERY good and their Navajo fry bread (with honey) was my favorite food item on the entire trip.

I'm not sure how, but my sis found a way to keep busy for HOURS in the gift shop. I think she looked at every rug in the place. Oh well, it gave me time to take a scientific survey ;)

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...ific-study.cfm

Here's a description from a (more than 2 year old) trip report -
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-north-rim.cfm

Damn, I miss speedbuggy. :-(
Gilbert hasn't been around in a long time either.

I'm still here.
Cameron Trading Post is a good place to stay. In fact DH and I will be staying there again this coming October prior to our trip to the Grand Canyon. The drive from the Trading Post to the east entrance of the GC is a good one and then your first view of the GC will be Desert View Watchtower. Excellent!! Then on the drive to GC Village it's easy to do a right hand turn into the various viewpoints along the way.
I can definitely recommend the Cameron Trading Post !!
Gilbert

Good to know you are still here, Gilbert :-)

We ALWAYS enter through the east entrance because Desert View is my favorite first view of the GC, even though the canyon may not be as deep as further west. Here it is.

http://mikepintucson.shutterfly.com/418

but coming non stop from san diego?? this is my concern

With that long drive, maybe staying in Williams for the first night and maybe Cameron or Sedona on the second night. Sedona IF you don't plan on backtracking to the GC.

Depending on where you are heading in SE Arizona, you may be interested in staying in a wigwam on Route 66 -
http://www.galerie-kokopelli.com/wigwam/

If you stay in Holbrook, you can see Meteor Crater and/or Petrified Forest NP

Another option is to go to Sedona for two nights and let someone else do the driving back up to the canyon -
http://www.pinkjeeptours.com/jeep-to...perience.shtml

My 1st choice would be to keep calling Xanterra to see if rooms become available IN the park due to cancellations.

Given your long drive, my second choice would be to spend the first night in Williams, get an early start into the park and spend the second night in -
Cameron and then continue on to drive through Monument Valley - if I'd never seen it, or
Holbroook - and see Meteor Crater and/or Petrified Forest - if I'd never been there
Sedona - if I'd never been there
Scottsdale - if I'd never seen Taliesin West before

BTW, the drive through Tonto National Forest (map it from Winslow through Strawberry to Scottsdale) is a delightful COOL drive which I found very surprising in AZ.

Sorry if the above suggestions are all over the place. I'm just not sure what you've already seen in AZ - or not.

Call, call, call. Don't bother with online as cancels don't get in there fast enough.

The tours will release rooms in the last 30 - 45 days.

You'll get you days if you try enough.

will let you know how this goes. thanks a lot for all the advice. don't think there can be much more to give !

Hi lincasanova - Our paths may cross once more. I plan to be driving from San Francisco to Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon (and then home) in mid to late July. What a shock to the two of us if we ran into each other on the edge of the Grand Canyon.

tC

My son and his friend.. sorry! I am helping him figure this out as they were having accommodation problems and asked me if I knew anywhere or what I would do under the circumstances.

Of course I said "I don't know.. but my Fodor friends will!".

I had warned them long ago to get the GC dates figured out or they would lose the less expensive lodging in Tusayan. Well.. exactly what happened. All these suggestions are helpful and they have given up on the idea of staying IN the park even if someplace would come available because of the price.

They have all the info.. and I hope they enjoy wherever they decide to stay.

teacher.. our paths WILL cross. I am sure of that! Nice to see you.

"they have given up on the idea of staying IN the park even if someplace would come available because of the price. "

Actually, Maswick has rooms for under $100 per night. I'm not sure they could find anything in Tusayan for much lower than that. So they should keep trying for inside the park.

Lin, I've noticed, Expedia now has Nat'l parks lodging listed, try for your dates.

yavapai lodge in park $207
red feather (tusayan) $159
Williams hotels from $65+ up actually found fairfield inn on one website for $79.

Not my money, so, I see their possibilities of being anywhere except Williams getting slimmer and slimmer They are also considering one night Williams, then drive through park.. enjoy all day, and one night Cameron Lodge ( thanks everyone for bringing that place to our attention.)

I couldn't see Maswik rooms/ cabins, even off season , for those prices.. where did you find that? I agree that would be a very good price, even a bit more.

Maswick cabins and rooms as low as $90

http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com/gra...lodge-412.html

Yavapai -- rooms as low as $107 (not $207)

http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com/lodging-413.html

The web site indicated that there were cabins at Bright Angel that were available tomorrow night for $79 to $90. It really helps to keep checking and making reservations that you can cancel. Wouldn't hurt for the kids to check for availability when they arrive at the park.

<b>They are also considering one night Williams, then drive through park.. enjoy all day, and one night Cameron Lodge </b>

Coming from San Diego it would also work to break it up by just driving to Sedona and staying there the first night (some expensive places, some cheaper ones, but Sedona is much much nicer than Williams), then touring the park and on to Cameron for the 2nd night.

This assumes the drive from SD on I-8 to I-17 via Phoenix, which Mapquest sez takes 7:19. From SD to Williams is 7:29 on Mapquest via I-15 and I-40, so Sedona is actually a bit closer, though you'll have an extra hour drive into GC the next morning.

I would leave SD early enough to get to Sedona mid-afternoon and enjoy Sedona for a few hours ... lovely place with the red rocks et al. Williams is basically just a very small town in the pine trees off the interstate.

Don't know where my post went so here goes again.

Now they are driving only from Vegas, as they are stopping there to see an exchange student we once had.

So.. thank you for the correct Xanterra prices.. since there was no availability through that webpage I didn't even look. I did telephone some other organization just to see, but they really jack up the prices on what they have in stock. $100 more?! Wow.

Will keep checking things out and call Xanterra directly now daily as you have suggested.

Will let you know if there is success.

There are often last minute cancellations at the Canyon so you can keep trying for a lodge and then go to Flagstaff or Williams if not or you could take your camping gear and see if the campground in Grand Canyon Village is open. You should expect to pay a bit more for a room then in Flag/Williams it is a tourist trap and summer! If you really want to experience the canyon then get a backcountry permit and camp at Indian Gardens.

Also if you wind up staying at Bright Angel the whole thing is on the rim so don't pay for a room with a "view" which can be almost twice the price of one with a view of the parking lot, just walk around the building! :)

We have begun our call marathon to Xanterra. Hopefully one of the cheaper rooms/lodges will have an opening for either or both of the two nights they need. There is one available now but close to $200/night with tax at Thunderbird. Hopefully , although the reservation specialist said that the cheaper rooms are harder to get on a cancellation , will come up.

Thanks again for all the possible logistics and places to stay, It has been very helpful. It gives them a lot of ideas they can work on as this progresses or comes to a standstill!

We would never have heard of Cameron Trading Post, for example, if I had not posted this question.

Since there should be no problem with lodging in Williams or Sedona, they will just work on this as suggested and see what comes up almost to the day of.

You guys are the best! I would not have called so insistently if you hadn't suggested it. They have secured one night at Maswick. Thunderbird was also available but at twice the price.

I am really happy for them! Thanks again for all your great ideas!

Yay! They will love Maswick. We had a mule deer grazing right out the window one morning. It was a memory maker for the 10 year old boy on the trip. :-)

Glad you stayed with the calls.

They are estatic.

I never give up on those places in national parks that claim to be completely booked--I keep calling and I invariably find what I want if I start soon enough.

Just last week persistence paid off again when I called for the upteenth time and finally, for August 1 and 2, booked a one-bedroom unit with a balcony overlooking Jackson Lake and with views of the Tetons.

One very reliable strategy is to find out when others must cancel reservations to avoid charges if they don't show up. For instance, if the cancelation deadline is 30 days before arrival, I start calling the lodging of interest over and over about 35 days before your arrival date.

HTTY

This was a very good lesson learned!

Bookmarking :-)