yosemite or grand canyon
 

Hi Guys,
I am travelling to San diego for a conference from Sydney. I have 3 days after the conference in US. I am confused whether I should fly out to vegas and see the Grand canyon or to San Fran and see yosemite. I am travelling to Scandinavia for 3 months later so not sure which will be a better option.

Thanks in advance for your advices.

Kanika

I would base it entirely on what you would like to see and do. Both parks are fantastic but very different. Rock climbing? Yosemite for sure. Hiking? Great hikes in both parks. Majestic views? Ditto for both. I'm from the SF Bay Area and love lush redwoods-y parks, but surprised myself how much I enjoyed the Grand Canyon. Check out both for what you like, and then make a decision based on weather as well.

When are you going? When we first wanted to go to the Grand Canyon it was snowed in and rather inaccessible. Yosemite even in winter is hard to get a reservation for. The Grand Canyon in summer is way too hot for my taste but nevertheless teeming with the masses. Whatever you do, enjoy yourself.

When is your trip? From Las Vegas, depending on time of year, you could hit GC North rim, Zion, and Bryce in a whirlwind 3 days.

I vote for GC. Nothing like it.

without knowing your interests it is hard to recommend one over the other. Flying to Fresno instead of SF will save you 4 hours of drive time. The drive from Las Vegas is about 5-6 hours to the Grand Canyon. I would go back to Yosemite before the Grand Canyon. I have been to both twice. When are you visiting?

I've been to 43 U.S. national parks -- and 15 more in Canada.

These two parks are in my personal top three of ALL of these places.

I thus say (with, IMHO, some authority) that either will be absolutely fantastic. However, the choice will depend (somewhat) on when you will be visiting. The Grand Canyon can be less than enjoyable if you go in the summer, while visiting Yosemite can be a real crap shoot in winter.

Also, the Canyon is almost devoid of large mammals, so you wouldn't want to go there to see wildlife.

But don't worry TOO much about this -- I guarantee there is NOT a wrong choice between the two.

Here's my 2c, for what it's worth.

At the Grand Canyon the most enjoyable parts are the areas well below the rim, and therefore accessible only by either long day hike(s), or if you can do it (gear, fitness, & camping permits). If you are going any time from April through early June then I think you can have a great 2-3 days at the GC. If you are up for 10-15 mile day hikes with 4-5000' elevation gain on the way back then you could venture all the way to the river and experience part of the Grand Canyon most visitors do not.

If you are going during the hotter season, from June through August, then you will be more limited in what you can do.

If you are not a strong hiker, then in 1 to 1.5 days at the GC you can see all there is to see along the rim and you may get bored.

Yosemite is far more accessible for everybody, and therefore can be much more crowded as well. There are many more hikes that anybody can do ranging from flat 1/2 mile trails, to flat/rolling 10 mile trails, and also and some wonderful, challenging hikes that can take you 10, 15, or even 20miles in a day. The farther/harder you can hike, the more breathtaking the vistas you can find.

Would add that both are beautiful - stunning in fact - so it's up to you.

If you do decide on the Grand Canyon - adding Zion and possibly Bryce would be a bonus.

For Yosemite - try to also get over to Tuoloumne Meadows.

J62 summarizes the differences very well. The only thing I'd add is that you can get breathtaking vistas while at Yosemite without even getting out of your car. But you also get more crowds that way, too. However, with a little bit of walking or going up along Tioga Road, it is easy to get away from the crowds at Yosemite.

If it were me, I'd go to Yosemite unless you are going on a weekend between April and November. More variety and I find it much more beautiful.

If you just want to see the Grand Canyon, then see if you can fly directly to Flagstaff to save hours of driving from LV. You'd probably have to connect through Phoenix (on Southwest), but it might still be faster. Or at least look at flights to Phoenix instead of LV. I'd rather stop over at Sedona than Las Vegas (unless you really do want to gamble), and the driving time is not much different, though perhaps an hour more from Phoenix.

But Las Vegas definitely gives you better access to the Utah parks.

And the time of year matters a lot, as others have pointed out.

Thanks everyone!

I am going on the 22nd May. Was actually planning to do the Maverick helicopter tours from vegas to GC to save some time of driving. Or either do one day of city sightseeing at San Fran and drive to yosemite and stay for a night.
I wish could incorporate both to my trip.

I am not a fan of either.

I know I'll take a hit but compared to the other sights in the area the Grand Canyon is a hole in the ground.

It falls below Zion, Bryce Canyon or Arches NP.

I'm not a fan of Yosemite for a different reason. The Valley is beautiful and so is Glacier Road.

It's the administration that I hate.

I'd definitely go with Yosemite. Much more to see in a reasonable time.

My vote is for Yosemite. The Grand Canyon is ok but I liked Yosemite better. If you can only go to one then GC might be the way to go. I found more to my liking in Yosemite. Maybe it was the waterfalls. You will just have to plan a future trip that will include Yosemite :).

I'm also not a fan of helicopter tours to the Grand Canyon, but one of our editors is doing one from LV right now, so perhaps he can report back next week.

May 22 and 23 would be fine for visiting Yosemite but the 24th is the start of Memorial Day weekend and the valley will be packed. I assume the same would be true for the Grand Canyon.

One of my favorite parts about the Grand Canyon was all waterfalls. If you've seen them then you know what I mean. If you've only been to the rim then perhaps the "hole in the ground" comment is true, and I would not disagree.

I should have been more clear in my response. From the rim it was all the same view more or less so if you can't get down the trails or to the water in the GC it might be a little boring for some. We also didn't like the float trip in the GC which so many people like, we just didn't but didn't have time for rapids. I thought there was more different types of scenery in Yosemite that was more to our liking.

Cannot understand the apparently myopic of some visitors to the Grand Canyon - one of the most dramatic, beautiful places in the world. The colors/shadows/patterns constantly change, you can see Condors soaring above the rim, if you have binos - you from the western viewpoints you can watch some of the boats running the rapids far below, you can hike beneath the rim for a mile or two to get a better sense of the size/grandeur, and on and on.

Not for nothing does it draw so many visitors - including repeat visitors.

That's supposed to read: myopic vision :)

And we were fortunate in the "old days" (1980 or so) - to take a great - fixed wing airplane tour of the canyon - actually about rim level - but now they have discontinued those - apparently for safety reasons/too many aircraft in the air, etc.

A helicopter ride is still far better than not having a chance to see it.

BTW - driving from Vegas to the GC only takes 5 hours, mostly on interstate type roads.

My vote would go to Yosemite. May is peak waterfall season, as all the snow melting flows into the waterfalls. It is truly awe-inspiring! Bring clothes and non slip shoes for wet weather. The spray off the waterfalls in abundant.
You can pick up a guided hike at the visitors center, or go on your own.

Been to G.C 7 times now and wont get tired of it, ever.
Sure you can fit Zion and Bryce to make a mini Grand Circle which will make your time even more worthwhile.

I'm a lover of US National Parks as we have very little to compare here in the UK, so I tend to come out west every year.

I stayed in Yosemite for 3 days a few years back and since i'm a hiker, did the most iconic hikes. However most of the views are visible from the valley below and unless you go to hike, not a lot else happens. The trees limit visibility somewhat and the granite all around becomes uniform. Don't get me wrong, I loved it, but it is not somewhere I'd return after seeing once.

G.C just blows your mind away given its size and various viewpoints. I've had spectacular sunrises and sunset pics, floating clouds bringing heavy snow flurries which then pass leaving fantastic rainbows. Hiked the trails to give below rim viewpoints which I believe is necessary. Even N and S rims are different.

Trust me, you wont regret it.

With only three days and leaving from San Diego, I wouldn't recommend trying to see the Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce. You'll be spending too much of your short time traveling to and from parks. (But if you could add a few days it would work.)

Here is a link to hikes in Yosemite: http://www.yosemitehikes.com/

You'll have to do some research and decide which park is more appealing to you. I'm in the Grand Canyon is ok but I've gone to Yosemite eight times in the last two years camp. I think that the granite is gorgeous and the views from the high country are quite different from those in the valley. Even when you're looking at, say, Yosemite Falls, views from both the Valley and from Taft Point are quite different.

But only you can decide which one would be best for you.

PaulRabi,
You stated in Feb. when answering a question "What park should I visit. Yosemite or Grand Canyon." Your answer was these were the 2 of your favorite top 3. Curiosity has me wondering what is your 3rd in your top 3.

"Go to San Fran and see yosemite"-- Yes!

I don't think the spray from the falls will be abundant this year.... we've had very little snow and Tioga Pass is already open. My parents are there today and I will report back.

While I love both, I would choose Grand Canyon first. Unless you want to see Las Vegas, I would not fly there. Phoenix is more convenient. Check out Sedona, stay overnight on the way to the South Rim.

My fav 3 parks are Yosemite, Zion, and GC. I like the former two because of the accessibility - it's easy to get to all points in the park without extreme effort. My definition of extreme is pretty extreme - I'm willing to hike 15-20mi per day...

I did a 2 week rafting trip through the GC last May and consider it a trip of a lifetime experience. If you look hard through binos you can see little dots up on the western viewpoints as you run the rapids. :)

I have one or more return trips to the GC envisioned, but it takes a lot of planning to make a trip like I want. Gear, permits, vacation, travel companions, etc. The 1st trip I'm scoping out is a 4 to 6 day camping trip where you hike in from the North Rim to the river ~50mi below Phantom Ranch. Hike in is one day, a few days at the river at one or more camps, then a hike out.

Very good idea to fly to Phoenix, to drive to the Grand Canyon. You'd go through Flagstaff on the way?

I'm with Dayenu,

Fly to Phoenix and visit Grand Canyon NP, not the helicopter to the west rim. Stop for the night in Sedona unless you get into Phoenix before noon, in which case drive up to GC. Check on lodging ASAP. If they say they are full in GC, make a reservation that you can cancel in one of the Tusayan motels or at Cameron Trading Post, then call back for in park lodging and keep calling as people make reservations a year in advance and it is so nice to be able to watch sunrise/sunset without having to dodge deer and elk on the road after dark.

If you decide on Yosemite, you are late for lodging there too, so get that settled now and maybe that will be the deciding factor.

Wess --
Since you asked, the answer is Yellowstone.

If you pick Yosemite, try to make a reservation - hotels may be sold out, and to stay outside the park with such a limited time is not good, too much driving.