What to do at the Grand Canyon?
 

Hello.

I am going to be at the grand canyon for a couple of days in august. I want to look to book some activities.... nothing that goes over a couple hundred dollars per person. I am staying at the south rim but don't mind a bit travel as I will have a car.

I would like to do rafting or something but my searches haven't thrown much up.

Is there anything anyone could recommend?

Many thanks!

Are you staying inside the canyon? There is plenty to see and do within a two hour drive of the South Rim!


Most of the rafting trips in the Grand Canyon are multi day excursions. Here is a company that day half day trips but you will need to drive quite a ways from the Canyon. We did the helicopter/half day raft trip. The helicopter was awesome. The raft trip was boring.

http://raftthecanyon.com/

This is the only other one day trip I found. I would try this one insead of the one we did. http://grandcanyon.com/tours/south-r...m-williams-az/ You can Google Peach Springs or Hualapai Lodge if you want to do it yourself and book direct with the tribe.

There is a 2 hour mule ride you can do along the south rim. It doesn't go into the canyon but you get a great view.

There are usually planned activities at various times throughout the parks.

I just got back from a very short visit to GCNP. I'd really recommend a hike into the canyon. We did Bright Angel Trail and only went three miles down :( but it was exhausting coming back up. We got there at sunrise which I'd very much recommend not only for the great lighting but mostly for the temperatures.

If you hike into the canyon, do it EARLY. Two reasons: 1. The temperature can get well north of 100 degrees by mid day at the bottom, and this is monsoon season so afternoon thunderstorms are a near daily occurrence. This isn't really the time of year to go down into the canyon; spring and fall are better. If you do hike in, don't plan on going all the way to the bottom. There are several trails that stay on the rim that will be much better suited to the time of year you're visiting.

Many of the rafting trips book up months in advance. You could try to find one, but I'd say you're too close to the trip.

Flagstaff is a good trip not too far away. If you can work the logistics, try the Grand Canyon Railway from Williams. Another scenic railway is the Verde Canyon Railway out of Clarkdale

Sedona is just under a two hour drive from the south rim. Also, if you're flying in and out of Phoenix, Flagstaff and Sedona are on the way to the south rim.

If you'd like to do some hiking away from the canyon, Slate Mountain, Red Mountain, and the Lava River Tube (bring multiple lights and sturdy shoes!) are just off US 180 between Flagstaff and Valle.

To the north are the slot canyons around Page, including Antelope Canyon. Don't even think about entering any slot canyons if there is the remotest possibility of thunderstorms within 100 miles as all the water funnels straight into them and floods them.

Horseshoe Bend and Lake Powell are also near Page.

Monument Valley is a bit farther away (about 3 hours each way, so plan on most of a day), but is very scenic.

Lost's suggestions are all on point.

The railroads are a lot of fun for a group of mixed ages such as Grandparents to Grandchildren where everyone can share the experience despite physical limitations, and if your luck is good, you can see a lot of wildlife ranging from deer to hawks and eagles.

The Page area is indeed a good location for hiking, boating and sightseeing. Just across the border from Page into Utah is a neat little dinosaur museum - we once met a group of scientists coming in from the Escalante there with a T.Rex skull they had just unearthed.

Care indeed must be taken. A few weeks ago a young hiker died from the heat while hiking back up from the canyon: "A 36-year-old Japanese tourist has died from apparent heat-related complications while hiking at Grand Canyon National Park amid scorching temperatures, a park official said on Friday...(He) died after trying to make his way back out from the bottom of the canyon."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0OZ2M920150619