Grand Canyon basic questions
 

Hi,

I'm going to visit my sister in Phoenix and we plan to go to the Grand Canyon November 15th and 16th. She mentioned taking the train down (I guess?) from Williams but is leaving the choice to me because she can go any time. If we would be there several days it might be good but just being there for what will amount to maybe half a day of viewing the canyon at this point I'd rather stay up top and view it from above. In a Youtube video they suggested these viewpoints:

Hermits Rest Transfer, Powell Point, Hopi Point, Pipe Creek Vista, Duck On A Rock, Grandview Point, Lipan Point,
Desert View (Watchtower east entrance), Mather Point

Does it seem like it might be a good thing to try making a point to view them?

In another video they mentiong Nankoweap Granaries near mile 53 but there was river rafting just before the mention, so is it accessable by car or just from the river? Can you actually go up into the granaries or only view them from below?

My sister suggested Sedona, and we will be staying overnight. Can anyone suggest a not very expensive place to stay that is located in a place that would be good for trying to experience the GC and Sedona plus travel time from Phoenix in only two days? Or should we forget about Sedona? Either way the lodging will be a consideration, and in another video they said everything is always booked 6 - 3 months in advance, depending how close or far to the GC. Is that close to correct? Or BS?

Thank you for any help and suggestions!
David

I would say stay one night in Tusayan (near the south rim) and the other nights in Flagstaff (near Sedona).

Unless you plan on hiking down into the canyon you can get a good idea of the south rim in a couple days.

Inside the park lodging is a premium, but I bet you'll be able to find something in Tusayan, especially in November. If you're looking to just do one hotel, then do Flagstaff and do one full day at the grand canyon.

Travel times:

Central PHX-Flagstaff: 2 hours
PHX-Sedona: 1.5 hours
PHX-Grand Canyon: 3 hours
Flagstaff-Grand Canyon: 1 hour
Flagstaff-Sedona: 20 min via AZ 89A, 45 min via I-17 (AZ89A has been closed overnights between Sedona and Flagstaff for construction)

The train doesn't go down into the canyon. It takes you to the Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim.

https://www.thetrain.com/


Perhaps a better train tour is the Verde Canyon Railway which is a four-hour train tour leaving from Clarkdale, AZ, near Sedona.

https://verdecanyonrr.com/

In November, you won't have to care about the lack of AC in some of the Grand Canyon National Park lodges, which means any of them that is available would do. I would stay inside the park one night only, and the other days stay in Sedona. Flagstaff is much cheaper than Sedona but it is not red rock country and that experience and atmosphere is worth something.

If all you have is two (full) days, here's my suggestion:

Leave Phoenix early on the 15th and drive (via I-17) through Flagstaff to the GCNP South Entrance. As noted, this is about a 3-4 hour drive. Enter the park.

Park near Bright Angel Lodge or Maswick if you can. Take the Red Hermit Road Shuttle Bus along Hermit Road. Powell Point and Hopi Point are stops along this route and you must disembark at Hermit's Rest and wait for a return bus to the Village. (Unless someone in the car has a disability, you cannot take a private vehicle on this route in November.) Powell Point and Hopi Point are adjacent so, given time limitations, I would suggest choosing one or the other.

Return to the Vilage. Spend as much time as you feel is reasonable in the "Village" area. Retrieve your vehicle and head East on Desert View Drive. I'd suggest stopping at Grandview Point and others if you have the time, but definitely try to make it to Desert View for sunset. After the sun sets, continue East out of the park to Cameron, Arizona.

Stay overnight at the Grand Canyon Hotel Lodge in Cameron. The Lodge is part of the 100-yr-old Cameron Trading Post. I've stayed there several times. The rooms are large and airy and decorated in a southwestern style, many with hand-made furniture. The Nov-Feb rates are considerably lower than the rest of the year. There's also a very nice restaurant in the trading post itself.

Get up the next morning and drive the 53 miles to Flagstaff and on to Sedona. After visiting Sedona, you can usually get fairly good mid-week rates at Cliff Castle Casino Hotel in Camp Verde (it's not that fancy!) in Camp Verde before returning to Phoenix - or just head back down to Phoenix (it's only 2 hrs from Sedona).

My second option would be to hit Sedona on the way up, get a room in Flagstaff (all the major chains are represented) and take the second day to tour the Grand Canyon. I would still suggest (in November) entering though the South gate and exiting through the East. (If it were high season, I would strongly suggest doing it the other way around, since the South Entrance is generally far more congested than Desert View.) Since you want to see overlooks from Hermit's Rest to Desert View, it makes little sense to "backtrack".

Have fun!

Hi,

kale73 gives some great advice!^

My mother and I took a tour from Sedona to the grand canyon , after visiting the Sunset Crater NP and wupatki ruins we stopped at the Cameron Trading post for lunch ( the dining room is very nice) and bought a small handwoven rug.

We then stopped at the Desert View watchtower ( there you can see the Colorado river run North/South then East/West whereas at other viewpoints you will only see the east/west flow then drove and stopped enroute to the Grand canyon village.

Enjoy

Regards

TBS

I stayed inside the South Rim at Maswik Lodge 3 nights last year, Nov 30-Dec 3 (Wed-Fri), and paid $78 per night including taxes, booked on Cheaptickets with a 20% off coupon.

I didn't realize at the time of booking, the last day Hermit's Rest (Red) Route runs is Nov 30. That won't affect the OP, but I thought I'd post that for future readers. You can find the bus schedules here: https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvis...ttle-buses.htm

giving yourself 3 days and 2 nigts would be better.

day 1 am drive to grand canyon, pm there. night Tusayan. drive in via east entrance and see the view points
day 2 explore the west side, leave around 3pm for Sedona, night Sedona
day 3 Sedona, leave around 5pm for PHX

Tour vs. Do it Yourself
 

We have 2 days in the Flagstaff area. We'd definitely like to see the Grand Canyon on one of the days. I'm wondering if it's worth using a tour company such as: https://grandcanyon.com/tours/south-...rom-flagstaff/ or exploring the Grand Canyon on our own? If you recommend a tour company, which one do you recommend?

For the second day, we're debating between a jeep tour in Sedona: https://www.pinkadventuretours.com/s...nic-rim-combo/ (such as Broken Arrow/ Scenic Rim combo) or the Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend tour: https://grandcanyon.com/tours/south-...ff-and-sedona/. Any thoughts on this, and if so, do you have a preferred jeep company and tour?

On the drive from Phoenix is Montezuma Castle. It's worth a stop for an hour..There are many others in the area but this is easily accessible and is visually stunning.

Hi,

My mother and I did the Grand Canyon Explorer tour with Redstone tours

Grand Canyon Tours from Sedona or Flagstaff

from Sedona ( we picked up a couple more pax at Flagstaff and dropped them off there too)

we went via the Sunset Crater Volcano National monument ,the Wupatki Ruins N.M ( both excellent) then lunch at the Cameron Trading Post ( beautiful dining room) then drove into the Grand Canyon NP with several beautiful stops ( including the Desert View Watch tower)


Of course driving yourself gives you the freedom to go and stop as you please ( it can be a long day though)

Regards

TBS

Thanks! Just curious why you chose this company over any others.

Pardon my ignorance, but we're going in the winter, so my understanding is the North Rim is closed, and we can only visit the South Rim. Is the route you describe on the North Rim, as my understanding is that the shuttle is on the North Rim.

I'm leaning toward staying in Flagstaff at the Residence Inn.

OK... A couple things from someone who JUST got back from a week touring the area. First, remember that this area (North OR South rim) can and DOES get snow.... We just got hit with 3" on the south rim (Second week in October) Second. If you are going to spend all that time and money to "do" the grand canyon, why spend all your time driving? We spent 2 nights at El Tovar. Great place. Had lunch one day at Bright Angel next door.. Major step down. Prices were set at 262 a night. Expensive? yes. But to be able to literally walk off the hotel deck and be at the rim? Priceless.

If you are a serious hiker, you are 500' from the trailhead at Bright Angel to get down to the canyon floor. If you are NOT a serious desert hiker, you have close to 5 miles of paved, great paths RIGHT along the rim. (apropiately called the "rim Walk".) Again, right outside the hotel. As long as you stay away from the bus stops, few people, great views. Also, this is at the center of the canyon at one of the deepest and widest points. Again, well worth the trip and money.

Once done with the canyon, THEN take a couple days in Sedona. Great trails, great downtown for shopping...

I appreciate the insight. El Tovar looks amazing. I need to determine if it's right for our family, as I would need 2 rooms....

Hi,
I had done this tours a few years ago but this time I was with my mother and felt it would be a good tour for her

From Sedona or Phoenix other tour companies do the canyon only ( ie you will probably get a bit more time at the el tovar/bright angel look out area so you could wander for a bit more time there ( and perhaps a few minutes hiking down the trail -but you would need to allow time to get back to the pick up point and may just have a picnic lunch and do not go to the Sunset Crater etc. Also the Bright angel area is probably the busiest part of the south rim and it is a bit quieter ( can still be busy at other viewpoints). I fancied the other 2 sights and the Desert view watchtower ( from there you can see the colorado river going north/south then east/west where as from the Grand canyon village you just see the eat/west portion ( and not that much of the river)
I would probably look at the tour descriptions to decide what tour interest you, The cameron trading post is also very good for shopping.

Regards

TBS

Awesome. Thanks!

Most services at the North Rim are already closed for the Winter. The North Rim will close to most visitors at the end of October (I beleive there are still very limited services for cross-canyon hikers and those who enter the North Rim area on horseback or cross country skis). During the summer, there generally is no "shuttle" service on the North Rim. There is a daily bus from the South Rim to the North and back.

On the South Rim, Hermit Road (dscribed above) is closed to private vehicles (except those with a park-issued handicapped permit) from March 1 through November 30. During those times, shuttle busses run along those routes. Portions of the trail are also open to cyclists. Yaki Point Road is closed to private vehicles year-round. Another bus route provides service to a couple of overlooks and a trailhead on that road. The main - Village Route - shuttle bus runs year-round.

I personally wouldn't recommend a tour company. But I've neen to GCNP a couple of dozen times including three visits this past summer. There are ample resources available on the park's webpage (www.nps.gov/grca) to enable anyone to plan a trip tailored to one's own interests and abilities. The park website should also list any special events or presentations that may be scheduled during your visit.

There's a lot to do in the Grand Canyon Village area, but I highly recommend including the Desert View (near the East entrance) overlook in your plans. It's one of the most spectacular views from the South Rim, IMO and the best place to see the Colorado River from the rim. It's also the site of the Desert View Watchtower, designed by Mary Colter in the 1930s to resemble an ancient Anasazi structure and, of particular interest to FlyerTalkers, offers a view of the site of the 1956 mid-air collision between a United DC-7 and a TWA Super Constellation that spurred the formation of the FAA and positive air traffic control in the United States.

My lodging suggestion is the motel at Cameron Trading Post on U.S. 89 northeast of Flag. The rooms are very comfortable with individualized southwestern decor and hand-carved wooden furnishings. The rates are comparable to Flagstaff and it's definitel not a "chain". From Cameron it's only about a 30 minute drive to the East (Desert View) entrance to GCNP. From Flag to the South Entrance is more like an hour and a half.

Cameron also puts you closer to Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Page, Glen Canyon Dam, etc. should you choose those options.

Hope you enjoy your trip.

Thank you so much for the very detailed response!

Fantastic! Thank you!