Itinerary Help

I%26#39;ll be at the GRand Canyon from March 20 and leaving March 22. I%26#39;m 43 male, traveling solo. I%26#39;ll have spent the 2 prior days in Sedona, and driving to the Grand Canyon on Friday. Not exactly sure what time I will be leaving Sedona Friday morning. Staying at Yavapai Lodge.

1) Best route from Sedona to Canyon?

2) As far as hiking goes---I am fit, walk alot, but have never done much hiking. Can people share any pros/cos of the following hikes: BRIGHT ANGEL TRAIL to 3-mile resthouse; SOUTH KAIBAB TRAIL to Cedar Mesa or Cedar Ridge; GRANDVIEW to Horseshoe Mesa; Hermit Trail; Dripping Spring Trail. Seems like the first 2 are the best options.

3) I figure I would do the above hike on Saturday. What would you suggest for when I arrive on Friday? A drive? A rim trail?

4) I%26#39;ve read that Hopi Point is best for sunset and Yavapai for sunrise?

5) Rough Guides highly recommends SHOSHONE POINT

6) the 2 main viewing drives are Desert View Drive and Hermit Road. Is one better?

7) Anyone ever done a hike with a ranger?

8) Is there a best time of day to start on one of the above-mentioned hikes?

9) Any other suggestions are appreciated

10) Oh, leaving for Las Vegas on that Sunday, probably after catching a sunrise

Itinerary Help

bset route from Sedona would be 89A through oak Creek canyon (take your time) to I-17 northh to I-40 east to SR89 north to cameron (with an optional detour to Wupatki/Sunset Crater), then AZ64 up to the east gate of the GCNP. take time along the east rim drive to stop and see the view points before you arrive at the GC Village and Yavapai Lodge. Stroll the rim trail to get oriented.

Do your hike the next day at your leisure on Bright Angel (easy path with switchbacks) or South Kaibab (much steeper). I%26#39;d avoid Grand View and other trails at that time of year if you are an inexperienced hiker. BA or SK will give you a good taste of the GC without risk or danger. Take plenty of water and snacks and dress properly including footwear.

Use the park shuttle to get to the viewpoints on the west rim road out to Hermits Rest after your hike. Hopi Point is popular for sunsets there, but again, you will be in a crowd.

Itinerary Help

So if I enter from the east, then I would take Desert View Drive west towards the village. Stopping at various points along the way?

Are Rim Trails just very short walks all along the rim?

Is it better to use one%26#39;s car, or shuttle buses?

Thanks

Use your own car on the east rim road, about 20 miles. You%26#39;ll need to use the shuttle system on the west rim road as it is closed to regular traffic after March 1st.

Before entering from the east, consider a short detour north to the Cameron Trading Post for a filling Navajo Taco. Some say they are greasy, (and they are a bit), but oh-so-tasty.

Yes to your Desert View Drive question - don%26#39;t miss the Desert View Watch Tower!

Th Rim Trail runs along the rim and is as short or as long as you want it to be. View the current park guide at www.nps.gov/grca to see park guide and trail maps.

As for S. Kaibab v. Bright Angel - we did S. Kaibab to Cedar Ridge in Jan 2007 and loved it. If you are fit and take your time on the hike up you should have no problem. You can visit www.hitthetrail.com for tips and tricks on lacing your boots to avoid ';hikers toe'; and for the ';Rest Step';, which was probably the single most valuable tip we had for our hike UP the canyon. The logic behind the ';Rest Step'; is described here:

http://www.hitthetrail.com/rest_step.php

and see the link at the bottom of that page for another even better description of the actual step.

Enjoy your trip.....

T2E :-)

Just to confirm REDROX directions, that is I-40 East, not west.

And the time (without stops) from Sedona to the East Gate is approximately...?

So on my Sedona trip, save Oak Creek Canyon for the drive to Grand Canyon that morning? When you said ';take your time,'; do you mean I could be stopping alot and getting out of my car to check out sites and whatnot?

THanks

That%26#39;s exactly what I mean. Sedona to the east gate of the GCNP without stops is about 2 hours. Allowing for a few stops in OCC or at Cameron or even a side trip to Wupatki/Sunset Crater could add a few minutes or a few hours.

And yes, take I-40 east (toward Albuquerque) to bypass Flagstaff and get to SR89 north (for Page) and follow SR89 to AZ64 at Cameron.

We just visited Sedona and the GC last April. You will have a great trip. We loved Sedona and wished we could have stayed longer. Oak Creek Canyon was beautiful on the way to GC and we only drove by.

I highly recommend S. Kaibab trail over Bright Angel for these reasons:

South Kaibab had dramatic views, get up early because it is more fun with less people on the trail. We did a 8:30am ranger led hike and we were the only small group people on the trail for an hour or so.

The Bright Angel Trail is closer to the lodging and I think more people choose that trail because it is right there. I liked the switch backs on S.Kaibab and thought the views looked more dramatic although we did not hike the Angel Trail.

We did the hike with a ranger but in hindsight I would do it alone next time. It was interesting to listen to the ranger but I felt I had to really stay with the group. I really liked the way back up better, in a way, because we spent a lot of time taking photos or just commenting on the views, etc. We did not go all the way to the end of this hike but the ranger said you could depart the hike at any time and basically he was only leading you to the end of the hike and then everyone was on their own to hike back up. He was informative but I didn%26#39;t really like hiking with a group of people.

We%26#39;ve just returned, and RedRox suggestion about entering thru the East Gate (after driving Oak Creek Canyon is excellent) We hiked South Kaibab and think it is preferable because the views are more expansive than Bright Angel and if you go early enough, it won%26#39;t be as crowded. The rest of my trip is reviewed on the Sedona and GC forum under a trip report, if you are interested.

Have a great trip,

kim

Great to hear you had a good trip!