Plan to visit the Grand Canyon in early July. My plan is to fly in to Vegas on July 5th. Spend 2 or 3 days in Vegas and then head to the Grand Canyon. I will have me, my wife, and 2 kids (10 and 12). I don%26#39;t know what to see in the Grand Canyon and don%26#39;t know how much time to spend there. I also would like to spend a day or two in Sedona. Am I too late to book things for the Grand Canyon? I already know that rafting is out because it takes at least 3 days to do a rafting trip. I need advice. Any help would be appreciated (lodging, what to see, what to do, time to spend there, etc.)
Vacation Planning helpGo to www.grandcanyonlodges.com for booking hotels inside the GCNP. 1-2 nights should be sufficient. If they show nothing available for your dates, call them. Cancellations happen often, but don%26#39;t get posted at the website. 2-3 nights in Sedona will make a nice compliment to a GCNP vacation.
Get your GC rooms booked first. Then come back with specific questions about the rest of your plans.
Vacation Planning helpYou are going at a great time for your kid%26#39;s ages. We went last year when my son was 12 and he loved the GC and Sedona. We loved hiking the S. Kaibab trail. You don%26#39;t have to go to far, but definately show your kids the perspective of hiking INTO the canyon not just doing the rim. We did a morning led ranger hike but next time I%26#39;d just go on my own.
We stayed at the Best Western Arroya Roble in Sedona. It is a great location and affordable lodging which includes brkfast. We loved the red rock views, 2 pools, clubhouse, etc. Plus you can walk to Pink Jeep (a must do) and shops and restaurants.
What worked for us was to stay 2 nights on the rim and Sedona and then at the Arizona Grand in Phoenix. Send me a PM if you have specific questions, it is a bit overwhelming to plan the trip but it is an AWESOME family vacation!!!!
Your family should have a great time. Definitely get your rooms first at the South Rim. Take care not to hike too far down the trails into the canyon; it gets hotter the farther down you go. Take plenty of water and salty snacks and start early. The helicopter ride at Grand Canyon is spectacular too, but if it were hike or helicopter, I would recommend a short hike.
There is a one-day whitewater raft trip between Las Vegas and the South Rim, in the western section of the Grand Canyon in the Grand Canyon National Park, but you will need a full day to do it. The trip is operated by the Hualapai River Runners. You drive down the only road that goes to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and it is on the Hualapai Indian lands. This 35-mile section of the Colorado River has some fun spunky rapids in the first 10 miles and a cool side hike/stop to Travertine Canyon. The canyon rims are slightly lower here, but it is still is spectacular Grand Canyon scenery and geology. It has a helicopter ride to the rim at the end of the trip.
The balloon ride at Sedona is also an awesome experience and if you hike there chose the hikes in the cooler side canyons and start early there too. July gets hot in Sedona, go to Oak Creek to get cool and dip in the creek. The kids would probably really enjoy slide rock, it will be very crowded on weekends however.
Hi, I just got back from Sedona and the Canyon two days ago. Fabulous trip with my girlfriend and two grown daughters.
Three nights in Phoenix area, then drove north to Canyon, stopping in Sedona. Two nights at Canyon, then back to Phoenix for one night.
We stayed at the El Tovar on the rim with a premier suite overlooking the canyon. I booked it last May. Often there are cancellations so you can keep checking. Other lodges along the rim as well, but my trip was a college graduation gift for two of my daughters and I wanted it to be extra special.
Write me back with specific questions and I am happy to share.
I was familiar with the route I took because my husband took me all over Arizona on his motorcycle two years ago.
We are from Cleveland so the weather in Arizona was a gift after a brutal winter!
One day whitewater rating between GCNP and Las Vegas.... Yes that is true, but it is a significant detour, and you have to be there very early. The actual rafting is about an hour and a half. They take you out of the canyon by helicopter. You return to Peach Springs by bus over really bad roads. It takes an entire day, and then you still have 4 hour drive to LV. $328 per person.
destinationgrandcanyon.com/rafting.html
The location where you start and end the one-day whitewater trip is in Peach Springs Arizona, on old route 66, this is not a significant detour on your way to Las Vegas from the visitor center at GCNP, as this scenic section of Rte 66 parallels Interstate 40 to Vegas. The actual distance to Las Vegas from Peach Springs is 165 miles and is sometimes just over a 3-hour drive. The 35 mile rafting trip, according to friends of mine who have done the trip and the operators of the trip, is actually between 4-5 hours at the bottom of the canyon. The fact of the matter is, that the Grand Canyon is a very inaccessible and remote area for the majority of its 277 mile length and the only way to do a one-day trip requires the extra adventure of getting to the beginning and end of the trip on mostly dirt roads and a helicopter ride out to the rim. (At least you do not have to drive your own car as their bus navigates these roads in the very remote areas they must drive through to get to the beginning and end of the trip). The road to the beginning of the trip is the only road that goes to the bottom of the canyon and it is very scenic. Road conditions can vary and sometimes the roads are in good shape and other times especially after flooding can be especially rough. The trip is an entire day, from meeting at 730 am at the Lodge on Hwy 66 to the return there between 6-7pm in the evening, there are several tour agencies that book the trip; they can explain the actual trip details.
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