Grand Canyon 2020

[patperry2766]

Exploring trip to the area summer 2020. Here's what I know, or think I know.

The South Rim is more commercialized than the North Rim, but does that mean that it's any less spectacular?

The North Rim is higher elevation so the daytime temps will be more tolerable. Would be most interested in The NPS campground, and while they don't have hookups, there are generator hours. So, are daytime temps tolerable?

It will be easier/quicker to travel to Antelope Canyon/Horseshoe Bend, Zion and Grand Staircase Escalante from the N side.

It's roughly 225 ish miles from North to South Rim so I don't want to spend entire trip burning up the roads driving back and forth

I'm trying to balance the trip where it works best for all of us. I'm into photography so I could easily spend all day wanting to do my thing, but I also have a wife and son that don't necessarily have the same idea of my fun.

To get the full experience, how much time should I reasonably expect to spend on this trip? I will easily have 2 1/2-3 weeks for this trip, but is there enough things to do in the area to keep us captivated, or will we get bored after a week or so?

Any and all suggestions or comments will be breatly appreciated.

[Busskipper]

patperry2766 wrote:
We're thinking of making it a late November trip during Thanksgiving break. Appears that the highs are in the 50's and the lows are in the mid-upper 20's.

Will more than likely be staying at the South Rim since the North will already be closed for the season so is there typically any significant weather issues such as snow or ice that we might likely have to contend with?

As for snow - not likely - BUT - if you are lucky it might - https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Arizona/Places/grand-canyon-snowfall-totals-snow-accumulation-averages.php

September, October and November are great months to visit Grand Canyon's South Rim. The crowds drop off dramatically after Labor Day, and the climate starts to dry out after the summer monsoons end, usually around mid-September. As the days grow shorter, the Canyon is bathed in gorgeous autumn light.

IMHO this will be a great time to visit.

Best of Luck

[ken56]

You are at 7000 feet altitude so snow and ice are a possibility at any time that time of year.

[patperry2766]

We're thinking of making it a late November trip during Thanksgiving break. Appears that the highs are in the 50's and the lows are in the mid-upper 20's.

Will more than likely be staying at the South Rim since the North will already be closed for the season so is there typically any significant weather issues such as snow or ice that we might likely have to contend with?

[JoeH]

We've been to the south rim several times. Stayed in Trailer Village, down in Williams and took the train up, even stayed at El Tovar. We've hiked the trails down and up , but one of the most fun trips was taking the mule ride down to Phantom Ranch and staying there overnight. If you have the time and are able to get reservations, I highly suggest giving it a shot. The day we went, it was cold and humid at the top... by the time we got to the ranch, it was 90+ and time for a cold beer and a dip in the creek !

[djsamuel]

patperry2766 wrote:
GC campground reviews

Is this a fairly representative article?

I would say so. I would say that some of the sites at Mathers are pretty small. It is a really beautiful campground but if you have a larger rig and want full hookups, Trailer Village is the way to go.

[patperry2766]

GC campground reviews

Is this a fairly representative article?

[djsamuel]

patperry2766 wrote:
Any thoughts on Mather NPS campground? Trailer Village RV Park looks like a big space assigned parking lot which doesn't really appeal to me.

Mather's is mainly tent camping, while Trailer Village is full hook up. While Trailer Village is basically a parking lot, the location is terrific and you also get visitors to the campground like this:



This was taken during our last stay.

We've been to both the north and south rims. Bot are BEAUTIFUL, but our preference is the south rim. You won't go wrong either way. The crowds aren't too bad, the Grand Canyon Village area at the south rim is very interesting, and if you hike a bit away from the central area, there aren't many people around. In addition, hiking the Bright Angel Trail and the other trails are fairly empty.

[4runnerguy]

I'd go to Bryce Canyon and camp up there rather than spending 1 1/2 hours each way every day you want to go up there. Three hours drive time is more than it takes you to break and set up camp. It's quite a bit higher elevation in Bryce so much cooler in the campground. Again, there's a great shuttle system there, too. Drop into the canyon at one place and come out another, using the bus to get back to your car. Bryce Canyon is another place to hike in the mid to late afternoon as the main part of the "canyon" faces east and gets shaded in the P.M.

Escalante is a huge area. If I had to pick the main things to see it would be Lower Calf Creek Falls and Spooky and Peek-a-boo slot canyons. For camping, you might look into camping at Singletree CG north of Boulder up in the NF. At over 8000' it's far cooler.

Timing: At a minimum I'd plan two full days (three nights) at the south rim. At least two full days at Zion (great hiking). A full day (two nights) at Bryce so you can do an extended below the rim hike.

For your route to or from the South Rim from TX, consider taking NM 63 and visiting El Morro NM. We've been to a lot of NP's and NM's and this one was quite surprisingly interesting. Plan on three hours or so for a quick tour.

Also, whether you do a day trip from the south rim or you camp at Bonito Campground near Sunset Crater north of Flagstaff, there are several NM's to visit near there. Walnut Canyon and Wupatki NM's are worth a day between them.

[4runnerguy]

Been to both rims many a time along with Zion, Bryce, Escalante and many places in between. My observations:

The south rim is more crowded, but you are able to drive in a more continuous manner along the rim. There's a lot of different view points on the north rim, but several of these require a fair amount of driving to get to. The south rim has more amenities. One that is really nice is the shuttle system. So once you park, you can visit much of the south rim w/o moving your vehicle. I think photography is easier for us novices from the south rim. Of course this doesn't matter as much in the summer as the sun is virtually overhead, but in certain times of the year, shooting toward the south often is difficult with the sun in front of you. North rim is cooler due to elevation. While Mather is a nicer CG, Trailer Village is the place to be if you "need" a/c. Of course if you're out exploring all day, it won't matter as much since it tends to cool off quite nicely in the evening. That's the great thing about a PUP. Unzip every window and let the breeze blow through.

As for the suggestion to hike into the canyon, I'd only do it if you got some cooler weather. Gets quite hot as you go down. If you do want to hike, take the Bright Angel Trail and leave in the mid to late afternoon. The shadow from the canyon rim hits the upper part of that trail so you're out of the sun. Plus, when you get back to the top, you can get an ice cream cone at the Angel Lodge!

The north rim is simply too far from the other places you're talking about visiting to use it as a base camp.

All told, if you haven't been to the GC, I'd recommend the south rim for your first visit.

For Zion NP, I'd suggest getting a reservation at Watchman CG in the park. Electric service is available plus it's walking distance to the visitors center where you catch the shuttle bus into the canyon (the only way you can get up there). Watchman also borders the Virgin River which flows pretty slow by mid summer. Kids build little dams and play in the "river" (really more of a stream) and the adults set their lawn chairs up in the water under the shade of the giant Cottonwood trees. Great way to spend a hot part of the day and way better than a motel swimming pool IMHO. Otherwise, hike the trails on the east side of the canyon in the morning when they're in the shade and the west side trails in the afternoon when they're in the shade. Do plan on a day to hike up the Zion Narrows. You end up wading up the stream with walls that are over 1000' high and a canyon that is just a few dozen feet wide in places. But it's much cooler in there, even in the middle of the day. Bring water shoes or tennis shoes that you don't mind getting wet and sandy.

[Busskipper]

prichardson wrote:
A good option for you would be to stay at Desert View, the NPS campground on the east end of the South Rim. Easy walk to the canyon wall and less crowded than Mather and Canyon Village. From there it is an easy run up to Zion, Bryce, etc.

Think this might just be your ticket if you can get a reservation.

https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/cg-sr.htm#CP_JUMP_153567

[prichardson]

A good option for you would be to stay at Desert View, the NPS campground on the east end of the South Rim. Easy walk to the canyon wall and less crowded than Mather and Canyon Village. From there it is an easy run up to Zion, Bryce, etc.

[Busskipper]

patperry2766 wrote:
We're use to "balls to the wall" traveling to maximize location time. Since my son was born, we've been to Charleston, Black Hills, Destin, Glacier, Ouray/Silverton, Red River, Pike's Peak, Durango x 2, Jackson Hole and Davis Mtns. We usually get at least one might in a motel room and try to shut down by 8ish. He is a road warrior and isn't a complainer. We're in a position in life now where it is what it is. As long as the motel has a swimming pool, he's good to go and we take enough breaks to not all go stir crazy.

Maybe when we retire we can slow down a bit and take in more of the journey. That being said, we thoroughly enjoy Colorado and they have some of the best state parks we've ever been to. Actually have been looking online at land in Colorado to buy where we could have a perm. place to vacation every year. Maybe put up an off grid yurt or something.

Might just look into Hinsdale County, Lake City - Alpine Loop - Interesting statistic - .75 people per square Mile of Dirt = not very crowded But extremely Beautiful and Cool in the Summer

Hinsdale County, CO - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinsdale_County,_Colorado -

This might work as your Yurt 🙂 - https://sites.google.com/site/solargonhomes/home

I appreciate all the suggestions so far, please keep them coming.

Having the Pop Up will definitely limit you travel style - Drive and go will make life easier - https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2011-Lance-855-5009119115 -

Sorry might be getting carried away -

Good Luck,

[patperry2766]

We're use to "balls to the wall" traveling to maximize location time. Since my son was born, we've been to Charleston, Black Hills, Destin, Glacier, Ouray/Silverton, Red River, Pike's Peak, Durango x 2, Jackson Hole and Davis Mtns. We usually get at least one might in a motel room and try to shut down by 8ish. He is a road warrior and isn't a complainer. Were in a position in life now where it is what it is. As long as the motel has a swimming pool, he's good to go and we take enough breaks to not all go stir crazy.

Maybe when we retire we can slow down a bit and take in more of the journey. That being said, we thoroughly enjoy Colorado and they have some of the best state parks we've ever been to. Actually have been looking online at land in Colorado to buy where we could have a perm. place to vacation every year. Maybe put up an off grid yurt or something.

Our biggest hurdle to deal with is that we have a pop-up.....a big pop-up, so were at least 3/4-1 hr to set up and 3/4-1 hrs to break down wherever we go. Hopefully we'll be getting a new trailer in the nest couple of years but we've kinda tried to plan our trips to usually 1-2 moves max. I imagine that it will be so much easier to roll out of the bed and slide into the driver's seat, but were not there just yet.

So far we've been limited to parks with hookups, but we've bought a generator and a poop toter within the last year, so this has expanded our ability to campgrounds that aren't FHU, so more remote places are now opened up.

I appreciate all the suggestions so far, please keep them coming.

[Busskipper]

patperry2766 wrote:
http://flickriver.com/photos/xray2008/

Looked through a few of your Images - Think you would really Enjoy the San Juan's for a Longer Summer Vacation - http://www.irv2.com/forums/f42/ouray-and-san-juans-rock-n-roll-3-days-to-visit-442372.html

https://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelunderwood/14787340840/in/photostream/

Just a thought or two on an area we have found to be just Wild and Beautiful, and not a National Park yet.

Best of Luck,