Hot answers tagged grand-canyon
15
I did a long distance drive about ten years ago via the I-40, and decided to check out the Canyon so long as I was passing by.
I switched to State Route 64, which took me directly to Grand Canyon National Park Airport (GCN), near the South Rim. There are 2 or 3 companies there selling helicopter flights over the canyon.
There are no special documents or ...
13
Yes, there are many different helicopter tours of the Grand Canyon. Most are out of Las Vegas. You can estimate the cost to be $300 USD or more per person.
Here's a sample of the view when flying to the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas:
As a bonus, you also get to see the Hoover Dam and the Strip from a different angle.
11
Having recently hiked rim to river and back, I can tell you that hiking in the Canyon has been one of the most transformative events of my life. It's beauty is beyond words.
The most important thing to remember is don't be this guy. Take your time, and enjoy the beauty.
Staying there, getting there.
Ideally, you would spend the night as near to the ...
7
I was in the 'neighbourhood' of it last year. It's run by the Hualapai Nation, and still runs as normal.
9 miles of the 21 'country road' miles are unpaved. They say it's 2.5 hours from Las Vegas. I'd say it's more like 3.5 hours (and got that confirmed in Peach Springs), and if you want to do it on your way to/from the Grand Canyon, count on another 3.5 ...
7
As you've probably already discovered, the normal place to visit the Grand Canyon when coming from Las Vegas is the "South Rim", which is about 4 1/2 hours drive (each way!) from Vegas.
Although the Grand Canyon (and the Grand Canyon National Park) does extend almost 100 miles further west of the "South Rim", there are no suitable roads that allow access to ...
6
Given I've heard of snow on the ground there in April, it could be very cold.
However, I'll describe what we did, and you can adapt it based on the conditions when you arrive.
First thing was to enter the park (driving) before sunrise. This gave us a chance to park, get our gear together, and race down to Mather Point for a spectacular view of sunrise. ...
6
There are many helicopter and other air tour operators in the area:
South Canyon
Grand Canyon Tour
List of various Grand Canyon Tours
Papillon Tours
Grand Canyon Helicopters
I could go on but I think this will do for now.
AMENDED
I would suggest talking about a tour like this when you get a to a hotel in LV. Reason being is that tour operators may be ...
5
Wikitravel's Grand Canyon page mentions two companies:
Airplane and helicopter tours are offered by providers outside of the south rim in Tusayan at the Grand Canyon Airport, and also from Las Vegas. Scenic flights are no longer allowed to fly below the rim within the national park. However, some helicopter flights land on the Havasupai and Hualapai Indian ...
5
According to the Grand Canyon Site it's a great day trip from the Canyon by car.
Several other sites also refer to accessing the Crater by car.
Getting there:
Car - Is 5.5 hours I'd say more then. Based on ending next to the Crater instead of Winslow I'd say it's more then fair. Of course you could change where you start your trek to the Crater which ...
5
I would avoid the coast. My experience is in California, where there is a well-known pattern of heavy fog and clouds near the coast in May and June (they call it "May gray" and "June gloom"). I don't know for sure, but I would expect similar conditions further north as well. However, often one can find clear skies just a few miles inland.
Deserts are ...
4
It's been a long time since I did Havasu falls but I can at least answer #3--no guides needed. The trail is obvious. Note that there is a 2,500' elevation change on the hike, this isn't a walk in the park!
Beware that considerable advance booking is required as there are limited accommodations. Doing it as a day trip isn't viable for most people.
The ...
4
Do you plan to have a "base" somewhere in Arizona and start exploring from there, or are you on a trip and want to pass those places?
I was stuck with a broken car in Arizona last year and a rather small town, and learned that they cancelled all bus routes to smaller towns in that area a few years ago. Even if the town was half way between Tucson on Phoenix ...
4
I had a quick look at the "Grand Canyon Tour" website mentioned above, and it says the tour is going to the West Rim. I'm pretty sure the scenery is similar, but the usual Grand Canyon pictures you see in books and in posters are taken from the South Rim, near Grand Canyon Village - and that is ~150miles away from Las Vegas.
Just saying this because ...
3
Pretty fit! The US National Park Service (NPS) doesn't recommend rim-to-river-rim as a day hike, for instance.
My father did several rim-to-rim trips in a day when in his 40s, but he was an avid runner (but not a marathoner), hiked, and had a job that had him outside part of the time. He would usually fly or have my mom drop him off at one rim, and we ...
3
A few years ago I stayed the night at Tusayan, about 5-10 miles south of the South Rim of the canyon. There are several standard motel chains and a few restaurants there. I then got up early to drive up to Grand Canyon Village. I can't say if that's the best view, but you can see the photo I captured here and judge for yourself. I can certainly say that it ...
2
I would say it's probably pretty cold, expect snow (it's high there). Taking a look at the weather channel, I can see the temperature these days is in the 40s (0-10°C) during the day. Maybe the mist can be more of a problem, you can check the day before if you are flexible on your dates. Also check the road conditions (there are currently alerts on the ...
2
I have only been to Sedona a few times but Slide Rock and Hiking are the only two suggestions I have.
If you like cliff jumping or swimming Slide Rock is a great place to start.
http://azstateparks.com/Parks/SLRO/index.html
Also, there is a ton of hiking and things to see. There are several great references through a google search. Unfortunately I always ...
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