Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

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DartThrower
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Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by DartThrower »

I am going with a small group to the Grand Canyon at the end of May this year. South rim lodging is booked already except for 1 night so we are tentatively planning to stay in Flagstaff and drive with the exception of that 1 night.

Any recommendations for Flagstaff hotels and sights? Would it be better to stay in Sedona or somewhere other than Flagstaff? If anyone has been to the North rim, is it worth the extra drive? I have looked at the other threads but was thinking there might be some opinions specific to this situation.

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I have been to the Canyon before and would like to try somewhere else but my group hasn't been to the Canyon yet. That makes me the "expert" I guess. :shock: I imagine the North Rim as being much less touristy (especially in May when the South rim is probably crowded) but getting there looks like a long long drive as would be Zion and Bryce and other destinations. Trying to decide whether the drive is worth it. We plan to be in the area 7-10 days.

Thanks!
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Grt2bOutdoors
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Re: Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

Sedona's about an hour and half drive - maybe 1 hr 45 minutes from the Canyon. There's not much outside of the canyon itself (southern end), the lodge is the main hotel there and there is nearly nothing in terms of restaurants unless they built it out in the last 10 years. May is a great time to go, weather is perfect without being overly cold except at 4:30 in the morning when you show up to watch the sun rise and when the sun sets it's freezing again, like a literal 30 degree drop.
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btenny
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Re: Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by btenny »

Little America in Flag is great. This is an older western chain that has great hotels and grounds. I have not stayed there in a while so I have no recent data. But check Yelp. I bet it is still a great hotel.

http://flagstaff.littleamerica.com/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Revie ... izona.html

Good Luck.
adamthesmythe
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Re: Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by adamthesmythe »

Sedona is farther away from the Canyon but more convenient to Phoenix (if you are flying into Phoenix). Flagstaff has a compact downtown that is pleasant to walk around in and offers plenty of eateries. Sedona has numerous spectacular walks/ hikes, but it may be a bit more difficult to find things. (Both Flagstaff and Sedona are intentionally poorly lit, and will be difficult for the unfamiliar after dark).

I would say more like 2 hours to the Canyon from Sedona, maybe a bit more if you get slowed down by traffic in Flagstaff. Flagstaff is full of hotels of all prices, with the name brands offering nicer accomodations at a higher price.

I would not recommend both North and South rim. It's a lot of driving and there are better things to add to a trip. Consider entering from Flagstaff on 180, driving along the south rim, and then exiting at Cameron. If time permits you could go up to Page (Glen Canyon Dam, Horshoe Bend, etc.). Or return to Flagstaff on 89. You can also stay the night at the Native American-run new hotel in Tuba City. Just don't expect to have a beer with dinner.
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Re: Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by fourwheelcycle »

I have been to Sedona and the GC South Rim five times, including hiking twice to Phantom Ranch and once rim to rim. I have been to the North Rim twice, once when I hiked out from the South Rim. I love the North Rim and highly recommend a two nite stay. It is more than 1,000 feet higher than the South Rim and feels more like a Colorado woods than a northern Arizona scrub desert. It is about a four hour drive from the South Rim. You could do it in one day, but if you have the time I would add a nite in Page (or get up very early at the South Rim) and do a morning trip to visit Antelope Canyon. An 11: AM or so trip start at Antelope Canyon is ideal - you will never forget it.

If you spend two nites at the North Rim you can see some sunsets and sunrises, including an afternoon drive to Cape Royal.

I always stay in Sedona and I think of Flagstaff as a place to get lunch along the way, although I am sure that is a disservice to Flagstaff. If you go to Sedona eat at the Cowboy Club and/or at the Elote Cafe. If you go to the Elote Cafe call them about crowds that week, but be prepared to get there 30 to 45 minutes before they open. Best place to stay in Sedona is the Best Western Plus Inn of Sedona, just south of town. The sunset and sunrise views are incredible. Look for the early morning hot air balloons.

If you miss the North Rim on this trip you can go back and do the grand loop from Phoenix, including Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Zion, Bryce, North Rim, and Antelope Canyon.
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RudyS
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Re: Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by RudyS »

Make reservations in Flafstaff (or Sedona) that allow cancellation without penalty up to some reasonable date. Then keep periodically checking the hotels at the Canyon. People do cancel.
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Re: Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by midareff »

Many years ago it was brought to my attention by an experienced National Parks goer that the accommodations inside the parks that are cancelled leading up to the arrival date are posted ten days in advance of arrival. On two different occasions I was able to get inside the park reservations exactly ten days in advance of arrival. I would recommend you book whatever you need to book wither in Flagstaff or outside the park and be ready to shortcut the parks reservation page to your desktop and bang away ten days in advance. Worked for me. Good luck.
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Re: Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by gary11 »

Any recommendations for Flagstaff hotels?

We had stayed at "Hilton Garden Inn Flagstaff" for two nights when we visited GC August 2016. This was a pretty good accommodation but about hour and half away from South Rim entrance. We also took a scenic drive to Oak Creek Canyon from this place but didn't visit Sedona due to cramp schedule. The only reason we had stayed in Flagstaff instead of Williams or Tusayan was that we had planned our trip only a month advance and all the good places were already booked in Tusayan area. Next time I will plan bit earlier and try to stay near by Canyon.
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Re: Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by CABob »

btenny wrote:Little America in Flag is great. This is an older western chain that has great hotels and grounds. I have not stayed there in a while so I have no recent data. But check Yelp. I bet it is still a great hotel.

http://flagstaff.littleamerica.com/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Revie ... izona.html

Good Luck.
+1 for Little America. I stayed there about 14 years ago and have been itching to go back. Hopefully it is still good if not better.
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Re: Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by lthenderson »

I've done both rims and boated down the middle in a wooden dory. My advice is to hike just a little ways down just about any trail to get away from the hordes of people on the rims. It is definitely a different place when you are only an few hundred yards down any trail. Boating it is like a totally different world to the better!
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Re: Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by mikep »

Best Western in Tusayan was good, just outside the park. They have a bowling alley in the basement which I thought was unique for a Best Western. Food was good for the kids.
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Re: Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by White Coat Investor »

Just go to the South Rim like the rest of the tourists. Don't go to the North Rim. And especially don't hike down any of the trails. Or go to any of the out of the way viewpoints. Or float the river. Or go to Sedona. Or go to Havasupai. Just book a room for a few days on the South Rim and then go home and tell everyone you "did" the Grand Canyon. And if you want to do a slot canyon, go to Antelope Canyon. There aren't any other slot canyons in Utah anyway.

We want all tourists concentrated in small, easily avoided areas. :)

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Re: Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by BashDash »

I may want the Zion tips! Looking to use 100,000 ultimate rewards points this summer for a trip just haven't decided where yet to go with two kids 2 and under. Btw just bought my bro your book on amazon.
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Re: Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by DartThrower »

midareff wrote:Many years ago it was brought to my attention by an experienced National Parks goer that the accommodations inside the parks that are cancelled leading up to the arrival date are posted ten days in advance of arrival. On two different occasions I was able to get inside the park reservations exactly ten days in advance of arrival. I would recommend you book whatever you need to book wither in Flagstaff or outside the park and be ready to shortcut the parks reservation page to your desktop and bang away ten days in advance. Worked for me. Good luck.
Thanks for all the advice and the many observations. I have read them all with great interest, and in the case of White Coat Investor's post, great amusement! I definitely don't want to be one of the herd of tourists looking around in bewilderment. I will be on the lookout for cancellations at each rim as the date of our trip gets closer.
fourwheelcycle wrote:I have been to Sedona and the GC South Rim five times, including hiking twice to Phantom Ranch and once rim to rim. I have been to the North Rim twice, once when I hiked out from the South Rim. I love the North Rim and highly recommend a two nite stay. It is more than 1,000 feet higher than the South Rim and feels more like a Colorado woods than a northern Arizona scrub desert. It is about a four hour drive from the South Rim. You could do it in one day, but if you have the time I would add a nite in Page (or get up very early at the South Rim) and do a morning trip to visit Antelope Canyon. An 11: AM or so trip start at Antelope Canyon is ideal - you will never forget it.

If you spend two nites at the North Rim you can see some sunsets and sunrises, including an afternoon drive to Cape Royal.
Page and Atelope Canyon look interesting. I will see if the group is up for the extra driving to go "off the beaten path".
After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art. Chopin
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Re: Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by JMacDonald »

I haven't done this, but this might be a possibility for your group: https://www.thetrain.com/
Take the train to the Grand Canyon.
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Re: Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by midareff »

BTW... dinner at sunset in El Tovar's dining room looking over the canyon is really something worth doing.. a memory that will last a long time. The lodge right next (west) to El Tovar, Kachina Lodge, also has dining room reservation privileges for El Tovar's dining room, which is reservations only. The next hotel west of Kachina (very close) is Bright Angel Lodge which has a restaurant called the Arizona Room which is also right on the rim and doesn't require reservations. As I recall, the Bison steak was quite good there.
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Re: Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by msk »

DW and I did the grand tour mid-winter many years ago. Absolutely, astoundingly, beautiful. Loads of snow. Got a rental 4x4 in Vegas (yes you do need it! North Rim closed off for too much snow). Highly recommended. No problems with accommodation. Elk visit you at the lodge :shock:
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Re: Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by ponyboy »

If you're headed there in May and you havent booked any hotels yet...you're out of luck. Typically you have to book a year out. SAme goes for yellowstone, yosemite, etc etc. National parks are no joke.
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Re: Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by CULater »

The fact that everything is booked should tell you something. In late May, you'll be standing elbow to elbow with a hoard of other people on the South Rim. And you have to ride a bus to any of the overlooks -- no cars allowed anymore. Not that much fun, IMO. It might be worth going to the North Rim, but it's been years since I was up there and it could be pretty congested also. Not that much lodging up that way either.
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DartThrower
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Re: Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by DartThrower »

letsgobobby wrote:you have 7-10 nights but only one on the south rim. where are you going the rest of the time? how do you plan to go to the grand Canyon if you can't get a night of lodging?
We plan to stay in Flagstaff and/or Sedona which are drivable from the south rim canyon.
After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art. Chopin
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Re: Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by Carefreeap »

midareff wrote:Many years ago it was brought to my attention by an experienced National Parks goer that the accommodations inside the parks that are cancelled leading up to the arrival date are posted ten days in advance of arrival. On two different occasions I was able to get inside the park reservations exactly ten days in advance of arrival. I would recommend you book whatever you need to book wither in Flagstaff or outside the park and be ready to shortcut the parks reservation page to your desktop and bang away ten days in advance. Worked for me. Good luck.
Agreed. My girlfriend told me about this back in 2009 when I got the wild idea that I needed to do a Rim to Rim just before the Memorial Day holiday. My husband and I were getting ready to move to Germany from the greater Phoenix area and I didn't know if I'd be healthy enough to do that kind of hike when we returned. I was 48 and already seeing friends with back and hip problems affecting their hiking. So in April I started calling, calling and calling and sure enough secured lodging for two days at Phantom Ranch, a cabin for two nights at the North Rim and one day at the Miwok. But the big score was the walk up backcountry permit at the N. Rim which allowed me to camp at Cottonwood Springs (s). I was being conservative about how much I was hiking because I couldn't finish my training since I sprained my ankle three weeks before hand. Turns out I felt so good when I hiked out that I cancelled my reservations at the Miwok (at no charge) and just drove home.

And that worry about not being healthy enough? This September I solo hiked the entire JMT at age 55. I hope I turn out to be one of "oldsters" who hikes well into her 80s! 8-)
Every day I can hike is a good day.
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Carefreeap
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Re: Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by Carefreeap »

letsgobobby wrote:
Carefreeap wrote:
And that worry about not being healthy enough? This September I solo hiked the entire JMT at age 55. I hope I turn out to be one of "oldsters" who hikes well into her 80s! 8-)
That is great! I hiked Yosemite Valley to Lake Vermillion in my 20s but had to quit there because of a bum Achilles tendon. That was my wife's greatest backpacking accomplishment of her life... mine, too.
That's a shame you couldn't finish. Are you healthy enough to section hike the rest of it?
I was very lucky; I only had one blister the entire 230 miles I hiked. I didn't even take an aspirin but my camp cocktail each evening probably was the substitute. :wink:

BTW the Vermillion Ranch is for sale. Probably still looks the same as when you hiked there. Surprisingly my DH loved it. He is not a camper given how spoiled he got with his corporate travel. But he enjoyed it so much that he said that if we were in our 40s he would have considered buying it.
Every day I can hike is a good day.
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Re: Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by Grasshopper »

midareff wrote:BTW... dinner at sunset in El Tovar's dining room looking over the canyon is really something worth doing.. a memory that will last a long time. The lodge right next (west) to El Tovar, Kachina Lodge, also has dining room reservation privileges for El Tovar's dining room, which is reservations only. The next hotel west of Kachina (very close) is Bright Angel Lodge which has a restaurant called the Arizona Room which is also right on the rim and doesn't require reservations. As I recall, the Bison steak was quite good there.
We had this same fond memory, stayed at El Tovar for a few days, made dinner reservations for the same day we hiked Kaibab to Phantom Ranch and back up by way of Bright Angel. I remember up to our appetizers, but heavy eyelids and gravity got the best of me.
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Re: Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by MamaBear »

I did a GC trip last year. I felt the drive to Page to the Antlelope slot canyon and Horshoe Bend was worth the drive. We also hiked to Supai and stayed two nights in their hotel to swim the the waterfalls. This was the focus of our trip and was a once in a lifetime experience! It requires advance reservations. I made mine a year in advance, but a few people we talked to did get in last minute.

While I was there I was told about a kayaking trip where you get a map and stop at different hot springs along the way. I think it was Black Canyon.

The area is beautiful and so many things to do! I can't wait to go back!
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Re: Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by Carefreeap »

letsgobobby wrote:
Carefreeap wrote:
letsgobobby wrote:
Carefreeap wrote:
And that worry about not being healthy enough? This September I solo hiked the entire JMT at age 55. I hope I turn out to be one of "oldsters" who hikes well into her 80s! 8-)
That is great! I hiked Yosemite Valley to Lake Vermillion in my 20s but had to quit there because of a bum Achilles tendon. That was my wife's greatest backpacking accomplishment of her life... mine, too.
That's a shame you couldn't finish. Are you healthy enough to section hike the rest of it?
I was very lucky; I only had one blister the entire 230 miles I hiked. I didn't even take an aspirin but my camp cocktail each evening probably was the substitute. :wink:

BTW the Vermillion Ranch is for sale. Probably still looks the same as when you hiked there. Surprisingly my DH loved it. He is not a camper given how spoiled he got with his corporate travel. But he enjoyed it so much that he said that if we were in our 40s he would have considered buying it.
I may go back and do the sections but I live in WA state now and have been obsessed with the hiking here. Between the PCT in the North Cascades and the Goat Rocks, the Olympics, and Mt Rainier, I've got plenty to keep me busy!

I'm about 12 years younger than you and would love to be able to find the time and energy for a three week through hike a decade from now.
And that's the point of FIRE; retire early enough to do stuff while you are still healthy. :wink:
FWIW I worked waaaaay too hard in my early 20s and never got to do the cool backpacking thing. So I'm re-living my youth with a few more wrinkles. :sharebeer
Every day I can hike is a good day.
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Re: Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by White Coat Investor »

BashDash wrote:I may want the Zion tips! Looking to use 100,000 ultimate rewards points this summer for a trip just haven't decided where yet to go with two kids 2 and under. Btw just bought my bro your book on amazon.
In the same spirit as the above "tip," be sure not to get any further than 100 feet from the main road. If you MUST go on a hike, be sure it is one of the following:

Emerald Pools
Weeping Rock
The sidewalk out to the Narrows

Whatever you do, do not go to the Kolob side, up toward Kolob reservoir, enter a slot canyon, or attempt to reach either rim of the canyon. Stick with the crowds. If you could not hit at least 50 people with a baseball at any given time, it is time to turn around and find your way back to the shuttle bus. There are snakes and scorpions and spiders and flash floods out there!

I've got Yosemite "tips", Grand Teton "tips", Yellowstone "tips", and Arches "tips" for anyone who is interested.

:)

Hope the book helps your bro.
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Re: Grand Canyon in May. Booked already!

Post by DartThrower »

I just wanted to say thanks for all the great advice. We all had a wonderful time. It was the first time there for everyone in our group (except me). The weather was great and it was surprisingly not too crowded considering it was peak time of year. Even though I have been to Sedona, I never climbed Cathedral Rock. It was actually kind of scary at spots but lots of fun and well worth it. Everyone liked Jerome too. We took a side trip to Winslow (La Posada Hotel) to get off the beaten path, and stopped at the little painted desert and then the crater. We got our kicks on Route 66!

The canyon did not disappoint, and to top it all off we splurged on dinner at El Tovar.

I know this is old hat for many of you, but for the first timers it was something they will never forget!

Now, back to work. :oops:
After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art. Chopin
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