No Need For A Hotel At The Grand Canyon

We had a couple of days visiting the grand canyon on a trip of south west usa earlier this year. it was everything you’ve heard about and more. Indescribable vastness, absolutely gorgeous. i could never do it justice trying to describe it because it has to be experienced, however, i hope to pass on a few tips for anyone who is thinking of visiting the grand canyon to make their day more enjoyable.

Firstly, unless money is not an issue, don’t book into a hotel in or near the grand canyon. you will pay double. we stayed at a little town called Williams which describes itself as the gateway to the grand canyon. it is about sixty miles away. but don’t let that put you off. the drive is straight and scenic and you’ll be there before you know it. another alternative town to stay in is flagstaff. About seventy miles from gc.

Second, get to the gate of the grand canyon national park before 10am if possible. after 10.30am its “total gridlock man”. you pay $20 entrance fee per vehicle and the pass is good for a week. the guy will give you a newspaper style guide to the grand canyon village. as soon as you find a parking space have a little read of the guide. i found the whole grand canyon village area layout a bit confusing and couldn’t get my bearings of where we were on the map. maybe I’m just thick but after we had sat in a cafe for half and hour reading the guide things became clearer. when all else fails read the guide.

Third, there are three free shuttle buses that run around the area. one goes along the west rim to hermits rest stopping at observation points along the way. one goes along the east rim towards the Kaibab trailhead stopping at viewpoints. the third loops around grand canyon village stopping at hotels restaurants, campgrounds, car parks and other facilities in the village. you can hop on and off any of these shuttles as they run approximately every 10-15 minutes in peak season. they are standing room only, sometimes you may not get on for lack of space. Pressing up against a fat stranger in that kind of heat isn’t my idea of fun. We got back in the car and drove up Highway 64 east towards Desert View. This is a lovely drive of about 25 miles with numerous viewpoints across the Canyon, no crowds, brilliant. Of course, they would prefer you to stay around the Grand Canyon Village viewpoints where there is plenty of opportunity to spend your money so this drive isn’t promoted too much but I would recommend it if crowds aren’t your thing.

Lastly is the common sense in the heat advice. Wear a hat and sunscreen. Carry at least one litre of water each if you go on a short hike, more if your going to make a day of it, and snacks, peanut M&M’s are good. Remember that it’s easy walking down into the Canyon….you still have to climb out. That’ll take twice as long. know your limits and have a great time.