# The WOW way to do the GRAND CANYON??



## Zac495 (Mar 25, 2009)

We were going to do the Skywalk until we heard negative things (I'll post the blog on the bottom of this post).
So if two 50 year old women, both in excellent shape and who love to walk - but not miles and miles and miles - want to be WOWED by the Canyon - what do you suggest we do? We'd prefer not to spend a lot of money - but if we need to pay something for the WOW of a lifetime (we'll also do pink jeep for a WOW), what should we do? We have one day (we'll drive in from Sedona and drive back again that evening).

THANKS
ELLEN

Here's what someone (somewhere - my friend found this) wrote:

It costs $25 to walk on the SkyWalk itself, but you can NOT access the SkyWalk without signing up for one of the 'packages' and the cheapest one (that includes access to the SkyWalk area) is $50. Thus $50 + $25 = $75 per person.

The rest of the package covers the shuttle bus between the main parking lot at the Grand Canyon West airport and the two main overlooks Guano Point and Eagle Point (Eagle Point is where the SkyWalk is). You are NOT allowed to just drive directly to the SkyWalk on your own - you have to take the little shuttle (ie: the package). The package also covers a buffet style meal at either Guano point or the little fake frontier town ranch.

As a person that has been there, I should also warn you that the SkyWalk is NOT the way it appears in the 'artist rendition' on the promotions and website. The SkyWalk is NOT directly over the Colorado River on the main gorge of the canyon, but rather on the side of a smaller side canyon with a short stretch of the river visible in the distance. And it is NOT a 4000 foot straight drop beneath the SkyWalk- like everywhere in the canyon, the walls have ledges and slopes. It is probably less than a thousand feet to the first rubble pile beneath the SkyWalk.

Walking over a glass platform (at the Grand Canyon or anywhere else) is a weird experience - seeing empty space beneath your feet. But I personally found the SkyWalk to be a bit of a let down - the view through the floor really is not that exciting. Some people may find it worth the money, but many of the people when I was there felt that they had been ripped-off.

Note that the SkyWalk and Grand Canyon West are NOT part of the famous Grand Canyon National Park (which is far to the east). The SkyWalk is on the Hualapai Indian reservation and is ran by a promoter out of Las Vegas. I appreciate the Hualapai trying to earn some money (they have a lot of poverty), but the Vegas promoters have turned it into something of an over-hyped tourist trap (in my personal opinion).


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## Dollie (Mar 25, 2009)

*Have you considered mules?*

The first time we visited, we did just a half-day trip from the north rim.  (There are also full-day trips.)  The second time we did the three-day trip.  One day down riding the mules from the south rim on the Bright Angle trail; two nights at Phantom Ranch in the bottom of the canyon with one day on your own to explore the bottom; one day back up on the mules on the Kaibab trail. It is really a unique experience and allows you to really experience the canyon without actually hiking it yourself.


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## kjd (Mar 25, 2009)

While I am certainly no expert on the Grand Canyon I did take people's advice and go to the South rim of the canyon.  I can't remember the name of the location but it did have an IMAX theater there and also had a couple of lodges.  It was about 3 miles to the bottom of the canyon (straight down) and while you might be able to walk it, I saw only mule trains going to the bottom.  There were plenty of people walking for miles on the rim and I was told this location is one of it's widest points.  The vistas were beautiful there.

Unfortunately, it was about 300 miles from Las Vegas so it was about a 16 hour day trip for us.  It's much closer to Sedona so it might be worth looking into.


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## bccash63 (Mar 25, 2009)

If your looking or a WOW factor--how about a hot air balloon ride over the canyon?  This would probably be a little pricey?  Dawn


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## Zac495 (Mar 25, 2009)

Remember we only have a day.
How far of a drive is it from Sedona?
What about:

http://www.grandcanyonjeeptours.com/tour.htm


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## AKE (Mar 25, 2009)

I have done both the Grand Canyon and Sedona several times and much prefer the Sedona scenery to the Grand Canyon.  The Grand Canyon is so big that its hard to appreciate from land - you only get a good perspective from a plane.  As well, the colors are way more muted than the Sedona scenery but it is worth a visit.  From my recollection it was about a 3 hour drive from Sedona.


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## JamminJoe (Mar 25, 2009)

I did a 1-day trip from Vegas. I took a helicopter into the canyon, landed and did some horseback riding. It was about $260.00 for the day.


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## gmarine (Mar 25, 2009)

Take a hike down Bright Angel Trail. You cant go all the way down and back in one day but the views are amazing and your perspective of the canyon is very different while in it. The hike up can be strenuous so make sure if you head down that you dont go farther than your ability allows.


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## 1st Class (Mar 25, 2009)

Zac495 said:


> Remember we only have a day.
> How far of a drive is it from Sedona?
> What about:
> 
> http://www.grandcanyonjeeptours.com/tour.htm



We also did a daytrip from Sedona.  From our resort in Sedona to the parking lot at the South Rim the drive took 2 1/2 hours.  It's an easy drive, but the return drive in the dark is a little trickier. 

I can't help with any of the tour information since we visited during fire season and discovered that all the trails were closed.


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## Rose Pink (Mar 25, 2009)

Ellen, the blog on the skywalk is accurate but you don't have to buy the meal. That is extra. I reported on my experience to the skywalk last October. 

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83236&highlight=grand+canyon+skywalk

As for a WOW at the Grand Canyon NP, I think just standing at the edge and looking over it and down into it is very WOW. I've been to both the north and south rims. Someday I'd like to hike down into it but I've got to get into better shape first.:hysterical:


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## nightnurse613 (Mar 25, 2009)

I was on ebay the other day looking around for Las Vegas things to do and I saw someone selling tours to the GC for prices that beat all the other ones I had seen by about $50 each!  I read it because I had been on one of the other tours and paid the extra $$    This looked like the very same tour at a better price.  You might check it out. If you can't find it I can look again.:whoopie:


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## Zac495 (Mar 26, 2009)

gmarine said:


> Take a hike down Bright Angel Trail. You cant go all the way down and back in one day but the views are amazing and your perspective of the canyon is very different while in it. The hike up can be strenuous so make sure if you head down that you dont go farther than your ability allows.



Is that at the South Rim?


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## nightnurse613 (Mar 26, 2009)

Yes, Bright Angel is one of South Rim Trails.  The largest part of the tourist area is the South Rim.


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## Werner (Mar 26, 2009)

If your are staying in Sedona and don't plan an overnight then the North Rim is probably too far.   If you can do an overnight and get a place to stay in or close to the park (there are very few choices) then I think you will find the North Rim is a more intimate and personal experience.  Its fewer facilities and its isolation makes the North Rim less of a zoo.  The Grand Canyon Lodge at the North Rim is a classic of Depression-era park lodge design (the other Depression), it is gorgeous.  A short walk to the tip of Bright Angle Point is an experience unmatched anywhere else in the Park.  Its like being in a balloon, the view is in all directions.  There are short trails leading to various viewpoints and there is a paved road to Cape Royal and Point Imperial that show completely different viewpoints.  The Park Rangers give excellent talks on the canyon geology and the archeology of the Anasazi settlements in the park.  The archeology talk is at the Anasazi ruins along the road to Cape Royal.  

If you feel adventurous you can drive a few gravel roads to even more viewpoints.  There are also 1/2 day and full day mule rides into the canyon.


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## Zac495 (Mar 26, 2009)

Maybe we should do the helicopter ride. Expensive. Anyone done that?


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## NTHC (Mar 26, 2009)

I know we did not pay $75 to do the Skywalk. That must be something new.  Hubby and I drove from Las Vegas for a day trip and maybe paid a total of $25 each.  That was April 2008.  There was a bus ride out to the walk with several stops along the way where you can get on and off.  

We both thought it well worth the trip even though it was a few hours out into the middle of nowhere. We stopped at Lake Meade and then did the Hoover Dam along the way.

I actually was more freaked out about the fact that the bus drove along the Canyon with no guard rail more than the walk itself.

We both agree it was a must do though.

JMHO,
Cindy


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## shagnut (Mar 26, 2009)

When I was in Sedona, I drove to Williams (did a package) One night at the Fray Marcos, train to GC , spent the night there, did a tour then next am did the other tour, rode the train back to wms (train got robbed by the bad guys)  and drove back to Sedona. I did loose a couple of days at the ts but to me it was worth it. Lots of fun and definitly a WOW!!  shaggy


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## Red Rox (Mar 26, 2009)

Ellen, You've been given some good input here and some very bad input too. First of all there are NO hot air balloon flights at the Grand Canyon. There is no hang gliding either. The people who took helicopter flights from Las Vegas, never got to the Grand Canyon Nat'l Park at the South Rim. They only got as far as grand canyon west aka west rim and the site of the skywalk. The skywalk is promoted heavily as a grand canyon option from Las Vegas because it is closer by about 150 miles than the GCNP at the South Rim. The sky walk and grand canyon west is located on the Hualapai indian reservation. It was developed by greedy developers from las Vegas. If you go there you pay a menu of fees including a brand new 'environmental impact' fee that brings the total per person cost to more than $90. The cost of going to the GCNP is $25 per vehicle and the ticket is good for a week.
The people who said they took a helicopter flight and landed in the canyon did not go to the GCNP. Helicopters are not permitted to fly below the rim or land inside the GCNP. You can take a helicopter flight above the GCNP from the GC airport at Tusayan, just outside the park. The flights last 30 or 50 minutes and fly from the South Rim out across the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers in the GC across to the North Rim and then back along a route to the west. These flights will enhance your GC experience and give you some more of the WOW factor. They are costly as you might expect. However there is nothing that will WOW you more than your first look at the Grand Canyon from any of the viewpoints inside the park at the South Rim. This is the Grand Canyon that you have seen in pictures and books all of your life. And this is the Grand Canyon that you have dreamed of seeing. You can hike there. You can do mule trips into the canyon. But you will need more time than the one day that you are allowing yourselves from Sedona. 
My advice is to do the day trip that you have planned. You'll be impressed. If you get hooked like many of us do, you'll plan a return trip with an overnight stay at one of the park lodges. Or maybe you'll want to plan a mule trip or even a river trip. It takes a minimum of 7 days to raft the full canyon from Lees Ferry to Lake Mead. That's a distance of over 280 miles. 
The GCNP is a park that is very easy to tour and enjoy on your own, at your own pace. When you enter the park you will be given a pile of printed material with maps and information about activities and answers to just about any question you might have. You can also access this information at the park website. http://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm
You might also want to stop at the IMAX theater in Tusayan, just outside the park to see the 30 minute film about the GC. It will give you insight about the history, geology and interior of the canyon. The film is shown on the half hour all day long.
You have a 4 day vacation planned that will allow you a full day to see the Grand Canyon for the first time of your life. Hopefully it won't be the last.


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## Ann in CA (Mar 27, 2009)

We were in Scottsdale for a week, but spent a day in the Sedona area, and two nights on the south rim.  It was late Dec, early January, with patches of snow on the ground, and beautiful blue sky.  Although I had been to the Grand Canyon before, I have to say it was every bit as breathtakingly spectacular as I had remembered.  I had "forced" our two teenage sons to get up early to leave the resort for the trip, and even they were awe struck, practically speechless, when we drove up to the rim and walked along the many view points, then drove even farther.  They actually admitted they were happy I made them go.  That time of year it is not crowded and one can really savor the vastness  and the gorgeous colors and scenery. 

Although I loved the red rocks of Sedona, I cannot imagine not being totally impressed by the Grand Canyon.  I could go back again and again.  Staying right on the rim, we did a star walk (not a tour--just slipping and sliding on the icy walk and peering into the darkness below.) and I got up to watch the sun rise over the canyon.   A bit chilly, but amazing to watch the shadows reveal more of the canyon as the sun rose higher.  

As a kid, after reading Brighty of the Grand Canyon, I had always wanted to do the mule trip, but it was too late to book.  This time we we thought we might make it to the IMAX, but we all decided we would rather just enjoy every minute at the actual canyon.

Dinner at El Tovar was very festive, but our main memories will always be sunset, sunrise, and moonrise at the rim.  If you are there for just one day, you will probably not need to plan any extras other than visiting as many of the view points, and hiking as you have time.  

Have a fabulous trip!


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## Zac495 (Mar 27, 2009)

WOW and thank you to everyone for all of your help! It's printed.
No helicopters. We're just going to hike the canyon - and the Broken Arrow tour in Sedona.


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## Werner (Mar 28, 2009)

Ellen,  One way to get a really big WOW for the Canyon is to plan a return trip and do a mule trip from the South Rim down to Phantom Ranch.  We did a 3 day, 2 night trip in November several years ago.  In summer they only ran 2 day trips, one day down, one back but in Fall the Ranch is less active and we could stay down there an extra day.  It was about 30 deg at the top and a gorgeous 70 deg at the bottom.  Phantom Ranch is at the junction of Bright Angle Canyon and the Colorado River, a short distance back from the river.  There is a suspension bridge over the River near the Ranch and you cross on the mules.  We arrived mid-afternoon and had a chance to re-learn walking without bowlegs and to look around.  There is usually a herd of mule deer hanging around.  Food is served boarding-house style and was very good.  The cabins are basic but you have to learn not to reach into bags or shoes without first looking for biting or stinging critters. 

There are quite a few trails down there.  The next day we hiked a trail that climbed slowly up to the "Tonto Platform", the plateau area that you see from the canyon rim dividing the wide upper canyon from the narrow lower canyon.  The views along the trail were dramatic, looking down into the narrow lower canyon and the Colorado River, and looking into the side canyons and amphitheaters of the upper canyon.

The next day we mounted the mules (with some difficulty) and took a different trail back to the south rim.  Overall, this was a trip for the bucket list.


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## applegirl (Mar 31, 2009)

AKE said:


> I have done both the Grand Canyon and Sedona several times and much prefer the Sedona scenery to the Grand Canyon.




HUH???????!!!!!!!!

Sedona is beautiful but come on!  There is nothing to compare to the Grand Canyon.  Nothing.  It is simply breathtaking and amazing to see something that large so beautiful.

My parents have a second home only 45 minutes from the North Rim of the Canyon (the area where the El Tovar hotel is...remember the movie "Vacation" with Chevy Chase?  The hotel they visit at the canyon is this one).  I would suggest just driving to the North Rim and visiting the good look out points, especially Mather Point which has amazing views.  Be sure to treat yourself to a nice lunch at the El Tovar.  Wonderful old dining room but now views of the canyon.  You could just pack a lunch and eat on the edge of canyon, taking in the views!

Your drive to the canyon will be about 3 hours each way with regular traffic.  Long day but certainly worth it and a pretty drive too.   There are plenty of walking paths along the canyon between Mather Point and the hotel area.  Allow at least 4 hours for a visit to the edge of the canyon.  No need to walk down into the canyon at all in my opinion.

Cheers,
Janna


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## Timeshare Von (Mar 31, 2009)

applegirl said:


> My parents have a second home only 45 minutes from the North Rim of the Canyon (the area where the El Tovar hotel is...remember the movie "Vacation" with Chevy Chase?  The hotel they visit at the canyon is this one).  I would suggest just driving to the North Rim and visiting the good look out points, especially Mather Point which has amazing views.  Be sure to treat yourself to a nice lunch at the El Tovar.  Wonderful old dining room but now views of the canyon.  You could just pack a lunch and eat on the edge of canyon, taking in the views!



All of these places are on the south rim of the Grand Canyon.


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## Timeshare Von (Mar 31, 2009)

Zak,

Based on our experience this past weekend with Pink Jeeps and the Broken Arrow tour, I think you'll have a great time . . . we sure did!


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## Zac495 (Mar 31, 2009)

Thanks again all! I will be sure to report back. It looks like the weather will be good. YAH!


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## Red Rox (Mar 31, 2009)

I hope Janna knows how to find her parents' home. The North Rim is about 200 miles and 4 hours by car from the South Rim. And yes, all of the places she described and urged you to visit are indeed at the South Rim, not the North Rim.


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## shagnut (Apr 1, 2009)

My neighbor and I are going to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon while we are in St George. We really lucked up at got a 2 br cabin ON THE RIM !!! OMG am I excited. I have been to the No Rim once about 25 yrs ago and I've always thought it was awesome.  I've been on every rim except for where the skywalk is.  shaggy


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## honeybunney (Apr 13, 2009)

*mule ride*

I've done the overnight mule ride about 10 years ago.  We stayed overnight at the lodge on the rim so that we can get up early enough to ride the mule in the morning.  They will weigh you because there is a weight limit of 200lbs.  It was about six hours down the Canyon with a lunch box provided and then we got hosed down before moving on.  It got pretty hot there.  They want you to wear a brim hat, bandana to cover the mouth because of dust and long sleeve cotton shirt to protect from the sun.  At the Phantom Ranch, they serve family style dinner and breakfast.  It was pretty good.  It took about four hours to get back up.  It was the way to go to see the many tiers of the Canyon like a wedding cake.  Recommend it for younger people since it can be taxing on your back and legs.  Also, if you plan to book it for summer you will need to make reservation about a year in advance.  But seeing the Grand Canyon is definitely a WOW factor.  A must see in one's life time.


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## Zac495 (Apr 13, 2009)

I will tell you more when I return (leaving today) but it sure was wow. The only bad part was when I fell and tumbled down part of the Bright Angel Trail. NO  - I wasn't drinking - LOL. I'm just a klutz! I saw mule droppings along the way - think that looks scary,but obviously they are safer than riding me. :hysterical:


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