Grand Canyon- yay or nay?

[heathpack]

We’re heading to Sedona over Thanksgiving. Specifically Monday Nov 16 until Fri Nov 27.

I added a few days at the Grand Canyon (South Rim) but am thinking of cancelling. Our Grand Canyon days are Fri Nov 13 through Mon Nov 16.

I‘m thinking of cancelling for a few reasons: 1. Will it be too annoying during COVID? As in: we want to keep our distance from others but not everyone else feels that way and it may be hard to stay away from others on trails, especially below-the-rim trails. 2. The only option to get to Hermits Rest when we would be there is to ride the shuttle or a bike. I really don’t want to ride the shuttle. I’m fine with riding a bike but husband is not much of a cyclist. He doesn’t own a bike but we could rent one for him. 3. Husband has bad knees, so his interest in steep hikes is low. Any below-the-rim hikes would need to be relatively short, and out-and-backs. 4. We reserved the Bucky ONeil Cabin at Bright Angel Lodge, and it’s expensive. Maybe we’d be better off visiting another time when we could maybe do the two day trip down to Phantom Ranch (similar cost as to our Bucky ONeil accommodation).

Both husband and I have only been to the Grand Canyon on short day trips previously. We are fine with getting up and out super early (ie at dawn), which does avoid a lot of the crowds at National Parks. And of course we’d be right on the rim, zero drive time to get out in the quiet parts of the day. We could afford to do both this trip and the mule trip next year, if we wanted, so it’s not exactly the cost that’s deterring me. It’s more a combo of feeling like it has the potential to be expensive and annoying.

So I’m looking for opinions/advice from Grand Canyon pros. Should we just go, and make the best of it? Or visit another time?

 

[b2bailey]

My vote says reschedule Grand Canyon. If you had never been there, it would be different. Are you flying or driving?

 

[heathpack]

My vote says reschedule Grand Canyon. If you had never been there, it would be different. Are you flying or driving?

Driving.

 

[DaveNV]

If you have specific areas you want to see that require riding a shuttle, and you don't want to ride the shuttle, that sort of answers things, I think. You could just go, and make the most of it, if you don't think it'd be convenient to visit at another time.

If that isn't a problem, I'd suggest booking at a later time, maybe post-Covid, where closer contact with others wouldn't be such a potential problem. The Canyon isn't going anywhere. I first saw it in 1974, and most recently saw it last year. It looked about the same.

I'll offer a different option: During one of your Southern Utah trips, arrange to visit the North Rim. It's at a higher elevation, has substantially more dramatic views (especially at sunrise), and has only a fraction of the crowds. It's pretty spectacular, and is a better experience than the South Rim.

Dave

 

[heathpack]

If you have specific areas you want to see that require riding a shuttle, and you don't want to ride the shuttle, that sort of answers things, I think. You could just go, and make the most of it, if you don't think it'd be convenient to visit at another time.

If that isn't a problem, I'd suggest booking at a later time, maybe post-Covid, where closer contact with others wouldn't be such a potential problem. The Canyon isn't going anywhere. I first saw it in 1974, and most recently saw it last year. It looked about the same.

I'll offer a different option: During one of your Southern Utah trips, arrange to visit the North Rim. It's at a higher elevation, has substantially more dramatic views (especially at sunrise), and has only a fraction of the crowds. It's pretty spectacular, and is a better experience than the South Rim.

Dave

I really want to do a guided camping MTB trip on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We just did a similar trip through Canyonlands NP and the outfitter we went out with also does North Rim trips. Technically they are on forest service land (because mountain biking is prohibited on NP trails) but you ride right along the rim.

I guess it might be preferable to do the guided North Rim trip next summer, and then to maybe do the two day mule pack trip down to Phantom Ranch next fall, if COVID is under control. Husband doesn’t love mules but he loves them more than hiking! We could see magnificent stuff while sparing his knees.

Im not really sure what we want to see in the Grand Canyon. I went to the NPS website to read about current visits in the COVID era. That’s where I read about needing to take the shuttle out to Hermits Rest. I don’t even honestly know what there is to see at Hermits Rest, or how badly we should want to go there. But from the emphasis on this part of the park on the NPS website, it sounds like a major place to visit in the park.

 

[DaveNV]

My experience at the South Rim is that the views, while pretty incredible, are kind of interchangeable. Once you've compared the views from the North Rim, you may feel the same. Hermit's Rest does seem to be a destination, but once you get there, is there anything to see that can't be seen from another part of the area? I don't know if I've been there.

Dave

 

[amycurl]

The best way to see the canyon, and really experience it, is by water. We rafted down, and then hiked up the south rim, but you can raft the whole way through. (Judge Wapner and his wife rafted the whole way; they weren't up for the hike up.)

And, yes, the canyon will still be there. As a Yelp review made famous:

 

[PamMo]

We went to the Grand Canyon after spending Thanksgiving in Sedona two years ago. It was magical. There weren’t any crowds, and we felt like we had the park to ourselves early in the morning, and loved the stars over the canyon on our evening walks. The shuttle wasn’t even an option after Thanksgiving, so we were free to wander all over. Hermit’s Rest was interesting, but not a must see.

 

[echino]

We hiked with kids to the bottom on the South Kaibab Trail and back up on the Bright Angel Trail, all as a day trip from Hyatt in Sedona. It's doable, but it's better to break it into two days, with overnight either at Phantom Ranch, or just camping.

 

[heathpack]

We went to the Grand Canyon after spending Thanksgiving in Sedona two years ago. It was magical. There weren’t any crowds, and we felt like we had the park to ourselves early in the morning, and loved the stars over the canyon on our evening walks. The shuttle wasn’t even an option after Thanksgiving, so we were free to wander all over. Hermit’s Rest was interesting, but not a must see.

How many nights did you stay (if any)?

 

[sue1947]

The Grand Canyon is an easy day trip from Sedona. The weather around Thanksgiving can go either way. If a cold front comes down, it can be VERY cold. The cold tends to come down to the Mogollon Rim (Flagstaff is on top of it and Sedona is below) and then stop. So it can be nice and warm in Sedona and freezing cold/blizzard conditions at the GC. I've been there multiple times around Thanksgiving and have had both ends of the spectrum. If it's cold, the tourists will disappear. Add in some snow on top and it can be magical but you have to be prepared with proper clothes. As an example, last year, the last week of Nov ranged from high temps from 53 down to 28 (high) and the lows were 18 to 7 below zero. Add in the wind and you will want good gloves, hats, coats etc.
For your situation with a husband with bad knees, spend your day on the Rim. There is a trail that follows it all the way out to Hermits Rest. Hermit's Rest is just the end of the road along the rim. It got too crowded so they put in the shuttle bus. The bus is great for hiking part and shuttling back. One year, I hiked the rim and met up with a Ranger doing talks at every other stop. The views aren't that different along the way; it's all pretty nifty so you could just park and walk the rim trail as far as you want. I've hiked down into the Canyon from Hermits Rest and it was nice and less crowded because it was further away. Scenery wise; not that much different from the area near the lodges.
However, the National Parks are absolutely packed this year, at least the ones here are and I imagine the GC is the same. Riding the bus with the restrictions in place where they are more likely to enforce masks might actually be better than staying close to the lodges.
North Rim: the lodge closes roughly Oct 15 give or take. That's a nice time to be there with the aspens turning color. The road stays open as long as the snow allows. It can be a wonderful trip after the lodge closes down if the weather allows. We did a day trip from St George a couple of times including one year at Thanksgiving, though that was unusually late for the road to be open. It's a long drive but doable.

If it were me, I'd cancel the stay at the GC and do it as a day trip from Sedona based on the weather. You can check the webcams to see how crowded it is and adjust your schedule as needed. I think this year is the one to inject as much flexibility into your schedule as possible.
Sue

 

[DaveNV]

Great suggestions ^^^

Dave

 

[heathpack]

@sue1947, I was just at Arches NP. On a Monday. Trails were packed. Lots of people wearing masks, most when in proximity to others (approaching each other on a trail), but many without masks too So many people were incapable of making space for others. My friend and I would hike side by side maskless when we weren’t near others, but move to single file and mask up when we’d approach others on the trail. But maybe only 50% of other parties did the same- so youd have a group of 3-4 hiking side by side, inevitably maskless, taking up 95% of the trail width. I understand the science and the risk, and I wasn’t freaking out that I’d get Covid. But I was annoyed by the self absorption and lack of consideration to the extent that I didn’t enjoy the hiking as much.

We also had been told by a friend to hike out to Delicate Arch, so we did. It was a zoo. People formed a line to take a picture of themselves standing in the Arch. One lady yelled at us for walking past the front of the line to actually experience looking at the Arch from a closer vantage point. You know- actually experiencing it, not Instagramming it. It was unimaginable to some folks that we weren’t there for the photo op.

When we left Arches around 2pm, there was a line of maybe 100 cars waiting to enter the park, which was already mostly full based on available trailhead parking.

Ugh. I have visions of the Grand Canyon being exactly like that. We have visited Yosemite during COVID (capacity controlled, plus we went at dawn most days) and the experience was mostly good. Ditto for Kings Canyon/Sequoia and Bryce. But there’s no capacity controls at the Grand Canyon, and it’s such a “big ticket” park that I think you might be right- cancel and if there’s a cold day, do a day trip from Sedona. The only other time I visited was a day trip from Sedona, and it made me want to spend a little more time there. Perhaps now is not the time for that however.

 

[babysteps]

November 2019 just before Thanksgiving we were in Sedona and couldn't confirm last minute reservations for a overnight at GC.

We got up early and drove up knowing it might be a long day trip (spouse had never been to GC and we are early risers).

It wasn't crowded at all, weather was fine, and we got a walk-up room at the South Rim.

Ymmv. If Hermits Rest is your must see and you have no good way to get there that you are comfortable with, your decision might be quite different from ours and perfect for you

 

[heathpack]

November 2019 just before Thanksgiving we were in Sedona and couldn't confirm last minute reservations for a overnight at GC.

We got up early and drove up knowing it might be a long day trip (spouse had never been to GC and we are early risers).

It wasn't crowded at all, weather was fine, and we got a walk-up room at the South Rim.

Ymmv. If Hermits Rest is your must see and you have no good way to get there that you are comfortable with, your decision might be quite different from ours and perfect for you

As I mentioned upthread, Hermits Rest is not necessarily a must see for us. However we’d have 2 full days in the park without doing big below-the-rim hikes. So we’d be wanting to fill a significant amount of time.

I think also in COVID, we are only somewhat able to rely on historical travel patterns in the National Parks. See my comments above about visiting Arches NP on a Monday.

 

[DaveNV]

Your experience at Arches NP is pretty much how I think it's been for awhile. My last visit there was three years ago, and my experience was exactly the same as yours - people lining up to take a picture of something, and giving a hard time to others who got in their way. Inconsideration and "I was here first" seemed to be the order of the day. The long line of cars to get in were daily occurrences during the four days we were in the area. To make matters worse, they were doing road construction in the Park, and access hours were limited - nobody in before 8:00AM or after 6:00PM. Made me glad I'd been there several times before. We had a much better time visiting Canyonlands NP.

With Covid limiting travel to other areas, I'd expect Grand Canyon NP to be packed as long as the weather holds out. As I suggested, you may want to consider visiting GC post-Covid. It would still be crowded, but perhaps not *as* crowded.

Dave

 

[folgema]

I don't know about the crowds, I am thinking MAYBE by November they will be lighter-based on time of year, kids in school, etc. I've been a couple of times, but it has been over 15 years - we hiked down to Phantom Ranch and spent two nights. I've wanted to do it again ever since. Although even 15 years ago, my relatively young 45 year old knees were NOT happy with me on the way down. Personally, even without hiking, I feel there is plenty to do at the rim. I love ranger programs (if they are still having them), there is a lot to learn, and the joy of just sitting and being quiet at the rim.

 

[ruhskis9713]

We’re heading to Sedona over Thanksgiving. Specifically Monday Nov 16 until Fri Nov 27.

I added a few days at the Grand Canyon (South Rim) but am thinking of cancelling. Our Grand Canyon days are Fri Nov 13 through Mon Nov 16.

I‘m thinking of cancelling for a few reasons: 1. Will it be too annoying during COVID? As in: we want to keep our distance from others but not everyone else feels that way and it may be hard to stay away from others on trails, especially below-the-rim trails. 2. The only option to get to Hermits Rest when we would be there is to ride the shuttle or a bike. I really don’t want to ride the shuttle. I’m fine with riding a bike but husband is not much of a cyclist. He doesn’t own a bike but we could rent one for him. 3. Husband has bad knees, so his interest in steep hikes is low. Any below-the-rim hikes would need to be relatively short, and out-and-backs. 4. We reserved the Bucky ONeil Cabin at Bright Angel Lodge, and it’s expensive. Maybe we’d be better off visiting another time when we could maybe do the two day trip down to Phantom Ranch (similar cost as to our Bucky ONeil accommodation).

Both husband and I have only been to the Grand Canyon on short day trips previously. We are fine with getting up and out super early (ie at dawn), which does avoid a lot of the crowds at National Parks. And of course we’d be right on the rim, zero drive time to get out in the quiet parts of the day. We could afford to do both this trip and the mule trip next year, if we wanted, so it’s not exactly the cost that’s deterring me. It’s more a combo of feeling like it has the potential to be expensive and annoying.

So I’m looking for opinions/advice from Grand Canyon pros. Should we just go, and make the best of it? Or visit another time?

We were just there on a day trip from Sedona on Sept 16 . Here's some advice: If you're driving there from the north, be aware that the entrance from Cameron is closed and that the highway through Kayenta and Tuba City has very few rest stops or food, especially on Sunday when everything is closed. You can pump gas outside, but restrooms are closed and the only place we could find food was in Tuba City where on 5 people were allowing in at a time after temperature checks. Take Hwy 180 up from Flagstaff rather than HWY 64 from Williams--lots of construction and delays on that road. At the Canyon, in mid-Sept. there were long lines for take-out food at Bright Angel and a food truck in front of the El Tovar lodge. The only open restaurant was indoors at El Tovar with long waits and only indoor seating. That said, we had time for nice easy hikes and the paths weren't so crowded that you couldn't practice social distancing. We didn't take any trails down into the canyon, so can't report on that. We didn't get COVID, so it was worth spending a day there!

 

[PamMo]

How many nights did you stay (if any)?

We only stayed two nights. It was cold, but we prefer that over hot weather. Early mornings and nights in the canyon with no crowds were wonderful. With Covid, who knows?

 

[easyrider]

We are planning on riding the e bikes on the South Rim if the weather is good on our upcoming Sedona trip. Someone on you tube recently reported that tourist traffic is way down at Grand Canyon and that they rode their bikes to Hermits Rest. If the weather isn't good we might head to Phoenix Mountain Preserve area after Sedona.

Bill

 

[babysteps]

I think also in COVID, we are only somewhat able to rely on historical travel patterns in the National Parks

Very true. Historically November is much less crowded than October...is there a source for daily or weekly attendance #s? Or a webcam you could monitor? By the end of October, as the weather cools, we might well have a better idea about whether November visit numbers will follow typical seasonality or not.

Enjoy your travels, wherever they take you! Planning can be (at least) half the fun