heading to the grand canyon any suggestions

[Fredia]

driving so we can take it slow and do what we want 
hitting phoenix flagstaff and sedona and of course the big hole
never been

[Bench]

Do the donkey ride-Bright Angel trail thing.  But you can't go wrong doing anything at the Grand Canyon.  It's one of those rare places that no matter how amazing people tell you it is, and how much you build it up in your mind, the real thing will absolutely blow you away. 

Canyon de Chelly is my favorite of the Anasazi sights.

[juliogotay]

driving so we can take it slow and do what we want 
hitting phoenix flagstaff and sedona and of course the big hole
never been

Have a good trip. Sedona is very pretty too. My family loved the jeep tour in Sedona. https://www.pinkjeeptours.com/

[Fredia]

thanks for taking time to answer and will be taking in a fall league game. kinda excited bout that too...

[JimR]

stay well away from the edge

[Fredia]

thank you, i shall consider that valuable advice   as usual

[juliogotay]

thank you, i shall consider that valuable advice   as usual

Who are you and what did you do with Fredia.?There isn't a misspelled word or syntax issue in this thread.

[Phil_in_CS]

stay well away from the edge

One thing I really liked about the Grand Canyon is that there aren't fences everywhere. My daughter from last year:
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f346/Phil_in_CS/IMG_1398_zpse643c988.jpg
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f346/Phil_in_CS/IMG_1430_zps6f4bddfe.jpg


There are signs in a couple places indicating the rocks can be slippery, and in others that people have in fact died there. Even if you aren't in good shape, much of the south rim visitor area is handicapped accessible, and just walking along the rim is amazing. I know you've seen thousands of pictures, but I promise you that the reality of seeing it is completely different. The magnitude is overwhelming.

We didn't take the mule ride on Bright Angel, but my daughter and I hiked it for most of a day. I would not recommend that unless you're in good shape physically. The south rim is at 7700 feet elevation, and Bright Angel drops sharply, so coming out you might do 1500 vertical feet, and all of that at over one mile elevation. We didn't have any issues, but we saw people who were not having fun on the hike back up.

They do not sell any bottled water or soft drinks, or even any in plastic cups as they don't want the litter. Get a camelback or similar, or at least some nalgenes with belt clips. The have free water stations for you to refill your water. It's very dry there, and you will dehydrate much quicker than you think you will.

The first day we were there we stayed in Wilson and took the train ride to the South Rim visitor center. That was fun, and we had about 4 hours to wander about and decide what to do the other two days. The other nights we stayed in some small town about 10 minutes away, and if you have a national parks service pass you can ride the shuttle buses from the hotel to the park and not have to worry about parking at the park.

[juliogotay]

I have in=laws that advocate the North Rim. Their claim is that it is more spectacular and less touristy. Not as convenient getting to from these parts, though.

[JimR]

great book entitled "Over the Edge."

[Craig]

Take some warm clothes because it may be colder than you expect. I went there in late April one year and it was snowy and cold as shit. It's also at a much higher elevation than you're used to, so be careful not to over-exert yourself.

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

Take some warm clothes because it may be colder than you expect. I went there in late April one year and it was snowy and cold as shit. It's also at a much higher elevation than you're used to, so be careful not to over-exert yourself.

Good point. I camped there once in late October, it got down in the twenties, with a light snow.

[Phil_in_CS]

Take some warm clothes because it may be colder than you expect. I went there in late April one year and it was snowy and cold as shit. It's also at a much higher elevation than you're used to, so be careful not to over-exert yourself.

Good point. We were there in July, and it was 90 and very dry. We thought the weather was awesome though people from northern areas (lots of Germans especially) were really suffering in it.  44 and sunny as of noon today (11/6) with an overnight low of 26.  http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/grand-canyon-az/86046/weather-forecast/2123834


Much of the north rim is closed during winter months as the roads are not up to the snow.  I don't know what "winter months" means (being a Texan) but I'm sure the park service has that listed. It's a long freaking drive from the north rim center to the south rim, since you have to go all the way around one end to get there. An all day trip, so you better check before you head out.

Also, I forget what it's called, but "the big glass thing you can walk on out over the canyon" is really far west from the south rim center - several hours drive up by the western end of the canyon. We'd thought about doing that, but didn't realize how massive the canyon is.

[Craig]

It's a long freaking drive from the north rim center to the south rim, since you have to go all the way around one end to get there. An all day trip, so you better check before you head out.

Yeah, it's amazing. I was there in 2001 to present a seminar to the non-profit that runs the visitor center bookstores. (I worked at a similar non-profit in Yellowstone, and we'd cross-train a lot with people at other national parks. So I got to visit a lot of national parks this way.)

I was having dinner with the executive director and her husband at that big hotel on the South Rim, with a giant picture window in the restaurant where you can look out over the canyon. It was sunset, so it was an incredible view. As it got darker, they pointed out a streetlight on the opposite side of the canyon. She said, "See that light over there? That's our store on the North Rim. You can see it from here, but it's more than a 200-mile drive, one-way, to get there."

[Dark Star]

We didn't take the mule ride on Bright Angel, but my daughter and I hiked it for most of a day. I would not recommend that unless you're in good shape physically. The south rim is at 7700 feet elevation, and Bright Angel drops sharply, so coming out you might do 1500 vertical feet, and all of that at over one mile elevation. We didn't have any issues, but we saw people who were not having fun on the hike back up.

This is especially true if you have lived at sea level for a long time.

If you cannot see the air, or feel the heft of it, it is going to be hard as hell to breathe, at least for a day or two.

[Fredia]

home exhaustred. more updates to come