Road trip to Grand Canyon suggestions

Greetings,

We plan to visit Grand Canyon during the week of ThanksGiving.
We are flying from Atlanta.
But we would like to drive through the desert (have heard it is a
pretty good drive).

I am not familiar at all with the south west and would like some
suggestions on the drive.
I have heard Phoenix to GC is good, so is San Antonio, TX to GC
(sounds a bit long to me).

What other points are there that we can start our road trip from?
We want to do a long drive, but not be on the road the whole time.

We will have the entire week of ThanksGiving, plus the weekend before.

Thanks for any help.

WebCrawler wrote:
Greetings,

We plan to visit Grand Canyon during the week of ThanksGiving.
We are flying from Atlanta.
But we would like to drive through the desert (have heard it is a
pretty good drive).

I am not familiar at all with the south west and would like some
suggestions on the drive.
I have heard Phoenix to GC is good, so is San Antonio, TX to GC
(sounds a bit long to me).

What other points are there that we can start our road trip from?
We want to do a long drive, but not be on the road the whole time.

We will have the entire week of ThanksGiving, plus the weekend before.

Thanks for any help.
Greetings,

i would suggest a loop trip: Las Vegas, Zion NP, Bryce Canyon NP
and the Grand Canyon, in some order.

Been there, could spend a lot of time in/around this area.

Jan Jongejan
Dept. Comp.Sci.,
Univ. of Groningen,
Netherlands.
email:

Be prepared for some weather that time of year. We often get our
first "winter" storm during the week of Thanksgiving. High country
like the Grand Canyon may get snow. This does not have to stop you.
snow at GC can make a beautiful sight. Just be prepared for some cold
temperatures and be sure you are able to drive in snow. Also be
prepared to be able change your plans as the area around the canyon
can be closed if too much snow falls. The north rim will be closed at
that time of year.
Phoenix to GC is a pretty good trip in terms of scenery. It will take
about 5-6 hours. I know the natural beauty is sometihng to behold,
but I suggest you stop at the I-Max at Tusayan. It will only take 45
minutes or so and the film is very well done. You may want to check
out Bryce, Zion and Sedona. A jeep ride in the redrocks can be really
beautiful too. If you do get that far south, you may like our dinner
and show. Check out www.blazinm.com if you think you might enjoy
cowboy food and music.
I don't care for the scenery between Las Vegas and Grand Canyon. It
is rather flat, high desert with lots of cedars.

Good luck.

On 29 Sep 2003 07:45:46 -0700, (WebCrawler)
wrote:

Greetings,

We plan to visit Grand Canyon during the week of ThanksGiving.
We are flying from Atlanta.
But we would like to drive through the desert (have heard it is a
pretty good drive).

I am not familiar at all with the south west and would like some
suggestions on the drive.
I have heard Phoenix to GC is good, so is San Antonio, TX to GC
(sounds a bit long to me).

What other points are there that we can start our road trip from?
We want to do a long drive, but not be on the road the whole time.

We will have the entire week of ThanksGiving, plus the weekend before.

Thanks for any help.

Having driven from Houston to Phoenix often I cannot imagine using San
Antonio as a base for GC. It would be 1.5 very long days. I realize
that you have a fair amount of time but suggest that Phoenix or Las
Vegas are the reasonable connections. If you have extra time explore
southern Arizona. FFM

WebCrawler wrote:
Greetings,

We plan to visit Grand Canyon during the week of ThanksGiving.
We are flying from Atlanta.
But we would like to drive through the desert (have heard it is a
pretty good drive).

I am not familiar at all with the south west and would like some
suggestions on the drive.
I have heard Phoenix to GC is good, so is San Antonio, TX to GC
(sounds a bit long to me).

What other points are there that we can start our road trip from?
We want to do a long drive, but not be on the road the whole time.

We will have the entire week of ThanksGiving, plus the weekend before.

Thanks for any help.

If you begin trip in PHX you can visit Sedona, Grand Canyon, Monument
VAlley, Canyon de CHelly and Petrified Forest in one week without
pushing it. If you start in Las Vegas in one week you could visit
Zion NP, Bryce NP. Monument VAley and Gr. Canyon (South RIm) before
retuning to LV. North Rim will be closed at that time

Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions.
Is it true that the north rim will definetely be closed around the
ThanksGiving week?
Or does it depend on weather?

Since this is our first trip, we want to see all the views in the park
(we will probably not be able to come back any time soon).

If it is certain to be closed, then we will make other plans.

Thanks again.

(Rqf) wrote in message . com...
If you begin trip in PHX you can visit Sedona, Grand Canyon, Monument
VAlley, Canyon de CHelly and Petrified Forest in one week without
pushing it. If you start in Las Vegas in one week you could visit
Zion NP, Bryce NP. Monument VAley and Gr. Canyon (South RIm) before
retuning to LV. North Rim will be closed at that time

WebCrawler wrote:
Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions.
Is it true that the north rim will definetely be closed around the
ThanksGiving week?
Or does it depend on weather?

It depends on the weather, however, the North Rim can close in early to mid
October. By November 1 it is definitely closed, unless you cross country
ski in.

Julie
--
Julie
Check out my Travel Pages (non-commercial) at
http://www.dragonsholm.org/travel.htm

"WebCrawler" wrote in message
om...
Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions.
Is it true that the north rim will definetely be closed around the
ThanksGiving week?

Yes

Or does it depend on weather?


To a degree, the park facilities close around mid October
but the area remains open for day use after that BUT
the road from Jacob Lake is NOT kept open by ploughing
and is likely to be cut at any time with little or no notice.

If you are happy to risk being caught 40+ miles from
the nearest road you could risk it but I'd check your
life insurance first

Keith

Is it true that the north rim will definetely be closed
Since this is our first trip, we want to see all the views
in the park

Even if the north rim is closed, the south rim is open year round.

Are you saying you want to visit *both* the south and north
rims in the same trip? That's fine, but even if you can't visit the
north rim you'd definitely want to visit the south one anyway. It
offers spectacular views and shouldn't be missed if you're in the
area.

James

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On 30 Sep 2003 07:35:24 -0700, (WebCrawler)
wrote:

Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions.
Is it true that the north rim will definetely be closed around the
ThanksGiving week?
Or does it depend on weather?


It depends on the weather. Highway 67 south from Jacob Lake isn't
plowed during winter, but they don't actually close it at any
predetermined date. In many recent years, I have driven in around
Thanksgiving -- although that is just a tad risky.

The Kaibab National Forest Visitor's Center at Jacob Lake stays open
until late November, so check there on the road conditions and weather
forecast if you are thinking about driving south toward the National
Park. The Forest remains open all winter and there is dispersed
camping available. There are many access roads farther west.

The campground at the North Rim stays open all winter (and free) but
there will probably be no water or other services available south of
Jacob Lake (officially the Park shut-down date this year is October
14th) until the melt-out in Spring. The Park does maintain a skeleton
staff at the North Rim all winter (they use snowmobiles to get in and
out) but a surprise storm will likely strand your vehicle in there for
a very long time.

It takes a lot longer to get to the North Rim than the South Rim from,
say, Phoenix. I drove it last week: It took two hours to Flagstaff,
and three more to Jacob Lake. Add another hour to the North Rim.
The South Rim is much faster from Phoenix -- around three hours in
good weather and road conditions (excluding stops).


Caveat