Grand Canyon West Rim

Hi,

I will be in Las vegas for my honey moon.
We plan to visit the Grand Canyon.

We have found a ranch on the west rim to sleep in a teepee. (grand canyon
west ranch)
I plan to drive to the Hualapai indian nation. There is an airport and we
can get an helicopter to fly over the grand canyon.

unfortunately, i have seen on several web site, that the road is very
dangerous.
The last 21 miles!!

Actually I am not sure if they are speacking of the same thing.
What exactly is the "west rim"?
When I visit some website, most of the time they are only speacking about
South Rim and North Rim.
Sometimes about West Rim in the South Rim!!
And sometimes about the West Rim!

For what I understood, west rim is where we can find the hualapai indian
nation. It's close to las vegas.
The North and the south rim are both very far.

- is the road so dangerous?
- did you already go there? is it easy to go there?

I will appreciate your advice.

Rod

What exactly is the "west rim"?
When I visit some website, most of the time they are only speacking
about South Rim and North Rim.

The main tourist centers are at the south rim (year round) and the
north rim (late May thru October). The "west rim" is a bit of a scam
cooked up by the Indian tribes living there in an effort to bring in
some tourist dollars. The views are not as open nor as varied as the
views from the north and south, which have many overlooks showing
different sections of the canyon. I would suggest you pass on the west
rim ...

Sometimes about West Rim in the South Rim!!

From the south rim, not far from the train station and most of the rim
hotels, there's a paved 7-8 mile road out to Hermit's Rest which is
called the "West Rim Drive". It's closed to personal vehicles between
April and January but accessible by free shuttle bus.

This is totally different from the "west rim" offered by the Hualapai
Indians.

I will be in Las vegas for my honey moon...
For what I understood, west rim is where we can find the
hualapai indian nation. It's close to las vegas. The North
and the south rim are both very far.

I haven't been to the Hualapai area myself, but it seems like I've
heard it isn't as good a place to visit as the north or south rims.

The south rim is where most tourists go. It's got numerous dramatic
overlooks, hiking trails into the canyon, and in the Grand Canyon
Village are numerous hotels and restaurants right by the edge of the
canyon. I agree that it is a longer drive from Vegas (about 5-1/2
hours each way last time I drove it), but if you get an early start
(like 7 am) you'll be there for lunch. It's possible to do it as a day
trip, but it's much much better to spend the night in the Canyon area
and return to vegas the next day.

If you're thinking of taking a helicopter tour, I believe it's
possible to board a helicopter right in Vegas that will take you to the
Canyon for a tour and then return to Vegas later that same day. I
imagine it's not cheap, but you might want to look into what's
available.

Have a great honeymoon!

Jim

wrote:

I will be in Las vegas for my honey moon...
For what I understood, west rim is where we can find the
hualapai indian nation. It's close to las vegas. The North
and the south rim are both very far.

I haven't been to the Hualapai area myself, but it seems like I've
heard it isn't as good a place to visit as the north or south rims...


We have been to on the Hualapai places that are quite nice (Supai area
Mooney Falls, etc.), but it is a long backpack (or horseback ride) to
those places -- not for the average tourist or anyone requiring
tourist amenities. There is no road to Supai.

The Grand Canyon West Ranch that the OP asked about is not on the
Hualapai Nation, at Grand Canyon National Park, near the Colorado
River, nor anywhere near the sights that tourists from all over the
world come to see. The map they post on their website is very
misleading and ignore the fact that they are actually south of Lake
Mead.


Caveat

Hi,

thanks you all for your answers.

Actually I have decided to cancel my reservation on the ranch.
This is because they don't want to rent me a car if I drive on an unpaved
road.

And I realized, with all the messages ont his forum, that the west rim is
poor in views. (even if most of the tour are on the west rim!!)

I will book a tour on the south rim (plane+bus) in one day (all hotels are
already booked):
http://www.grandcanyontourcompany.com/airsouth.html

Less stress, more beautiful views.

Thanks you again for your answers.

Rod
And

Rod,

Where are you looking for rooms, and what dates?

If you are looking inside the Grand Canyon National Park, you are probably
right. HOwever, Hotels in Tusayan, the town outside the park (1 mile) may
still have openings.

The Canyon is best seen at sunrise and sunset; overnight is really desirable.

You can find out more at this web site:

www.kaibab.org

Julie

WebRod wrote:
Hi,

thanks you all for your answers.

Actually I have decided to cancel my reservation on the ranch.
This is because they don't want to rent me a car if I drive on an unpaved
road.

And I realized, with all the messages ont his forum, that the west rim is
poor in views. (even if most of the tour are on the west rim!!)

I will book a tour on the south rim (plane+bus) in one day (all hotels are
already booked):
http://www.grandcanyontourcompany.com/airsouth.html

Less stress, more beautiful views.

Thanks you again for your answers.

Rod
And



--
Julie
**********
Check out the blog of my 9 week Germany adventure at www.blurty.com/users/jholm
Check out my Travel Pages (non-commercial) at
http://www.dragonsholm.org/travel.htm

I think you are having some confusion with the "rim" designation. When
visiting the GC almost all visitors will pass through the South entrance
(South Rim) or north of the river, obviously the North Rim. Most tourists
visit the South Rim. It sounds like this is where you will be.

That portion of the Colorado River that carves the GC in this part of the
park runs east-west . This schism is what creates the canyon, dividing it
between the area north of the river, and the area south of the river. If
this portion of the park had a "west rim", and presumably an "east rim", the
place would be called the Grand Bowl not Canyon. When you pass through the
visitor center either South, or North forget about any notion of the West
Rim. Please get that out of your head. When I use large caps for
North and South, I am referring to visitor entrances. When I use small caps
(west not West) it has no entrance. I'm using small caps for directional
purposes only.

Now here comes the real confusion. You say the heck with the west rim ,
you're going to the South Rim as if you are choosing one over the other. The
good news is that what you're talking about is probably ONE and the SAME.
Lets say you are driving to the South Rim. You get to the rim, and there's
the Big Ditch. Now you want to see all the spectacular views. At this point
you can only go left on the road, or right (or plunge in oblivion). If you
go left on the road you are traveling west. Hence, it is call the west rim
drive. You are west bound on the South Rim of the park. When you read about
some of the famous views, many of these views are on the west rim ROAD of
the South Rim. The west rim drive at this time of year is closed to all
personal cars. You must use the free shuttle service provided in the park.

You can also turn right (from the main road into the park). In that case you
are on east rim drive of the South Rim. There IS an east side entrance on
this road. You are not at an East Rim however, but rather at the eastern
entrance of the South Rim. This one way road has spectacular views too. West
views, west rims, east views, east rims, or whatever, you are STILL ON the
South Rim.

If all this seems confusing, think of a marble at the bottom of a circle
(south). To move this marble you must go east or west.

When you see sites referring to the West Rim, it is likely that it refers to
a road of the South Rim, or a special tribal site in the park. Or perhaps
some special marketing device when some tour service does not take you to
the main entrances. I believe the GC covers a couple of hundred square
miles. You can go from Las Vegas to
the park boundary, and still be a 100 miles from the views you are looking
for. "I thought we were going to the GC"?
Tour Guide: We ARE there! YOU: "Well where is Grand View Point?" TG: "Look
buddy you only paid to go to the "WEST RIM, we can avoid all the tourist
here, and save energy costs. " You see, West Rim could simply be hop, skip,
and a jump from Vegas, and not at all what you expected, I don't know. Be
careful where you are going.

As far as you are concerned, and all the tourist data you are likely reading
it is the North Rim, or the South Rim.
Do this first, and once you are familiar with the park, you can fine tune it
for special sites. If you go to the South Rim go ahead and rent the car.
Good luck, dude.


"WebRod" wrote in message
...
Hi,

thanks you all for your answers.

Actually I have decided to cancel my reservation on the ranch.
This is because they don't want to rent me a car if I drive on an unpaved
road.

And I realized, with all the messages ont his forum, that the west rim is
poor in views. (even if most of the tour are on the west rim!!)

I will book a tour on the south rim (plane+bus) in one day (all hotels are
already booked):
http://www.grandcanyontourcompany.com/airsouth.html

Less stress, more beautiful views.

Thanks you again for your answers.

Rod
And

"Delbert Stanley" wrote:

I think you are having some confusion with the "rim" designation. When
visiting the GC almost all visitors will pass through the South entrance
(South Rim) or north of the river, obviously the North Rim. Most tourists
visit the South Rim...

True so far. Your sincere attempt to clarify the picture of the Grand
Canyon area for the OP is probably appreciated, but allow me to add
some additional clarifications for everyone here who might want a
bigger view of the area (including the OP, who appears to be European
and many miss some of our American English subtleties). This is not a
flame; just trying to help out with some additional information.

That portion of the Colorado River that carves the GC in this part of the
park runs east-west . This schism is what creates the canyon, dividing it
between the area north of the river, and the area south of the river.

Along the Colorado River, Grand Canyon National Park runs from the
Navajo Bridge on Hwy 89A at the head of Marble Canyon to a point above
Pearce Ferry at the upper end of Lake Mead. Over this course, it flows
in many different directions -- not just east and west.

If this portion of the park had a "west rim", and presumably an "east rim", the
place would be called the Grand Bowl not Canyon.

Interesting name suggestion, but there is in fact an East Rim at the
Grand Canyon (which is larger than just the Park area) . It runs south
to north from Point Imperial east of Hwy. 67 to near Jacob Lake, and
overlooks Marble Canyon and House Rock Valley. Most of the Grand
Canyon rims east and south of the Colorado River is on tribal land
(Navajo, Hualapai, and Havasupai) but it is still part of the Grand
Canyon, geographically. And they have outstanding Canyon views.

When you pass through the
visitor center either South, or North forget about any notion of the West
Rim... You say the heck with the west rim ,
you're going to the South Rim as if you are choosing one over the other. The
good news is that what you're talking about is probably ONE and the SAME.

Actually, they are not. The OP was specifically asking about the Grand
Canyon West Ranch -- which is a real place (at least in name, if not
geography) just outside the southwestern end of Grand Canyon National
Park. It is seven miles west of the Hualapai Nation border, and along
the same road (Diamond Bar Ranch Road) that leads to the Hualapai's
Grand Canyon West development. We may quibble with the name, but
that's the name of what's there -- and it is a very long way from the
GCNP South Rim area.

http://www.grandcanyonranch.com/ranch_location.htm

Lets say you are driving to the South Rim. You get to the rim, and there's
the Big Ditch. Now you want to see all the spectacular views. At this point
you can only go left on the road, or right (or plunge in oblivion). If you
go left on the road you are traveling west. Hence, it is call the west rim
drive. You are west bound on the South Rim of the park. When you read about
some of the famous views, many of these views are on the west rim ROAD of
the South Rim. The west rim drive at this time of year is closed to all
personal cars. You must use the free shuttle service provided in the park.

You can also turn right (from the main road into the park). In that case you
are on east rim drive of the South Rim. There IS an east side entrance on
this road. You are not at an East Rim however, but rather at the eastern
entrance of the South Rim. This one way road has spectacular views too. West
views, west rims, east views, east rims, or whatever, you are STILL ON the
South Rim.

All true.

When you see sites referring to the West Rim, it is likely that it refers to
a road of the South Rim, or a special tribal site in the park.

Grand Canyon West Ranch is neither in the Park, nor on tribal lands.
And the Hualapai Grand Canyon West is not in the GCNP either.

Or perhaps
some special marketing device when some tour service does not take you to
the main entrances.

Bingo -- exactly correct.

I believe the GC covers a couple of hundred square
miles.

Off by about an order of magnitude times two. Try 1,215,735 acres --
appx. 1900 square miles by my reckoning. It's a very big place.

You can go from Las Vegas to
the park boundary, and still be a 100 miles from the views you are looking
for. "I thought we were going to the GC"?
Tour Guide: We ARE there! YOU: "Well where is Grand View Point?" TG: "Look
buddy you only paid to go to the "WEST RIM, we can avoid all the tourist
here, and save energy costs. " You see, West Rim could simply be hop, skip,
and a jump from Vegas, and not at all what you expected, I don't know. Be
careful where you are going...

This is the scenario that the OP almost walked into. But he has
cancelled those plans and is now apparently headed for the Grand
Canyon that you describe.

HTH,


Caveat

Visit

www.nps.gov/grca/grandcanyon/

www.thecanyon.com/

www.grand.canyon.national-park.com/

www.kaibab.org/

www.americansouthwest.net/ arizona/grand_canyon/national_park.html

www.grandcanyon.com/

www.grandcanyonlodges.com/

Nisarg