"Grand Canyon North Rim: opening dates??

Hi

As stated in a previous post in this NG, my wife and I are planning a
trip (from England) to the GC North Rim NEXT Spring. We want to stay
at the lodge, which I am assuming needs a reservation making as far
ahead as possible. We are definitely going (May 2008) so I am
thinking of booking the lodge as soon as I possibly can - which I am
assuming means as soon as possible after 1st May this year to be
fairly sure of rooms being available.

However, all the info I can find on the WWW merely states that the
North Rim opens mid-May every year. What exactly do they mean by
mid-May?? For example, does it usually open on the nearest weekend to
mid-May or - like this year - does it always open exactly on the 15th
May whatever day that happens to be? I could do with knowing so I can
decide our exact dates before I access the booking website.

We have actually visited the North rim before - in the Fall - but
brought our tent and stayed at the campground on that occasion; this
time we have decided on a touch of luxury.

Regards
KGB

In article ,
KGB wrote:

As stated in a previous post in this NG, my wife and I are planning a
trip (from England) to the GC North Rim NEXT Spring. We want to stay
at the lodge, which I am assuming needs a reservation making as far
ahead as possible. We are definitely going (May 2008) so I am
thinking of booking the lodge as soon as I possibly can - which I am
assuming means as soon as possible after 1st May this year to be
fairly sure of rooms being available.

The Xanterra website says they accept reservations 13 months ahead,
so you should be able to call right now for May, 2008.

However, all the info I can find on the WWW merely states that the
North Rim opens mid-May every year. What exactly do they mean by
mid-May?? For example, does it usually open on the nearest weekend to
mid-May or - like this year - does it always open exactly on the 15th
May whatever day that happens to be? I could do with knowing so I can
decide our exact dates before I access the booking website.

I think this is one of those cases where you really need to talk to
the experts--i.e., the Xanterra folks. I'd say bite the bullet and
make the long-distance call. Or you could use their email address,
but considering that they're already in the booking window for next
May, a phone call would be the fastest way to find out what's happening.
The reservation office is open on weekends, so if I were you, I'd call
ASAP.

Patty

In article ,
Patty Winter wrote:

The Xanterra website says they accept reservations 13 months ahead,
so you should be able to call right now for May, 2008.

Sorry, I misread that. They open up reservations on the first of
each month for that entire month one year later. So they are
currently taking reservations for all of April, 2008. (It's a
bit confusing; they say they only operate mid-May through mid-
October, but the booking example they give refers to March.)

Anyway, I'd still recommend a quick call to them to find out
their likely opening date next year. Then you can call back
or hit their website in a few days (May 1) and book it.


Patty

On 28 Apr 2007 16:07:03 GMT, Patty Winter )
wrote:

SNIP

Anyway, I'd still recommend a quick call to them to find out
their likely opening date next year. Then you can call back
or hit their website in a few days (May 1) and book it.


Patty

Thanks Patty

However, my question is now somewhat irrelevant - Since posting my
query, "She who must be obeyed" has decreed what dates I am to book as
soon as reservations for next May opens!!!

My only concern is that her dates straddle Memorial Day, but when we
arrive and the place is absolutely heaving with people, at least I can
have the satisfaction of saying "I told you so"!!!!!! 8^)

Regards

KGB

"KGB (KGB)" wrote...

Hi

As stated in a previous post in this NG, my wife and I are planning a
trip (from England) to the GC North Rim NEXT Spring. We want to stay
at the lodge, which I am assuming needs a reservation making as far
ahead as possible. We are definitely going (May 2008) so I am
thinking of booking the lodge as soon as I possibly can - which I am
assuming means as soon as possible after 1st May this year to be
fairly sure of rooms being available.

However, all the info I can find on the WWW merely states that the
North Rim opens mid-May every year. What exactly do they mean by
mid-May?? For example, does it usually open on the nearest weekend to
mid-May or - like this year - does it always open exactly on the 15th
May whatever day that happens to be? I could do with knowing so I can
decide our exact dates before I access the booking website.

We have actually visited the North rim before - in the Fall - but
brought our tent and stayed at the campground on that occasion; this
time we have decided on a touch of luxury.

Regards
KGB

According to the local news, the North Rim (and highway) will officially
open May 15 this year.

In the event of a snowy or late winter, future years' openings could be
later that the 15th but for the most part, assuming a 15th opening is good
for an estimate. As others have said, should your plans require it to be
open by any date to keep from ruining your vacation, a call to Xanterra or
the Canyon NPS would be very handy. But given the potential for a late
winter big snow storm, I doubt that you can count on even their statements
of the Opening Date before late March of the given year.

Craig

In article ,
KGB wrote:

Thanks Patty

However, my question is now somewhat irrelevant - Since posting my
query, "She who must be obeyed" has decreed what dates I am to book as
soon as reservations for next May opens!!!

Ah, well, that settles that, then. :-)

My only concern is that her dates straddle Memorial Day, but when we
arrive and the place is absolutely heaving with people, at least I can
have the satisfaction of saying "I told you so"!!!!!! 8^)

Eeps, I hope she has a second choice of dates. Anything around
Memorial Day is going to be tough. Be at the keyboard (or the
phone) as soon as reservations open!


Patty

On 28 Apr 2007 20:39:52 GMT, Patty Winter )
wrote:

SNIP
My only concern is that her dates straddle Memorial Day, but when we
arrive and the place is absolutely heaving with people, at least I can
have the satisfaction of saying "I told you so"!!!!!! 8^)

Eeps, I hope she has a second choice of dates. Anything around
Memorial Day is going to be tough. Be at the keyboard (or the
phone) as soon as reservations open!

Hi

Quite!!

The last time we flew into the USA was through Dulles airport on
Labour Day 2005 - an experience I will never forget, I still have
nightmares; and I still do not know how we caught our connection, it
was a very, very, close call. At the airport, somebody made the
comment to me that Memorial day is usually worse.

In fact come to think of it, I don't know how they (BMi/United) even
found us a new connection (to LAX). We had been due to fly the day
before Labour Day, but due to a defect with the aircraft our flight
from England was delayed several hours meaning we missed the last
connecting flight (Thursday) to LAX so had to overnight near Dulles
and get the first available flight the next morning (Labour Day).

Regards

KGB

On 28 Apr 2007 20:39:52 GMT, Patty Winter )
wrote:

SNIP
Eeps, I hope she has a second choice of dates. Anything around
Memorial Day is going to be tough. Be at the keyboard (or the
phone) as soon as reservations open!


Patty


Hi Patty

I did just that; my fingers were poised over the keyboard a couple of
minutes to reservations opening - it is now confirmed (I wouldn't mind
betting I was first in the queue).

I also reserved a couple of days at Zion prior to arriving at the
North Rim.

Next task is to find a houseboat on Lake Powell for the next stop on
our trip!!! 8^)

Regards
KGB

In article ,
KGB wrote:
On 28 Apr 2007 20:39:52 GMT, Patty Winter )
wrote:

Be at the keyboard (or the
phone) as soon as reservations open!

Hi Patty

I did just that; my fingers were poised over the keyboard a couple of
minutes to reservations opening - it is now confirmed (I wouldn't mind
betting I was first in the queue).

Yay! I'm sure you'll enjoy the area. Some friends of mine and I spent
a week in Kanab a few Septembers ago, helping out at the Best Friends
Animal Sanctuary and touring the area. We got dinner reservations at
GC Lodge for one day, so we drove over midday and walked around for
a while first. We had a table just one row away from the windows, so
we had a nice view of the canyon as the sun set. The cabins looked
like they would be fun places to stay. (Or the main lodge, too.) The
whole area is very pretty; much more forested than the South Rim.
Let us know how it goes, 13 months from now. :-)

I also reserved a couple of days at Zion prior to arriving at the
North Rim.

We had lunch one day there, too. (We're eating our way through the
national park lodges. ;-)) Beautiful area. Two nights will give you
a full day to explore the canyon, which I'm sure was your plan.

Next task is to find a houseboat on Lake Powell for the next stop on
our trip!!! 8^)

I'm guessing there are lots of houseboats available, but I've never
done it myself.

Let us know how it goes, 13 months from now. :-)


Patty