Grand Canyon North Rim in August

Parent Cafe
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<p>We stayed in cabins at the North Rim and would do it again in a heartbeat even though I’m 16 years older. It’s hard to describe the sounds and smells on the edge of the rim. Just gorgeous. Two adjoining cabins would be best for three adults.</p>

<p>But you may not be able to get reservations this late in the game, unless North Rim tourism is really hurting. I would not plan a multi-day trip to the North Rim if you’re not staying in the park. The drive from Kanab is 2 hours.</p>

<p>Bryce and Zion are both gorgeous, and both have some accommodations nearby. Expect to have a bit of a hard time finding something, because it’s August.</p>

<p>There’s not much of a difference in temperature between the North and South Rims. You can stay out of the sun at midday. Early mornings and evenings are bliss in both places. And remember that it’s a dry heat, which is a heck of a lot better than humidity.</p>

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<p>I’m thinking of flying into Phoenix and seeing things along the way. Almost wish I could fly into Las Vegas and fly home via Phoenix. May be worth paying the extra rental car cost. Is it a lot more expensive to do this? Since Vegas to the South Rim is almost a day’s drive, might be worth starting up North, Vegas, then finishing up South, Phoenix. Or might do like another poster said, save the South Rim for another time.</p>

<p>As for cabins, I was actually able to get a Western cabin on a Tuesday in second week of August. It has two queen beds, so I guess we’ll be fine. Should I book another cabin, though, because of the cramped quarters? Don’t mind the expense, as we’re paying for the view and the convenience to the cabin. Son really hates driving, as do I, so if we can stay onsite, it will make a much more pleasant experience.</p>

<p>If we do the Vegas both ways, what things can we see on the way to the North Rim?</p>

<p>Keep in mind, we are all three heavy, out of shape, so anything involving hiking is out of the question. I’ve already asked about the helicopter rides, and husband says, No way.</p>

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<p>I think trying to do the north rim and south rim on the same trip is overkill and has too much redundancy - i.e. the views are relatively similar - you’re standing on the edge looking down into the canyon. They’re not identical views but are very similar. </p>

<p>From Las Vegas - fly into vegas, stay there and do some vegas things if you’re interested (see some shows, just look around some of the spectacular casinos, see some of the free stuff, etc.).</p>

<p>Take I-15 north towards Utah. As you near the borders of Nevada/Az/Utah, just past Mesquite, the freeway goes through the Virgin River Gorge. There are some pullout spots. Pull out of the freeway and get out of your car and view it.</p>

<p>Keep taking I-15 past St. George Utah to hwy 9 to Zion NP. Consider staying at the lodge in Zion if possible. Whether stopping there or not, do the drive through the park stopping at all the viewpoints to see the views. </p>

<p>From Zion, keep heading east on hwy 9, turning north on 89 then east on 12 to Bryce Canyon NP. Go see the views. It’s quite different from Zion or the GC. I’ve only stayed at the Best Western Rubys Inn here. It was a decent place to stay and at least used to be about the only place to stay.
<a href=“http://www.rubysinn.com/[/url]”>http://www.rubysinn.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>From Bryce Canyon NP head back south to the north rim of the GC. If you’re feeling adventurous and have a high clearance vehicle you can head there by way of Kodachrome Basin SP which has Grosvenor arch which is pretty cool. Much of this road is a dirt road but when I dorve it, it didn’t require 4wd and cars could handle it as long as it’s not raining/muddy. If you’d rather stick to the pavement, backtrack a bit down hwy 89 to the north rim.</p>

<p>If you have more time and the inclination you might want to head to Lake Powell by Page, Az on the way. You can just view it or if you want, you can rent houseboats here (it’d be great IMO but I’ve not done it).</p>

<p>There are other things to see and do depending on how much time you have and what you like to do.</p>

<p>You can do all of the above without hiking and many people do including wheelchair bound people. Some level of mobility makes it even better. You can check with the ranger station at the visitor centers to see what they suggest you do - sometimes even short flat walks of a couple of hundred yards can take you away from the pavement to some great viewpoints and feel a little closer ot the nature of it.</p>

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<p>My suggestion, for three adults, book another cabin if you can afford it. Two in a queen bed with an adult child in another bed 3 feet away can feel claustrophobic.</p>

<p>If you fly in or out of Vegas (and that would be what I recommend), look at the many jeep tour companies in Vegas who take you to nearby spots. Hoover Dam is on my bucket list. And houseboat on Lake Powell - also on that list.</p>

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<p>I don’t remember what the food was like in the lodge, but the view from the dining room was spectacular! You could see lightning strikes miles away–the conversations in the room would quiet down because everyone was watching.</p>

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<p>The best place we stayed during our entire 2+ week trip was near Bryce:</p>

<p>[Stone</a> Canyon Inn at Bryce Canyon National Park](<a href=“http://www.stonecanyoninn.com/cabins.html]Stone”>Accommodations | Stone Canyon Inn)</p>

<p>We rented a cabin and loved it. 2 bedrooms with a king in the master. Hottub on the deck. If I had the time and lived closer, I would consider renting one of these for a week to be a base camp to explore Bryce, Capitol Reef and the other parks in the area.</p>

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<p>There was no room in the inn when we visited the North Rim in May, but we had a tent and the park ranger told us where we could set it up. (Not a camp ground.) It was really nice, really deserted.</p>

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<p>I would like to see the Hoover Dam. Is that on the way from Vegas to the North Rim?</p>

<p>I don’t want to spend much time in Vegas. Husband is from Biloxi, where there are now a lot of casinos, and we can’t even walk near the places because of the smoke. Son is asthmatic, and I’m considering flying to Phoenix and taking the drive just to avoid Vegas, although son loves CSI and would probably love to see the scenery on the drive from Vegas to the North Rim. And I know he would love the Hoover Dam as well.</p>

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<p>If all you do is fly into LV, rent a car, and head out on your trip, you’re avoiding ‘Las Vegas’ as much as you would if you went into Phoenix. Hoover Dam’s close to LV so you should stop there as well. I haven’t been to Biloxi but my point about the casinos wasn’t to see the sea of slot machines and tables, but rather, see the volcano go off, see the pirate ship battle, the water jet display, etc. - i.e. the free attractions some of the casinos have to attract people to them. But if you’re not interested in that, just don’t head into town from the airport - there’s no need to. The airport’s at the south end of town, just outside of town, not in the middle of it.</p>

<p>You really need to get up close with Google maps to see the relative distances of all these places and to start to map out a route. I did one for you above but there are lots of variations depending on your desires and time.</p>

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<p>Thanks so much, uc dad. On my Seattle/Washington trip, I took advantage of my AAA membership and got TripTiks for all the places we wanted to see. Will do the same for this one as well.</p>

<p>Was wondering where the Vegas airport was in relation to the city. Is it closer to Hoover and Grand Canyon, or will we have to drive through the city of Las Vegas, though by way of interstate, I’m sure, to get to our destinations?</p>

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<p>The airport in LV is just south of ‘the strip’ where the big hotels are. To get to Hoover Dam you’d head southeast from the airport towards Boulder City - pretty much avoiding the casino area. To head towards Zion, Bryce, and the north rim of the GC you’d head north on I-15 (very close to the airport) and get stuck basically driving through the city of LV albeit on the freeway the whole way.</p>

<p>You could head to Hoover Dam first then use the highways along the north side of the lake to head towards I-15 north bypassing most of LV if that’s what you want. It’d be more scenic than the freeway through LV.</p>

<p>Another point to see not far from LV and on your way - the ‘Valley of Fire SP’ -
<a href=“http://parks.nv.gov/vf.htm[/url]”>http://parks.nv.gov/vf.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Just got some good news. I may be able to attend a seminar in late July in Vegas, and if son is finished his summer classes by then, may be able to combine business with pleasure.</p>

<p>So, hoping for some pointers on going to the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas.</p>

<p>The seminar will be held at Bally’s, so we may start the trip there, but hoping for some tips on places to stop on the way from Las Vegas to the North Rim, or even the South Rim.</p>

<p>Hoover Dam will probably be a stop on the way, so if I could get hotel recommendations for that area, that would be great!</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

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<p>Interesting thread. We are planning a trip and were wondering if North Rim is better or south rim? Never been to any rims.</p>

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<p>Let us know how your trip goes! I don’t know if we’ll make GC this year, but it’s a definite in the next couple of years before son graduates college and goes off on his own (I hope)!</p>