<p>I rode the mules with my father when I was 12, and loved it, one of my top childhood memories, despite the sore butt. Probably because that was such a great experience, I hiked twice (a year apart) to Plateau Point and back in one day, also in the spring, when I was about 30, and I was indeed quite exhausted, but it was well worth it. Plateau Point provides one of the best views inside the canyon, with both rims and the river visible. Fabulous. :)</p>
<p>The day of the hike we were very sore; the next day, just a little sore. She had a three hour rehearsal that say that she said was “bad but not very bad.” By two days after (when the competition started) she said she was fine. She did not, however, compete her solo - the thought of that on tired legs was a bit much. The only one who had lingering pain was Husband, whose 50 year old knees carry about twice as much weight as D’s 16 year old knees.</p>
<p>This may have been the only trip the Pie family has ever taken that could in any way be described as an outdoor adventure. This summer, the guys are going to Vienna for a Hayden festival and the girls are going to New York for shows. D16 said, “I am never hiking again.” </p>
<p>After that…many many years of college tuition, so the great family vacations may be over (but we’ve had some terrific ones.)</p>
<p>Missypie; DH and I are going to the GC this summer, but haven’t really done any research on it yet. Do you suggest staying in motel/hotels outside the park? I think we may be too late to book much in the park - thinking of going in mid-June. Any suggestions? (Help! I haven’t done my due diligence and research!)</p>
<p>Congrats, missypie! Quite an accomplishment! I was on a plane & I guy I just met showed me some hiking pictures from his GC trip. It’s an achievement for a lot of people. Good for you!</p>
<p>Many people book a year in advance. But I think there have been more cancellations this year than usual. If I were you, I’d do this:
Pull up the GRand Canyon/Xanterra web site and look at the description of all the hotels
Call and see what hotels in the park are available for your times, looking them up on the website while you are on the phone
If any appeal to you, book - you can always cancel
Then research the hotels in Tusayan (Don’t go as far out of the park as Williams - that is a long drive on a road where you’re likley to get a ticket if you speed [plus we almost hit a deer in the dark on that road]).<br>
Compare the price and quality of the in park hotel and the out of park hotel.</p>
<p>El Tovar is the nicest by far. The Bright Angel cabins are adorable, but many are in highly trafficked areas (where you have a stream of tourists outside your door all day.) If there are only two of you, you’ll have a lot more options than we did.</p>
<p>Thanks for the report Missypie. Your family has had wonderful adventures I’ve followed on another travel site. Our oldest is a junior and sadly we are going to have to curtail our family travels when college costs hit us squarely in the face. I keep thinking, well at least travel for two will be a lot less expensive than for the five of us!</p>
<p>Thanks for the trip report Missypie - it was a very enjoyable read! Don’t give up on family trips anyone, just because the kids are no longer “kids”. We vacation annually with 22 people, the oldest this year will be 24, the youngest 14. We have 10 cousins, two sets of grandparents, and now it’s the kids that ask where we are going next.</p>
<p>We did Arizona a few years ago but were not brave enough to hike down the Grand Canyon. But, it’s a beautiful spot (as is most of the state) and well worth visiting. I was kind of hoping my middle son would apply to Northern Arizona University because they have some sort of partnership with the GC and I thought that would be a fun thing to participate in for him.</p>
<p>Yeah, I harbored that same fantasty for several years - that one of my kids would go to school in Flagstaff and do a semester in the Grand Canyon.</p>
<p>My husband attended NAU but never visited the GC until showing me around his home state :eek: We camped on the north rim of the canyon and really enjoyed it. D2’s trip this summer will involve hiking down and up and some car camping/day trips in the surrounding and Phoenix areas.</p>
<p>I am pleased that my S has taken up rockclimbing in college & goes camping with his buddies. He mainly goes to the area not too far from campus but who knows whether they’ll give GC a try as well. Maybe we’ll suggest it to him, as next year he’ll be a senior & hopefully will try to get in a lot of great experiences.</p>
<p>This summer he & buddies are planning to get to a national park or out of country for more adventures–stay tuned.</p>
<p>This summer, he’ll be at NASA in Newport News, VA & we hope to get to Williamsburg (which hubby LOVES & see him a bit). Life is just full of surprises!</p>