Grand Canyon News

Good morning friends and hope you’re enjoying our video series, “The 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions About the Grand Canyon and the 10 Questions You SHOULD Be Asking.”  Lots of you are signing up to receive it, and we hope that you’re taking the extra step to confirm your subscription by clicking on the link in your confirmation e-mail.  Remember, we’re all drowning in spam, and we certainly don’t want to send you anything you don’t want to receive.  Have you subscribed yet? 

Here at GrandCanyon.com we’re enjoying an unseasonably cool June.  Some of us even dare say the monsoon season has arrived a bit early.  Stranger things have been known to happen in the annals of Grand Canyon weather.  But that’s not what I came to talk about.  I came to talk about the #1 thing that’s on everyone’s minds these days: money. 

In these challenging economic times, we totally understand that getting the best deal possible on anything you can name is more important than ever, vacations being no exception.  And what with school being out and so many families finally getting around to planning their summer vacations, we’re not really surprised that this week’s QOW is getting asked so frequently. 

To answer this question fully requires a little bit of a “backstory.”  Each and every employee at GrandCanyon.com has either lived and worked at the Grand Canyon, or been directly involved with Grand Canyon tours at some point in their lives.  Take me, for example: I began my career in hospitality at none other then the El Tovar Hotel at the Grand Canyon, how cool is that?  From there, I went on to the Bright Angel Transportation Desk, where I checked in Grand Canyon mule riders, Phantom Ranch hikers, plus booked people on airplane and helicopter tours, raft trips and bus tours.  I’ve also done “stints” at Scenic Airlines, Wilderness River Adventures, the John Wesley Powell Museum and Roger Ekis’ Antelope Canyon Tours (the latter 3 in Page, Arizona). 

Our “head honcho” Karlyn, a native of Page, Arizona, is also a veteran of the Grand Canyon Air Tour industry, having worked with Lake Powell Air, Scenic Airlines, and Western River Adventures just to name a few.  Another of our colleagues, Sandy, guided Colorado River Float Trips for Wilderness River Adventures for several years.  She is also the great grand-niece of Phantom Ranch founder, David Rust.  Garret and his sister CC, who also hail from Page, have hiked just about every nook and cranny in Northern Arizona and Southern Utah.  CC holds the rather interesting distinction of having hiked the Zion Narrows in bare feet (don’t even think about it!).  They’re also avid motorcyclists who enjoy taking day rides to one of the many National and State Parks, Monuments and points of interest and generally cool places that abound in this area.  A talented artist and photographer, Garret produces most of the Grand Canyon tour videos you see on our site. 

So long story short, here at GrandCanyon.com we’ve got deep connections going back 20 years or more to many different tour operators.  What’s more, we’ve done all the tours that are offered by these companies, so we can tell you whether a certain Grand Canyon activity is the right one for you based on first hand experience.  Given what we know, and who we know, GrandCanyon.com does a huge volume of business with the leading tour outfitters in the area.  As a result, they allow us to pass on significant savings to you.  And what’s more, we do it without making you “haggle” for it, and sometimes we even throw in a few extras.

Case in point: the Canyon River Adventure.  This is our most popular tour, and for good reason.  Check out what you get to do: Start the day with a scenic sunrise flight in a fixed wing airplane over the Grand Canyon, Marble Canyon, Lees Ferry, the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell.  Upon landing at the Page Municipal Airport, you take a short break for a light breakfast, then board safari vehicles for a tour of Antelope Canyon, an example of a formation known as a slot canyon.  After enjoying Antelope Canyon, you’ll then be transported to the base of the Glen Canyon Dam, where you board pontoon rafts for a 15 mile trip down the Colorado River through Glen Canyon.  You’ll take an easy walk to view a panel of ancient petroglyphs inscribed into the canyon walls by Ancestral Puebloan people and stop for lunch and a splash on the riverside.  After leaving the river at Lees Ferry, you’ll be transported back to Grand Canyon South Rim by Motorcoach and be dropped off back at the Grand Canyon National Park Airport. 

Now, I actually asked a relative how much she would expect to pay for such an amazing package.  She blurts out “$500!” without hesitation.  Actually, if you were to do a search for Grand Canyon tours, you’ll come across sites that offer prices ranging from $315 to $329 per person.   At GrandCanyon.com, we offer this tour for $299/adult or $279/child.  This includes taxes, and overflight fees.  PLUS we’re including complimentary tickets to see the spectacular IMAX film “Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets” along with your purchase price!  Those retail for $11-13 per person.  So we save you up to $25 per person on the tour, plus throw in the IMAX tickets, so right off the bat, we’re offering you savings of $38/person.  For a family of four, or even a couple, that’s a fair chunk of change.  Heck, you can take the money you save and splurge on something, maybe dinner at the El Tovar or the Coronado Room at the Grand Canyon Squire Inn, or you can buy that turquoise ring you were admiring at the Cameron Trading Post.  We offer similar savings and free IMAX tickets on the Colorado River Day Float Trip, and the Grand Discovery Air Tour.   

Want to know what the most killer Grand Canyon tour deal is right now?  The Las Vegas Canyon Escapes Helicopter Tour.  This is the upgrade to the Las Vegas Grand Celebration Helicopter tour.  It is identical in length and logistics to the Grand Celebration, which flies you by helicopter over Hoover Dam and Lake Mead and down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.  At the canyon floor, you’d have about 30 minutes time to walk around and take pictures, and enjoy a light picnic meal before your return flight to Las Vegas-Boulder City.  With the Canyon Escapes upgrade, you would enjoy all of this, only your flight would be conducted aboard the newer and cushier “Eco-Star” helicopters. 

These choppers are bright red, but they are fast becoming the “gold standard” for sightseeing aircraft around the world. The Eco-Star EC130 was expressly built for sightseeing, with larger windows, almost 25% more cabin space, and larger seats (and they all face forward!). Perhaps best of all, its modern “fenestron” tail rotor design makes it a much quieter aircraft than the Bell Jet Ranger. In fact, its sound output falls well below National Park Service guidelines for quiet aircraft, and with lower fuel emissions, you’re doing your part to keep the air clean, all while enjoying the ultimate Las Vegas Grand Canyon touring experience. Normally, this tour retails for $400 and change.  But for a limited time, GrandCanyon.com is offering it for just $289 per person – that’s a savings of over $100/person, and just $10 more than the Grand Celebration!  Call us insane, call us whatever you want, but just call us to take advantage of this outrageously low price on this incredible Grand Canyon tour opportunity. 

So, long story short, the answer to this week’s QOW is that yes, we offer discounts on Grand Canyon tours, but (sorry Nancy!) no, not beyond what’s offered on our website, because the prices we offer already reflect the discounts given, and our prices are amongst the most competitive on the internet.   Can you find our most popular Grand Canyon tours cheaper?  I only know of one place where you might be able to do so.  If you’re interested, call me and I’ll tell you where it is.  Otherwise, if you book your tour with us, and find a better deal elsewhere, you can cancel your GrandCanyon.com booking up to 48 hours prior to your tour date without penalty (some exceptions apply: Grand Canyon Railway and Grand Canyon Jeep tours (rimside), see booking pages for info). 

What have you got to lose?  I’ll put it this way – if you wait too long to book your seats, you may lose your opportunity to take part in these and other Grand Canyon tours, so book your seats today!  Or how about this: if you want to save some dollars, ya better get off the dime! 

Have a “grand” one friends!

…OK, sorta…

The National Park Service has just announced that they will be waiving entry fees at the Grand Canyon and other US National Parks for 3 weekends this summer: June 20-21, July 18-19 and August 15-16.

Hey, don’t take my word for it, click here to read the article in the Arizona Republic! 

Enjoy!

Perhaps it’s due to the amount of press Grand Canyon mule rides have been receiving of late.  First, a rare accident; now, the Grand Canyon National Park Service is soliciting public commentary on whether or not this time honored Grand Canyon tour tradition should continue (our vote: it should.  Want to opine?  Click here.)  Maybe that’s why this week’s question of the week became this week’s question of the week. 

Question: “Is there a weight limit on Grand Canyon tours?”

Answer: “Only one.”   

Now hear (or read) this, folks: the Grand Canyon mule rides are the ONLY Grand Canyon tour for which there is an iron-clad weight limit.  It’s 200 lbs.  That’s fully dressed, not in your birthday suit.  At the Bright Angel Transportation Desk, where you check in for the South Rim mule rides, you get weighed, right there in the lobby in front of everybody.  And while they don’t broadcast your weight to everyone passing by, the agents will tell you flat out that if that scale reads 200.5, you will not ride.  No exceptions.  Trust me on this, I spend 3 years of my career checking in mule riders, and yes, I had to tell a few people that they could not ride, which is heartbreaking (and frustrating for taller men for whom 200 lbs would be considered “underweight.”)

Grand Canyon mules work hard for their alfalfa, and they get bad backs just as you and I do.  Remember, a Grand Canyon passenger isn’t just carrying you, but a heavy saddle, too, and maybe even some supplies in saddle bags.  A Grand Canyon mule’s “career” can sometimes last as long as 10 years, so the weight limit is in place to ensure that these special animals continue to enjoy a good quality of life long after they “retire.”  For those who tip the scales at 200+, and still wish to experience the bottom of the Grand Canyon (or don’t want to take the mule ride in the first place), you’re in luck: there are more options for you than there ever were back in my days at the “BAT Desk.” 

**The Inner Canyon Jeep Tour.  This is an all-day excursion that begins from either Tusayan or Williams.  You’ll tour one of the last remaining segments of Old Route 66 and pass through Seligman, which was the true-life inspiration for the town of Radiator Springs in Disney Pixar’s movie “Cars.”  In Peach Springs Arizona, you’ll then tour the Grand Canyon Caverns, a limestone “dry cavern” with unusual features and discoveries.  After touring the Caverns, you’ll board safari vehicles and go all the way to the bottom of the Grand Canyon!  On the scenic Diamond Creek Road, you’ll see unusual desert plants, towering rock formations and maybe even wild burros.  At the Colorado River, you’ll have a chance to hike, explore, and if so inclined, take a splash in the water before heading back topside.  Those traveling during the summer months may also choose a sunset departure for this tour.  Children must be 5 to take part.  For more information, click here ->: http://www.grandcanyon.com/inner-grand-canyon-jeep-tours-williams.html 

**The Colorado River Day Float Trip.  This is a wonderful relaxing day where people age 4 and up can experience rafting on the Colorado River with no rapids.  This 12-hour day that starts bright and early in the morning with pickup at your hotel or other designated location, then a Motorcoach ride along the East Rim drive of the Grand Canyon and through the Navajo Indian Reservation.  In Page, Arizona, you’re transported to the base of the Glen Canyon Dam where you board pontoon rafts for a 15 mile trip down the Colorado River through Glen Canyon.  You’ll take an easy walk to view a panel of ancient petroglyphs inscribed into the canyon walls by Ancestral Puebloan people and stop for lunch and a splash on the riverside.  After leaving the river at Lees Ferry, you’ll be transported back to Grand Canyon South Rim by Motorcoach and be dropped off at your hotel or the Grand Canyon Airport.  Children must be at least 4 to participate.  For booking information, click here ->: http://grandcanyon.com/coloradoriverfloattrip.html

Another popular option is the “upgrade” to the above trip, called the **Canyon River Adventure. Instead of the Motorcoach ride from Grand Canyon South Rim to Page, you take a scenic sunrise flight in a fixed wing airplane over the Grand Canyon, Marble Canyon, Lees Ferry, the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell.  Upon landing at the Page Municipal Airport, you take a short break for a light breakfast, then board safari vehicles for a tour of one  Antelope Canyon, an example of a formation known as a slot canyon.  After enjoying Antelope Canyon, you’ll then be transported to the base of the Glen Canyon Dam, where you’ll embark on the exact same float trip described in the previous tour (including lunch and the petroglyph walk), then ride the Motorcoach back to the Grand Canyon.  For ages 4 and up.  For booking information click here ->: http://www.grandcanyon.com/canyonriveradventure.html

Visiting Las Vegas?  Consider going to the bottom of the Grand Canyon at Grand Canyon West.  Our best selling Las Vegas Grand Canyon tour is the **Grand Voyager Tour.  You’ll be picked up at your hotel and transported to the Boulder City Municipal Airport, where you’ll board a fixed wing airplane for a flight over Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and the Western Rim of the Grand Canyon.  Upon landing at Grand Canyon West, you’ll board a helicopter for an exciting flight to the very bottom of the Grand Canyon and a short float trip on the Colorado River by pontoon boat.  Reboard your chopper for another thrilling ride back to the top and a Motorcoach for a tour of Grand Canyon West and the Hualapai Indian Tribal Lands, stopping for lunch at Guano Point.  After lunch, it’s time to get back on the plane and head back to Boulder City, where your shuttles wait to take you back to your hotel.  All ages.  For more information, click here ->:   http://www.grandcanyon.com/GrandCanyonVoyagerTours.html

If you’re really crunched for time to the point where you can only spare a few hours, consider the Las Vegas Grand Celebration Helicopter tour.  You’ll be picked up at your hotel and transported to the Boulder City Municipal Airport, where a helicopter waits to take you on an amazing trip over Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and Grand Canyon West.  Then, you’ll descend 4,000’ to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, where you’ll enjoy  a light picnic meal and beverages (including champagne)!  After about 30 minutes, it’s time to head back to Boulder City, then shuttle back to your hotel.  The Las Vegas Grand Celebration tour is conducted aboard Bell Jet Ranger helicopters, or ask about upgrading to the Las Vegas Canyon Escapes tour, conducted aboard newer, quieter Eco-Star EC130 helicopter, built expressly for sightseeing.   All ages.  For more information about these click here ->: http://www.grandcanyon.com/grand-celebration-helicopter-tour.html

Note that some of the tours have “**” by them.  This is to give you a heads up if your mobility is limited, by weight or other factors: these tours, though not overly strenuous, do have some walking components that may or may not be appropriate for you. 

On the Inner Canyon Jeep Tour, for example, the Grand Canyon Caverns portion of the tour does involve some uphill/downhill walking and stair climbing.  Entrance to the caverns is via elevator.  Some of the chambers have very low ceilings.  Individuals with claustrophobia may find this uncomfortable.  The temperature inside the Caverns is a constant 56°F and 6% humidity.  Electric scooters and motorized wheelchairs are NOT allowed in the caverns due to narrow passageways constructed before present-day accessibility laws were implemented.  A handicap-accessible version of the caverns tour is available with prior arrangement utilizing a collapsible wheelchair.  On the Las Vegas Grand Voyager tour, there is a rocky, unpaved walkway and 2 flights of stairs that you must descend from the helipad down to the boat dock, then ascend at the conclusion of your pontoon boat ride.  It is equivalent to about 5 flights of stairs.  This is the most strenuous part of the tour and is manageable for those in reasonably good health, but temperatures on the canyon floor are VERY HOT during the summer months.  The Colorado River Day Float Trip includes 1/4 mile round-trip walk on a flat, sandy trail to view a panel of petroglyphs; the Canyon River Adventure also includes this 1/4 mile walk, plus a walk of 100 yards long, also on a flat, sandy trail, to view Antelope Canyon. 

And none of these tours will leave you tired, sore and dirty! 

‘Til next time, make it a “grand” day and a “grand” summer,

P.S.  One exception to the 200 lb rule: the 1 hour canyon rim ride at the North Rim!  You can be 220 lbs for that.  For more information on it and other North Rim mule rides, visit www.canyonrides.com

Good morning to all, or afternoon or evening depending where you are

At the risk of sounding cliché, today’s “Question of the Week” is actually “ripped from the headlines.”  We’ve been getting this question a lot due to the well-broadcasted fact that a Grand Canyon mule rider was recently injured.  Here are the details according to the Arizona Daily Sun Flagstaff Arizona:

“A 66-year-old California woman was injured when the mule she was riding lost its footing on the Bright Angel Trail, then fell and rolled over on her.  At approximately 9 a.m. Tuesday, the Grand Canyon Regional Dispatch Center received a radio call from a mule wrangler reporting the accident, which occurred approximately 2 1/2 miles below the rim. The mule and its passenger were part of two concessionaire mule strings that were en route to Phantom Ranch for an overnight stay… Two National Park Service paramedics were flown to the accident scene and stabilized the patient before extricating her and flying her out to the South Rim Helibase. From there, the woman was flown by Classic Life Guard to the Flagstaff Medical Center for treatment of her injuries.”

This has left many folks wondering “does this happen a lot?”  In a word, “no.” 

The folks who bring us the Grand Canyon mule rides live by the mantra “safety first.”  It begins with careful breeding, selection and training of mules that take passengers up and down the sometimes treacherous Grand Canyon trails.  Grand Canyon mules are bred in Tennessee by a family that has been breeding them for over three generations.  As discussed in previous entries pertaining to Grand Canyon mules, they are hybrids: fathered by a donkey (so when they become teenagers they can say, “Dad, you’re a jackass!”) and born of a horse.  Their mothers are usually of a heavy stock such as Belgian draft horse or large Quarter horse.  By the time they are fully grown, they usually outsize their equine mothers, weighing about 1500 pounds and standing more than 16 hands at the wither [shoulder] (that’s 5’4” for you and me).  Their heads are the size of Oldsmobiles.  Seriously.

Grand Canyon mule begin their careers as pack mules.  They typically spend two or three years hauling supplies up and down the Kaibab and Bright Angel Trails in order to become familiar with these Grand Canyon trails, and to give the wranglers plenty of time to asses an animal’s temperament, endurance, and ultimately his/her suitability (or lack thereof) to become “dude mules (passenger mules).”  Some mules never graduate to the next level.  Those that prove themselves to be exceptionally gentle and patient will be given the designation (and honor) of “Kid Mule.” 

Grand Canyon mules have, as previously discussed, a very keen sense of self-preservation.  That’s part  of the reason why this activity is the safest of its kind in the world.  They’re not going to do anything deliberately to get themselves hurt, even though they walk on the outside edge of all trails.  Another thing that makes this ride safe is you, the rider.  All Grand Canyon mule riders must be ready and willing to use  what some wranglers call “the mule motivator.”  Eileen N. of Cottonwood Arizona puts it beautifully in her blog, “Tales from Echo Canyon:”

“One of the most important safety things we had to do is keep the mules nose-to-tail to one another. Kbar stressed the importance of this. Why? Because if one rider fell behind, then the mule would panic and race to catch up to the others. It’s one thing if you’re the last person in the train, but if you’re not, by you not keeping your mule up with the rest, then there’s plenty of people behind you who are also trotting or galloping to catch up too–and that is where problems happen–people fall off, for example. Not good. And Kbar stressed that the mule’s hide over his rump is one inch thick and no matter how hard we hit them, it wouldn’t hurt them.”

Can’t or won’t bring yourself to give your mount a good solid whack if he/she falls behind on the trail?  You will not ride.  Acting too squirrelly at the mule corral?  You will not ride.  Act like a jerk on the trail?  You will be asked to dismount and walk back to the canyon rim.  Seriously. 

Everything humanly (and mule-ly) possible is done to keep Grand Canyon mule rides safe.  Think about it, when was the last time you heard about something like the above mishap taking place?  ……  Anyone?  You probably can’t think of it, because it just flat out doesn’t happen that often.  And when you consider that 12,000-14,000 people a year safely ride mules at the Grand Canyon, it’s a pretty small number. 

Of course when animals are involved, there’s always going to be a certain element of loss of control, and that can be a scary thing.  In fact when you check in for the mule ride, you are asked to sign a release form attesting to your awareness of this fact.  As Elvis Costello once said, “accidents will happen.”  If you simply can’t stomach this notion, yet still want to get to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, consider some of the other experiences we offer:

The Inner Canyon Jeep Tour.  This is an all-day excursion that begins from either Tusayan or Williams.   You’ll tour one of the last remaining segments of Old Route 66 and pass through Seligman, which was the true-life inspiration for the town of Radiator Springs in Disney Pixar’s movie “Cars.”  In Peach Springs Arizona, you’ll then tour the Grand Canyon Caverns, a limestone “dry cavern” with unusual features and discoveries.  After touring the Caverns, you’ll board safari vehicles and go all the way to the bottom of the Grand Canyon!  On the scenic Diamond Creek Road, you’ll see unusual desert plants, towering rock formations and maybe even wild burros before.  At the Colorado River, you’ll have a chance to hike, explore, and if so inclined, take a splash in the water before heading back topside.  Those traveling during the summer months may also choose a sunset departure for this tour.  Children must be 5 to take part.  For more information, click here ->: http://www.grandcanyon.com/inner-grand-canyon-jeep-tours-williams.html

• The Colorado River Day Float Trip.  This is a wonderful relaxing day where people age 4 and up can experience rafting on the Colorado River with no rapids.  This 12-hour day that starts bright and early in the morning with pickup at your hotel or other designated location, then a Motorcoach ride along the East Rim drive of the Grand Canyon and through the Navajo Indian Reservation.  In Page, Arizona, you’re transported to the base of the Glen Canyon Dam where you board pontoon rafts for a 15 mile trip down the Colorado River through Glen Canyon.  You’ll take an easy walk to view a panel of ancient petroglyphs inscribed into the canyon walls by Ancestral Puebloan people and stop for lunch and a splash on the riverside.  After leaving the river at Lees Ferry, you’ll be transported back to Grand Canyon South Rim by Motorcoach and be dropped off at your hotel or the Grand Canyon Airport.  Children must be at least 4 to participate.  For booking information, click here ->: http://grandcanyon.com/coloradoriverfloattrip.html

• Another popular option is the “upgrade” to the above trip, called the Canyon River Adventure. Instead of the Motorcoach ride from Grand Canyon South Rim to Page, you take a scenic sunrise flight in a fixed wing airplane over the Grand Canyon, Marble Canyon, Lees Ferry, the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell.  Upon landing at the Page Municipal Airport, you take a short break for a light breakfast, then board safari vehicles for a tour of one  Antelope Canyon, an example of a formation known as a slot canyon.  After enjoying Antelope Canyon, you’ll then be transported to the base of the Glen Canyon Dam, where you’ll embark on the exact same float trip described in the previous tour (including lunch and the petroglyph walk), then ride the Motorcoach back to the Grand Canyon.  For ages 4 and up.  For booking information click here ->: http://www.grandcanyon.com/canyonriveradventure.html

• Visiting Las Vegas?  Consider going to the bottom of the Grand Canyon at Grand Canyon West.  Our best selling Las Vegas Grand Canyon tour is the Grand Voyager Tour.  You’ll be picked up at your hotel and transported to the Boulder City Municipal Airport, where you’ll board a fixed wing airplane for a flight over Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and the Western Rim of the Grand Canyon.  Upon landing at Grand Canyon West, you’ll board a helicopter for an exciting flight to the very bottom of the Grand Canyon and a short float trip on the Colorado River by pontoon boat.  Reboard your chopper for another thrilling ride back to the top and a Motorcoach for a tour of Grand Canyon West and the Hualapai Indian Tribal Lands, stopping for lunch at Guano Point.  After lunch, it’s time to get back on the plane and head back to Boulder City, where your shuttles wait to take you back to your hotel.  All ages.  For more information, click here ->:   http://www.grandcanyon.com/GrandCanyonVoyagerTours.html
• If you’re really crunched for time to the point where you can only spare a few hours, consider the Las  Vegas Grand Celebration Helicopter tour.  You’ll be picked up at your hotel and transported to the Boulder City Municipal Airport, where a helicopter waits to take you on an amazing trip over Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and Grand Canyon West.  Then, you’ll descend 4,000’ to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, where you’ll enjoy  a light picnic meal and beverages (including champagne)!  After about 30 minutes, it’s time to head back to Boulder City, then shuttle back to your hotel.  The Las Vegas Grand Celebration tour is conducted aboard Bell Jet Ranger helicopters, or ask about upgrading to the Las Vegas Canyon Escapes tour, conducted aboard newer, quieter Eco-Star EC130 helicopter, built expressly for sightseeing.   All ages.  For more information about these click here ->: http://www.grandcanyon.com/grand-celebration-helicopter-tour.html

Happy planning and catch ya later! 

Good morning Grand Canyon vacation planners! 

Those of you who will be visiting us here in the next couple of weeks and staying in Flagstaff hotels should be aware that roadwork is in progress on a popular scenic driving route from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon.  Here are the particulars according to a recent article in the Flagstaff Arizona Daily Sun:

“Maintenance work has started on Highway 180 from Snowbowl Road (milepost 223) to Kendrick Park (milepost 235).  The repair work started Monday and will continue through May 15. Arizona Department of Transportation road crews will fill cracks in the asphalt with hot tar. Work hours will be 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Traffic will be restricted to one lane, and flaggers will be present to assist motorists through the work areas.”

Normally the drive from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon takes about 90 minutes.  Roadwork of this nature usually results in delays from 15-30 minutes.  So if you’re coming from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon to take part in any time-sensitive activities, such as mule rides, helicopter or airplane tours, jeep tours, raft trips, etc. your options are to: a. allow for extra time to make the drive up Highway 180 (it is pretty, after all), probably 2 hours to be on the safe side or b. take the more straightforward route, which is to get on Interstate 40 and take that about 30 miles West to Williams, then get on Highway 64 North to the Grand Canyon.  That will take the usual 90 minutes. 

As a general rule, it’s always a good idea to check for road construction and other delays before heading up to the Grand Canyon.  For up-to-date information on Arizona roadways, visit www.az511.com and find the link for “closures and restrictions.”

If you’re planning a visit the Grand Canyon here soon and still haven’t reserved a hotel, we’ve got a piece  of advice for you: “GET ON THE STICK.”  Just because the economy is in a bit of a slump doesn’t mean that the normal rules of Grand Canyon travel have gone out the window.  Case in point: a client of ours recently reported that Grand Canyon hotels inside the park are already sold out for a few dates in August, which is perfectly normal.  In-park hotels tend to fill anywhere from 6 to 9 months in advance for peak travel season.  Fortunately, there was still availability in Tusayan (just outside the Grand Canyon park gates), so this gentleman wasn’t completely out of luck.  

If he had waited too long, though, he might have found himself having to do a bit of driving to get to the Grand Canyon.  When Grand Canyon hotels in the park and Tusayan sell out, one’s next best options are to stay in Williams, which is 1 hour South of the park, of Flagstaff, which is 90 minutes from the park.  Though situated further away from the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff actually is well-situated for folks to enjoy not only the Grand Canyon, but many other scenic attractions that Northern Arizona has to offer. 

We call it the “hub and spoke” vacation: you pick a hotel at a “center point” of all the places you want to go, then book yourself in there for, say, 5 days or maybe a week.  Then you just make day trips to the places on your “wish list.”  This is very easy to accomplish when staying in Flagstaff.  From Flagstaff, you have several major attractions within a 2-hour drive: the Grand Canyon (1.5 hours), Lake Powell (2 hours), Painted Desert/Petrified Forest (2 hours), Sedona (1 hour). 

Don’t forget to set aside a day or two to enjoy all that’s offered in the immediate area of Flagstaff as well.   The Museum of Northern Arizona honors Flagstaff and the surrounding area’s Native heritage by housing an extensive collection of antiquities and artifacts representing many Southwestern tribes.  Other activities and attractions in the Flagstaff area include but are not limited to the Riordan Mansion, a homestead designed by El Tovar architect Charles Whittlesey; the Lowell Observatory, where Pluto was discovered (who cares if it’s a dwarf planet, that’s still cool); the Arboretum, a 2,500 acre botanical garden and environmental learning center; the Pioneer Museum, a comprehensive exhibit of artifacts and implements from the 19^th century; and the Arizona Snowbowl, which offers downhill skiing (yes, you can ski in Arizona – surprise!) during the winter, and a scenic skyride during the summer.

Flagstaff offers a wide variety of hotels, motels, and bed and breakfast type facilities for your Grand Canyon Vacation, with prices ranging from economic to upscale.  For more information on Grand Canyon Flagstaff lodging, call 1-800-916-8530 or visit http://www.grandcanyon.com/flagstaff-hotels.html

Have a good one and always drive safe!

P.S.  When choosing a hotel in Flagstaff, be aware that the main road through town parallels a train route, and trains go by all day and all night!  If you’re a light sleeper, be sure the hotel you choose is located away from the train tracks.