Grand Canyon News

Boy, talk about something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy’s dog.  Getting sick on your vacation – especially knowing how long it’s probably been since your last one – has got to be the ultimate drag and I hope it never happens to you.  That goes ditto for getting hurt.  But if you’re travelling to the Grand Canyon with small children, seniors, or a party member with a health condition that bears watching, knowing where to seek medical care if you need it is very important. 

At the Grand Canyon, the most common health issues tend to arise from two things: the altitude and dehydration.  Grand Canyon South Rim is at 7,000’; the North Rim is at 8,000’.  The air up here is “thinner” than at sea level, and it takes the average person in good health about 2 weeks to fully acclimate.  Since most of you will have 2, maybe 3 days tops here, you won’t get a chance to acclimate yourself properly.  In fact, you may be heading up someplace higher (i.e., Bryce Canyon, where some viewpoints are actually up at 9,000’) before you get used to the Grand Canyon!  Headaches, nausea and dizziness are common complaints related to altitude sickness.  If your physician has advised you  not to go to such high altitudes, consider a visit to Grand Canyon West on the Hualapai Indian Reservation.  It’s only 4,000’ high, but ghastly hot in the summertime. 

Remember that this is the desert, even though it doesn’t look like it on the surface.  Even though pine trees and not cactus dominate the landscape, the climate out here is probably a lot drier than you’re used to.  Carry water and drink it, even if you plan to take it easy.  If you’ll be hiking in the inner canyon, then carrying and drinking adequate fluids is imperative, essential, crucial – during the summer, temperatures below the rim can and do exceed 110 degrees Fahrenheit.  I’ve heard of people hiking down to the river with just a half-empty can of soda – the end of the tale’s not a pretty one.  Coincidentally, headaches, nausea and dizziness are common symptoms of dehydration. 

In case of a life-threatening emergency, do as you would at home and call 9–1–1.  If you’re staying at one of the in-park hotels at Grand Canyon South Rim, call 9–9–1–1.  If you find yourself feeling under the weather and need to see a doctor or PA, just head over to the North Country Community Health Center.  It’s located inside the park a couple of miles South of Grand Canyon Village.  If you’re staying in Tusayan, it will take you about 10 minutes to get there.  It’s always a good idea to call ahead.  Just look on your local services directory in your hotel room for the number, or ask the front desk, concierge or hotel operator.  They’re open 7 days a week from 8 AM to 6 PM and have a pharmacy and dental clinic on-site. 

If you’re staying in Williams (60 miles south of Grand Canyon South Rim), Banner Health operates a clinic in that town.  In Flagstaff (90 miles Southeast of the South Rim), you may see if your front desk can recommend a walk-in clinic near your hotel, or try the Flagstaff Medical Center.  In Page-Lake Powell, Canyonlands Community Health Center is located at the center of town, as is the Page Hospital. 

I hope you have no need of this information whatsoever.  I hope your Grand Canyon vacation goes smoothly and pleasantly and that you return home feeling better than ever.  But if you’ll indulge me, I’d like to make one more point on the subject of “things that go wrong:“ most hotels, your airline, etc., will probably require payment for their services upfront, and if you’re on a week-long trip, you’ll have let loose a good sized chunk of change before you hit the road.  If you have to cancel or shorten your trip last minute, you could lose a lot of that money due to the current norm of 48–72 hour cancellation policies.  That’s where travel insurance comes in.  Contact your family’s insurance provider for more information, or visit www.accessamerica.com or www.worldtravelcenter.com

Many Grand Canyon vacation planners, upon hearing about a particular tour or hotel that piques their interest, will say “tell me more about it.”  Well, right now, we can do you one better – we can SHOW you more about it! 

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a film has to be worth at least a million, and in the last few weeks we’ve gathered a nice little collection of informational videos about Grand Canyon hotels, tours and more.  Where can you see it?  None other than YouTube, of course.  We also have a lot of these videos posted on Google Video, but the cool thing about YouTube is that you’ll not only see Grand Canyon videos that we have made here in-house, but you can also check out the contributions of other people, like our tourism industry colleagues, past Grand Canyon visitors, and folks like you!  Just go to www.youtube.com and type in “GrandCanyon86023.” 

Right now our boss is heading to Las Vegas, and with a little luck, should see astronaut Buzz Aldrin lead the ceremonial first walk on the Grand Canyon Skywalk tomorrow – we’ll keep you posted!

Happy viewing and Happy Travelling – Alley K

Hello everyone ~ to those of you looking forward to Spring Break next week, have a happy one!  To those of you who won’t observe Spring Break until late April, that’s a great time to come out here, but get those Grand Canyon hotel reservations made pronto. 

Here at GrandCanyon.com, we just received word that our allotment at the Best Western Grand Canyon Squire Inn is sold out for Memorial Day Weekend.  Are we surprised?  Nope.  Perfectly normal, all par for the course.  As of now, there are a few rooms left at Yavapai Lodge inside the park, plus a few more at the Quality Inn Canyon Plaza and the Red Feather Lodge in Tusayan.  If you want ‘em, better grab ‘em while you can.  For in-park lodging at the South Rim, contact Xanterra South Rim LLC at 888–297–2757 (toll free in US) or 303–297–2757 (outside the US) or online visit www.grandcanyonlodges.com  For Tusayan lodging visit http://www.grandcanyon.com/hotels.html or call 1–800–916–8530. 

If you don’t stay at Grand Canyon South Rim or Tusayan, your next best option will be Williams (1 hour South), Flagstaff (1.5 hours Southeast) or Page aka Lake Powell (2.5 hours Northeast).  Call that same 800# for availability and pricing of hotels in those cities. 

Want to learn more?  Well, if a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a million!  Check us out on YouTube at GrandCanyon86023. 

Happy Traveling! 

Alley Kaye

How does one define “wilderness?”  The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as “an unsettled, uncultivated region left in its natural condition, especially:“ A large wild tract of land covered with dense vegetation or forests; an extensive area, such as a desert or ocean, that is barren or empty; a waste; or a piece of land set aside to grow wild.” 

Modern man tends to define it as “a place where a. the nearest Starbucks is a 2 hour drive away or b. a place where one’s cell phone won’t work!”  Cashman73, a contributor to a forum on Slashdot, had this to say in response to an article about the African nation of Namibia’s experimentation with solar and wind powered towers to bring cell phone coverage to remote remarked:

“Heck! They need to put a couple of these suckers in Arizona (not Phoenix); I-17 has horrible cell coverage in places, and could really use something better. The only cell phones that even work at the Grand Canyon are Verizon phones.”

Actually, Alltel and Verizon both serve the area, but cashman73 brings up a very important point that you should know about: you won’t be able to count on your cell phone working 100% of the time.  Even Alltel and Verizon’s subscribers say coverage can be spotty due to the remoteness of the area, high afternoon winds, etc.  That’s not to say that you shouldn’t bring your cell phone – they can be absolute lifesavers in case of emergencies, which do have a way of happening out in the middle of nowhere – but if there’s a chance someone may need to contact you while on the road, give them your hotel phone numbers, just in case.    

…and if you think that’s a handy tip, there’s more where that came from in our brand new FREE Grand Canyon travel planning video!  Watch it on Google Video now or sign up for to get your own personal e-mail link at GrandCanyon.com. 

‘Til next time – Alley Kaye

P.S.  Actually, there IS a Starbuck’s at the Grand Canyon, at the Grand Hotel in Tusayan.  There’s also one in Flagstaff inside Barnes and Noble, and – STOP THE PRESSES – Page-Lake Powell Arizona is in the process of getting one inside Safeway.   

Grand Canyon Hotels and Lodges;  Video Length: 8 minutes

There are 6 hotels inside the park at Grand Canyon South Rim: the El Tovar Hotel, Kachina Lodge, Thunderbird Lodge, Bright Angel Lodge, Maswik Lodge and Yavapai Lodge.  The El Tovar Hotel (1905) and Bright Angel Lodge (1934) are registered National Historic Landmarks.  The El Tovar Hotel, Kachina Lodge, Thunderbird and Bright Angel Lodge are situated on the very rim of the canyon; Maswik and Yavapai Lodge are ¼ mile and 1 mile from the canyon rim respectively.  All in-park hotels (except Kachina and Thunderbird) have restaurants and cocktail lounges on-site (Yavapai has a restaurant, but no cocktail lounge).  El Tovar, Bright Angel, Maswik and Yavapai also have tour and activities desks.  None of the in-park hotels have pools, jacuzzis or workout rooms.  Grand Canyon South Rim hotels are typically booked 8 months to a year in advance from mid-March through mid-September.  

If your trip is within peak season and/or less than 3 months away, you are unlikely to be able to secure lodging inside the park.  Your next best option will be to stay in Tusayan, which is located 7 miles (10 minutes) from Grand Canyon South Rim.  The most popular hotels in this area are: The Best Western Grand Canyon Squire Inn, The Grand Hotel, The Quality Inn Canyon Plaza, The Holiday Inn Express, and the Red Feather Lodge.  These hotels date from the mid 1960’s (the Red Feather) to the late 1990’s (the Holiday Inn Express and Grand).  All have on-site amenities such as pools (Grand and Holiday Inn Express have indoor heated pools open year-round; the others have outdoor pools open seasonally [usually Memorial Day through Labor Day]), workout rooms, restaurants and continental breakfast included in their rates.  The Best Western Grand Canyon Squire Inn also has an on-site play center with a 6-lane bowling alley, video arcade and billiard tables.

Other popular choices for gateway community lodging are Williams (60 minutes from the park), Flagstaff (90 minutes from the park), and Page Lake Powell (2.5 hours from the park).  For more information on these communities, watch the video above.

For availability and pricing of hotels in Tusayan (Grand Canyon), Williams, Flagstaff or Page, call 1-800-916-8530.

The only in-park lodge at the North Rim, the Grand Canyon Lodge, has a couple hundred cabins and some motel rooms.  This lodge is usually booked several months in advance.  The concessionaire for Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim is Forever Resorts.  For reservations and information, visit www.grandcanyonlodgenorth.com or call 877-386-4383.  

If your trip is within peak season and less than 3 months away, you are unlikely to be able to secure lodging inside the park.  Out-of-park lodging is also limited, with two small facilities situated within an hour of the park, and two others located about 90 minutes away.  They are in order of proximity to the park:

The Kaibab Lodge, 30 miles North of the park (open seasonally), 928-638-2389; The Jacob Lake Inn  at Jacob Lake, Arizona, 60 miles North of the park, (928) 643-7232 or (928) 643-7898; Marble Canyon Lodge , at Lees Ferry, Arizona, 90 miles North of the park, 1-800-726-1789 or (928) 355-2225; Cliff Dweller’s Lodge , at Lees Ferry, Arizona, 90 miles North of the park, (800)962-9755 or (928)355-2261

The next nearest lodging is about 90 minutes from the park in Kanab, Utah, or 2.5 hours away in Page-Lake Powell Arizona.  Grand Canyon North Rim is best visited outdoors-minded people seeking a quiet getaway, especially those who’ve already been to the South Rim.  Visitors traveling in the fall, particularly late September, should seriously consider at least a brief visit to the North Rim to experience the spectacular fall colors of the Kaibab National Forest.  Because of its high altitude, Grand Canyon North Rim is not recommended for those with cardiac or respiratory ailments.  It is also not recommended for families traveling with younger children, especially those who have a high requirement for sensory stimulation.