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.
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.”
“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.
Are we Arizonans obstinate as mules, or what? Back in the fall, we said, “we won’t back down.” Well, we won’t “spring forward,” either!
Just a friendly (and short) reminder as we make the jump to Daylight Savings Time, travellers: Arizona is on Mountain Standard Time year-round. Of course, to every rule, there is an exception, and there is one here: the Navajo Indian Reservation DOES observe daylight savings time. This would matter a great deal to those of you who are leaving Grand Canyon National Park headed for places like Monument Valley, Navajo National Monument or Canyon de Chelly. These destinations will be one hour ahead. So if you’re leaving Grand Canyon and doing a horseback ride in Monument Valley or perhaps a jeep tour of Canyon de Chelly when you arrive in the area, remember you’ll have to leave one hour early. Same thing applies if you’re heading to Utah, Colorado or New Mexico.
Confused? Remember this one sentence that will bail you out of any quandary that comes your way on your Grand Canyon vacation: “WHEN IN DOUBT, CHECK IT OUT!”
L8R – Alley K
P.S. Those of you saying “wow, these other places sound cool, tell me more!” Well, we’ll SHOW you more – click this text link to view a short video on other incredible attractions you can easily enjoy on your Grand Canyon vacation!
Good morning all, it’s your ol’ pal Alley Kaye. It’s a beautiful morning up here in Northern Arizona and we’re happy to report that we’re expecting wonderful weather to kick off Spring Break at the Grand Canyon! Hope those of you coming up next week are getting excited.
Well, a rare thing occurred here in the GrandCanyon.com office recently: we were asked a question that had NEVER BEEN ASKED BEFORE! But in light of recent events, it made sense that it was a first
By now, the whole world should know about the Grand Canyon Skywalk – our inboxes here at GrandCanyon.com are just full of news updates, not to mention your e-mails and questions! And for those who still think this has to be some kind of joke, it isn’t. The “Bladerunner”-esque structure was sucessfully rolled out over the rim of the Grand Canyon yesterday, and judging from what we’ve seen and heard, many of you are anxious if not to walk on it, at least to see it for yourself.
I guess it was inevitable that I was asked the above question here recently. So – what WAS the scoop on wheelchair access to the Grand Canyon Skywalk? Although I figured the answer to the question would be “yes,” my motto has always been “when in doubt, check it out” (a motto you would be well-served to adapt when you come out here), so I called the offices of Grand Canyon West, where I was told that yes, the Grand Canyon Skywalk would be wheelchair accessible. Advance reservations should be made for a Grand Canyon West tour package, which can be made by calling 1-877-716-WEST (9378) Toll Free in US or 1-702-878-9378 International Toll. In addition, they suggest calling the Grand Canyon West Tour Desk prior to arrival at 1-928-699-0269 to ensure that personnel are in place to provide any assistance that may be needed.
Again, AND WE CAN’T STRESS THIS ENOUGH TO EVERYBODY: before you commit to driving to Grand Canyon West, remember that it’s main access road is unpaved for a distance of about 20 miles. It’s not recommended that you drive a rental car on this road; even if you do decide to brave it, it’s very bumpy and heavily travelled by busses, hummers and other tour vehicles. It is recommended that you instead take advantage of the park and ride shuttle from the Grand Canyon West Welcome Center in Meadview. If you have a wheelchair, it is suggested that you make arrangements ahead of time to ride the shuttle. Many of the walkways you’ll encounter at Grand Canyon West will be unpaved, or unevenly paved, so it is best to have assistance navigating a wheelchair around some of these areas. Take special care around Guano Point (photo below left).
For more information, watch some of the Grand Canyon West video coming out on the various newswires (or just turn on your TV – the Grand Canyon Skywalk is the “talk of the town,” globally speaking). We also have some Grand Canyon West tour videos located throughout our site.
Ask how you can get a FREE Grand Canyon Vacation Planning Kit including an 80–minute travel planning video, a Grand Canyon Vacation Guidebook and a Grand Circle Area Travel Planner for a nominal shipping and handling fee. Give us a call at the number on your screen or e-mail info@grandcanyon.com
‘til next time, happy travels! Alley Kaye
P.S. Watch some cool new Grand Canyon Skywalk video on www.cnn.com!
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.comor 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.
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