Grand Canyon News

This morning dawned cold, gray and windy at the Grand Canyon.  Snow is predicted for later on today, which I’ll believe when I see.  Otherwise, this morning is almost a carbon copy of what it was almost exactly this time last year.  A couple of big differences: this time last year I was in Las Vegas, wondering what the heck I was doing on an airplane on a day like this, but, there I was, winging it over Hoover Dam, making my first trip to “Grand Canyon West”! 

Here’s an excerpt from my personal blog entry after that trip:

If you’ve been to the Grand Canyon at all in years past, I’ll bet your visit happened kind of like this: you stood at the edge, took a look down, and thought, “man, I’ve gotta get to the bottom of this thing!”  So you asked around how to go about it and you soon found out that getting to the bottom of the Grand Canyon was HARD. 

For most it boils down to two choices: 1. sit on a mule  for two days (which you have to plan your life a year ahead for) or 2. hike 18 miles  - 10 of those miles uphill!  You also had to plan ahead to get lodging or camping at the bottom of the canyon.  A 3rd choice is take a helicopter to Havasu Falls… (fun, but pricey).  a 4th is to take a Grand Canyon white water rafting trip, which usually requires a 4-day minimum commitment of your time (with one exception).  Long story short, getting to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back in a day was basically not an option for the average working person.  Well, three words are changing all that as we speak: Grand Canyon West.

I’ve been to the bottom of the Grand Canyon the hard way.  I’ve ridden the mules to Phantom Ranch and I’ve gotten there under my own steam, from both the North and South Rims.  In both cases, the trip took a rewarding but exhausting two days.  To this day, making the North to South Rim hike is one of the proudest accomplishments of my whole life.  This time, however, we were getting to the bottom of the canyon and back in a fraction of the time, and the beauty part, with very little exertion. 

Our day began bright and early at the Sahara, when we boarded our shuttle bus for the North Las Vegas Airport (editor’s note: most Las Vegas Grand Canyon Tours now originate from the Boulder City Municipal Airport).  I knew we were in for an adventure, and I was right!  We boarded our 19-passenger Twin Otter Vistaliner and off we went, eastward over the stark, shadowy landscape of the Nevada Desert en route to the Hualapai Indian Nation . 

Soon, we were over Lake Mead, one of the world’s largest man-made lakes.  On this particular morning, the waters were a beautiful, sparking blue-green color that particular morning.  Other times I’ve seen it, the water’s been navy blue, almost black.  It just depends on the light, which on that day was a dramatic contrast of ominous clouds pierced by stray sunbeams, reminiscent of an Ed Mell painting. 

Next, the Hoover Dam  came into view.  Even from this far up, you can see the distinctive art-deco lines of this engineering marvel that unbelievably dates back to the 1920’s.  We swing back over Lake Mead again, and just as the twinkling waters below the aircraft are about to hypnotize me, we hit the first big bump - a telltale sign that our destination, the Grand Canyon, is just up ahead. 

Turbulence is a fact of life up here.  Think of it as part of the adventure.  Wind behaves much like water in this kind of terrain.  Like water rises and falls when it flows over boulders in a riverbed, wind rises and falls as it encounters mountains and cliffs like those around us.  We cross a pointy, angular uplift in the earth.  The land rises up in front of us, and the blue-green waters of Lake Mead morph into the brownish-red Colorado River . 

Our pilots fight crosswinds as we prepare to land at the Hualapai Airstrip.  The plane rocks back and forth as our crew tries to land the Otter.  No go.  We pull back up – whoooooooooaaaa Nelly! – and swing back around for another try.  Second time’s a charm.  We disembark, glad to be on solid ground. 

After getting my bearings, I can’t believe what I’m seeing.  I’d actually been here years ago and had flown over the area many times.  Back then, there was a whole lot of nothing out here.  The occasional Cessna or Piper would flit in and out, ferrying Grand Canyon river rafters back to civilization.  Now, there’s a developing visitor services complex manned by members of the Hualapai Nation.  The terminal features a small gift shop, cafe and tour desk.  Several helicopter companies operate here, and that’s what we were off to do next. 

After a brief but thorough orientation, we boarded a helicopter for the ultimate thrill-ride – 4,000 feet down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon!  This part of the trip was the most fun – just like the IMAX Movie , except it’s all for real.  From a helicopter, you can see the various formations up close and personal, down to tiny little details, like a little creosote bush that manages to survive on a slab of seemingly solid rock, or a raven’s nest tucked into the crags of a cliffwall.  This ten minute ride was better than any roller coaster! 

We set down on a helipad on a rise just above the Colorado River, where a pontoon boat was waiting for us.  We made our way down a short dirt trail, then a couple flights of stairs, then a small but steep ramp.  I was glad that I chose to wear tennis shoes instead of boots, and make a note to warn people that this is the only potentially strenuous part of the day.  Time to go cruisin’, Grand Canyon West style!  

We motored briefly up the channel, then floated back.  Our friendly river guide shared the history of the National Park, and its relationship to the many Native people who have called it home.  Down on the river, I totally forgot myself, forgot that I had a camera and should have been snapping pictures.  Maybe it was because of the clouds and the moisture, but on that particular day, the reds were richer, the greens were deeper.  The gorge is a little shallower at this end, and the channel is narrower, but I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: it is no less beautiful than the areas upstream – just different. 

After about thirty minutes on the water, we bade our guide “farewell” and headed back up the stairs for another helicopter ride that was a blast and a half, this time – goin’ up!  Back on top, it was time to switch modes of transport again.  We climbed aboard a motorcoach for a tour of the canyon rim, stopping first at Eagle Point, so named for the appearance of an eagle in flight in the rock face to the east. 

This place is also the future home of the Grand Canyon Skywalk , a horseshoe-shaped, glass-lined walkway where you’ll be able to walk 70 feet out over the Grand Canyon, and all you can see between you and the Colorado River is … a lot of air!  For months, I’ve been answering incredulous e-mails, usually accompanied by the artist’s rendering, always asking “is this for real?”  In mid-2006 it should be (editor’s note: since then, the opening of the Skywalk has been delayed several times.  Current estimates put opening in early 2007).  

We continue to Guano Point, which is named for a now-defunct mining operation.  Here, we sat down to lunch of barbecue beef, corn bread and veggies with the Grand Canyon providing our ”ambiance.”  Gourmet fare?  Nope.  But the view sure couldn’t be beat!  After lunch, it was time to head back to the airstrip, where our plane was waiting to whisk us back to Las Vegas. 

Unbelievably, I actually dozed off momentarily on the trip back.  I was overwhelmed.  I couldn’t believe I’d actually been to the bottom of the Grand Canyon – and back – in a day!  And what a day it had been.  But that was just it – it hadn’t really been “a day” at all.  We did all this incredible, amazing stuff – the plane flight, TWO helicopter flights, the raft trip, the rim tour, the barbecue - in about six hours; that’s HALF a day! 

Back at the airport, we waved goodbye to our fellow Voyagers as they boarded shuttle buses back to their various hotels.  We met up with our boss at Pumi Oriental Restaurant  for a late ”2nd lunch” of miso soup and tiger rolls.  Too bad we couldn’t have stayed another day.  That tour had us back in time to take a nap, freshen up, maybe go out and do some karaoke.  Some of us had to be at work the next day, so we hit the road back to Page, America .  Oh well.  We’ll do some karaoke next time.  Know any good places? 

A cool thing – well, a couple of ‘em actually – are that this trip runs year-round, weather permitting, making it possible to actually have a Grand Canyon rafting experience in wintertime.  Also, there are no rapids on that stretch of the river, so kids as young as 3 or 4 can do this trip no problem.  As long as you can make it up and down the stairs, you’ll be fine.  AND: though the tour I described above took off from Las Vegas, you can do this exact same tour out of Grand Canyon South Rim, too.  Watch a video right now! 

Sound like fun?  Book your seat now! 

Stay tuned – it’s “beginning to look a lot like Christmas” at many Grand Canyon hotels! 

Alley K

Boy, the times they are a-changing.  What am I going on about today?  Well…for those of you planning  visits to the Grand Canyon here in the near future, a friendly heads up: you’re going to hear a couple of expressions bandied about as you plan your vacation.  You may be tempted to think they refer to the same place, and that’s not always going to be the case.  These are “Grand Canyon West” and “the West Rim.” 

Back in the late 1980’s when I first arrived at the Grand Canyon, whenever you said “the west rim,” you were talking about the two-lane road just off Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim.  Like its name suggests, this road extends for 8 miles in a westerly direction from the Village to various (and stunning) overlooks of the Grand Canyon.  One such very famous viewpoint that this road goes to is Hopi Point, which is popular with visitors hoping to catch that ultimately mind-blowing Grand Canyon sunset.  My personal favorite is the Abyss – you really see the depth of the gorge from there in a very in-your-face way, IMHO.  At the end of the road is a place called Hermit’s Rest, a really neat old building which houses a gift shop and snack bar.  Like many other buildings in the park, Hermit’s Rest was designed by Mary Jane Elizabeth Colter.  More on her later – but anyway, because of that, the West Rim Drive is also referred to by some locals as the “Hermit Road.”

The West Rim Drive/Hermit Road was built (correct me if I’m wrong people!) a bit after the turn of the 20th century, back in the day (BITD) when not many cars actually made it up to the Grand Canyon.  Of course, the ensuing decades brought more and more cars, eventually necessitating the closure of the West Rim drive to private vehicles during the lazy hazy crazy days of summer…and eventually that closure would extending from late spring through early winter.  Now, the National Park Service provides an easy-to-use free shuttle to those viewpoints during that time, and the in-park concessionaire, Xanterra South Rim LLC provides a guided bus tour to that area year-round. 

In the late-1990’s, another phrase began to circulate around: ”Grand Canyon West.”  Now, I had actually flown over that area many times back in the 1980’s.  Then, what would later become Grand Canyon West was a little airstrip on the Hualapai Indian Reservation almost smack dead center between Las Vegas and the South Rim (as the crow flies).  Back then, there was a whole lot of NOTHING out there.  Not so anymore.

Today, Grand Canyon West is a developing visitor service complex manned by members of the Hualapai Indian Tribe.  It has an airport, cafe, gift shop, tour desk, and several helipads that they lease to various Grand Canyon helicopter tour operators.  Those helicopters take people down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon for short pontoon boat trips or just for a look-see.  They’ve also built an Indian Village and some stables for horseback trips.  

Grand Canyon West also has a work in progress that a lot of folks are excited about, the Grand Canyon Skywalk, a horseshoe shaped glass bridge that will stick out past the canyon rim about 70 feet.  This walkway will be cantilevered, which means no struts or support beams will be visible to whoever’s standing on it – just hundreds of feet of air between them and the Colorado River below!  It was supposed to open this year, but construction delays and design revisions have pushed that day back to January of 2007.

Are the views of the Grand Canyon different between the two places?  Very.  The South Rim is at 7,000′; Grand Canyon West is at about 4,000′.  The views of the Grand Canyon from the South Rim are more vast, sweeping and panoramic than those at Grand Canyon West.  The rock formations on the South Rim also run the full spectrum of color (from red to purple and just about everything in between) whereas Grand Canyon West is more muted and earth-toned.  The South Rim is covered by a thick pine forest; Grand Canyon West is more of a true desert landscape (which means it’s hotter than a pistol in summertime). 

The Colorado River is more easily seen from Grand Canyon West by virtue of it being lower in altitude.  Grand Canyon West’s views are more stark and vertical, and mostly devoid of guardrails, too, prompting some visitors to crawl to the edge on all fours to take a picture.  Grand Canyon West is also a much smaller area than the South Rim, so there’s less of it to see.  And the main access road out there is still unpaved, so you’ll want to think twice before driving your rented Ford Focus out there.  Talk to us instead about a Las Vegas Grand Canyon tour package. 

At Grand Canyon South Rim, you have 6 hotels inside the park (managed by Xanterra), and 5 more just outside the park in Tusayan.  At Grand Canyon West, there aren’t as quite as many hotels at the moment, and most will be located outside the immediate area.  The Grand Canyon West Ranch is an actual working ranch located near the Grand Canyon West airport.  There are also a few small motels in the nearby communities of Peach Springs (Hualapai Lodge, the Grand Canyon Caverns Inn), and Truxton (the Frontier Motel).  The old Route 66 goes through Peach Springs, too – very cool.

In summary, the South Rim (home of “the West Rim”) and Grand Canyon West are very different places.  A couple of things they do have in common are that they are open year-round, and both places can be visited with an air-ground day excursion from Las Vegas or Phoenix.  In the process of planning your Grand Canyon vacation, you may hear Grand Canyon West referred to as “the West Rim.”  But that phrase was actually used to denote the West Rim Drive of Grand Canyon South Rim long before Grand Canyon West came to be.  I guess old habits die hard!  After all, most of us at GrandCanyon.com have lived in the area for 20 years, some were even born and raised here.     

The terminology is a potential source of confusion if you’re unfamiliar with the area.  If you’re not sure which place is being discussed, please ask.  A phrase you’ll want to add to your vocabulary as you plan your vacation: when in doubt, check it out.  But in general, when we (GrandCanyon.com) talk about ”the West Rim,” we too will be referring to the West Rim Drive on the South Rim.  When we talk about the area over on the Hualapai Reservation, we call it “Grand Canyon West.”

Which one should you choose?  …. We’ll talk about that on another post.   As usual, I’ve rambled on too long!  Not hard to do about my favorite subject.

L8R – Alley Kaye

P.S.  Hey, speaking of the West Rim Drive/Hermit Road, the National Park Service will reopen it to private vehicles on December 1st.  One thing that will be different this year is that Yaki Point and the South Kaibab Trailhead parking lots will remain closed through the winter (they used to reopen those too).  Free shuttle access will continue throughout the winter to those areas.  Overnight hikers will be allowed to park there by permit only.  The Grand Canyon Village shuttle will also continue running year-round.  For more information on Grand Canyon shuttles (and lots of other stuff too!), visit http://www.nps.gov/grca

Good morning everyone – well, actually it’s closer to afternoon.  How time flies when you’re having fun, and that’s precisely what we’re doing here at GrandCanyon.com (always!).  Right now, we’re talking with a lot of you who are booking Grand Canyon vacations for next year, and by the way, kudos to you all for planning ahead. 

For a lot of folks, the decision to go to the Grand Canyon tends to begin as an abstract notion, a vague tug at the psyche that draws us to it.  Seeing the Grand Canyon is on the “life lists” of many adults (and rightfully so!); indeed, it’s on many lists of places that must be seen in one’s lifetime.  The urge to go and see the Grand Canyon can sometimes come out of the blue, from deep within one’s heart or soul, but sometimes it takes the brain a little time to comprehend the actual act of seeing the Grand Canyon. 

If I had a dime for every time I spoke to someone who told me, “All I know is I want to see the Grand Canyon - HOW I’m gonna go about it, I haven’t got a clue!” well… after 20 years in the Grand Canyon biz, that’d be a boatload of dimes!  The great unknown that is the Grand Canyon was one of many reasons we wrote “The Insider’s Guide to the Grand Canyon.”  (We just put the Winter Edition up - download it now - it’s FREE!) 

But seriously, I’ve actually seen my share of folks pile into their car, zoom on up to the South Rim (’cause they heard that’s where everyone goes) and say “here I am, what do I do?”  GrandCanyon.com reservationist and staff writer Sandy J. recently wrote this essay explaining the importance of asking yourself what kind of experience you want to take away from your Grand Canyon vacation and how that will affect your decisions concerning where to go, what to see, and how to plan:

What do want from your Grand Canyon Vacation? Are you content to get the best views from the rim? Do you want to hike one or more of the trails that lead you from the awe-inspiring edge of the canyon to the thundering Colorado River at the bottom? Perhaps you’d like to swim in Havasu Falls, or maybe you’d like to attempt the near death-defying feat of stepping out onto a glass walkway 4,000 feet above the canyon floor?  How do YOU want to experience the Grand Canyon?

Let’s examine some options. Most who visit the Grand Canyon do so at a one of the canyon’s rims. The South Rim is the most popular because it is open 365 days a year and offers the most sweeping, panoramic views of the Grand Canyon. Grand Canyon West, also open year-round, is most accessible from Las Vegas and offers touring opportunities not available at the South or North Rim. The North Rim, closed by snow for up to six months of the year, is the most remote and therefore the least visited.

Which has the best views?  The good news is there’s no such thing as an ugly side of the Grand Canyon.  The best views are defined by the viewer.

Do you prefer seclusion or as near to it as possible?  Are hiking and sightseeing your primary goals at the Grand Canyon?  You would most likely want to visit the North Rim (or visit to the South Rim in wintertime). Do you like people-watching and don’t have a problem with crowds?  Are you travelling with children?  Do you like having a lot to do and a lot of choices as to where to stay?  If so, you will probably want to visit the South Rim. Do you want to get to the bottom of the Grand Canyon without being tired or sore afterward? A trip to Grand Canyon West would best suit you.

If hiking is your chosen experience, you have several trails to choose from. If you hike the Bright Angel Trail (South Rim) or the North Kaibab Trail (North Rim), you will be sharing the trail with the Grand Canyon mules. Or you might prefer to hike the South Kaibab Trail, which is a bit less crowded. You might choose to hike from the North Rim to the South Rim or vice versa.

Depending on your hiking expertise, you might decide to hike one of the other trails at the South or North Rims which are designated as wilderness trails. These trails, which are not maintained or improved on a regular basis, are quite rough and steep, therefore they’re only recommended for experienced canyon hikers. The main thing is to determine your camping/lodging needs well in advance and obtain your back country permit before heading out.

You could hike from Hualapai Hilltop near Peach Springs to the Havasupai Indian Reservation to experience the refreshing blue-green water of the Havasu Falls, Navajo Falls and Mooney Falls. All hikers must pay a tribal entry permit. If you want to stay overnight at the lodge or campground, you will need to make reservations with the Havasupai Tribe.

If you choose to hike anywhere within the Grand Canyon, you will need to be prepared. With most mountain hiking, you do the leg-cramping, uphill climb first and the somewhat easier downhill last. Just the opposite is true on Grand Canyon trails. Add blistering heat and bone dry conditions of summer (when most people choose to hike the canyon) and you have one of the most challenging hiking environments in the world.

Maybe you prefer to ride the mules from the South Rim to Phantom Ranch or Plateau Point. A horse ride to Havasu Falls may be more appealing to you than hiking. At the North Rim you could also choose to ride a mule part way down the canyon. Just remember that riding a mule or a horse is not an easier way to get down the trail by any means. In fact, hiking gives you more freedom and will likely leave you less sore afterward.

Are you planning to stay in Las Vegas and just make a short visit to the Grand Canyon? Then maybe a flight over Hoover Dam and Lake Mead to Grand Canyon West is the adventure you are looking for. The new skywalk will soon be waiting for a brave soul to step out on its glass surface and view the canyon hundreds of feet below.

If heights-on-glass is not for you (the skywalk will also not be open until 2007) there is still plenty to do. You can visit the Native American Village, view the canyon from various overlooks and eat lunch with the Hualapai Indian Tribe. They will share their culture and their handicrafts with you. You could also include a helicopter tour to the river and back plus a pontoon boat ride if you choose.

Are you coming in the blazing heat of summer? You might prefer to go to the shaded woodlands of the North Rim. It is not uncommon to see deer grazing near some of the popular overlooks as well as the lodge and cabins. You could even shoot some great pictures framed naturally with trees. There are not many options for lodging there so be sure to make reservations well in advance or choose to make Page, Arizona your base so you can enjoy Lake Powell as well as the North Rim.

Whatever you choose you can experience the Grand Canyon in the way that best suits your personality. The key is to plan ahead. 

We’ll have more thoughts on this very subject in the days, weeks and months to come.  In fact, stay tuned, and I’ll tell you what NOT to expect from your Grand Canyon vacation. 

’til then, take care and Happy Travels! 

Alley Kaye