Grand Canyon News

When folks ask what I do for a living, my answer can vary.  To some, I’m a “travel counselor.”  To others, I’m a “reservationist.”   Depending on when you catch me, I’m also a part time journalist, part time concert promoter and a part time bass player in a classic rock band (story for another time).  Some of you have called me an “educator,” others have called me a “lifesaver.”  This time of year, though, is when a lot of you call me something else: a “professional party pooper.”  

What’s up with that?  Well… ‘round springtime, I get a lot of calls from folks who’ve got it into their heads to just up and go to the Grand Canyon.  Great idea, right?  The days are getting longer, the weather’s getting nicer, we’ve been cooped up inside all winter… What’s not to like about a spontaneous jaunt to a beautiful place?   That’s something that’s about as American as apple pie.

Well, picture this: you’ve been driving through the desert for what seems like an eternity.  Up ahead, the lights of a town glisten.  Finally, you’ll be able to get a room and some much needed sleep!  Imagine your disappointment when the front desk clerk tells you that there’s “no room at the inn.”  So you go to the next motel – and the desk clerk says the same thing.  And so on, and so on… In fact, there are no rooms anywhere to be found because they’ve all been booked up for weeks.  Your best hope, says the desk clerk, is the next town up the road – 3 hours away. 

I know, because that desk clerk was me.  I’ve born that bad news to many people over the years, and I’ve been bearing that bad news to a lot of you lately.  So to all of you, let me say – I’M SORRY!  But Spring Break marks the beginning of peak travel season for the Grand Canyon and nearby attractions, and Grand Canyon hotels typically get booked up anywhere from 6 months to a year in advance.  If you want to come here next week, with all due respect, folks, don’t bother to ask which hotel is best or which one we recommend.  At this point, that doesn’t matter one bit.  Because it’s not a question of what’s best; it’s a question of what’s left.   

Just for giggles, I did a random query of Grand Canyon hotels for March 16th for a 3 night stay (though 2 nights is typical for most Grand Canyon family vacations).  I found that, miraculously, there are some rooms available at Yavapai Lodge, which is in-park at Grand Canyon South Rim, 1 mile from the Rim.  Outside the park in Tusayan (10 minutes from the canyon rim), I found some rooms left at the Canyon Plaza Quality Inn.  Other than that, it’s gonna be Williams, which is 1 hour South of the park, Flagstaff, which is 90 minutes away, or Page-Lake Powell, which is 2.5 hours away. 

So while that spur-of-the-moment road trip may sound great in theory, in reality, well… sometimes reality bites.  I say this to you from experience, having gone on a spontaneous spring break trip to the Grand Canyon in college, where me and 3 other girls barely lucked out on a campsite, froze our tookuses off ‘cause we didn’t know the Grand Canyon was at 7,000’ (which means nights get cold even in springtime), nearly killed ourselves hiking in the canyon because we didn’t realize we had to pace ourselves (it’s MUCH easier going downhill)… let’s say I’ve made a career of helping folks like you avoid the same pitfalls ever since. 

Speaking of things like dreams, reality, the two melding into one, etc., we here in Northern Arizona are anxiously awaiting what promises to be the event of the year, if not the century: the opening of the new Grand Canyon Skywalk over at Grand Canyon West.  Once considered an “urban legend” (I received many e-mails over the last two years asking about the “Grand Canyon Skywalk Hoax”), it finally looks like the Grand Canyon Glass Skywalk is poised to become a reality.  Today, construction workers at Grand Canyon West begun the “jack and roll” process, lifting the massive steel and glass structure off the ground and slowly inching it out over the canyon rim.  It will eventually be attached to footings anchored deep into the canyon wall at Eagle Point.  

For those unfamililar, the Grand Canyon Skywalk (pictured above right) is a cantilevered steel and glass walkway that will jut 70 feet past the lip of the canyon… those bearing the price of admission (and lacking the fear of heights) will be treated to the surreal sensation of floating high in the air, hundreds of feet above the Colorado River – TRIP-PYYYYYYY!  How this attraction will fare remains to be seen (understandably, it has not been without controversy).  Admission prices ranging from $25 to $75 a head have been bandied about all over the media, but still, I certainly intend to try and walk on it as soon as I possibly can!  I’ll let ya know if I chicken out. 

‘til next time, Happy Travels – Alley Kaye

P.S.  Hey!  Have you seen our brand new Grand Canyon Travel Planning Video?  Did I mention it’s got 80 minutes of GREAT information and it’s ABSOLUTELY FREE?  Hmm…. I just did.  Get yours now by going to Google Video and type in “get the most out of your Grand Canyon vacation,” or sign up on the homepage for your free e-mail link.  I promise you’ll get answers to all your Grand Canyon questions and then some! 

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