Grand Canyon trip finalized

[AZsix]

May 31-June 2 will be spent at the Grand Canyon. We are staying at Trailer Village. It is the first trip for all of us to the Grand Canyon. Personally I can't wait.

Has anyone stayed at Trailer Village? How about some tips on what to see (besides all that we can). We have four kids aged 10, 8,8 and 6 so long steep hikes are not an option. I'm sure there are certain spots that may be better than others.

[Dee4j]

trailer village was getting a facelift when I was there. it is your typical RV park type. I prefer Mather even though it has no hook-ups. as far as hike go we didn't get a chance on hiking too much, we were taping RV Roadtrips for the DIY Network. I do know there is a min. age of 8 yrs to ride the burros down. They have thet new glass bridge that hangs out over the canyon. It is a beautiful place

[austinado16]

Go Mather all the way! Very nice showers and laundry are 1/4mi away. Grocery store, gift shops and restaurant a 1/4mi the other direction.

Your kids are plenty good for a hike down in a short distance.  Just go down to Mile-and-a-half-House down the Bright Angel Trail which is to your left as you're facing the canyon.  Get every body a Camelbak and carry either plain water, or real performance/sports drink powder mixed with water....like "Cytomax" (what I carry and highly recommend).  No sodas, no caffeine, or other sweat sugary drinks.  Some salty snacks, P.B.&J's, and fresh fruit.  You guys will do just fine. Everybody should have sun hats, and those white dripel fabric long sleeve athletic shirts keep the sun off, keep you cool, and keep you from being all sweaty.

You can take the shuttle buses to other areas around the south rim for free and they run every 15min like clockwork.  There's a kid's center up and to your right at the new big center they've built near the Kaibab Trial head.  Definately go there.

We were just there in August '07 and had a great stay....but we hiked to the bottom, camped overnight and hiked out the next day.

You guys gotta walk down in, even if it's a short distance.....it's unbelieveable.  Just wear the right gear and bring the right drinks and snacks and it'll be a good time for all.

There's a big IMAX theater just south of the main entrance gates that you guys might enjoy too.

[AZsix]

Maybe we can try Mather on another trip. I've already paid a deposit for Trailer Village plus being there three nights I did want the hookups.

Thanks for the suggestions. We do plan on hiking down as far as we can based on our kids willingness. They are a pretty hardy bunch so that shouldn't be a problem. We always bring water with us when we hike. I have a camelbak and we have several other large water bottles that have insulated cases and straps. I may pick up more camelbaks, thanks for the suggestion.

I'm really looking forward to this trip but I'm not going to stress and try to see everything. We live about 4.5 hours away and I'm sure it won't be the last trip we make up there. Maybe next time we'll stay at Mathers.

[austinado16]

You guys are going to have a great time.  It's an amazing place.

Consider one of those pump up "Misty Mates".  We brought one and man was it a fantastic little treat.  They're cheap on ebay or brand new at your local sports chains.

I'm a firm believer in "Cytomax."  It was all we drank (powerder mixed with our water) during the 2 days we were hiking in and out.  On the way out, we came across a young couple who'd gotten themselves about 2+ miles down in on the Bright Angel Trail.  The girlfriend was dressed all wrong for the weather (shorts and a tank top, no hat) and they hadn't been drinking or eating right.  It was 100*F, she'd run herself out of sugar and salt, and the only way she was getting out was being carried.  I poured her 16oz of Cytomax from my Camelbak and "suggested" she drink it or.......  Within about 10min the lights were coming back on and she was back to normal.  They stayed with use to the mile-and-a-half-house and we gave them some apples and cookies, and then off they went like brand new.

[WolfPack]

we will be there in may 20-25 we are going to stay at mather camp graound at lest you have short drive 4.5 h thats not bad its going to be 26.22 h drive for me and the kids. for what i have seen on the nps wed site it looks to be fun it will be a trip of a life time i hope there is good weather when we go.

[austinado16]

Our drive was 12ish.  We did it in 2 days on the way there and 1 on the way home. It was something like 114*+ on both drives.  I've never seen it so hot.  My PUP's tires were 143*F on the infrared temp gun and during one hill climb on a 2 lane road stuck behind a big rig the trans temp spiked at 215*F!!!

But it was an amazing trip.  The canyon is so unbelievable.

[GeneF]

Grand Canyon is an awesome place to visit with some great sunsets.

Once the sun is down, that place can be as dark as a closet.  If you will be around after dark, be sure to have a flashlight with you.

Also, with the kids, I would watch them along the edge.  The path along the ridge can be slippery with loose gravel and no guard rails.

[AZsix]

Grand Canyon is an awesome place to visit with some great sunsets.

Once the sun is down, that place can be as dark as a closet.  If you will be around after dark, be sure to have a flashlight with you.

Also, with the kids, I would watch them along the edge.  The path along the ridge can be slippery with loose gravel and no guard rails.

I definitely plan on taking in sunset each night. I will be taking lots of pictures. We will make sure to have flashlights with us.

The kids were just telling me at dinner last night that a three year old fell to her death not that long ago at the canyon. (great dinner conversation huh?) When the kids outnumber the parents we try to keep a very watchful eye on them.

I can't wait for this trip. I think the kids will appreciate it more once we get there.

[austinado16]

We will make sure to have flashlights with us.

The kids were just telling me at dinner last night that a three year old fell to her death not that long ago at the canyon. (great dinner conversation huh?) When the kids outnumber the parents we try to keep a very watchful eye on them....

I think it's great you guys had that talk.  It is one seriously dangerous place and now they understand it.  The stats on deaths and injuries each year are amazing.  Our first day hiking in a guy died on the Bright Angel Trail. We were going in on the other trailer, the South Kaibab.

If you want to outfit with what's probably the best flashlight ever, go here:
http://www.goldmine-elec-products.com/prodinfo.asp?number=G16318

Makes any Maglight or Streamlight look like a penlight.

[beacher]

We stayed at Trailer Village in 2005.  

The Good:  We had one of the few shady spots and it was close to a restroom, which were nice things. Full hookups.


The Bad:  It was incredibly windy during the afternoons and night!  We were on the last lane of campsites, where the worker's park model trailers are set up.  The workers going in and out of their trailers and talking out loud at 2:00 a.m. were kinda annoying.

If you run out of propane, there are no refills in the park they only have disposable  propane canisters at the store, and no steak saver adapters.  The closest refill spot is outside the park, 25 miles away and they close at 7:00 p.m., (the RVPark across the street from the IMAX theatre).  The Chevron gas station propane pump didn't work!  Thank goodness for The Flintstone's Bedrock Campground.  They were open, their pump worked, and we stayed much warmer for it!

The Fun:   Deer roam the campground.  It was fun to see them right outside our camper when we woke up.  We have two small kids, so no real hiking was planned for that trip.  The kids loved the Jr. Ranger program at the visitor center.  The train ride to and from Williams is interesting if you have an available 1/2 day.  All the self-guided indian village sites are great fun for the kids, they are easy to get to.  There are nice restaurants at the Hotels in the park, fun for a dinner treat with a sunset view that is memorable.

[spicetrader]

Has anyone ever gone to the Canyon in late november?  Thanksgiving time?  Or is that a crazy time to go?

[AZsix]

Has anyone ever gone to the Canyon in late november?  Thanksgiving time?  Or is that a crazy time to go?

If you don't mind the snow and cold I'm sure you will not have to deal with huge crowds.  If you go to the Grand Canyon website they have a chart of average temps and you can check for late Nov to see what you could expect.

On a weather related note.....I know a lot of people think that since Phoenix is in the desert we are hot all the time. This morning when I went out to my car for work my car was covered with ice, my door was frozen shut and my wipers were frozen to the windshield. Not to worry though, it's supposed to be in the 70's at the end of the week.

[austinado16]

Yep, deserts get plenty cold.  I froze my butt off in Tempe during a December visit one year.

I'll bet the GC is gorgeous in the fall and winter.  We talked to some hiker's who'd hiked down to the bottom one winter.  I can't remember the temps quoted, but it was something like 0 at the top and 60 something at the bottom.  They had to wear ice cramp-ons because the mule piss freezes and makes the trail really dangerous.

We loved the weather in August, their "monsoon" season.  Huge clouds blowing over at all times kept the temps decent (80 at the top and 114 at the bottom) and it was cool to watch little squals enter the canyon and dump, sort of like someone holding a shower head in just one small area.

[Clarabelle]

We had the same experience with extremes in temperatures one spring.  We were tent camping with snow on the ground on top, but temperatures reaching well into the 90s after hiking about half way down to the bottom.  We saw several hikers who'd started down without water, sunscreen, or hats.  They were having difficulty getting back to the top.