Where to fly to visit grand canyon
How to visit Grand Canyon south rim (advice from a local)
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number one when is the best time to
visit the best time to visit very much
depends on what you're looking for if
it's crowds you're concerned with the
least visited times are between December
and February save holidays know that if
you come during late December crowds can
be worse than in summer
other than the holidays though
visitation is low in winter due to cold
and snow the Park Service will not use
salt to melt road ice so surfaces can
get slippery
despite this the canyon can appear
breathtaking after a winter snow in
summertime many families will visit
causing many people to believe that
traveling and scream or fall to be ideal
but autumn is just as busy as the summer
though there certainly are less crying
infants
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number two where is the glass skywalk
the Skywalk is on Hualapai tribal land
and 250 road miles from the national
park where many people show up expecting
to find it the Skywalk sets perched over
a side Canyon of Grand Canyon proper and
therefore offers completely different
views than what visitors will encounter
along the main south realm a rather high
cost of admission has also soured the
experience for some Grand Canyon West as
the area is called typically sees
tourists from Las Vegas due to its
proximity to Nevada
number three how many people fall off
fatalities vary from year to year but on
average around five or more will fall
from the rim either accidentally or
intentionally
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far greater accidents occur from other
reasons such as dehydration from
unprepared hikers in 2016 the park
exceeded six million visitors for the
year helping to put into perspective the
relatively few fatalities that do
actually occur as parks experience
record visitor numbers an emerging
problem involving accidents is actually
traffic related a huge percentage of
visitors and rental cars are foreign
nationals who may not be familiar with
US traffic laws or driving in general
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number four how do you get down there
the Bright Angel Trail is typically
categorized as the easiest way to and
from the Colorado River this however
does it mean that it is easy to hike to
the bottom and back for unprepared
hikers the Bright Angel like the South
Kayaba is a maintained trail and because
of its proximity to the main village is
the most used the Oasis at Indian garden
and Phantom Ranch provide amenities not
available on many of the other non
maintained trails there are also
overnight mule rides to the bottom but
you must make reservations for these
more than a year in advance
Grand Canyon officially begins at a
place called Lee's ferry which is
accessible by car it is here where
rafters put in for the long journey down
the 277 mile long Canyon however there
are no roads to the bottom of the canyon
within the park so don't listen to your
car's GPS it could lead you astray
five how long does it take to get to the
bottom and do you need permission the
amount of time it takes a hiker to reach
the Colorado River and return safely to
the rim depends entirely on the hiker
and the trail he or she uses it
typically takes an individual twice as
long to climb out as it does to go down
and therefore the recommendation is to
spend two days although some people do
this in one day spending two or more is
safer and allows for more time to
appreciate the incredible scenery the
mule ride takes about six hours to reach
the bottom for an overnight stay at
Phantom Ranch camping overnight within
the canyon requires a fee and
backcountry permit that one can obtain
at the backcountry office there is a
limited number of permits available so
during prime times of spring and fall it
is best to reserve them in advance
remember most hikers seen on the trails
are not going all the way to the river
but doing shorter day hikes the Rim
Trail that stretches west of the village
paralleling hermit road is great for day
hikes as much of it is paved and level
between March and November one can also
use the free Red Line shuttle bus in
conjunction with walking the rim path
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number six what about wildlife and
dangerous animals visitors commonly see
elk and deer in the village area that
display little fear of people while the
park does have some carnivorous
predators like mountain lions and
Toyotas the animal that most people have
negative encounters with is the cute
little rock squirrel it is illegal to
feed wildlife despite many warnings and
people are bitten while trying to feed
or pet this animal the parks medical
clinic reports that during the summer
they can receive several visits per day
from tourists regarding squirrel bites
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number seven where are the best places
to see sunset and sunrise although this
can depend on the time of year the best
places to see sunset and sunrise and the
canyon itself are away from the main
village area lookouts on hermit Road
will be the most convenient for those
staying in the village without cars
Powell and Hopi points are good for
sunrise while Mojave and Pima are good
for sunset these are all accessible on
the red line shuttle March through
November when cars are prohibited from
permit road keep in mind that the free
shuttles get very crowded during sunset
so a good alternative is to get tickets
for the in park sunset tour otherwise
sunrise is a better time to use the free
Red Line bus since few people are up so
early in the morning if you have your
own car you could also consider driving
out highway 64 East to Ripon Point or
desert view
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you
number eight where's the best place to
find souvenirs curio shops can be found
throughout the village selling typical
tourist gifts too expensive native made
art shops usually identify which
souvenirs are authentic handmade versus
cheap replicas made in China having
verifiable authenticity combined with
fees that a concessionaire must pay the
Park Service though means prices can be
high for certain items park related
educational gifts can be found in the
nonprofit GCA stores like that at the
maine visitor center the best deals on
souvenirs will be found at roadside
stands on tribal lands or during the
park especially those found along 64
East on the Navajo Reservation
number nine where is the best lodging
and dining we all know that services
like gas food and lodging can be
expensive in resort areas and national
parks are no exception within Grand
Canyon National Park there are three
restaurants the finest dining but
potentially the most expensive for
dinner is at El Tovar hotel
if you want to experience dining there
while saving some money consider going
for breakfast instead oddly the price
won't be much more than the poorly
reviewed cafeteria food found at Nazca
core Yavapai lodges don't expect
amenities like swimming pools high-speed
Wi-Fi or an extensive cellular network
within the park a few miles to the south
lies the town of to see on in park
border community with many additional
hotels services if you're staying in
Tucson during the summer consider taking
the free Purple Line shuttle into the
park to avoid long lines of the entrance
station if you want a park service
sanctioned tour you can get these inside
the park for much less than what to see
on tour operators charge
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number ten where does the train go the
grand canyon railway provides near daily
service from Ann to Williams Arizona 60
miles south of the park the Train
provides visitors and train buffs an
alternative way to reach the park but
don't expect to see the canyon during
your journey the train arrives around
noon and passengers then have about
three hours to visit the rim the free
Blue Line bus can be used to get around
the village and the red and orange lines
used to go out on to the rims where
there are better views keep in mind that
the shuttles provide free mass transit
so do expect them to be popular to avoid
having to do things on your own consider
purchasing a guided bus tour when buying
your train ticket ahead of time to enjoy
more that the park has to offer some
visitors make plans to stay overnight
then take the train back to Williams the
following afternoon
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number 11 what about air tours today
most visitors to Grand Canyon will not
have to witness Boise aircraft covering
about the airspace above the most
popular vistas remains restricted
however there are areas where scenic
flights are permitted popular helicopter
tours originate from Grand Canyon
Airport just a few miles south of the
National Park
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number twelve what's best to see with a
limited amount of time the average
visitor at Grand Canyon stays only two
or three hours this is a mistake as you
will most likely only see the canyon
from the most visited spots like Mather
point at the crowded visitor center if
possible stay longer to visit other
museums and historic sites if you have
limited time and are passing through the
area consider driving in from the east
and exiting from the south or vice versa
you can avoid congestion this way and
still see great views from Grand View
Moran Lipan or Desert View this will
work out well for many travelers
planning on seeing other monuments and
parks on the Colorado Plateau
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