Grand Canyon National Park Travel Answers

I can answer just one part of your question. Yes, you can of course drive in the US on a UK licence as long as you have the new photocard type. If you do not you will need to either get a photocard licence: direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/Dr... or apply for an IDP from the AA: http://www.theaa.com/getaway/idp/ you can get them by post, or at a Post office if there is one near to you which issues IDPs. Personally, I think an IDP is a cheap and useful piece of extra identification which is worth having whenever and wherever you intend to drive abroad...but that is my personal opinion.

I see that your hotel offers helicopter tours and if you hadn't already made your reservation there, you could have gotten a 15% off package. They mention mandatory package booking 7 days in advance so I'm not sure if that applies to booking just a flight. I would contact them? You can get all the info here: redfeatherlodge.com/html/gra... Not sure why you're buying the80 pass as you only have 3 parks listed to use it on. Individually, they cost: Lake Mead:10 Grand Canyon:25 Death Valley:20 That's a total of only55 - and that's for a carload of 4-5 people for 7 days at each park. Are you going to be visiting in other places in the U.S that you intend to you the pass for? I don't believe you can buy the passes in Vegas - they should be purchased at the park(s). The NPS has descriptions for all hiking trails on their websites for each park, as well as a TON of other great information. For instance, here's the day-hiking info for Grand Canyon South rim: nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/d... They don't mention how long the rim trail is but you can do as much or as little of it as you wish - pick up a shuttle at one of the overlooks when you get tired. We did the hike from the village west to Hermit's Rest: 8 miles. Again, you do not have to do all of it as there are numerous shuttle stops. You can view the shuttle map here: nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/s... And all maps/directions can be obtained at the visitor's centers when you get there: talk to a ranger for recommendations suiting your ability. The other park websites are here: http://www.nps.gov/lake/index.htm (Lake Mead) http://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm (Death Valley) Tot

Thanks for that and yes i do have a photocard new type license thank god xx mo

Forgot to ask: not sure what monument on the east side you're referring to? East side of Vegas or the Grand Canyon or one of the other places on your list? Do you know anything about it at all that could help? Also wanted to ask how many nights you are staying in Vegas, and how many at the Lodge?

OK, those monuments "to the east" - would you be thinking of Sunset Crater and Wuptaki National Monuments, just northeast of Flagstaff? See the websites for more info on those and if you think they're doable for your husband's mobility challenges?5 per person covers both sites, and they are very close together. Seeing these two is a little awkward but do-able from Tusayan. I'd drive down to Flagstaff and then up 89 on your way back to Vegas - backtrack from 89 to Flagstaff and the interstate after your visit. OR you could go that way from Vegas and enter Grand Canyon NP from the east entrance - on 64 west of Cameron. then drive south from the Grand Canyon Village to Tusayan from there. The first eyeful of the canyon from Desert View (the first overlook after the east entrance) is a beauty! http://www.nps.gov/sucr/index.htm http://www.nps.gov/wupa/index.htm Let me know if I can help with the NPS websites? I'm used to navigating them so if you're having trouble, just give a shout! :)

Gosh thanks for all that, I took a look at that site about hiking, but then found some coach tours which look better, dont know why I havnt seen that before, but the description of the trails is good. We do intend to do some more parks, after grand canyon we head to monument valley, then to LA any advice on where to stop partway would be welcomed and of course places to stop on route, We intend to stop at Flagstaff for a look. After LA we head on the coast highway to San Fransisco, again stopping on route overnight, and if we have time we intend to look at Yosemite. So the80 would be better.

Hiya again the monuments are wotukpi on east rim of grand canyon.

Thank you for the link to the hotel, i booked through booking.com and hadnt seen the website, they do have a lot of info on there thankyou.

We would be coming down the 89 towards flagstaff so is Sunset crator and the monuments doable from that direction too? The would be just before flagstaff or at least thats the way it looks on google maps

Yes, they're on 89 before you'd hit Flagstaff, coming down from the north. You know, you really don't need a coach tour at all if you're driving and already have reservations at Tusayan. The park shuttles will take you anywhere along the rim you want to go: no hiking needed! Really, it's a big expense when the shuttles are FREE. Were you thinking of scrapping Red Feather Lodge and doing a coach combo of Hoover Dam/Grand Canyon South Rim from Vegas? Those give you SO little time at the park - it's sort of sad. There is a 2-day tour from Vegas that includes an overnight at the park, if you're interested? But if you decide to book a one-day tour, make SURE it goes to the National Park and not "Grand Canyon WEST". That is NOT the park and a very expensive rip-off, IMHO. I really wouldn't do a bus tour from Tusayan at all. So your trip is much bigger than it looks! Do be aware that Monument Valley is a tribal and not a national park so your NPS pass won't work there? And DO make sure you make reservations as there are only two hotels in/close to Monument Valley Tribal Park. Neither one is inexpensive but we've stayed at Gouldings Lodge and the view was wonderful - although maybe not as close as the newer View hotel. Let me know if you want web links for those? I'll let someone with more experience help with the Monument Valley-to-LA piece. We have some members who do a great job with Vegas-to-LA journeys through Yosemite., and (fingers crossed) you should be early enough in the season not to see snow there!

Hi No not thinking of scaping red feather, i was thinking of the coach tours in the park, but like you say if the shuttles take us along the rim, and from what ive read now it looks as though they are like our London buses, hop on and off at stops as you wish, they should be fine. I also read that with mobility problems you can enquire at the part for badges which allow you better parking areas, so i can bare that in mind too. I was thinking of doing hoover dam, and death valley etc whilst at vegas, then move on to Red feather motel and if we get there early enough the helicoptor ride weather being ok. Thanks for the info on Monument Valley, it is quite a long drive from Canyon but cant decide if the get a hotel there on not, would you say it would be worth a stay over

You do NOT need a IDP. UK licenses with a picture and written in English(Of course) are all you need. An IDP only provides translation if you had license in language other than English. It is OK if you plan on future travel in countries with other than English. Otherwise don't waste your money.

It's about a 3 to 3 and 1/2 hour drive from the South Rim to Monument Valley (according to a related website) so would be a long day trip but not impossible. We enjoyed watching the sunrise over the valley but sunset is marvelous too. I guess experiencing one or both of these is why I would spend the night. I'm thinking you might be able to make it under that drive time. navajonationparks.org/htm/mo... monumentvalleyonline.com/ind... (this has a little outdated info - use for listed milage/drive time) One little thing to be aware of is that Arizona does not observe daylight savings time but the Navajo Nation does. In October, reservation time in Monument Valley is one hour ahead of Arizona time. This is probably not something you need to worry about as you'd be unlikely to be there at park opening time of 8:00 AM (7:00 AM Arizona time) but a good thing to know. The park closes at 5:00 PM (4:00 PM Arizona time).

The bus service inside the south rim area of the canyon isn't exactly like a hop-on hop-off tour bus. It is really more of a public transit service that is operated without paying a fare, including having several bus routes that meet at a centralized transit center. A number of the overlooks have parking lots that are too small for the sheer number of visitors that come, especially during the peak tourist months. Thus, the need to have a public transit service that moves people around and reduces the congestion a bit. What I have written about the bus service is here: "Free Bus Service allows Better Exploration" - By Shuttle Tip by glabah including a map of the various bus routes in the park.

Maybe it depends on how you define a hoho bus but I think they really do work pretty similarly, even if there's a stop or two one way or the other that they need to skip. As the park brochure describes them: "The buses come by every 15–30 minutes. You are free to get on and off at any stop. The routes are designed so you can ride to a stop, enjoy the view, shop at a gift store, or walk along the rim and then hop on a later shuttle." There are also 4 routes: one of them goes to Tusayan during high season. If you want to jump the shuttle from near your hotel there, park passes, as noted, can be purchased at various places in Tusayan so you have them when you reach the park. The only significant pieces of park road the shuttles don't cover during summer is the stretch from Yaki Point east to Desert View - and you'll be doing that one yourself if planning to exit the park that direction to drive down to Sunset Crater/Wupatki - and another to the clinic, which you hopefully won't need. The schedule they have on the website now is for the summer season. They should be putting up the fall season schedule in the next day or so.

One significant difference between the hop on hop off tour buses that go through major cities and the transit style service that is offered in the park is that some people might be expecting to be able to do significant sightseeing from the buses as you might in a city tour, and have a narrated description of what you are driving past. The buses are good transportation, but you can't see much from the road (there are a few places, but not many), and thus there wouldn't be any point to them having a tour guide narrating all the stuff you are driving past.

*If* the poster does not have a photocard licence (and many of us older people in the UK do not) then it is necessary to carry photographic ID. An IDP fulfils that function without having to carry one's passport around all the time. Getting an IDP is a much cheaper option than replacing a paper licence with a photocard and a much cheaper option than having to replace a lost passport. Hire firms will need photo ID to accompany paper-only licences and (I'm sure) so will police. Additionally, the UK AA site notes that, for the US >IDP recommended as, in the event of an accident, some insurance companies will insist on seeing one.

OK, I see what you meant, Glenn. :)

Tats1952 already said he/she has photo Drivers license. Also, there is no official requirement in USA for Photo ID license to drive as there are still some States with optional photo or paper license documents in use. 2 of my friends from Lithuania rented cars without IDP and there is NO English on their license. (IDP is NOT available in Lithuania) They also were stopped for minor traffic infraction and police did not make issue of IDP, and in fact let them off without a problem. They themselves speak good English.

From usa.gov/Topics/Foreign_Visit...: "An International Driving Permit (IDP) translates information contained on your driver's license into 10 languages so that officials in foreign countries are able to interpret your license. An IDP supplements a valid government-issued license--it does not serve as a replacement for a license. If you are stopped by law enforcement, you will most likely be asked to produce BOTH your IDP and your official driver's license. The United States does NOT issue International Driving Permits to foreign visitors, so you will need to obtain this document before traveling to the U.S."

Replying very early this morning...and only replying to the comment about the IDP....I missed the poster's acknowledgement that he/she has the new-style UK licence, for which I apologise to the poster. I got an IDP for the US, and am pleased I did so. It cost me the princely sum of 8.50GBP. If I'd been able to get it from a Post Office it would have cost 5.50GBP. It lasts a year and is not country-specific (s long as the country involved recognises the 1949 IDP). theaa.com/motoring_advice/ov... I appreciate the additional peace of mind that tiny sum gives me. The poster, and other readers, may do so as well.

Thanks to all the members for their replies and the explanation regarding the shuttles, it does sound the best way to get around.