Grand Canyon Travel Forum

We're going to be in Las Vegas in June and are trying to find a good place to stay during our road trip to the Grand Canyon. We wanted to stay the lodge on the North Rim but they are booked solid til August. Now we're at a loss as to where to stay. We would like a place that isn't full of kids (sorry, but we're on romantic, kid-free trip) and is on the nice side. I've tried the Xanterra hotels but the only thing available is the lodge room at Angel Bright or Bright Angel (something to that effect) and it doesn't have a private bath. One option we have is to stay in Sedona in Oak Canyon for 2 nights and then head on up to the North Rim where they can get us in a cabin for 1 night. How does this sound? Or should we bypass that and just try to find a hotel for all three nights near the south rim?

Go SEDONA! You won't regret it.
Unfortunately, there is no such thing as "away from kids" at the Grand Canyon..along with kids, it is extremely crowded including buses and large tours.
You cannot find time away from people.
Unless you hike way down into the Canyon, your views are limited to basically, well...looking over the edge from several crowded parking lots.

Sedona is one of my all time favorite places.
Unlike the Grand, you are literally inside a canyon and able to hike right off the roadside.
Sunsets from many vantage points are incredibly romantic - just pick up a picnic dinner and a bottle of wine.

There are several hikes I recomend that, although you may find people, you can easily hang back and be by yourself.
Devils Arch is one of my favorites and the longer hike: Vultee's Arch.
Also, make sure and take in the vortex tours or, jeep tours or simply, go explore the energy charged vortexes on your own.

Enjoy your trip!
Homer

I agree, but keep in mind that if you are going to Sedona off U.S.40 from Flagstaff that the road is long, slow, super pretty and curvy, so it eats up alot of time. Have a great time!

bookmark

The Holiday Inn in Tusayan has "family rooms"- a suite with two rooms- a king bed in one and a bunk bed in the other. The other hotels- Red Feather, Grand Lodge and a couple of others are cheaper than the lodging in the park and pretty good. I am staying at the Bright Angel in March and like the idea that it's rim-side. The buildings are historic as well. Did they have Yuvapai available? That's like a motel about a mile or so from the rim. You could also look at Williams, AZ they have a cool train that comes up to the Grand CAnyon ( be careful, though, I understand that it is often held up by masked bandits on horseback)

Meant to add that Oak Creek Canyonh, in Sedona, is one of my favorite areas to stay.
Quiet, serene, tranquil.
Many quaint restaurants and smaller shops along the way.

Homer

You guys are awesome! Thanks! I think we're going to go to Sedona and stay at Wren Cabins in Oak Creek Canyon. We've been looking at pictures of Sedona and it looks really pretty. Does anyone know how long it takes to drive to Sedona from Las Vegas?

Sedona to the North Rim is a long drive. Sedona's gorgeous though and very worth it. If you want to get away from the crowds, you'll need to stay away from the South Rim, especially in August. It's hotter, more crowded, and has way more hoards that the kids come with.
If you do want to go to the North Rim and can't stay in the park, look into Marble Canyon Lodge or Jacob Lake Inn. The latter is closer, but Marble Canyon Lodge is in a beautiful area.

From Las Vegas, it takes about 3 1/2 hours, throught beautiful country.
Wren Cabins are very nice.

Make sure you go to Cathedral Rocks.
Another nice day trip from Sedona are the Hopi/Sin Agua Indian ruins.

Well, I guess Homanded has a real lead foot. It is about 275 miles from Las Vegas to Sedona and will take almost 5 hours.

If you want something quieter, with not so many kids around, you would want to go to the north rim. If the GC Lodge is full, try Kaibab Lodge. It is much closer than anything in Jacob Lake.

http://www.kaibablodge.com/

If you haven't been to the Grand Canyon before, I would suggest going to the south rim because there are so many more viewpoints than at the north rim. Don't give up on finding a room at one of the rim lodges. Keep trying the Xanterra site at least twice a day. There are always cancellations, so you should be able to get something. Do try for one of the rim lodges (El tovar, Kachina, Thunderbird, or Bright Angel). You didn't mention your travel dates. But I just did a quick search, randomly plugging in June 8 for 1 night, and Kachina has rooms available. You are more likely to find a room if you look just for 1 night.

If you are spending 3 days in the area, I would also highly recommend Sedona. It (the area, not the town) is one of my favorite places. We are going back again this May. Only thing is, it is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Sedona to the south rim. So you should still try to spend at least on night at the Grand Canyon. But do try for the south rim. The drive from Sedona to the north rim is around 5 hours, maybe a bit less if you don't get stuck behind a big RV.

I would call Xanterra daily....people cancel all the time.

Have you checked about the Yavapai Lodge at the South Rim? It is located about 1/2 mile away from the rim and there are shuttle that run every 10 minutes to take you there. You would be out in the Kaibab Forest, away from a lot of the congestion along the rim.

You could do Sedona, then head up to the South Rim. I agree with the other party who said the views are much more spectacular at the South rim. Pease see my Grand Canyon page for more of an in depth look at the Grand Canyon.

And yes, it would be a long drive to the North Rim from Sedona.

Mike

We've booked our two nights in Sedona at the Canyon Wren cabins. We're still trying to find something for our 1 night in the South Rim. The Bright Angel has rooms periodically (I check everyday) but their website says that the rooms do not have bathrooms. I don't mind 'roughing it' and have indeed stayed at my fair share of hostels and like them. But since this is our honeymoon and that night of the trip falls on my husband's birthday, I don't think I want to rough it that much. Instead, I think we're just going to go ahead and stay at a nicer place a few minutes away. We liked the idea of being able to walk to the rim and will keep checking to see if any cabins come up but right now we're just going to go ahead and book another hotel. Looking forward to the trip though.

>>I agree the views are more spectacular at the South Rim>> Mike, have you been to Toroweap yet ?

No I haven't been to Toroweap yet. I was out in that area in August of 2006 but I ran out of time. Like a lot of people have posted, it takes a long time to get around in the great Southwest.

I have read that you can plan on replacing or changing tire if you go on the road to Toroweap. Sounds a bit rough to get there.

Take care - Mike

Well I did it in 2003, I think it was about 145 km from St. George and another 100 back up to the hwy to Kanab. True you have to pick your time to go but it was o.k. Graded road down to the old schoolhouse at Mt. Trumbull and then trail for the rest. But Toroweap is really worth the effort to get there. I met a couple of ORV's 25/30 km from the rim, but that was all. Pure heaven !!!!