Grand Caynon

[Sol-Candy]

Anybody have a fabulous vacation to the Grand Canyon and can give me some advice on planning a trip.

Thinking about going "Spring 2009"....Flying....not driving

Thanks!!!!

[redsky@night]

Took my wife there last year for her 40th and had a great time. we went on one of the helicopter tours and had breakfast at the bootom of the canyon. It was amazing. They picked us up by Limo at the hotel and took us to the airport. the flight there is about 50 minutes , you spend about 30 min on the floor of the canyon and then about a 45 min flight back with a tour of downtown Vegas. Very expensive, but worth every penny.

have fun

[TulsaSky]

Train from Williams, AZ takes you up to the grand canyon, super fun thing to do. Take the steam engine and on the way back down switch to the observation car, glass all around so you get a clear view of the scenery. For entertainment their will be a hold up on the train, train robbers and you will have a birds eye view of the horses galloping up to the train.
What I wish we would of done is stay at the grand canyon and actually hike up or down some of the trails. Many have said the donkey rides are fun don't know if they even still do it. But the train is a awesome experience!

TulsaSky

[SKYtime]

I like to do the great Arizona tour. I don't know if you're flying into Phoenix, but when I do, I drive up to Sedona and stay a day or so (gorgeous). I then drive up to Flagstaff and then across the Grand Canyon (south rim is better for the tourist in my view). I then drive across to Kingman (Route 66 goes right through Kingman). You can also fit in a bit of Laughlin, NV from Kingman (gambling/shows).

Finally, I drive down through mountains back to Phoenix/Scottsdale. Of course, the resorts in Scottsdale are very nice.

[Wind Restrictor]

Go see Hoover Dam when you are there. Not too far away....

We went last month. It was awesome.

[IndySky99]

We went there last year after the Skywalk opened up, it was great (once we got there). I had never been to the canyon before, did the south rim and another spot, maybe the west rim? Sedona was also great, we stayed in Flagstaff and just drove around to lots of places. Meteor crater was cool too. Since the Skywalk had recently opened, the road to it was a windy, rocky mess. We had a sporty Infiniti rental that was not cut out for those roads. We came along 3 cars on that road that had blown out tires on it, taking the road too fast and hitting large boulders in the road I guess. Not fun anytime, but in the Arizona desert on a hot/sunny day with no cell reception....luckily they were all being helped. Supposedly they were paving the road in July last year, plus the visitor center should now be completed just beside the Skywalk. It is a tad expensive to walk out on that large glass structure, but it was worth it to me to do it once. Hope you have a great time whatever you decide to do!

[2sky4]

In Vegas. Plan on going to Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon tomorrow. Will let you know. Mike

[Sol-Candy]

Originally Posted by SKYtime

I like to do the great Arizona tour. I don't know if you're flying into Phoenix, but when I do, I drive up to Sedona and stay a day or so (gorgeous). I then drive up to Flagstaff and then across the Grand Canyon (south rim is better for the tourist in my view). I then drive across to Kingman (Route 66 goes right through Kingman). You can also fit in a bit of Laughlin, NV from Kingman (gambling/shows).

Finally, I drive down through mountains back to Phoenix/Scottsdale. Of course, the resorts in Scottsdale are very nice.

Thanks for everyone's input...this is exactly what I was looking for..... I will do some research on Sedona and the other places mentioned. Do you think a week would be enough time to explore these places?

Thanks!..... What time of year do you think would be best....don't want COLD.....

[TulsaSky]

Originally Posted by Wind Restrictor

Go see Hoover Dam when you are there. Not too far away....

We went last month. It was awesome.

They stopped the tour through Hoover Dam right? Just the museum and walking around the sides is all your allowed to do now?
We went in 99 and I just wish we had done the extended tour, but back then you got to walk all the way through and down in the elevators to the bottom and walk across the Colorado River as it comes out of all the turbines, was quite the experience back then.
Dang 911 for stopping all the educational experience of Hoover Dam
But yes I would even with the limits now put that on your list of things to see!

TulsaSky

[SKYtime]

Originally Posted by Sol-Candy

Thanks for everyone's input...this is exactly what I was looking for..... I will do some research on Sedona and the other places mentioned. Do you think a week would be enough time to explore these places?

Thanks!..... What time of year do you think would be best....don't want COLD.....

Spring or Fall is best for northern Arizona. Believe it or not, it actually snows up there! You can get really cheap rates in Arizona in the summer offseason though (it is a desert). But man does it get hot there (I don't care if the heat is dry or not!).

I have done the "Arizona tour" in a week or so. It is possible, but you don't stay long in one place, of course.

[TulsaSky]

Grand Canyon Train Tours - Grand Canyon Railway Tours

Watch the video!
All kind of links for things to do!


TulsaSky

[Sol-Candy]

Originally Posted by 2sky4

In Vegas. Plan on going to Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon tomorrow. Will let you know. Mike

I think of the Chevy Chase movie everytime I see Hoover Dam!!

[Celt03]

Grand Canyon Railway is THE ONLY way to go. They handle everything for you.
And if you are a AAA member - you can make the reservations through them and save a bunch of $.
Hubby & I did this last year (we did a 4 night) and we loved it. We did the "luxury parlor car" for the train. It was great - leather club chairs, personal car attendant (no kids!), private bar, etc.