My family of 5 is considering a June trip to the Grand Canyon. My kids are 15, 12, and 11. We've been to Arches before for one day, but this will be our first extended stay at a national park. What are things we should know, do, avoid, take into consideration, etc.? Thank you for your help.

I would say "Ride the mules to the bottom", but they may not do that anymore, and you'd be a year late registering.

Eat dinner at the main lodge. Make reservations now.

Camping or staying at NP Campground? If staying at NP campground it is probably too late to get reservations. Oh, and which rim? South Rim is 1K lower so much warmer and June can be very hot. I and wife have camped just off of the South Rim at Ten-X campground. This campground has 3 loops and you are just a few minutes from the park southern entrance. Take the shuttle to see the canyon in different areas. Look for California Condors flying the rim. They have been established in the area. Eat ice cream at some concessionaire near the famous hotel (can't remember name). North Rim camping on the edge is awesome but need reservations. It is a 200 mile road-trip from South Rim Campground to the North Rim Campground. Above all enjoy the spectacular views, especially late in the day.

We did a paddle trip on the river when we were there. They motored us and some kayaks up the river and we floated down. Really neat trip. Can't remember the name of the company that did it though. Bearizona in Williams was neat too.

Was the kayak trip in Marble Canyon, the canyon just upstream of Grand Canyon? I've fished that stretch. Motored up to the dam ( Lake Powell?) and floated down.

Great rainbow and brown trout fishery.

I took my family of 5, kids were 13, 12, 10 to Grand Canyon a couple years ago. We went to the North Rim. Rented a cabin for a few days. It was nice. That side doesn't get as crowded as the south rim. Also not as much stuff readily available. They have a nice lodge & restaurant and all the hiking you want, just not all the helicopter rides, imax theaters etc.

If going south rim, hit Flagstaff so have some time in cooler temps. We drove and hit Sedona on the way as well. At the Canyon we did the Hualapi River rafts and helicoptered out. Rafting was low intensity but fun and the helicopter ride is an awesome experience.

Probably too late for this trip, but I would encourage you to plan to ride the mules to the bottom in the future. It is an amazing experience, including spending the night at Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the canyon. Each day is limited to 10 riders max and we had less both times we did the ride. I am convinced one day in the future they will no longer offer this ride, so I would do it as soon as you can. We were doing a ride at Bryce Canyon and when the head guy there found out we had done the ride he said we were good and everyone should do the GC ride once in their life as it is truly amazing. I tend to agree with him.. BTW - the Bryce Canyon ride is pretty neat too. You ride in the same slot canyons that Butch Cassidy used.

Typically you have to reserve GC13 months in advance, but sometimes you can pick up an opening. It will be harder with a group of five, but we did our first trip with five. there were only seven on this ride, so it was basically us and a dad and his daughter. Great times.

The Oh Jesus corner on the ride is aptly named.

We had a family if 4 trip to the Grand Canyon and other parks between Austin and there Spring Break of 2017.

I had a friend recommend a helicopter tour, which we did since the kids were still young(ish) and there was still some ice on the trail. The helicopter trip was awesome and not too expensive. Of course my son was 12 or so, and loved rides, so rhe copter trip was a blast for him.

I stayed in a Cabin on the north rim. We really enjoyed it. Less crowded. Also there are Buffalo there

How are you getting there? If flying, where are you picking up the rental car? If driving, from what direction?

We went last year, during covid, with a family of five: 17, 15 and 13. It was fantastic. We did the rim ride of the mules, which was great. Kids liked it so much that we are going back this summer for the Phantom Ranch ride. I'll be spending my 50th birthday riding a mule. Yay! Eat ice cream at the Bright Angel Lodge and get dinner at El Tovar (reservations required). You can hop on/off the buses and hit all the viewpoints. I suggest you hit them all, as they are all different, time permitting. We'll also be doing the train ride, which was cancelled last year due to covid.

Bring LOTS of water everywhere you go. There were 2 deaths while we were there last year: one drowned rafting and the other had heat stroke from insufficient water while hiking down into the canyon.

North rim cabins are awesome. North rim is an entirely different experience. It is much more laid back with fewer visitors.

We will be driving from Texas. We are for sure interested in the south rim but may spend some time at the north rim as well.

We drove from the Dallas area. 12 day road trip in all, but we hit Guadalupe peak, 4-corners, Bryce, Moab, Flagstaff and North Rim. It's about 4 hour drive from south rim to north rim. If you stop to take in the sights, add a couple hours to that if you plan on staying at a cabin on north rim you want to reserve as far ahead of time as possible. There are no other places to stay within a reasonable driving distance from north rim.

Get the book Death in the Grand Canyon. An ER doc wrote about every death in GC since like 1890 through writing of book. Pretty fascinating.

Go to North Rim. I have been to south rim once - was too much by one. I only go to North rim now. Is an unusually beautiful place. Quiet and one of few places left where tourists dont kill it.

My two cents.

If you get a chance, sneak over to Page and book a tour of Antelope canyon with a Navajo guide.

North Rim. We went to the South Rim in 2018 and while we enjoyed it I think the NR would have been better. SR was quite the tourist spot. We went in very late May. Early June for NR would be about right -- warm enough.

GC is at like a 7K elevation. Hard to believe it is that high. You don't need to be in mountain goat shape but I'd do some walking between now and then if you've been sitting around!

LPCAg said:

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We will be driving from Texas. We are for sure interested in the south rim but may spend some time at the north rim as well.

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If you are coming into northern AZ via I40, then consider spending a few hours (or more) at Petrified Forest N.P., located just east of Holbrook. There are two entrances with one main road that connects them, The northern entrance sits right on I40. The interstate bisects the park, and the portion north of the highway is mostly just scenic views. Enter at the northern (interstate) entrance and loop back south under the highway, and then stop at the various points. Definitely see and maybe even hike the Blue Mesa area, then stop at the southern entrance where there is a visitors center w/shops, museums, restaurant, etc. From there it is a short drive back to Holbrook and I40.

If you need a place to eat in Holbrook, consider Bienvenidos Restaurant. The name sounds Mexican, but it is really a regular restaurant that serves typical fare. The place doesn't look like much from the outside, but the food and the service is excellent. It is the only place we will eat when in Holbrook.

Winslow has a great place to stop and eat. It is the restored train station that is a block from downtown. The restaurant inside is called The Turquoise Room. Great service and food, in a very interesting locale. It is the only decent place to eat in Winslow.

Once you hit Flagstaff, you can choose to go up Hwy 89 to get to the south rim of G.C.N.P. via the western entrance, or go up 180 to 64 and on to the main entrance of the park. This route is more popular, which can make for extremely long lines to enter the National Park. Downtown Flagstaff is a nice place to visit for a few hours. There are some very nice shops of various types, and a few decent restaurants. Nothing to specifically recommend there, but there are a few good places to shop for hiking/camping stuff. We always stop at Babbitt's, Aspen Sports, and Peace Surplus when in Flag. I can't help you if you go the 180/64 route, as we never go that way.

If you go up 89 from Flag, you will go left on Hwy 64 to the eastern entrance. This turn is located in Cameron, where there is the famous Cameron Trading Post. The place is definitely a tourist trap, but it's actually an semi-interesting place to stop and stretch the legs for a few. Your kids will like the place. There are a few somewhat new fast-food places in Cameron, but we haven't tried any. Once you make the turn onto 64, the road starts to rise up to the canyon rim. Desert scrub gives way to pine trees. Along this route you will see little ramshackle stands where many Navajo sell jewelry. Quality varies a lot, but good to even great bargains can be had at these stops along the highway. Stop if you can. The Navajo are often quite poor, and could use the business. And most are very nice to talk to, as they stopped killing visitors a while back. Also, the lines to enter the National Park at the eastern entrance are much shorter than what you will encounter at the southern entrance. In fact, I have never seen more than three cars waiting in line to get in there.

If you decide to go to from the south rim to the north rim, then you will leave the park via the eastern entrance, and then go north on Hwy 89 towards Page. If you have the time, stop and see Horseshoe Bend, the parking for which is right on the highway, just south of the Page city limits. Also consider a guided tour of Antelope Canyon too, if you have the time. Page itself is rather boring, but it does have a large Walmart and numerous places to eat. Page/Horseshoe Bend is north of the turn onto 89A that you would make to go to the north rim.

Once on 89A, you will soon cross Navajo Bridge. There is a visitors center there, and you can get out and walk the old bridge that is still in place. This is a great place to spot California Condors. Look for them sitting in the metal superstructures of the bridges. The eastern end of the bridge is where the Navajo also have stands set up for selling jewelry and the like.

North Rim:

Be aware that the elevation there is almost 9k feet. You can have 90+ degree days, or 30 degree nights there in June. Take a jacket. There is only one restaurant at the National Park, and if you want to eat there, you need to make reservations *well* in advance. If you don't have reservations, then the only other thing you can do is eat fast food from the little canteen there. There is a small grocery store a mile away from the lodge where you can buy some food, however the cabins do not have any means of cooking anything you might buy. Perhaps the very large and expensive cabins have a stove or microwave, but I can tell you that the smaller cabins do not. Just be prepared for the food situation there. The south rim has a lot of infrastructure, but the north rim does not. Also be prepared for the possibility of thunder storms, which can be quite impressive up at the rim.

Other routes:
If you come up to Flag from the south via Phoenix and I17, then you should consider stopping at Sedona for lunch, and a bit of retail therapy if you are so inclined. Sedona has its faults, but in reality it really is a nice place and a nice area. Yes, Sedona is a bowl of granola, but the people are nice. From there, take Hwy 89A through Oak Creek Canyon and then up to the southern edge of Flagstaff. This route is extremely scenic, but also somewhat slow as there are lots of curves through the canyon. Allow 45 minutes minImum to make the trip, and even more if stop along the way. Once you climb out of the canyon and up onto the plateau, you will see a rest stop on the right side of the highway. Although this place is not on Native land AFAIK, the Natives (mostly Navajo) are allowed to set up stands and sell their wares there. Well worth a short bathroom break there. 89A connects to I17 right at the Flagstaff airport, and from there it is just a few miles to the city center.

Hope this helps - let me know if you need something more specific about the general area.
C

More about the differences between south rim and north rim at G.C.N.P..

In June, the south rim will be full of people. However, there are more things to do there vs. the north rim. The south has a general store, a grocery store, gift shops, etc.. More importantly are numerous places to eat, with prices that cover a much wider range than the north. Remember - there is exactly ONE restaurant at the north rim, and you need reservations.

There is also museums at the much larger visitor center at the south rim. The train station is also located at the south rim. Much more places to stay at the south rim, with many more different types of rooms too. There is also the small town of Grand Canyon Village just outside the south rim entrance, where you will find many more amenities. No such thing at the north rim.

As for crowds - the north rim can be crowded too. No, the overall numbers of people aren't nearly as high as the south, but the area/facilities in which the people are located is much, much smaller at the north, and this concentrates the people into a slightly crowded situation. The crowds do ease up a lot when the day visitors leave. Just don't expect the north rim to be "uncrowded". There will be lots of people there at the time you will be going.

C

If you can't camp down it it, I highly recommend waking up early (talking 3:30am) to hike down and see sunrise from inside. Once the sun is up - it's a big hole in the ground. But there's a magical half hour at sunrise / sunset and getting to experience that from inside is spectacular.

You can day hike bright Angel trail to the river and back in a day if you are reasonably fit and properly equipped, but it is a Dawn to Dusk affair if done at a safe pace for most.

Unless you are going down into the canyon, and I mean more than the 1/2 mile to mile most people do, you don't need to spend more than a few hours at the canyon. It's pretty amazing to look at, but not much changes from the south rim. For the iconic views, the south rim is the place to be. The north rim is about 1K feet higher and its gorgeous, but you don't get the same unobstructed views. I've been across the canyon (and back) twice. The canyon is amazing once you get down into it, but you need to be prepared for the hike back out. A lot of people don't realize what they have to go back up, b/c the start of the hike is easy since its all downhill. And FYI, down in the canyon, the north side of the canyon is way more interesting than the south side. All of this is regarding the main areas around N/S Kaibab and Bright Angel, FYI. Things are different if you head to some of the less visited areas, but with a family trip, I'd guess those are not in the cards.

I would definitely not recommend a hike to the river and back during the summer months

Our family just returned from a trip the Grand Canyon. We got to hike at both the north and south rims, ride mules, float Horseshoe Bend, and see the Petrified Forest. A huge thanks to many of you on this thread. Lots of great advice that we took. We had a very memorable family vacation.

It's easier to walk down than back up.

We did the 7 day rafting trip last month. It was amazing.
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