Going to grand canyon in June with grandsons (9 & 6) What are must do 's? Kids to young for rafting?

Question

Any suggestions on Hotels? I read several reviews of Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim. Would that be good for 1 or 2 days? We would also like to go to Petrified forest and maybe meteor crator. Any suggestions would be great! Thanks

Answer 1

I grew up near the Grand Canyon and still visit and hike there frequently. It can be a fun place for kids that like the outdoors and I have fond memories of going there as a kid.

The North Rim and South Rim are two very different places. The North Rim is much less developed (only one lodge at the rim) and at a thousand feet higher, it is much cooler and has lots of pine trees. The South Rim can get a little uncomfortably warm during the summer (90s) and is often very crowded with long lines at the park entrance. As others have noted, the North Rim is closed from mid-October to mid-May.
Note that it is a LONG drive from the South Rim to the North Rim (about 5 hours), so they are really two very separate regions and destinations. Normally I would recommend the North Rim over the South Rim during summer.

NORTH RIM AREA:
If you go to the North Rim, you will be a long way from Meteor Crater and the Petrified Forest (about 5-6 hours), but pretty close to Zion National Park (about 2 hours) and Bryce Canyon National Park (about 3 hours). Zion National Park is a great place for people of all ages and has a number of short hikes that would be great for kids (Emerald Pools, Weeping Wall), a guided shuttle around the park, a nice visitor center with kid-friendly exhibits and plenty of places to run around or splash in a creek. At Zion, try to get in park lodge, but if you can't there are a number of hotels just outside the park at Springdale.

At the Grand Canyon North Rim itself, the old 1930s lodge is great! You can either stay in the old cabins (recommended) or the newer hotel-like rooms. The dininghall has an incredible view and good food. They often have ranger talks during the day and evening that kids would enjoy as well. You can also drive out to the amazing viewpoint at Cape Royale or take short little easy hikes along the rim. It is a great place to relax in the cool pines. Be sure to stop at the Jacob Lakes Lodge (about an hour north of the lodge and get some of their excellent cookies).

SOUTH RIM AREA:
As for the Grand Canyon South Rim... as noted it is more developed and crowded (partially because it is closer to Phoenix). There are a number of park lodges near the rim as well as chain hotels outside the park boundary at Tusyan. I would highly recommend staying in one of the park lodges - they are very nice and you can't beat being within walking distance of the rim - makes it easier to just step out to enjoy the sunset or sunrise or take in the view for a few minutes.

El Tovar is the most fancy and most expensive lodge, Kachina and Thunderbird are more modern (but kinda boring and also pricy). Bright Angel Lodge is comfy, historic, inexpensive, and right by the rim, but most rooms have a shared bath. I would recommend Maswik lodge if you have kids - it fairly inexpensive, has easy parking, nice big modern rooms and a very casual (and not bad) cafeteria. Yavapai Lodge is similar to Maswik, but a half mile back from the rim.

Aside from taking the views from the numerous overlooks, there are a number of neat old historic buildings that would probably be of interest to kids (many were designed by famous architect Mary Jane Colter). The 1905 Hopi House (near El Tovar Hotel) is shaped like a giant indian pueblo, Desertview Watchtower (east of the village) is a giant 3-story round tower right on the rim and Hermits Rest (take the shuttle west of the village) is like an old hermit's cave built into the rocks. Outside the park boundary, in Tusyan is an IMAX big-screen theater with canyon-related shows that kids would enjoy.

ADVENTURES AND ACTIVITIES
As for more adventurous canyon activities... you can do short hikes along the rim-side trails or go a short distance down any of the trails into the canyon, but DO NOT go hiking very far into the canyon in summer with kids (or even with adults unless you are a very strong hiker). Temperatures increase as you go down into the canyon and the bottom can be over 120 in June. Even for an experienced adult hiker, going all the way to the river and back in a day during the summer is a foolish stunt that can be life threatening - the park service highly recommends against it and several people die each year trying it. If you do ANY hiking at all, wear comfortable shoes, have a broad-brimmed hat, carry lots of water, wear lots of sunblock and avoid being on the trail between 10AM and 3PM.

You can also take guided mule rides into the canyon or along short rim-side trails. They do part-day trips half way down to Indian Gardens or all the way down to Phantom Ranch at the bottom. For the ride to the bottom, you must have reservations at Phantom Ranch, which often must be made months in advance. Half-day trips are a bit easier to get and would probably be fun for the 9 year old, but I believe that the 6 year old is probably too young. You can get mule rides from both the North or South Rim (see links below).

Another fun activity would be to take the historic Grand Canyon railroad from Williams (along I-40 near Flagstaff) to the South Rim and back (leaving your car at Williams). The train ride would be lots of fun for kids and the train station at the canyon is right by the main lodges. You can also hire short helicopter tours from the small Grand Canyon airport near the South Rim village. This might be fun for the kids, but they can be expensive and due to safety and noise related laws, they are not allowed to fly over the main central part of the canyon.

RIVER TRIPS
As for river trips... doing a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon is a once in a lifetime experience and I would recommend it to anyone (6 maybe a little too young). However, trips through the Grand Canyon are quite expensive, require reservations long in advance, and run a minimum of 3 days for the shortest stretch (Lee's Ferry to Phantom Ranch where you would then have to hike out of the canyon - not recommended in June). To raft the full length (without any hiking in or out) from Lee's Ferry to Diamond Creek typically takes about 7-10 days.

The one or half-day river trips that a poster above mentioned are NOT really going through the Grand Canyon. These are little tourist runs out of Las Vegas that just do a little stretch of the river upstream of Lake Mead far to the west of the National Park and the famous canyon formations. They put into the river where the real canyon trips pull out (Diamond Creek) and while they may be fun for a little splashing on the river, it is not the 'real' Grand Canyon experience (it is also a long drive from the South Rim of the park).

PETRIFIED FOREST, METEOR CRATER:
As for Petrified Forest and Meteor Crater... the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Parks (they are combined) is pretty interesting and the petrified forest part would probably hold the kids interest. Along I-40 just outside of the small nearby town of Holbrook is a family-run dinosaur 'museum' with a number of cement dinosaur statues visible from the highway. For a small fee, you can drive around their 'park' and see more, plus a little exhibit of fossils. The dinosaur statues are pretty hokey and non-realistic, but kids would probably love it.

Meteor Crater is fairly expensive and you can't do anything but stand on a little observation platform on the rim - the crater itself, while important from a scientific perspective, is really not very interesting to look at - just a big round feature-less basin. Unless you are really into astronomy, I would skip it.

In the same area (around Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon) is Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monuments (just northeast of Flagstaff on 89A) - one is an old volcanic field and the other is a prehistoric indian ruin. Kids would love exploring the ruins (I did when I was kid). The Grand Canyon Deer Farm (between Flagstaff and Williams) is a petting zoo where you can feed and touch deer and other animals - also a favorite with kids. Flintstone Village (south of the park entrance) is a 1970s homemade 'tourist trap' that is basically a bunch of cement-and-chickenwire buildings made to look like the houses and building from the Flinstones cartoons.

For any hotels or activities that you choose (including mule rides), make reservations LONG in advance. Have fun! It is one of the Natural Seven Wonders of the World for a reason. :)

Answer 2

The Grand Canyon National Park contains an impressive stretch of the Canyon. There is the north and south rim of the canyon. The north rim is higher & cooler & usually closed from October to May because of snow. Most visitors use the south rim because it is open the entire year.

Hiking is suggested from the rim to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Hikers can camp out or stay overnight at a ranch in the bottom. Riding a mule is advised .

Some people travel by raft through the Colorado river but it takes several days. You can probably choose a half day rafting. There is rafting which lasts for 6 days. There is a family trip and high adventure rafting. If you have kids, better chose their family package. The half day rafting is scheduled 3x per day from May to Sept.
It is advisable to check first their schedules on line so that you can better plan your trip.

School age children will appreciate the different animals in the Grand Canyon. Bobcat, coyote, lizards or mountain birds can be seen. It has a collection of endangered species. Squirrels are also common. Warning! Never feed the animals!

There are many websites on the Petrified forest. There is a story which kids and adults learn a lesson. ( See source)

With regards to the Meteor Crator, its origin has been controversial to others while others consider it as the 1st proven, best preserved meteorite on earth.

As to the hotels, try visiting Yahoo Travel- Grand Canyons. There are reviews there!
I hope you plan your trip well and enjoy your coming vacation! Hopefully you can share your experience with the group!

Answer 3

Will you have a car? If so, I would recommend stopping by Flintstone Bedrock City in Valle about 30-minutes South of the Canyon. It is cheesy to adults but the kids always love it. Also, there is a great place just outside of Williams AZ called the Grand Canyon Deer Farm where they can hand feed deer, llama, and other animals. I would head north just for that place. There are the Grand Canyon Caverns, underground caves, to the West of the actual canyon (1-2 hrs drive, not certain - near Seligman). Have Fun!

Answer 4

Yes kids a a little young for rafting the Colorado. The Noth Rim is a cool place to visit.

Answer 5

to operate to what Ervin suggested Do the waft holiday from the bottom of Glen Canyon Dam to Lees Ferry then see you later as you're each and every of ways up there already Take US 89 A N via Jacob Lake and Fredonia AZ to Mount Carmel Jct UT Make a left of SR 9 and head downhill via Zion NP SR 9 takes you to I-15 and that i-15 takes you decrease back to 'Vegas in case you do this holiday in basic terms be sure you fill up in Cameron AZ and typhoon / St George UT

Answer 6

go to www.tripadvisor.com for lots more info from travelers with details on what to see and do at this site