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Grand Canyon Area
Introduction
One of the great aspects of taking a vacation in Las Vegas is the opportunity to explore the Colorado Plateau.
The is a gigantic sloping land mass that produces a series of national parks including the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, Arches National Park, Monument Valley, the Petrified Forest and Mesa Verde.
You can fly from Vegas to several spots on the Grand Canyon or you can rent a car and explore the other sites easily over several days.
Grand Canyon – North Rim by Air
We took a small twin engine plane to the north rim of the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas.
The flight went over Hoover Dam, formerly known as Boulder Dam, then across Lake Meade and the Arizona Strip – a high plateau with lots of pine.
The flight sets down at a ranch on the north rim near the point where the river rafts complete their trip.
It is an unusual mix of extreme isolation in the northwest corner of the Grand Canyon, combined with helicopters regularly lifting the river rafters from the canyon to the lodge as they complete their journey.
We took a hummer for the lodge down to a viewpoint on the canyon where we could see the rafts pulling in below.
We got some great pictures, but the heat and the long delays between plane rides were very tiring.
Zion & Bryce by Rental Car - Zion
We rented a car in Las Vegas and took a two night excursion to Zion and Bryce.
On the way out of Vegas we drove through the Valley of Fire which is well worth the side trip off the main interstate highway.
At Zion National Park,
we spent the night in a cabin in the park. This was a great way to go as it placed you in the center of the park.
Past the lodge only park trams can be used. You must leave your vehicle behind.
I had been to Zion 35 years earlier and it seemed much the same - people talking quietly under the shady trees in the valley surrounded by steep cliffs.
We hiked up the Virgin River until the trail ran out in the river water.
On the second day we hiked up to about the same spot on Walter's Wiggles where my family turned back when I was a child.
My fear of heights wouldn't let me go any farther. I recalled that the switchbacks were dust trails when I was a kid, but now they are paved.
I also remember how scared I was that my sister might fall and how relieved I was when my mother decided we should turn back.
I’d love to hike all the way up to the top of one of the mountains at Zion, but the height is just too much. Plus there are lots of places to hike without scaring yourself.
Bryce
After a morning hiking at Zion, it’s easy to reach Bryce
Canyon National Park in the same day.
I was very surprised by this park, as I expected to drive through it, but instead you are on a high plateau over 7,000 feet and you always look down into the hoodoos.
At the south end of the plateau, the elevation is over 9,000 feet. We stayed at the park lodge.
We found the park staff unfriendly - at 3:30 they had no rooms ready, no lunch service, no dinner service.
The rooms were ordinary and faced the pine forest. We discovered Ruby's Inn in the town of Bryce nearby.
I’d definitely recommend accommodation at Ruby’s over staying in the park.
Ruby’s had great food along with most of the tourists visiting the park from around the world.
Menus were posted in German, French and Chinese and the smorgasbords ran for all 3 meals.
In the morning we walked through Red Canyon and enjoyed this more than Bryce.
Talking with a couple, they indicated the walk down into Bryce was even better and not difficult, so we returned to Bryce and walked down to the Queen's Garden.
I'm glad I returned, but I still found the smaller Red Canyon much more intimate.
Later that day we drove over a pass of 9,900 feet where there was lots of snow.
Temperatures at the peak were 59 F and two hours later we were back on the valley floor with temperatures of 104 F in Vegas.
Grand Canyon South by Rental Car
Introduction
We rented a car in Flagstaff in February and toured the Grand Canyon area for four days, covering about 1,200 miles.
I’m not sure how the rental companies make money with customers like me.
The grand circle tour included the Grand Canyon South Rim, Monument Valley, Arches National Park, Mesa Verde and the Petrified Forest.
I was surprised at the number of snow storms we encountered at this time of year, but it was still great fun.
For better temperatures, wait until April to tour this area.
Grand Canyon South Rim
On the first day we reached the Grand Canyon National Park
in late evening. It was extremely cold and we rushed from the car to the edge of each viewpoint and then dashed back to the warmth of the car.
In winter you can drive the full length of the paved areas along the canyon, while in summer it’s too busy and you are required to take a bus.
That night we stayed at Holiday Inn Express, but we could also have stayed in the national park at their facilities at a higher price.
The Holiday Inn was excellent accommodation and included a continental breakfast.
The only surprise was the 2 inches of snow on the ground the next morning.
This made for some excellent pictures as we revisited all the view points that morning.
Driving out to continue our trip reminded me of the prairies as there was heavily drifting snow and the car made deep ruts through the fresh snow pack.
I thoroughly enjoyed reliving the driving conditions of my youth, though I never expected this to happen in Arizona.
Monument Valley
After leaving the South Rim, you descend to lower elevations quite quickly and the snow disappears.
By the time we reached Monument Valley, the view was matching expectations.
Monument Valley is a famous area location for a number movies, particularly westerns.
It is on Navajo land administered by the Navajo
Parks and Recreation Department. You can pay an access fee to drive on dirt roads among the “monuments” which are large sections of stone that have not eroded with the surrounding plateau.
From there we headed north into Utah and ran through a couple localized snow storms on the way.
Arches National Park
We took a motel right in Moab, near Arches National Park, the second night and were ready for the park at dawn.
It was cold, but the rock formations were intriguing. This area has all kinds of strange hoodoos and erosion patterns that create numerous arches.
The most well known features are the Delicate Arch and the Balanced Rock.
This area was fabulous, but I’d prefer to have visited when the temperature was more bearable.
Mesa Verde
From Arches, we also visited Mesa Verde National Park
, Colorado the same day. Mesa Verde sits on a plateau from 6,000 to 8,500 feet, so we were in for more freezing cold weather and piles of snow at the road side.
Needless to say, the road in is quite steep and there are some great views of the valley below.
Mesa Verde is an archaeological Pueblo cliff dwelling site that was occupied about a thousand years ago.
The park can accommodate thousands of tourists at a time, but in the snowy whether there were only a handful of visitors.
There is one main site to visitor near the visitor center, but as you drive around the park you can catch glimpses of numerous other cliff dwellings carved out of the steep cliff edges in locations that seem totally inaccessible.
That night we stayed in motel in Gallup, New Mexico, completely a 3 state
tour for the day.
Petrified Forest
On the fourth day, we stopped at the Petrified Forest National Park
, which is easily accessible from interstate 40. The weather in this area was balmy compared to the snowy adventures farther north.
It was also calm, which made it extremely pleasant. This area has an immense number of trees that were petrified 225 million years ago.
The trees were petrified in swamp land and covered with soil which is now eroding and exposing the trunks.
The colors and the number of tree trunks were amazing.
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