Grand Canyon

We aren’t big campers, so we knew we’d want to book a cabin at The Grand Canyon North Rim Lodge. Depending on which rim you visit, your options might be limited. We decided on the North Rim based on where people were traveling from and the variety of hikes that were available within the vicinity. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and a mile deep, in other words…massive.

There are very few roads within the park, so getting around can be a slow process. Researching your travel plans is a must. Google maps says it is a 4+ hour drive from the North Rim to the South Rim, plan on adding a couple hours to that. The roads can be narrow, steep and twisty/turvy, also keep in mind there are a lot of tourist drivers who might be driving on the left side of the road for the first time in their lives. When planning hikes, also be very realistic on the lengths you can cover. There are lots of horror stories of people who thought they’d have no problem completing the 12+ hour hike from one rim to the other. This definitely isn’t the place to get crazy if you aren’t an avid & frequent hiker, more on hiking later.

A word on lodging, the cabins are very rustic but comfortable. If you’re looking for five star accommodations, you won’t find it within The Grand Canyon. Your options are cabins, lodge room, tents or RV, options clearly geared for lovers of the great outdoors. We booked a two bedroom cabin and it worked perfectly for us. You have a small bathroom, but keep in mind there is no TV, and WiFi can be a bit sketchy when you aren’t inside the main lodge. The rest of our family stayed out in one of the nearby campsites. This wasn’t a problem, we could hop in the car and be there in less than five minutes. 

The campsite acted as our hub for most of our meals, game nights, campfires, etc. My family booked several adjoining sites, so we had a big area to stretch out in. There is a little grocery store at the campsite area, just be prepared for things to be pretty pricey. The food at the main lodge is a bit on the expensive side as well. You’re pretty isolated from everything, so it’s no surprise that things cost a bit more. We had several meals at the lodge and everything was really tasty. If you plan on doing a meal there with a large group, definitely make reservations ahead of time. We had a short wait before getting seated for each of our meals, again, there aren’t a lot of options when it comes to food. There are a couple smaller shops around the main lodge where you can get sandwiches, coffee and pastries. If you camp, make sure to bring in the majority of your food, supplies are limited at the store and expensive. 

Of course, the whole point of going to The Grand Canyon is to see as much of it as you possibly can. The first time you walk up to the edge, it is mind blowing just how big it is. You can see pictures of it, but they don’t do it justice. There are so many canyons and trails to explore, really your only limitations are time and physical ability. There are trails that accommodate people of all ages, so you don’t have to be in amazing physical shape to enjoy yourself.

I visited The Grand Canyon back in 2008, and it was an entirely different experience. I spent the entire time chasing around my four year old. I was so scared about him getting close to the canyon’s edge that I could not enjoy myself. Having said all that, if you travel with small children, be prepared to be on high alert. There are very few handrails and most of the edges are completely open. This time around my son was 14, and I lectured him plenty before we got there about there being zero horseplay when we were hiking. I just had to hope that all the parents were keeping a close eye on their kids.

The following day we decided to go check out another trail, this time only a handful of us went as we expected it to be a 3-4 hour hike. We decided on a trail featured in one of the pamphlets we got upon entering the park. All was well, and the hike started from a beautiful overlook. About thirty minutes into the hike I started wondering when we were going to actually see something of interest, thus far all we’d seen was burnt forest and little else. We were about an hour in when it started to rain, and then the trail completely disappeared. We ended up in a waist high briar patch, and our legs were covered in scrapes and scratches by the time we got out of there.

We decided to turn around at that point and we headed back towards the vicinity from which we’d come. On our way back we came upon an unusual formation that we referred to as, “The Mushroom.” Turned out that was the only good thing we saw during that hike. I tell you this story to bring up an important point. Make sure you talk to one of the park rangers before you go out on any of the trails. We learned the hard way that  not all of the trails are maintained, even the ones listed in the hiking pamphlets provided by the park.

To wrap up our last day we went on one final hike. It turned out to be a real adventure. The trail was fine, clearly marked and well maintained. It was the weather that didn’t cooperate. We’d worried that it would be too hot during July, but it turned out to be beautiful weather, not too hot and not too cold.

On our last day, during our last hike, Mother Nature decided to let loose on us. We got about an hour up the trail when it started to pour down rain, and then the thunder and lightning started. The lightning was frighteningly close, so close you could see where it was striking. This got us moving real quick. We ended up running, literally running, all the way back down the mountain. There was no place to take shelter on the trail and we felt like we were sitting ducks. Our before and after pictures say it all. Aurora and Xavion were such good sports about it, I think they actually found the whole thing kind of exciting.