A Grand Canyon Mule Trip will make your visit to the canyon truly memorable.  None of this “20 minutes at the rim lookout” for you!  You know that you’re not up to a hike into that wonderland, so you’ve decided to sign up for the mule trip.

You can make this just a day trip part way into the canyon.  The mules will take you on a seven hour ride to Plateau Point on the Bright Angel Trail.  Plateau Point offers a panoramic view of the canyon and the Colorado River.

The mule trips can also be for those who want to head into the canyon for a night or two with a stay at Phantom Ranch.  Phantom Ranch is the only lodging accommodation on the floor of the canyon.

It has dormitory rooms and rustic cabins.  They serve dinner and breakfast to mule trip riders.  The overnight trips generally take riders down the Bright Angel Trail and up the South Kaibab Trail. (more…)

The South Rim is the most developed area and where most of the tourists have traditionally gone.  The South Rim is open all year, though some facilities may be closed in winter.

The North Rim is your second choice.  It has fewer visitors and is closed to visitors in the winter.

The Grand Canyon Skywalk is located at the third point of access to the canyon… Grand Canyon West.  This is quite far from the other entrances.  The land here belongs to the Hualapai Nation Indian Tribe.  When we first saw pictures of the proposed bridge on the internet, we thought it was a hoax, but it is real.  It has been built, and it is operating. (more…)

The Grand Canyon is one of those places that you have to see in person.  Pictures will never do it justice.

Descriptions will tell you that it is a great chasm carved over millennia… the Colorado River slicing away at the Colorado Plateau.

People will tell you that it has awe-inspiring views.  Vacationers and holiday makers will tell you it’s a great place to hike or ride the rapids.

All of that is true… but you have to see it.  An amazing fact we heard from a ranger once is that a typical stay in the park lasts five to seven hours, and most visitors stay at the rim of the Grand Canyon for less than an hour.  (We’ve even heard less than 20 minutes!)  How can you do that? (more…)

Hike into the Grand Canyon to really experience it.  It’s an unfortunate fact that most visitor see the canyon from the rim and for an hour or less.

Even if you stay on the South Rim and watch the light play on the canyon and see the colors change, you will miss the extra dimension you get when you venture down into the Grand Canyon.

If your time is short, you can take a day hike part way down either the Bright Angel Trail or the South Kaibab trail.  Even getting 3 or 4 hours down one of these trails will take you on a geologic safari back in time.

Information along the sides of the trails tells you how old the rocks are that you are hiking through.  And looking back up at the rim, you get a whole different feel for the canyon.

If you have more time to get into the Grand Canyon, plan to hike to the floor of the canyon.  If you get reservations to stay at Phantom Ranch, you can make the hike without a back country permit. (more…)