Ready for the Road Trip to Grand Canyon?

My husband and I decided to take short trip to the Grand Canyon over the Memorial Day weekend. I did not know how much driving was required to get to the Grand Canyon. We didn’t even know how big the Grand Canyon was. To drive from the North to South rim takes hours in a car.

How did we decide which rim to visit? We read a lot of each rim, but we decided on the South rim. The reason is because the South rim was more appealing to tourists while the North rim was geared for the expert hikers.

When we entered the National Park of the Grand Canyon, we were asked to pay $25.00 for a vehicle permit. It is $12.00 if you are on foot or entering in with a bicycle or motorcycle. Here is more information on the fees entering Grand Canyon: http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/fees.htm

Here are photos of the lodge we stayed when we arrived at the National Park of Grand Canyon. We booked our hotel really late so we were lucky to even find a room because it was a busy season. We stayed at the Yavapai Lodge. There were many places to eat near and inside the lodge. I recommend eating early for dinner because when you return late to the lodge, there aren’t many places open and if the cafeteria is still open, they don’t have many food choices because they are preparing to close up. Here is the link: http://www.visitgrandcanyon.com/yavapai-lodge

Photo courtesy: http://grandcanyonsouthrimhotels.com/hotels/yavapai-lodge.htm

Make sure to wear comfortable shoes and clothing when hiking around the Grand Canyon. I would also recommend bringing some water. The wind was very strong and I felt that the wind would push me off the cliff. It was scary to know that there were quite a few people who fell from the cliffs. There are some areas where there are no fences to protect people from falling. I think they are working on building more fences near spots where people take photos the most. However, the view was magnificent. Here are some photos we took at the Grand Canyon. Anywhere you take the photo is breathtaking.

You can also take a shuttle bus around the Grand Canyon for free. It is free because it is already included in the entrance fee you pay before entering the National Park. They provide a map and spots that will be great for pictures. Here is a link to read more about the shuttle bus in Grand Canyon: http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/shuttle-buses.htm

My husband also wanted to visit the Antelope Canyon which is 4 hours from the Grand Canyon. I wasn’t excited of having to be in the car again to drive to another place since we just arrived the Grand Canyon not to long ago, but this place was magically. I literally can’t explain in words what it felt like being inside the Antelope Canyon. I would say it was even more impressing than the Grand Canyon, but that’s just my opinion. This kind of place only happen in my dreams when I go to some fantasy land, I can’t describe where else in the world you will find what you see in the Antelope Canyon really. Here is the link: http://www.antelopecanyon.com/

There is an upper and lower Antelope Canyon so make sure you know which one you are going to visit. We were told that the upper Antelope Canyon is a tour for all ages both young and old, but the lower Antelope Canyon is more steep requiring more agility to walk down many steps. Also, lower Antelope Canyon is a longer tour. We decided on the latter for the challenge!

When we arrived at the site of the Antelope Canyon, we were told that they only take cash, which we didn’t have so we had to drive to another town to withdraw cash from the ATM machine. We strongly recommend bringing cash if you plan to visit the Antelope Canyon. Also, we were told that we were not allowed to tour on our own around the Antelope Canyon because it is on Indian Reserve and I’m pretty sure that the tours supplement their living. There was a flash flood sign before entering the Antelope Canyon so I recommend not going after the rain. They also shared with us that there were several tourists killed in the flash flood recently.

Here are photos of the lower Antelope Canyon:

    

After we finished our tour to the Antelope Canyon, we went to the Horseshoe Bend. This time the distance was not too long. It took around 15 minutes to get here and it was on the way back to the Grand Canyon. I researched why its called “Horseshoe Bend” and I learned that it is because of how the Colorado river meanders in resemblance to a horse shoe. This was another famous scenery in Arizona. Here are some photos we took of the place. Here is the link: http://www.visitarizona.com/places-to-visit/northern-arizona/horseshoe-bend