Lucky Links to Grand Canyon Essentials

Hi!  I'm Melanie Tucker, owner of Tough Love Travel.  I'd love to plan YOUR next adventure, here in the US or abroad! 

Grab a 20-minute free phone call to tell me what's on YOUR bucket list!

Here's an At-A-Glance directory for 7 of my most important Grand Canyon sites:

#1:  Map of FREE shuttle
The Grand Canyon has a remarkable shuttle service, and it's all free!  
You can hop a ride around the Grand Canyon village:

Or take a scenic 80-minute ride along Hermit Road:

Here are all your choices, and their time schedules!

#2: Schedule of Ranger events
Here's the schedule, for everything from geology walks, to critter chats (all about the very cute to the very venomous creatures of the Grand Canyon) to campfire programs:
South Rim Summer 2013 Program Schedule

#3:  How to get from South to North Rim
There's a Grand Canyon Shuttle  and a Trans-Canyon Shuttle, plus airlines.  For travel times, daily pickups, and costs, go here!

For those of you who are confused about South vs. North Rim, and why it's so complicated, here's a map that'll explain the transportation conundrum:

#4:  Availability of a Cabin on the Rim! 
For $154/night, you can sleep here: 

And have this view:

What's the trick?  Plan early and (preferably) go off season.   Here's the link for more info!

#5:  Grand Canyon RR (to/from the town of Williams)
Make your national park visit into a glorious adventure by starting in the town of Williams and chugging on the railroad up through the desert to the Grand Canyon village.   
There's a gunslinger's train holdup to excite the kids, and refreshment for the adults! 
And you can do the whole journey, roundtrip, in a single day,  or grab a lodge in the park for an overnight!
Read more here!

#6:   Most beautiful (and coolest) spot at the Grand Canyon: Havasu Falls

Blue-green gushing waterfalls in the midst of this arid desert?  YES! 
They're on the Havasupai Indian Reservation about 4 hours west of Grand Canyon.   Permits are needed - make your reservations early, by emailing here!


#7:  The Haulapai Tribe's Skywalk

On their tribal reservation, about 250 miles (or 5 hours) from the South Rim, the Haulapai have created a special Grand Canyon attraction. 

It's a horseshoe-shaped, glass-floored walkway that juts 70' out beyond the Grand Canyon rim, and -- short of an Evil-Kenevil stunt -- is one of the only ways to see the Grand Canyon's crevasse below your own 2 feet!  Here's Visitor Information!

BONUS!    
Best sidetrip from the Grand Canyon:  Lake Powell houseboating!
Only a few hours north of the Grand Canyon NP, you'll find the refreshing water playground of Lake Powell.   It's the perfect reward for days of Grand Canyon hiking, and -- as a spunky young Utah receptionist told me on the phone one day, "If ya can drive a car, ya can drive a houseboat!"

This is not actually a true statement (as I found out!),  but you'll have fun trying.
Here's where you can reserve a boat! 
And if you want to read about one family's houseboat adventure on Lake Powell, click here!

Love to read about rare finds from "the road". 

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9 FUN things to do at the Grand Canyon

Tough Love Travel is back, with more ideas to inspire you when you visit the Grand Canyon. 

Call Melanie now with your questions:  (609) 923 0304

Tired after reading my last post about The Crying Rock?
Hoping there's something more relaxing  that you can do at the Grand Canyon instead of a 137* hike?  

Check out my 9 favorites:

1.  Catch sunset on the rim at Yavapai.  It's near the trailhead for South Kaibab Trail!  Here's the view of the Grand Canyon that you'll see...

2. Easy hike into the canyon on the South Kaibab Trail.   Instead of hugging a cliff wall on the Bright Angel trail, it follows a ridge, so its views of the Grand Canyon are much broader and breathtaking. The first 1.5 miles to Oh Ah Point is for the lightweights;   the whole unshaded 6 miles to Skeleton Point is for the hardliners! (hint:  one of the only REAL  toilets on this Grand Canyon trail is right there at Skeleton!)

3.  Watch the IMAX theater
This 34-minute flick, shown on a 6-story screen and accompanied by floor-shaking acoustics,  tells the story of the 266-mile Grand Canyon from its Anasazi inhabitants, 4000 years ago, to its exploration by Major Powell in the 1860's, to recent stuntmen like this hang-glider.

Cost:   $13.72/adult, $10.42/child
Location:  in the South Rim Visitors Center, at 450 State Road, in Tusayan

This is in the town of Tusayan, 15 minutes drive south from Grand Canyon Visitors Center, where you'll also find pizza shops and and souvenirs, and even the helipad (see #6 below).


4.   Ride the RR and even get sucked in by a shootout!
There's an historic Grand Canyon railroad trip, with various routes (one trip takes you roundtrip from Sedona's artist country!)  but the most popular starts at Williams AZ and takes you, car-free- to the Grand Canyon village.  With free shuttles all around the rim, who needs a car in the park anyway?
(shhhh... don't tell the kids about the shootout.  They'll think bonafide bank robbers are holding up your train!)



5.  Instead of a hike, ride a mule!  You can embark from either south or north rim of the Grand Canyon, but reserve in advance.  If you weigh less than 200 lbs, are at least 7 (for even the shortest trips), and have 80 bucks to spare,  here's how to reserve!

6.  Splurge on a helicopter ride with Maverick.  If Maverick is good enough for Trek America guides, it's good enough for me!   This very reputable helicopter guiding company will fly you over the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, high enough to see distant views of the Painted Desert.  Trips are 45-60 minutes and run about $250pp.   Do you dare?


7.  Sip a cold one at El Tovar lounge:
This historic lodge is a Registered National Historic Landmark building, and the premier dining of the Grand Canyon park system.  Its native-stone-and-Oregon-timber Canyon room has great views!  Watch the thermometer go up, as your drink goes down, from inside this prestigious and very restorative venue!



8.  Catch a cabin on the rim!    Yes, it is possible to get a front row seat -- or should I say, bunk -- right on the rim for your Grand Canyon stay.  A honeymooning couple decided they wanted to see the Grand Canyon at first light,  but cabins are big enough even for small families.  
Worried about the busy summer?  You can enjoy the relatively crowd-free Grand Canyon rim at dawn, then go out and play during the day when the crowds are bad.        


9.  Attend a Ranger program!  They're outdoor-based programs ranging from fossil programs to storytelling to guided walks and star talks, and, of course,  the Grand Canyon geology talk!  I'd also highly recommend the campfire program, held each summer evening at 6:30pm at the Mather Campground.  

Here's a full schedule to see what YOU'D like to attend. 

Want more Grand Canyon info?  

I've been to the Grand Canyon -- ridden the rails,  hiked to the way bottom!   

At Tough Love Travel, I love to share my knowledge 

to make YOUR trip perfect!  

Click here to grab a free phone call to talk more!