Grand Canyon Imax Theater

by iheartgrandcanyon
see more photos from this album (4) …

Read the rest of this entry

Grand Canyon Airport

by iheartgrandcanyon
see more photos from this album (19) …

Read the rest of this entry

http://grandcanyon.com/travel.html Visiting the Grand Canyon can be a goal of a lifetime. Whether you are going for your first time, or returning to the Grand Canyon. There are many beautiful viewpoints to enjoy. The National Park Service has instructions and information for you at each Entrance Gate to help you get the most out of your Grand Canyon experience.

Duration : 0:3:49

Read the rest of this entry

Yavapai Observation Station Grand Canyon

by iheartgrandcanyon
see more photos from this album (8) …

Read the rest of this entry

The Grand Canyon in the Southwest state of Arizona is one of the seven natural wonders in the world. Carved out by the Colorado River over millions of years, the colorful gorge is over 400 kilometers long and is 24 kilometers across at its widest point. Now visitors to this popular tourist destination have a new way to experience the breathtaking views of the canyon.

The horseshoe-shaped skywalk extends 21 meters over the Grand Canyon’s edge, creating a unique vantage point for visitors to look deep down into the chasm and the winding Colorado River 1200 meters below.

David Jin, the developer of the skywalk project, recalls his Grand Canyon experience that brought about the idea. “It was back in 1996,” says Jin. “I took a helicopter tour at (the) Grand Canyon from the bottom to the top. After that, I wondered what it would be like to walk among the cliffs. Therefore, the idea of skywalk was born.”

While Jin will profit from the $30 million project for 25 years, the Hualapai Indians, who agreed to building the skywalk on their land along the Grand Canyon’s western rim hope income from tourists will help alleviate poverty in their community. Sheri Yellowhawk is the CEO of the Grand Canyon Resort Corporation, which oversees the tribe’s tourism business.

Skywalk is expected to be the centerpiece of the Hualapai Indians’ tourism industry which includes helicopter tours, river rafting, a cowboy town and a museum of Indian replica homes.

After three years of construction, the skywalk opened to the public in March 2007. Since then, the Hualapai Indians have seen a six fold increase in daily visitors.

Buzz Aldrin, a former astronaut who once walked the moon was one of the first to saunter the skywalk.

“This magnificent first walk bridges centuries of vision towards the future of hope,” says Aldrin.

Not everyone supports the skywalk. One is Robert Arnberger, former Superintendent of the Grand Canyon National Park. “The Grand Canyon deserves much better than to have a thrill ride or thrill walk hanging over its edge,” says Arnberger.

But Developer David Jin says, the skywalk design is environmentally conscious, utilizing recycled water and solar energy. In addition, the structure is designed to withstand hurricane force winds as well as powerful earthquakes.

So far Skywalk has attracted more than 100,000 visitors.

Duration : 0:4:33

Read the rest of this entry

Pictures of Mather Point on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park

by iheartgrandcanyon
see more photos from this album (25) …

Read the rest of this entry

Pretty epic few days. I didn’t take my camera out with me the night I got crunk in Vegas though… good thing too. This video includes the General Sherman tree, a pretty grand wind farm, a lovable but dense Carls Jr lady, sassy dancing pirate wenches, a volcano fountain and TRAPEZE. AND THE GRAND CANYON. WHAT MORE COULD YOU POSSIBLY WANT?!

Duration : 0:9:32

Read the rest of this entry

I am planning to drive from Las vegas at 7 am and return back by night. So the travel will be 10 hrs. I am left with 4 hrs left to see at Grand canyon and Hoover dam. Please guide me with the must see places there.

Given your time limits, here are my takes on what to see at the South Rim:

Yavapai Point – Good panorama view of the canyon and a rare south rim glimpse of the river at the bottom. Gives you a good look up the large Bright Angel Canyon on the opposite rim (where Phantom Ranch is located). There is also the historic Yavapai Observation Post lookout and bookstore. This is probably my favorite South Rim overlook.

Grandview Point – I suggest this one because it is easy to drive to, has a lot of nice pine trees, gives you an interesting view looking down on Horseshoe Mesa below and – most of all – it is going to be least crowded of the overlooks that you can easily drive to near the South Rim lodges. It is a bit east of the Grand Canyon village – heading toward Desertview and Cameron.

Maswik Overlook – This is the first major overlook as you approach the rim and it IS an excellent view, but for the same reasons it is often very crowded and difficult to find a parking spot. For this reason, I would by-pass for it for the other two above unless you have extra time or happen to spot an open space on your way by.

Aside from the overlooks above, don’t forget to check out a few of the more famous historic buildings which are minor attractions in themselves. The major and most interesting ones (which you can easily see in 15-20 minutes) are:
El Tovar Hotel – Grand Lodge built in 1905 (check out the lobby)
Hopi House – Historic gift shop built to look like an indian pueblo (across from El Tovar)
Lookout Studio – Observation post built of rock and extending out to the very edge of the rim.
Kolb Studio – Home and studio of the canyon’s pioneer photographers, the Kolb brothers. Now an art/photo gallery that often has interesting exhibits.

The shuttle ride along the rim to Hermit’s Rest and the historic 3-story Desert View Watchtower are also very cool, but would probably require more time to reach than you have.

Although it might add an extra 30 minutes to your travel time, you may want to consider taking the longest surviving stretch of old Route 66 which runs from Kingman to Seligman and is an alternate to taking I-40 between the two towns. Old Route 66 here winds through some pretty country, past old towns, gas stations and store fronts that recall the classic days of Route 66. In Seligman, be sure to stop for a quick drink or snack at the famous SnoTop Soda Shop – a Route 66 landmark.

Hoover Dam is pretty cool – my one big warning here is that it can be very crowded (ie: long lines) and even slow just to get across without stopping.

As for the SkyWalk – that is a glass viewing platform built over the edge of a side canyon as a tourist attraction and money-making venture on the Hualapai Indian Reservation just upstream from where the river empties into Lake Mead (it is not part of the National Park and is a long way from it). It costs $50 per person to enter the area and another $25 to walk on the bridge (which looks nothing like the artist renditions in the website mentioned by the poster above). I have actually walked on the SkyWalk and considered the exprience to be a very over-rated tourist trap (especially for the price) and the canyon in this area – while still very big and scenic – is not (in my opinion) as impressive or varied as in the National Park.

All that being said… Grand Canyon West (where the SkyWalk is located) is about +1.5 hours drive time closer to Las Vegas than the South Rim. However, at GC West you have to go from place to place on a shuttle (you can’t drive right up to the SkyWalk or other overlooks), which would somewhat limit your control over your time/schedule. While I personally consider the National Park to be a better experience and better views, you may want to consider GCWest given your circumstances.

Another thing that you may want to consider is going to the Grand Canyon North Rim instead. The North Rim is considerably closer to Las Vegas, the drive itself is pretty scenic, and the North Rim in summer is beautiful. Because it is at a higher elevation it is much cooler (pine trees everywhere) and because it is more remote and less developed (only one lodge) it does not get anywhere near the crowds that the South Rim gets in summer – meaning a more peaceful, natural experience. Although this means that you won’t be going by Hoover Dam, you WILL be going right by Zion National Park which is way cool.

I live in Phx, and even though it is an extra 5 hours of driving, I actually prefer the North Rim over the South in summer (rest of the year, South Rim is great). One thing to note though, is that the North Rim is closed in winter from mid-Oct to mid-May.

And finally, if time is tight and money is not, you may want to consider one of the flying day tours from Las Vegas to either the South Rim or GC West that fly you there, take you around to a few sights and fly you back the same day. Not cheap (~$300), but something on consider. Scenic Airways offers a number of packages, but there are other groups as well. I would still recommend a day trip flight to South Rim over GC West, but that is me.

http://grandcanyon.com/travel.html Here are some tips you will need to know if you decide at the spur of the moment to visit the Grand Canyon. So many details, but be sure to get the Grand Canyon Travel Planner at GrandCanyon.com to be sure you don’t miss any of those little details that can insure you have a great Grand Canyon experience.

Duration : 0:8:48

Read the rest of this entry

I am going in February. I will be in a cabin. What did you do there and do you have pictures of the cabins. I am looking for low cost ideas of what to do and also of pictures of the actual layout of the property other than the standard travel guide pictures. I can’t seem to find more than a few of the cabins.

I have stayed in the Bright Angel cabins several times and they are one of my favorite places to stay there when I can get one (there are only a few, so you are lucky).

Most of these historic cabins were built back in the 1930s and the layout and design varies slightly from one to another. Some are single unit, but most are two or more separate rooms clumped together. All of them are wooden cabins and the insides are small and rustic, but comfortable. There will be a bed, small desk, a couple of chairs and a small bathroom. Some have a small fridge – I don’t remember if they all have TVs or not (I know some do at least).

The cabins are right by the rim near the trailhead of the famous Bright Angel trail (just to the west of Bright Angel Lodge). Parking is ‘at large’ in the open spaces between the cabins. As for the property layout… from the main Bright Angel Lodge building, there are some long traditional room units to the west (left) and at the end of those are the cluster of a dozen or so cabin units near the rim. You turn off the loop road as if you were going to park at Bright Angel, but the pull through the Bright Angel parking lot and go up the little single lane paved road into the cabins area.

As for things to do… the free shuttle running from the lodges to Hermit Rest does not run from Dec to Feb, but they do allow you to drive out on the West Rim road to Hermit Rest and stop at the overlooks along the way (something you don’t get to do the rest of the year). If the weather is nice and the paths are clear, there is a nice walkway ‘the rim trail’ that runs all the way from Hermit Rest path the lodges to Yavapai Point. There is a nice geology exhibit at Yavapai Point and a small excavated prehistoric ruin and associated museum near Grandview Point overlook (to the east of the lodges). Check local listings to see if there are any ranger presentations going on at the Shrine of the Ages (they are well worth attending).

Be sure to check out the other historic buildings along the rim too. The most famous is the grand El Tovar lodge built in 1905 with its big lobby. But also be sure to check out the 1905 Hopi House curio shop (built to look like an indian pueblo), Lookout Studio, Hermit Rest and the Kolb Brothers Studio (right by the cabins) which often has free art exhibits. Many of the historic buildings (including some of the cabins) were designed by famous southwest architect Mary Jane Colter.

If the weather is clear and the trails are ice-free, I would highly recommend doing at least a short walk down one of the trails. Being a little ways down in the canyon and feeling the walls tower above you is a very different and more rewarding experience than just standing passively on the rim. Even doing just the 1.5 miles down Bright Angel to the first rest house would be a nice hike. Wear comfortable shoes, carry plenty of water and remember it is harder to hike up than down. If the trails are still icy (they had some big storms over Christmas) you make want to hold off on hiking or at least get some Yak-Traks for your shoes.

A final note, in case you were not aware… the South Rim is at an elevation of 7,000 feet which means that unlike much of Arizona they have a real winter. They can get significant snow storms (though the tend to be short in duration) and it can be cold during the day with night time temps well below freezing (check your anti-freeze if driving). Dress accordingly.

Have fun! Winter is a great time to visit the canyon. Rates are low and it is very peaceful and quiet without the big summer crowds.