On The Road with Barb and Brad: Grand Canyon National Park

After leaving Carlsbad, the original plan called for us to go to a place called Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs. Here they have a hot mineral spring pool that is accessible to guests from the attached hotel and campground. Unfortunately, Mother Nature intervened and delivered a lot of wind, cold, and potential snow to the area. Because of that, we decided to miss out on the hot springs and head on towards the next planned stop... Grand Canyon National Park (GCNP). We stopped halfway there and spent the afternoon and evening in the Albuquerque Flying J parking lot due to some severe crosswinds. Our rig, along with all of the 18 wheelers along I-40, was getting tossed all over the road. Rather than "white knuckle" the drive for another four hours we pulled over to wait it out. The next morning dawned crisp and cool but relatively wind free. We easily made the drive into the town of Tusayan (which is just outside of the south gate entrance to GCNP) and checked in to a small but convenient RV park.

As it turns out, this weekend is a free admission to the National Parks. What timing for us (said sarcastically!). We have an Annual Pass and expected to be met with small, early season crowds. But nooooooooo! Lucky for us the visiting public aren't very early risers. We were in the park by 8:30 am or so and found great parking near the Visitors Center and shuttle stop.

But first, a little background... About 18 years ago we took the kids on a western National Park vacation that included Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Zion National Parks. We stayed in a pop-up camper in the park at their campground known as Trailer Village. At that time time, you could drive the entire south rim, stopping at any point of interest that you wanted to see or to hike along the rim trail. We also took a jaunt down part of Bright Angel Trail, a hike which our daughter holds against us to this day.

Fast forward to today. The 7.8 miles of highway from Bright Angel Lodge and trailhead to Hermit's Rest is now only accessible by park shuttle from March 1 through November 30. Other shuttle stops have been added at various points of interest all along the south rim trail. You can park in the parking lots and ride the shuttle to the point you wish to visit, stay as long as you like, then catch the next shuttle. It is really quite efficient and effective. We chose to hike the rim trail. This trail, as the name implies, follows the rim of the canyon for almost 11 miles. On the first day we walked from the main Visitors Center to Mather point, a place everyone goes to for photos and to get their first view of the canyon. We continued walking from there to the South Kaibab Trailhead. A distance of about 3.75 miles. We stopped frequently along the way and soaked up the natural beauty that is the Grand Canyon. Luck was with us as there were clear blue skies, warm temperatures, light breezes, and very little polution to spoil our view. Once at the Trailhead, we took the shuttle to Yaki Point (the only way to get there). After sitting along the rim and watching nature at its finest, we loaded up on the shuttle and made the return trip to the Visitors Center.

As the name implies, the Rim Trail is along the rim!

An interesting rock formation. Bet in not too many geologic years, it falls off.

Nature inspired awe!

This young elk was right beside the trail. We walked by within 3 feet and she could have cared less.

The Mules of the Grand Canyon can be hired to take you down South Kaibab trail. Here the "Mule Whisperer" gives a massage and encouragement to a recent returnee.

Day 2 we took a different approach. Arriving early, we first took the shuttle out to Hermits Rest. We started our hike from there, thus being ahead of the crowds and working our way backwards. At Hermits Rest, there is a little Gift shop/Snack Bar that once was a stop for visitors around the turn of the 20th Century. The building is designed to look like it sprung out of the surrounding rocks and sports a very impressive fireplace (see the photo below).

The views this day were just as impressive, if not more so, than those of Day 1. Along this trek you actually could see some of the Colorado River winding its way along almost a mile below.

Again, Rim Trail means on the Rim. (Granted I am a little bit off of the main trail but not by much!)

We made it all the way!!

As we neared the end of our chosen trail, the last 1.5 miles or so were mostly downhill. This was great as our poor feet were quite worn out. We also noticed that the views were not as spectacular and the trail was more crowded. This actually validated our decision to start at Hermits Rest. Had we not, our first 1.5 miles would have been mostly uphill and the views, while interesting, would not have been awe inspiring.

At the conclusion of the hike, we stopped in "The Village", where the lodging, shopping, campgrounds, and railway station are located. Here we found the Pizza Pub inside of Maswik Lodge. We both had one of the best pizzas we have had and it really hit the spot! Refueled and refreshed (kind of) we set out on our next objective. Taking the shuttle to Yaki Point and waiting out the sunset. Here a small group of intrepid adventurers sit and chat, taking in the splendor and ever-changing colors of the canyon as the sun sinks slowly to the western horizon. During the last moments of sunset you can actually see the sun moving as it slips out of sight. Upon its departure, the assembled crowd broke into spontaneous applause. It was awesome!

Day 3 saw us driving from Yaki Point out to the eastern end of the park along the Desert View Drive. Today was much more leisurely and we met some really neat folks along the way. At the Tusayan Museum, we met a couple of gentlemen from France here on vacation. Turns out one of them lives in Normandy just behind Omaha Beach. Misty went with us today and she soaked up several long belly rubs from these two guys. We met a retired couple at Grandview Point. He was wearing a hat with the "Screaming Eagle" emblem of the 101st Airborne Division. He was a proud former member and we exchanged a couple of "war stories." As so often happens to us, they asked us to take a picture of them with their camera. We obliged with one, then they asked for another. They said that they alway take two photos at each National Park they visit, one regular shot and one "kissing shot." It was very sweet. Once out at Desert View we took a tour of the Watchtower and headed back to our campground.

The Desert View Watchtower. Designed by the same lady who designed Hermits Rest.

After some housekeeping, we went back into the park and drove out to Grandview Point just before sunset. We weren't as much interested in the sunset tonight as we were in stargazing. While waiting for sunset, we chatted with a couple from Romania who were here on vacation. They were very friendly and we shared experiences from each of our countries. In the end, we exchanged contact information and if (or when) we ever go to visit Eastern Europe, they will give us some good local tips and hints. That's the really great thing about this traveling we do. Not only do we get to see unbelievable views and vistas, but we meet people from all around the world and get to know them (if only for a short while). Tomorrow, we pack up and continue our journey westward!