Yes. Shortest. Post. Ever.
Just kidding, I have so much more to say! I knew the Grand Canyon would be vast, some might even say “grand,” but I wasn’t prepared for the spectacular beauty. The immensity viewed in panorama is truly an awe-inspiring experience.
After a disappointing visit to Mount Rushmore last year (but a great trip to Custer State Park and Fort Robinson!) I was afraid that the Grand Canyon would be touristy. There were tourists, though not nearly the number I had envisioned. Most were silently awestruck as well. I have no idea what it is like to visit in the summer, but in early April, it was magical.
We also visited Sedona and had some great hikes there, I plan to blog about this in a separate post. Having spent the majority of my life on the east coast with a little under a decade of mid-west sprinkled in, I am not familiar with the desert landscape.
Even seeing cacti (or cactuses as I like to say) in the desert was thrilling for us! As we drove from Sedona into Flagstaff, I was shocked to see snow! I knew there were mountain but didn’t realize how tall the San Francisco peaks are!
The beautiful and tasty Pavlova at the Cornish Pasty Co.
We had dessert in at the Cornish Pastry Co. It was pretty empty but I can imagine that during their busy ski season, this place would be packed. I used dessert and desert in the same paragraph!
We opted to stay inside the park
Several times I almost shortened our stay at the Grand Canyon. Was it really necessary to spend 2 nights there? Could I justify the expense of staying two nights in what was essentially a “motel” room for $350+ a night? While in Sedona I came close to cancelling our second night at the Kachina Lodge. I’m glad that I stuck to our plan. Though I recognize that financially, this might not be a feasible option for many people, it was worth it to me.
Our room was a “partial canyon view.” We were on the 2nd floor of the Kachina Lodge.
How do you choose where to stay in the Grand Canyon?
I did not book this trip years in advance. I knew it was difficult to score a room within the park. I used the main page and kept checking daily for open nights. When I spotted two nights in a row in the Kachina Lodge for the week I hoped to visit, I pretty much planned the rest of my trip around that! I did not do much research about the lodge but had low expectations, especially after our Custer State Park Lodge experience (there were some good and some not so good places to stay.)
When I checked in at the next-door El Tovar hotel, I was pleasantly surprised by how charming it was. It was rustic but clean and the people were very helpful. I was originally given a room on the first floor. As a very light sleeper, I have learned that a top floor is usually my best option. Sheepishly I asked if he had a top floor room available. After a few minutes of checking back and forth, I was presented a key for a room on the 2nd of the two floor lodge. Though the lodge itself is older, the remodel has given it more of a “mission-style” lodge feel which seemed appropriate to the surroundings. The spacious room included a good sized refrigerator and cabinet area. There are no microwaves but there is a coffee pot with coffe packets provided. Having known ahead of time about the lack of microwave, Istocked up in Flagstaff at the Target. We bought the basics; cereal, milk, bread, lettuce, lunch meat, peanut butter, apples and other snacks. Preparing in this way allowed us to hike early in the morning without having to find breakfast. We also skipped the pricey food, though we had burgers one afternoon. They were ok, the service was overwhelmed and food was very slow to come out.
The Kachina and Thunderbird Lodges are situated right on the boardwalk overlooking the Grand Canyon. The El Tovar Hotel is considered the nicest of the places to stay inside the park and the rooms should have views to match. I would say that the Kachina actually has better views than the Thunderbird because it seems to be slightly higher on the hill but either way, you can’t go wrong. Especially if you are able to spring for a room with a view!
There isn’t much I can write to do justice to the emotions I felt when I first saw the Grand Canyon. It’s big. So big. For the first hour, I felt dizzy every time I looked at it. It’s like putting on a virtual reality headset where it looks real but your mind can’t make sense of what you are seeing. When we arrived, it was nearing sunset and we walked on the rim trail, taking in the changing landscape. Every cliff, gorge, rock and ravine comes alive and changes in the light. It was quiet. By 5pm there were only a handful of people walking. It was cold, temperatures dropped rapidly from the low 60’s to the 40’s.
By staying in the park we were able to walk at sunset and sunrise with very few people around. If you are able to make it happen, stay in the park, even if it is only for a night. We did an incredible and long hike down the Angel’s Rest trail. More on that later!
