Grand Canyon South Rim

[bmcevers_13]

We are headed out to the GC South rim in a few weeks. We are staying at KOA Williams AZ. Is there any must dos or do not miss things that we should be doing? I looked a 3 hr mule ride into the canyon, it is a tad bit pricey though....
Any suggestions will be appreciated.

[GOTTOYS]

We took the train there and also signed up for the buffet lunch. Food was good. Train ride was too long but was entertaining. I would do it again.

[Brother Les]

Too many people......

Ask at KOA and look at brochures at the KOA. What ever you decide to do... add a lot of time to do it..... too much traffic and too many people....

[dwayneb236]

We stayed at the Circle Pines KOA. We really like the layout. A big circle and lots of trees. Not too many trees at the other one when we passed it on the way. We weren't there too long and only had time to go to the canyon. But what we did see on a drive into Williams made us want to go back. It's a very cool town that is on the Rt 66 tour. We really want to walk around there some night.


There is also a wildlife park nearby called Bearizona. Looked pretty cool.


The canyon was awesome. We want to go back there and do a mule tour and do some hiking. We did the Hermits Rest bus tour. Was not too bad and pretty cheap.

[CAT-RN]

Well not sure about the mule ride. Those I saw riding the mules didn't look too happy. I walked to the bottom and stayed at Phantom Ranch overnight. Walked back out next day. Now that not for most people but it's stunningly beautiful along the river at the bottom!!

If possible walk at least a 1/2 mile or so down the Bright Angel trail. It will give you an idea what it's like all the way to the bottom.

Russell

[GalsofEscape]

Have a great time. Patience will be key, lots of people waiting for the shuttles, get there early and be sure to drink lots of water.

We were there the end of June and we camped in Trailer Village inside the park, had full hookups. Really liked being in the park.

[Dp26]

Have a toad? Research Shoshone Trail. Best place to be alone at the edge, assuming no one else reads this and no one has booked it.

[Ron, Debra & Foxy]

We stayed at Maher Campground in the park, and enjoyed it. We just walked to the Rim walk and enjoyed the views and the walking. We were VERY impressed with an unexpected surprise as we went to the east direction when we left the park at the Hopi Tower area. The art inside the tower, and views from this spot are really amazing. It was not on our 'radar' originally, and it turned out to be the highpoint of our stay on the South Rim. If you are staying at the KOA - you might be tempted to skip it......... don't skip it. It is not that much further out of the way since you are already in the park. IMHO (in my humble opinion)

[TexasBob]

May is a good time to visit the canyon. it is not so crowded and the weather cool at night and not hot in the day time. We stayed a week at the Mather campground. That way you don't have deal with the line to get into the park.

[CampingGator]

It shouldn't be as crowded now that school is back in. We are looking forward to being able to travel when kids are in school once we retire.

[frogsandhogs]

We were there in October last year, the crowds had thinned out by then, but still plenty of people. Just take your time visiting all the sites on the South Rim. The tower as mentioned was amazing, and there was a nice ruin to visit that was not well publicized that was very nice. The mule ride did not look fun (and I am a horse owner) and seemed like it was very long. We did find that of all the National Parks we have visited, the gate people at this park were the least friendly and least helpful. Good thing we had found out by a chance conversation with German campers about boondocking outside the park, as we arrived at dusk and the gate lady would not give us info.

[A32Deuce]

Having been there three times already, we would go back again. Last time we were there, we staued at the CG near the train station. Rode the train to the GC. Great! We spent a couple days there and ventured each day into Williams. Neat little town. Have fun and enjoy!

[MartiB]

If you are in the area of Page, AZ, check out Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon (slot canyon). If you are a photographer, you'll want a photo tour of Antelope Canyon where they know what times to stop to get the light rays for you.

[RudysWorld]

Checkout the ranger programs. All the ones I went to were GREAT! ere is a link:
https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/sr-programs.htm
Can't stay there too long, plan to stay longer than you think. Great trip, Good Luck!

[Jim34RL]

We stayed inside the park at Campers Village. Senior pass does not work at the campground, since it is a private operator who runs this campground but it is reasonably price. Also I believe there a entrance fee for the park so, you maybe paying to enter the park daily. I chose to stay in the park since I did not want to drive from the outside campgrounds to the South Rim daily.

We had a full hook-up site with cable TV for $38.00 a night in 2015 at Trailer Village.
Another nice feature was the free bus rides inside the park so, your truck stayed park at your camp site. We also had Elk walking through the campground in the morning and early evening.

[stevegotl]

We were there last June and it was spectacular. We stayed at a B&B in Williams and took the train up one day, then drove back the next day. We went down the Bright Angel Trail, maybe about a mile, then hiked the south rim for several miles. We hit alot of the "tourist stops" including the Watchtower At Desert View Point. It was there we saw a family of Elk come right into the parking area. They are huge! We also stopped at the Tusayan Ruin which is the remains of a small Ancestral Puebloan village located 3 miles (5 km) west of Desert View. About 8 years ago I stayed at a cabin on the north rim and rode the mules there. I don't think there is any bad ideas once you see the grandeur of the canyon. It is awesome. Enjoy

[Backcountry Camper]

Grand Canyon is beautiful, but very warm to hot when you are travelling. There is a mule ride along the top of the rim, about an hour if you want a mule ride. The one down to the bottom of the canyon is very warm, dry, and terribly steep. You might want to reconsider which one you go on. Shuttles run to the campgrounds inside the Park and are very convenient. Hopefully the shuttles will not be too crowded when you go, they are wonderful for getting around the park. Parking inside the park is at a premium. Bryce Canyon is not too far away if you get the chance to go and we loved that park too. Have fun, drink lots of water and see whatever you want to see. My two cents.

[A32Deuce]

Also heading east is The Meteor Crader and not too far from that is the Petrified Forrest and Painted Dessert!

[BADinNC]

Hi and have fun. We stayed in Williams, used it as a base to visit the area. Downtown staged a nightly "shootout" that was a lot of fun. Really depends on how you feel about day trips and how long you have to spend there. The canyon is a must, but also within a long day trip are things near Flagstaff that are well worth it. Sunset Crater for one, if you head north when leaving Sunset Crater you will pass som really neat ruins that are worth a stop as well as be able to make a return to Williams by entering Grand Canyon from the East side. The scenery is amazing We visited Oak Creek Canyon, Sedonia and Montezuma Castle on another long day trip. Bearazonia was one of the nicer drive thru animal parks we've seen, The grand-kids loved it. Take your time and enjoy. BADin NC

[bmcevers_13]

Thanks to all. Looking forward to our trip in our New cedar creek Silverback 5th wheel. First long trip in it......