15

Well then it is my mistake. Like I said, it is one part of the experience we wanted to have. If we go, it will not be the only thing we will do. And from all the reports I have heard, they are anything but minor.

16

I'm not trying to have a go at you ... goodness - this a is a very friendly forum in the main - but it was you who said "If not, I will figure something else out or may skip the Canyon altogether." which does sound a lot like a dummy-spit. Anyway I can only say it once more - the GCNP Village area is magical, and it would be a great shame for you to miss it ... waterfalls and helicopters and hikes to the river really are all superfluous indeed.

17

Most hiking and backpacking into the Grand Canyon whether in the park or elsewhere in the larger canyon is done without a guide. The guide merely provides all the advance preparation and knowledge so you don't have to do the research- if you have more money than time it is a good trade off. And nowhere on the Grand Canyon is it a good idea to go without some knowledge and research and advance reservations. Havasu Falls while not a part of the National Park are imo certainly a valid grand canyon experience and provide a nice end point/reason to hike. I wasn't as impressed with them as I expected to be, but that I think is because of the changes since the flood of 2008. It is still a great place to spend some time.

And I get not heading into the area if the hiking wasn't a possibility. Makes sense when you explain it a little bit.

18

Well actually, the reason we want to go to the falls, which you think superfluous (and that's fine), is because we are interested in the Native American history in that part of the canyon. If that is superfluous to you because you'd prefer to look at a sunset, that's your call. I was never so much interested in the helicopter ride so much as its use in getting to that area but even if I did want to go simply because I wanted to see a bird's eye view or I don't know, I like helicopters, what does it matter? And I do appreciate your advice. I really do. It was great. But parts of it weren't applicable to one small part of my trip that I was asking about.

And I'm sorry if there seemed to be a 'dummy spit' in that comment, I was just busy at the time. It was more of a 'we'll figure out somewhere else to go around the canyon or not go if our budge can't handle it' offhanded statement. Maybe I didn't think it through before I wrote it. My bad.

I'm sure the other part is magical and we may go there as well, but just because someone has a different way of doing things doesn't make them wrong. Just different.

So let's just calm down and agree to be different.

19

Thanks waterlilypad. Your advice is really helpful. It's definitely one of the spots I want to see. I just didn't see the point going in this trip if one small part of it was going to be so expensive, I'd never be able to see anything else!

20

,,, we are interested in the Native American history in that part of the canyon.

Now we're playing the superior cultural tourist card over the top of my shallow white-person sunset-loving perspective.

Have a great trip in your choppers and what-not spotty ... you deserve it I'm sure. I'll stick the Grand Canyon proper I think.