1

I have not been there yet.

My dad who has been there many times, took the mule tour did the rafting etc., speaks of the South Rim as a great place, but one that is sometimes overpopulated with tourists.

He dreams of retiring to the North Rim.

I realize this answers none of your questions.

Edited by: LongIslandBob

2

As sleeping in the car will not be allowed outside a designated camping area in the Park(where the views are)...You should probably Drive to the South Rim making some stops along the "Old Rt.66"... Enter the park for sunset at Desert View overlook then decide if you wish to continue to Cameron or Tuba City in the dark for a room... Next day continue On the 89a ending at Zion National Park in Utah for a look see there before returning to Las Vegas along the I-15... Plan then 3 days for this wonderful "loop" drive... carracar

3

This is the Monday after Thanksgiving. I assume you have your travel and accomodations leading up to the Grand Canyon visit all planned out already. Otherwise, you might have a problem - that weekend is a huge travel weekend.


That's a really good idea.


The South Rim is open year-round. It will be extremely busy over the weekend, but Monday will significantly more mellow as people will have largely headed home from the holiday. As for what there is to do...that depends on you and your interests. There are many viewpoints, several museums, walking paths along the rim and hiking trails that drop into the canyon... more than enough to occupy a day. Maybe start here:

www.nps.gov/grca


The simple answer to this is no. There are places were this is possible, mostly on the north side, but you can't get there with a rental car. Anyplace you can drive right up to the Rim in a rental car on the south side is definitely a no-go for camping out in the car. And never minding the park rules about camping only in designated campgrounds... you probably don't realize that it will be freezing cold at night in late November. A much better option is to watch sunset, have a nice dinner, stay in one of the park lodges, and stroll over to the rim before dawn to catch the sunrise.

4

You can hike, take an air tour, learn about geology, or simply just sit, jaw agape, at the wonder that is before you.

At the south rim, yes. At the north rim, no.

All "sleep" must be in a lodge or campground.
There are plenty of places to view the sunrises/sunsets.

See here for more.

(Note: I'm intentially ignoring the west rim. This is the xLas Vegas of the canyon, designed to separate you from your money.)

5

You can sleep in the car, but will need to get a campsite in the park or find a quite place outside the NP. I suspect you could crash in one of the Tusayan (just outside the park entrance) motel lots w/o trouble. It will be COLD.
Please check out http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/things2do.htm

You might also consider Zion. It's warmer, significantly closer, and dang near as pretty.

6

This is the end of November. Sleeping in the car will be COLD no matter where you do it in that part of the U. S. All of the lodging at South Rim is likely booked up by now. Make reservations in Tusayan and do it NOW!

If you drive in from Las Vegas, leave Las Vegas late in the morning. Stop to see Hoover Dam on the way to Grand Canyon National Park. If you want to see the sunset, keep track of the time and look up the local sunset time at South Rime so that you don’t miss it. Be aware that there may be an hour's difference between Las Vegas Time and South Rim time. I have enough trouble keeping track of time zones and savings time in my own part of the world without worrying about the same nonsense at Grand Canyon National park. Stay in Tusayan. Get up before sunup the next morning and drive back into the park. Any of the South Rim overlooks will do or you can give yourself enough time to reach Desert View. I don't know what the open hours at the tower will be at the end of November. Spend the morning sightseeing and drive back to Las Vegas in the afternoon. Depending on when you want to reach Las Vegas and how much money you want to spend, you could spend two or three hours at West Rim on the way back to Las Vegas.

Have a great time.

7

If you want to show your girl a beautiful time in the US, don't make her sleep in the car, anywhere.

Save up some money and get a motel room.

There are accomodations inside the park at the website, above and withing the towns (in order of preference, inside the park being the first choice:) Tusayan, Williams, Flagstaff.

.

8

What #6 and #7 said. I've been to the Canyon several times. Car camping at the end of November is, to be charitable about it, an impractical idea.

9

Thank you for all the replys. Grand canyon sounds exactly what I want it to be. I lived in Florida all of my life and I am sure I will be floored by what I am about to see.

10

Make sure then, it's a warm floor... carracar

11

If you ever make it back during warmer weather, there are a few places along the North Rim where you CAN park the car right on the edge of the canyon. http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/upload/Tuweep-Brochure201101.pdf is, AFAIK, the most frequently visited.

On the S. Rim, the Desert View campground (closes for the winter in mid October) is next-best, being located within a few minute's walk of the edge.

If your GF has a sturdy sense of humor and adventure, you might (?) suggest camping.
On the ground.
In a tent.
In the snow...
Keep in mind that the average low for Nov 26 is 23F or -5C
It could easily be 10+ degrees colder.
Or... maybe not. :)