Grand Canyon...How Long?

Actinguy1

Hey all! As mentioned in another post, I'm moving from Santa Barbara California to Pittsburgh PA with my girlfriend. Despite being two fairly intelligent people, we've decided it would be fun to skip the airports and make a roadtrip out of it.

As I've been mapping things out so far, I see my path is going to take me relatively close to the Grand Canyon, which makes it an obvious stop.

The question is: how long should I plan to be there? I'm thinking an hour...too long? Too short? We're not hikers, we'll just want some cool photos.

Thanks!

2868

If you just want photos, maybe take an hour. Budget two. It's a hole in the ground, the fun of it is getting to the bottom.

Ol' Sparky

If you're just taking pictures you won't be there for very long. But, on the other hand, go ahead and budget an hour or two because it really is a fascinating place and though I don't remember my last trip there very well, you could probably spend quite a bit of time there without any hiking or anything.

FightTest

The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long.

(someone had to)

travathian

Exiting the I-40 it can take upwards of an hour to get to the GC and park. It is a single lane road and if you get stuck behind a motorhome you'll be cruising at 25mph the whole way. Then an hour or two there, and maybe an hour back to the I-40. So a conservative 4 hour detour.

Gafoto

Are you planning on going to the north rim or south rim? If you go to the north rim through Utah you will be driving right through Zion which is a spectacular place as well.

MetroidZoid

And isn't that new walkway out over the abyss on the north rim as well? I'd rather see that and the regular view of the hole, than just the hole. Course, I haven't been there since I was like 7, and the highlight of that trip was the train ride there.

2868

FightTest wrote: »

The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long.

(someone had to)

I resisted this so hard.

travathian

MetroidZoid wrote: »

And isn't that new walkway out over the abyss on the north rim as well? I'd rather see that and the regular view of the hole, than just the hole. Course, I haven't been there since I was like 7, and the highlight of that trip was the train ride there.

From what I have heard it is pretty expensive to take a walk on the glass walkway up north, not to mention its like a helluva long drive out of the way.

edit: quick google looks like $80+ a person.

MetroidZoid

Shit man.

E: Yeah, I'd just pass that then, stop for a couple hours, take pictures.

Also noteworthy picture place on route: that bigass meteor crater in Arizona.

Ol' Sparky

Is that on route? I don't think so. AZ is a big state. That's like an hour away from Flagstaff, itself a couple hours from the Grand Canyon.

MetroidZoid

I couldn't remember if it was, sorry. I was 7, we did this whole round-Vegas-Arizona thing. It was cool though, I remember pocketing a chunk of sandstone, then hiding it in my sock drawer because I thought they'd nab me for stealing property off of a national site.

GothicLargo

MetroidZoid wrote: »

Also noteworthy picture place on route: that bigass meteor crater in Arizona.

If you go to meteor crater you should consider going a bit out of your way to see the Trinity site (it's only open a couple times a year though). It's not much, just a plaque in the middle of nowhere, but just think... 60 years ago the very spot where you were standing got nuked.

travathian

The meteor crater is east of Flagstaff not far off the I-40, less than 10 miles I think.

The Trinity site is way the hell out of the way, something like 6 hours one way south from Albuquerque. If you are traveling E/W along the I-10 than it isn't too much of a detour, but the I-40 is much further north.

necroSYS

2868 wrote: »

If you just want photos, maybe take an hour. Budget two. It's a hole in the ground, the fun of it is getting to the bottom.

No, the fun is rafting through the bottom.

Gafoto

MetroidZoid wrote: »

And isn't that new walkway out over the abyss on the north rim as well? I'd rather see that and the regular view of the hole, than just the hole. Course, I haven't been there since I was like 7, and the highlight of that trip was the train ride there.

Prepare to pay for the experience.