View Full Version : Grand Canyon Road trip
sir White Wolf
07-17-2009, 12:43
The drive took about 2 days there, and was full of great fun and sites.
We took the back roads across north Ga. to Dalton jumped on Hwy 75 north to Chattanooga then went 24 to Nashville and hwy 40 and Route 66 east for the Long ride.
I had planed to stop and camp at Fountainhead state park in Oklahoma but was Way ahead of where I thought I would have been at the time so we pushed on to Meteor crater Az. (http://www.meteorcrater.com/) and Pulled the first hang of the trip at the RV park (http://www.meteorcrater.com/rvpark/rvpark.htm) there.
Because this was an RV park, there were limited spots for rural campers to stay, so we had to rig our hammocks between our car, and a tree (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/kiltedhiker/Grand%20Canyon%206-2009/DSC00184.jpg). We spent the rest of the night eating food from The Hole Enchilada, and talking to a high school math teacher from Minnesota, who was on his way to Mexico, to work at an orphanage in Guatemala for his vacation.
The next morning, we slept later, and rolled into Flagstaff a little before lunch. We took 180 to the Grand Canyon. We spent a little while walking the South Rim, and then found a campsite outside the gates in the Kaibab National Forest called the Ten-X Campground. (http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/kai/recreation/campgrounds/TenX.shtml)
We set (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/kiltedhiker/Grand%20Canyon%206-2009/DSC00258-1.jpg) up camp (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/kiltedhiker/Grand%20Canyon%206-2009/DSC00255.jpg), and left to find out about hiking into the Grand Canyon, to the Phantom Ranch (http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com/lodging-704.html).
Link to photo album (http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/kiltedhiker/Grand%20Canyon%206-2009/?start=all)
Coming soon: The Hike Into The Canyon.
dundundundunnnnnn
angrysparrow
07-17-2009, 12:53
There are some great shots in that album. Sounds like a great trip!
sir White Wolf
07-17-2009, 13:09
just a little advise...
If you hike the Grand Canyon, get a three to four day backcountry pass, not a two day pass.
Ouch.
my advice: get an annual pass, and go after park hours (from about 8pm to 6am) and the entry to the park is free ($25 savings)
pics are nice, thanks!
Great pics, I'm a little jealous lol, I am trying to plan a trip out there within the next year or two! And who is that strange man in those pics with Pawfoot? I swear the sir white wolf I know has more hair!!:laugh:
sir White Wolf
07-17-2009, 16:41
Great pics, I'm a little jealous lol, I am trying to plan a trip out there within the next year or two! And who is that strange man in those pics with Pawfoot? I swear the sir white wolf I know has more hair!!:laugh:
:lol:
I try to keep the beard and hair changed up here and there.
It keeps folks guessing and hard for the Posters in the post office to keep up:lol:
Love the pics. Hope you will come back to Hot Springs in September, so we can get the whole story.
great trip report---------thanks! My family spent a week in the flagstaff area several years ago and have been talking about a return trip soon. Theres somthing almost magical about that country! Ive never been able to put my finger on it, but the desert is a really special place. Did you make it to sedona, wiputki or sunset crater? (my favorites!) Thanks for the pictures etc.:)
sir White Wolf
07-18-2009, 01:08
Naa after the hike outta the canyon my legs swelled to twice there normal size. had to walk with a cane for a week :(
13 hour hike with a 5000ft vertical climb was about all I could do
I got to spend last Christamas in the GC. You really must see it before you die. Thanks for sharing.
I gotta say.
I loved the trip up there. All the sights that I never even imagined seeing were... Breathtaking.
I mean, sure, the pictures of everything can show you what we saw, but You'll never have the feeling that I had when I saw them first hand.
We got to the Canyon, and I swear, when I looked at it, I cried.
It was so beyond words that it actually made me cry.
So, if you've never been to the Grand Canyon, I'm telling you, you HAVE to before you die. [Says Pawfoot :D]
The hike down there was a lot of fun. I mean, at first I was super excited about doing something that not many people ever do, but as we got closer and closer to the bottom, I was just excited for eating and resting. [at the Bottom of the Grand Canyon!!!]
I have to say, I believe that now that I've been there and back, and survived...
I don't think there's anything I can't do. :)
[I'm not even going to talk about the trip out... It wouldn't be a pleasant report....]
Anyways!
I'm extremely happy that Dad and I took this trip.
I loved seeing the sights, meeting the people, and most of all, I loved spending time with my dad :D
Thats All for now.
glad the two of you had a great time. pawfoot, savor these times with your dad......you will have stories to tell your children.......
sir White Wolf
07-19-2009, 00:46
Im with ya there Dutch
That big ol' ditch ya'll went to is mind-numbingly awesome! Love that you two share a wonderful passion and have fun spending time together .... sometimes rare for family!
Shug
Hangin'Yankee
07-19-2009, 14:02
Great Report. I especially liked the pictures of hanging from the car/stand, that's dedication to hanging!
I know what you mean about the legs hurting, my bro and I had one day and wanted to get into the canyon. We started down the South Kaibab at 9AM, ate lunch at Phantom Ranch and popped back out at the top of the Bright Angel at about 6PM. We hurt for a week but got some great pics, memories and fun stories to tell for years to come.
It is a definite must see and you must go down in, not just stay on the rim. It's a whole 'nother deal being down in it!
A trip for another time... Havasu Falls, incredible water falls and great trees to hang from in the campground. I want to get back there again, now that I have a hammock.
Randy
sir White Wolf
07-19-2009, 16:44
Sad that Phantom Ranch/Bright Angel Campground didnt have trees that you could hang from.
Loved the Creek, spent most of the time in it soaking :)
BillyBob58
07-19-2009, 21:43
I'll never forget my 1st time there in 1970. Did that Bright Angel South Rim hike in one day, out the next about 1972 or 73. I agree with the idea stated earlier about something almost magical about the area. Coming up from the deserts near Phoenix at about 1100 feet, to Sedona at about 4000 ft but at the foot of the Mogollon Rim cliffs WAYYY up above you, then up through Oak Creek Canyon to the giant Ponderosa pines at 7000 ft approaching Flagstaff. Then on through the cool Aspen forests on the other side of Flagstaff, at the foot of Humphry's(SP?) peaks at 12,700 ft on the way to the Grand Finale: The Grand Canyon! Mind boggling! So beautiful in so many different ways. I may go there in early November with some luck.
Naa after the hike outta the canyon my legs swelled to twice there normal size. had to walk with a cane for a week :(
13 hour hike with a 5000ft vertical climb was about all I could do
Did you spend the night at the ranch, or campsite?
SmokeHouse
07-20-2009, 16:00
Nice Pic's,,, hoping to do that trip next year...
sir White Wolf
07-21-2009, 00:32
Did you spend the night at the ranch, or campsite?
Campsite, but we checked out the ranch
stormcrow
07-21-2009, 01:33
There is no place quite like the canyon.
I too got to see it again this past year. I got to experience it a little differently though.
Some friends of mine did the trip from the north rim to the south Kaibab rim and back. We didnt stop. We started at 6:49 pm and I crawled out back where we started 18hrs 31min later. 42 miles and almost 22,000 vertical feet later. Yes, I was tired. That was the hardest thing I have done so far.
We walked all night to beat the heat and there was a moonless sky. Hard to find words for the heavenly views that night. If I had it to do again I would spend a little more time IN the canyon though. That trip was about the challenge as much as the beauty. Now that I know I CAN do it....I dont really want to again. I would try something different (maybe a rim2rim2rim2rim) on some different trails maybe.
I have also been down to the Havasupi reservation and that was just as amazing if not more. Such beautiful places!
I loved your trip report SWW and PF. I hope to see you two again at a future hang. I am going to try to get to one of the ones in NOV.
Stormcrow
jpslickorocks
07-21-2009, 02:16
Wow Stormcrow Rim to Rim to Rim is impressive. I have done the Rim to Rim twice now (once south to north and once north to south) and I was always impressed by the guys going both ways. There are so many amazing hikes down there if you ever get a chance to see them it will blow your mind. Kanab Creek, Thunder Springs and Deer creek to name a few. I have never camped any where but riverside down there and hiked all the backpacking trails as day hikes on river trips.
animalcontrol
07-21-2009, 07:11
Wow Stormcrow Rim to Rim to Rim is impressive. I have done the Rim to Rim twice now (once south to north and once north to south) and I was always impressed by the guys going both ways. There are so many amazing hikes down there if you ever get a chance to see them it will blow your mind. Kanab Creek, Thunder Springs and Deer creek to name a few. I have never camped any where but riverside down there and hiked all the backpacking trails as day hikes on river trips.
Adam (stormcrow) is an insane hiker ;
he told me the story of the rim2rim2rim while driving to a hang and I about threw-up just thinking about it.
42 miles/22k elevation change in 18 hrs??? :scared:
like I said...insane. did I mention he has red hair?? :lol:
stormcrow
07-21-2009, 12:44
Adam (stormcrow) is an insane hiker ;
he told me the story of the rim2rim2rim while driving to a hang and I about threw-up just hinking about it.
42 miles/22k elevation change in 18 hrs??? :scared:
like I said...insane. did I mention he has red hair?? :lol:
I think most people with red hair are just a bit off center...:lol: Right Shug?
Stormcrow
I think most people with red hair are just a bit off center...:lol: Right Shug?
Stormcrow
Ten-Four on that .... I love to "list" a bit. Good to be "one-off"
Walking Bear
07-21-2009, 16:21
I hiked the Grand Canyon about 13 years ago. Hiked with one of my close frends Ted. We each had a daughter with us. Our wives rode the mules down to the ranch, while we walked down the south trail. I think that my wife was more sore than I was from the mule ride down. But I was more tired. Packs were way to heavy then.
Camped over night at the ranch and then headed up Bright Angle trail the next morning. Camped at Bright Angle campground and walked out on the third day.
We should have spent more time at the bottom. Would like to go back and do a rim to rim.
sir White Wolf
07-21-2009, 17:19
Id love to Hike it with 4 or 5 days to just Take it all in.
The views were awesome
How many hours a day did you guys drive?
sir White Wolf
07-26-2009, 23:10
How many hours a day did you guys drive?
We took about 2 and a half days, lots of stops to play and look a cheep stuff inna truck stops :)
Thanks for the pics, Sir White Wolf, and to all the others on the Grand Canyon advice nuggets.