From Tusayan To The Grand Canyon
By traveltripz on Mar 2, 2008 in Grand Canyon, USA
This morning we head down at 9am for the complimentary breakfast which is much better than we expected. There were omelets, sausage patties, a variety of breads, cereals, coffee, tea, fruit juices and fruit.
Once we have eaten we pack the car and head off from the Holiday Inn in Tusayan to the Grand Canyon a few miles away. We stop at the toll gate and pay the $25.00 per vehicle park entrance fee. The fee for pedestrians and cyclists is $12 per person and the entrance fee is valid for seven consecutive days from the date of purchase on either rim. Which is really handy if you are staying in Tusayan because the seven day pass allows you to go to and from the Grand Canyon as often as you like. There is a separate drive through for anyone who has previously paid in the last seven days.
Paula drives past the first few lookouts as we have decided to see if we can check in at our hotel first. We are staying at the Kachina lodge but we have to book in at the main reception area in the El Tovar Hotel. Book in is generally at 4pm and we 
are way too early at 11am, so we take a stroll around the village, through the souvenir shops and have our first look at the Grand Canyon.
WOW, what can we say, the sight is truly amazing and awe inspiring, there are just not enough superlatives to describe the view. This is a sight that has to be experienced to be appreciated; photos and movies just do not do the sight justice. The person we spoke to in Ash Fork being a local has perhaps grown used to being amongst one of natures wonders, because as good as the Imax movie is, nothing compares to the real experience.
The wind is blowing strongly and the temperature is 45 degrees F so although we are wearing pants that are reasonably warm, I only have on a cotton tee shirt, and open sandals, Paula isn’t dressed much warmer so we go back to the car and add a couple of top layers, some socks and closed in shoes. So take our advice and make sure you have warm clothes and waterproof shoes if you are coming late February, early March.
Feeling a little warmer we go into the Hopi House which was designated to be a National Historic landmark in 1987. There are a lot of excellent authentic American Indian arts and crafts for sale and we only wish we had room in our suitcases. I almost weaken and buy some Turquoise earrings but finally resist the temptation. Paula picks up some arrows but we decide that she wouldn’t be able to take them back into Australia.
We decide to leave the car in the carpark and take one of the free shuttles around the park. After receiving some vague instructions from a hotel employee we finally work out where the shuttle leaves from, although to start with we are standing at a railway station instead of the shuttle station. One thing we have found in a number of places is that the signage is very poor as are instructions. For instance we were told that to catch the bus go out the door and down the stairs, I took this to mean go down the hotel steps and wait outside, but no it meant look for some stairs some meters from the hotel and go down 3 staircases. A big sign at the top of the stairs would have helped.
The bus arrives at the Blue Angel Lodge depot in about 10 minutes and off we go. The shuttles actually run every 15 
minutes so if you get off at a stop to take photos and have a look around, it isn’t too long before another one arrives. We get off at the Village Route Transfer and board the bus for the Hermits Rest route. This route only reopens on the first of March so we have arrived at the right time, a few days earlier and we would not have been able to take this shuttle.
The road is a bit rough so the ride is bumpy but not too uncomfortable. We are sitting in a back carriage with large glass windows which give us an excellent view of the Grand Canyon as we drive along. The first stop is the Trailview Outlook where there is a great photo opportunity back to the village and you can take a 0.7mile/1.1 km walk from this point back to the village.
The second stop is the Maricopa Point and again there is a 0.7mile/1.1 km walk from this point back to the Trailview Outlook. Paula spots a fawn and a doe sitting down on the side of the road.
A further 0.5mls/0.8 kms on is Powell Point which is named in honour of John Wesley Powell who in 1869, with 9 companions were the first men to take the 1000 mile journey on the Colorado River, through the Grand Canyon.
Once you arrive at Hopi Point which is 0.3ml/0.5kms from Powell Point, you can catch a bus going in either direction, back to the village or onto other stops on the way to Hermits rest. This is great for people who have limited time but still want to see the grandeur of the Grand Canyon. There are also toilets at this stop. City slickers be prepared to experience a drop toilet.
There is another return bus trip available from the next stop which is Mohave Point and this stop is 0.8mls/1.3kms from Hopi Point. The view from any of these stops is spectacular however we have decided to stay on the bus and do the hop on hop off thing on the way back. Of course the stop we wanted to visit wasn’t one of the hop off points on the way back, so make sure you check if the stops you want to stop at are available on the return journey or you will either miss out or need to take the bus around again.
The Abyss was the stop I would have liked to check out as the canyon drops way for 4000 feet to canyon floor. This stop is 1.1ml/1.8kms from Mohave Point.
We decided to hop off at the next stop which is Pima Point and it is 2.9mls/4.7km from The Abyss. From this point there is a view of the Colorado River which looks brown from where we are. The bus driver tells us that on a calm day you can here the river roar; however, today there is too much noise from the wind. Still we get some more spectacular photos. A squirrel poses for us while we take photos and he is so close we could almost touch him, if it were permitted, which it is not. There is no touching or feeding the animals allowed, and rightly so. Still he shows no sign of fear.
Then it’s back onto the next bus and onto the last stop on the trip, Hermits Rest. This stop is 1.1ml/1.8km from Pima 
Point, and there are restrooms and a souvenir shop. They have a blazing fire going and we stop to warm up and thaw out. Although it gets cold back home in Canberra, we really aren’t prepared for the biting cold that seems to gnaw into our bone marrow. Of course we haven’t brought the right clothing for this weather either as the bulk of our trip will be spent in California.
One of the things we are impressed with is the quality of the tee shirts and how inexpensive they are. We each buy a Grand Canyon tee shirt, some warm socks and some gloves. At least we will be warm for the rest of our stay.
As soon as we thaw out we head off back to the bus for the return journey. Coming back the lady in front spots an elk and we see another couple of deer.
Soon we are back at the transfer point and we decide to walk back to our lodge. Paula suggest we take the Blue Angel trail back but as we set of down the sludgy muddy path she remembers having seen a sign that says the hike is 8 miles, so we backtrack onto the rim path which is a nice easy walk back to the hotel.
A fantastic way to view the Grand Canyon is by Helicopter and this is something we will definately do the next time we are here. So if you are looking for a great deal check out the Grand Canyon All American Helicopter Flight 50% off. Book now at Viator.
2 Comment(s)
By Jennine on Mar 6, 2008 | Reply
The Grand Cayon sounds amazing and the photos are just awesome
By traveltripz on Mar 6, 2008 | Reply
It is breathtakingly beautiful Jennine. We are having such a great time and because we didn’t book in to anywhere except for the first few days, we are able to come and go as we please.
So we stayed on a couple more days at the Grand Canyon.
We are now back in Vegas and have treated ourselves to two nights in Caesars Palace. Talk about decadent.