heading SE for Thanksgiving

August 19, 2005 12:02 PM

Normally we venture up into the Yosemite foothills for Thanksgiving week, but the cabins are horrifically high in rents. So we're thinking either Flagstaff or vicinity instead since The Kid (now 24) has never seen the Grand Canyon, and should. Tips, opinions, places to stay, things to do?

Oh yeah, two dogs will be accompanying. We'll be driving from LA area, hence the SE direction of travel....

posted by banjomensch to travel & transportation (3 comments total)

I had a great time at Havasupai reservation, about 60 miles west of the grand canyon, back in 1997. It might be getting a bit cold for a hike and camping trip, but they do offer helicopter and mule rides up/down as well as a lodge to stay in if you're not the hardy type.
posted by mathowie at 12:30 PM on August 19, 2005

If you're on your way out there, and if you have the time, consider making a stop at Zion and Bryce National Parks in Utah. It's been more than 15 years since I made the hot, sticky car trip as a sullen adolescent, and I've never forgotton those indelible and miraculous landscapes, and the chance I had to inhabit them for a few days.

Never been to Sedona or Monument Valley, but I think they might be easier to visit en route to the Canyon than Bryce or Zion if you'd like to make it a chain trip. As for the final destination, you probably already know this, but try to find a way of experiencing all of its layers in sixteen dimensions. There are all kinds of guided trail rides that will help you scale the walls via burro, as well as day and overnight rafting trips on the Colorado.

Oh. And the nights will be cold, come Thanksgiving. Easy to forget that.
posted by foxy_hedgehog at 12:41 PM on August 19, 2005

If the Grand Canyon itself is too expensive or too packed (both probably), try looking for a place to stay in Williams, AZ. It's one of the closest settlements to the park (just under 60 miles) and while it isn't precisely next door, it's still not an unreasonable place to stay to get to the park for a long day.
There are a pile of motels from good to seedy. You should be able to find one that will take dogs. You might also want to find one with a pool. After a long day of hiking around, it's pretty nice to be able to soak.
posted by plinth at 5:50 PM on August 19, 2005