Reminder: Grand Canyon Tour June 24th – 29th, 2022

By: Roger Heath

Last month, we told you about an option for those going to the South Rim; instead of staying at a South Rim hotel, a couple of cars are traveling on to Williams then taking the train into the Grand Canyon.  If interested in this option, see the information further below.

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Now there is another new option for both those going only to the North Rim and those going to the South Rim:

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The original plan has been to stay two nights in Kanab, then the North Rim folks going home while the South Rim group heads to the South Rim.  Instead of staying two nights in Kanab, some are now staying the second night in Page AZ.  This way there won’t be as much back tracking after visiting the Marble Canyon / Vermillion Cliffs area and Navajo Bridge.  Sunday home will be across northern Highway 89 and follow it as desired north back to SLC. Map of Day 2 is shown here that ends in Page. For those going on to the South Rim, this puts you closer to your destination than driving from Kanab.

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Here is the hotel information if you are interested in changing the second night from Kanab to Page (and remember to cancel night 2 in Kanab):

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Saturday night, June 25th: Best Western View of Lake Powell Hotel, 716 Rimview Drive, Page Arizona, 928-645-8868.

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For the South Rim half of our Grand Canyon road trip, there are four couples (Nicholl, Klinshaw, Porter, and Mechling) who will be going to Williams, Az. for two nights (Jun 26th & 27th) and the train ride to and from the Grand Canyon.

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The name of the package they have signed up for is the "Two Night Railway Getaway Package".  This package gets you two nights, two dinners, two breakfasts, and a coach train ride to and from the Grand Canyon. Other packages are also available. The website is www.thetrain.com.  We booked our reservations on the phone at 1-800-843-8724 (1-800-THE- TRAIN). Please ask any of us if you have any questions.

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Here is the original information we have been posting in case this new option has persuaded anyone else to join this trip:

Plan is to leave Friday, June 24th and spend 2 nights in Kanab (or one night Kanab and one night Page). Recommended hotels in Kanab are the Best Western Red Hills or Comfort Suites. However you’re free to stay wherever you want. The first part of the trip will be to the North Rim, spending part of the day in the park and for those that want head east along the Vermilion Cliffs to the Navajo Bridge spanning Marble Canyon.

 

For those that want to spend a couple of extra nights we’ll head to the South Rim on Sunday, June 26th, spending 2 nights inside the park. If you intend to do this part lodging is filling up quickly so I suggest you reserve your rooms as soon as possible.

 

Please see the Events tab in the Utah Miata Club Facebook group for more details on hotels and routes. Info also on our club website, or ask me, Roger Heath.

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Update:

For those coming along on the trip to the north rim of the Grand Canyon in June here's the plan as of now:

• June 24th: Meet at Harmons Bangerter Crossing, 125 E 13800 South Draper, UT, at 9 AM and head out at 9:30 AM

• Travel south on I-15 and exit in Spanish Fork onto Hwy 6

• Stay on Hwy 6 until the junction with Hwy 89

• We should make it to Salina around lunchtime. As we have done in the past we'll have lunch at the Salina City Park. You can bring something from home or grab something to go in Salina or Harmons

• After leaving Salina we'll get on I-70 West for about 34 miles then exit back onto Hwy 89 in Sevier.

• From there it's straight south to Kanab.

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After we pass Circleville the boyhood home of Butch Cassidy is just off the highway. This may be worth a stop to wander around.

• June 25th: A lot will be squeezed into this one day so I'm anticipating an early start, around 8 AM.

• If you've never been to the north rim it's not anything like the south rim. Being out of the way, in a sense, it's not as crowded as the south side (hopefully).

• The facilities are limited for lunch, basically one snack bar by the lodge and the general store near the campground.

• Though the views in and around the lodge are amazing, you cannot see the river or the bottom as you can from the south rim. There is a drive east along the rim with views of the river we can take.

• If you plan to hike there's a nice trail from the campground to the lodge. It would have to be an out and back. For something a little more secluded there's a couple of other trails near the lodge area. And if you want a little experience inside the canyon you can take the North Kaibab trail down to the first bridge and back. That will take a few hours if I remember right.

• Those wishing to drive to the Navajo Bridge the drive is worth it along Hwy 89A. There are some pretty amazing boulders along the highway. Also the walk out onto the bridge allows for some great views of Marble Canyon and the Colorado river. The last few times I've stopped here I've seen California Condors flying around.

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Here are some distances and times for you to consider:

• Best Western Red Hills to the Grand Canyon Lodge - 81 miles, approx 1 1/2 hours

• Grand Canyon Lodge to the Navajo Bridge - 85 miles, approx 1 hr 45 min

• Navajo Bridge back to Kanab - 78 miles, approx 1 1/2 hrs

• There is a gas station at Jacob Lake before we head south to the north rim

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A couple of other notes:

• Dinner on the 24th in Kanab will be up to you

• I hope to put together a group text as was done on the trip last year. It was a good way to communicate as a group especially for dinner ideas

• Since we may be split up once we get to the canyon depending on what people choose to do, a meeting place and time in the canyon will be established that morning for those wishing to go to the Navajo Bridge.

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