We left the main attraction for the last few days, simply because lodging at the Bright Angel Cabin was all booked out until after the new year. There aren’t many options for staying in the canyon, but Mark and I agreed that it’s a must if you’re staying overnight. Not only does it grant you instant access to the canyon at anytime of the day, but you don’t need to drive an extra 10 miles or so just to get in and out of the park. For those of you that question visiting the canyon in the winter, take a peek at the photos below. Yes, it’s freezing cold. Yes, the trails are covered in ice. Yes, the Northern Rim is closed. All of that is forgotten once you see how magical the canyon looks among the snow.

Note to those traveling to the Grand Canyon in the winter- We were coming from up north (Page) and planned on taking 64 West. Unfortunately, the road was closed due to a prior snowstorm, so we had to drive all the way back to Flagstaff and loop back up to the southern entrance. Do your due diligence!

Mather Point

Most people catch their first real glimpse deep into the canyon at Mather Point. It’s one of the main overlooks that awaits you when driving through the southern entrance. In the summer, this place becomes heavily congested, but on January 1, it was at best crowdy. The view is quite extensive, and you can see 10 miles through to the North Rim. While pros suggest photographing this point at sunrise, I thought the pictures taken around 2:30pm were just as spectacular with the deep blue sky.

Trail of Time

This is one of the coolest trails given the walk is designed as a geologic time-line. The further you walk, the older the rocks get. It’s a short hike, just under 3 miles long. Like many other trails, this began as an Indian route and improved over time. In the spring/summer, you can only gain access via a shuttle that stops along each point on the trail, but during the winter months, it’s open to private vehicles.

This is a great trail to walk if you’re looking to take photos during sunset. The trail head is located right next to Bright Angel Lodge. By far, Bright Angel is the cheapest lodging option, and the $77 we paid/night was a steal when compared to the other rates for lodging in the canyon. The bathrooms are communal, but everything is kept super clean.  The cherry on top is its prime location- next to the most popular trail down the canyon, the Bright Angel Trail.

Bright Angel Restaurant

Dinner Menu

• Breakfast: 6:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
• Lunch: 11:15 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• Dinner: 4:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Even if you’re willing to splurge for El Tovar for dinner, chances are you won’t get a reservation unless if you plan well in advance. We called at 3pm for a reservation, and the only two-top available was for 9pm. We’re talking about early January here. Bright Angel Restaurant is located right next to the check-in of Bright Angel Lodge. It’s honestly not the greatest food, but after a long hike, even mediocre comfort food makes the cut.

The service was curt but quick. My main complaint was the soggy bun. Ugh, nothing bothers me more than a soggy bun. At least the portion sizes were decently large. It’s as if they gave us all of the contents of a party-sized tortilla chip bag for the spinach dip. We had so much that we brought some back for our hike the next day. The local beers are also worth getting.

South Rim Spinach Dip, served with Tri-Color Tortilla Chips ($6.25)

Southerwestern Burger, a Half Pound Natural Beef Burger Topped with Fire Roasted Tomato Aioli, Pepperjack Cheese and Green Chile Guacamole, Lettuce, Tomato and Onion on a Toasted Kaiser Roll ($10.55)

Pepperjack Chicken Melt, Grilled Natural Chicken Breast with Sautéed Onions and Peppers, Topped with Melted Pepperjack Cheese and Ranch Mayonnaise on an Onion Roll ($8.95)

Bright Angel Trail

We had originally wanted to descend the South Kaibab trail, all the way to the Colorado River and ascend back up the Bright Angel Trail. However, because the road was closed to the South Kaibab trail (all the trails are still open by foot), we decided to play it safe and descend down the more widely footed Bright Angel Trail. The trail follows the head of a side canyon and views are framed by massive cliffs, which provide a good source of shade in the summer. Unfortunately, you need to walk further down to Plateau Point (an extra 1.5 miles each way) in order to catch a glimpse of the Colorado river.

The total mileage for this hike is just slightly over 12 miles, with most of the elevation drop occurring within the first four miles of the hike. It was a colossal pain hiking back up. Mark nearly dragged me back up the mountain. When they say don’t attempt to hike all the way down to the rim of the canyon and back, they mean it. Heed those warnings. Even in sub 30 degree F weather, we became super dehydrated and exhausted. The views don’t change much along the trail, but they are gorgeous all the same.

Do start out early. We headed out right after sunrise (7:50am), which is definitely worth waking up for as the colors and hues are unmatched by any other time during the day. In the summer, you’ll want to start before the sun rises or you’ll pay for it as the sun beams mercilessly above you as you hike further into the canyon. We ended our hike before 3pm. I passed out at 5pm and woke up at 7am the next day. Poor Mark.

[CONTINUE READING]

{ 0 comments }

It’s amazing how much you can accomplish with a dinky Yaris. We headed out from Flagstaff in the early AM, driving north roughly 135 miles. By the time we arrived to Lake Powell, we had already made two pit stops- one at a gorgeous lookout and the other at Horseshoe bend for a short noon hike. After checking in, we planned to drive to Alstrom Point. Roughly 8 miles in, we happened upon a sign- “rough roads for the next 12 miles.” A mile later, our Yaris came head to head with this sad drippy faucet of a stream. Still, it was enough to make us turn back. In an impromptu decision, we decided to head further north to Zion.

Zion is a trip in itself, and we’ll fully conquer it when we do a roadtrip around Utah. We stayed at Lake Powell Resort which is less than a mile from the Utah border. The nearest town, Page, was built around the man-made lake. There’s not much to do in the winter except stare at the pretty orange-brown rocks that grace the backdrop of the lake.

Horseshoe Bend

Website
Hwy 89 – Four Miles South of Page
Page, AZ 86040

—

For those who are looking for a hike under 1 hr, this is it. Except for a decent hill in the beginning, it’s not at all a strenuous hike. It’s just all sand until you come to this massively grand overlook of the Colorado River.

Several tips- 1) Start early in the summer. Nothing green grows over 2 ft so there’s no shade. 2) Bring water if it’s hot. Even though the hike is just ~1.5 miles, it’s pretty dry up there. 3) BE CAREFUL. Some of the rocks aren’t stable near the edge and if you’re not careful, you’ll plunge 1,000 ft into the abyss below.

If you’re looking to photograph the horseshoe, you definitely need a wide angle- a 24mm or less. Pictures shot below were taken with a Tokina 11-16mm/1.8f lens. Unfortunately, we went during noon, when the sun was just over our heads. To capture the entirety of the blues and green from the Colorado river, head there during the early morning.

The Drive to Zion

Website
State Route 9
Springdale, Utah

—

The drive to Zion is just over 70 miles from Lake Powell. Zion was completely unplanned since we had planned to go to Alstrom Point. While we read over and over that you need a high clearance vehicle, we decided to take our chances with the Yaris and obviously failed. Still, there were some stunning shots (see first picture below).

Despite the vibrant blue skies at Lake Powell, the sky was just getting past the overcast as we arrived. It wasn’t until we climbed to the top of the Canyon Overlook Trail that some light blue began to peek out from the clouds. The hike is relatively easy (just 1 mile and steep in some parts and scary with ice but totally doable) and took us under 45 minutes. Apparently, the most stunning hike is at Angel’s Landing, but we thought the overlook into the canyon was already beyond spectacular. We’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

As we drove out of Zion, the sun was just setting. I couldn’t resist the moment. I made Mark pull over and we brought out the tripod to capture that last shot.

[CONTINUE READING]

{ 2 comments }