Ever since last winter, we've been talking about returning to
one of the national parks that we had visited in the past to see
it in the snow with the winter wildlife out. By January,
it looked like another winter was going to pass us by without
any national park visits - it was time to act fast. We
would have really liked to go to Rocky Mountain National Park,
or return to Yellowstone, but due to our limited time we
selected a closer destination - Grand Canyon National Park (not
a bad third choice). Checking the weather for about a week
before, it looked like it could be anywhere from 4 degrees and
snowy to 60 degrees and rainy... We hoped for snow more than
rain, but could do without temps quite that low.
Caroline picked Scott up from work at 1:30, as Scott's boss
likes to ditch early on Fridays herself to go camping from time
to time, and we headed to Flagstaff for the night - about 4 1/2
hours away. While the Flagstaff Suites should be avoided
at all costs (a rare Hotwire miss), we had great beer and good
food at the crowded Beaver Street Brewing Company downtown and
would recommend it. It was less than two miles away, and
we decided to walk (allowing us to maximize the brewery portion
of the establishment). Since the 'shortcut' through campus
looked somewhat circuitous, Scott carried along our GPS to make
sure that we would indeed eventually get there.
The next morning, we drove the hour and 15 minutes north to the
Grand Canyon. There were a few sprinkles on the way, and
the ranger at the pay station told us we wouldn't get much for
views, but as soon as we go to the rim the sky started clearing
up. With the crazy weather of the past week, we weren't
sure what condition the trails would be in. After testing
out a few steps of the Bright Angel Trail, we agreed that
crampons would help out immensely, so it was off to the general
store to pick some up before heading down the trail. There
wasn't as much snow as we'd hoped for, since recent warm
temperatures had melted much of it away. The packed snow
on the trail was either icy (easy walking with crampons) or
slushy, muddy pools of melted snow mixed with mule feces.
This made it even more important to avoid slipping and falling.
It was slow going, and we only made it to the 1-1/2 mile station
below the rim before having our sandwiches (made with supplies
brought from home) and heading back up. Even though that
first ranger warned us the views wouldn't be great, we had
beautiful scenery and got some excellent photos along the way.
We managed a few more stops at viewpoints along the rim and a
trip to Hermit's Rest lodge before deciding to cool our heels at
the El Tovar lodge with some beverages. We managed to
score a spot on a couch in front of the fireplace and enjoyed
warming up while planning the rest of our weekend. Some
Japanese tourists came in and started posing, one by one, in
front of the fireplace to have their photos taken. One of
them asked (non-verbally) if he could borrow Scott's coffee,
which was in a photo-worthy glass mug, to have a prop to pose
with. Scott obliged, of course.
The Holiday Inn Express in Tusayan, AZ right outside the park
proved a better lodging option than the Flagstaff Suites, and we
ended up going to be early - all of that walking around in the
cold took a lot out of us. We fit in some rim-walking on
the Rim Trail the next morning before heading back in the
direction of central New Mexico, and also enjoyed a stunning
scenic overlook by the Little Colorado River where, similar to
Four Corners, you have to walk through a tiny Native American
market to get to the overlook.
A great, but all too short, trip. We hope to continue some
winter park visits in the future... Maybe Rocky Mountain
National Park or Yellowstone will be in the cards for next
December.
Required footwear for snowy winter hiking
Scott adjusts his crampons on the Bright Angel Trail
We pose for a self-portrait before taking a picnic-lunch break
at the Mile-and-a-Half Rest Station on the Bright Angel Trail
Caroline ponders the vastness of the Canyon on the Bright Angel
Trail
Bright Angel Trail
A common wildlife pose (at least for our camera!)
Female elk, sporting winter neck attire
Scott takes in the Canyon from a cliff-side viewpoint
View of the Little Colorado River from a Navajo-owned overlook
outside the park