Grand Canyon National Park with Kids

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I don’t know how I got away with calling myself an American for almost 40 years without having visited the Grand Canyon. If you haven’t been, then you need to start planning a trip. Right. Now. I can in no way do justice with words or photos to the majesty that is Grand Canyon National Park. Believe the hype. I’m not sure if it helped to solidify my belief in a higher power (aka God) or space aliens or what, but there is just something so awe-inspiring and breathtakingly otherworldly about this place. It’s hard to believe that it exists on the same planet as (let alone practically down the street from ) your typical Walmart/Target/Lowes/McDonalds shopping centers. We spent a couple days at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon with the kids, and I was blown away by it.

Hiking in Grand Canyon National Park with Kids

I was unsure of the ‘ideal’ ages for bringing my kids to visit GCNP. I thought that they might be too young to appreciate the scenery. The truth is, I’m not sure anyone, at any age can really fully appreciate the wonder of this place. So it worked out perfectly, and the kids (ages 7 & 9) were within a good age range for a first visit. I think if they had been younger, the trip would have been different, yet still enjoyable. At their ages, we were able to do relatively short hike down the Bright Angel Trail into the canyon.  We just turned around when we felt that we had gone as far as we could. It is VERY steep and feels a bit dangerous, so I don’t think I would have felt comfortable hiking down if they had been younger.

Hiking Bright Angel Trail – Grand Canyon

However, the views from the rim & the Rim Trail (the top of the canyon, looking down into it) are spectacular, and are worthy of a visit without hiking down at all). You can walk around the rim of the canyon, getting different views from different angles. It is not a physically difficult thing to do, and we saw people of all ages there enjoying the scenery. I have heard that people with vertigo can become overwhelmed though, and I could see why.

 

 

 

New on my bucket list is the adventurous hike where you can take a mule down to the very bottom of the canyon and stay overnight at the Phantom Ranch. I’ve never been a particularly outdoorsy/rugged kind of a person, but now I want to pretend that I am. Although Grand Canyon National park with kids is a great must-do kind of a trip, I think I will wait until they are teenagers to do the whole hike to the bottom thing. I’m not sure how old they would have to be to endure that kind of activity, but I know that we are no where close yet.

Getting around in Grand Canyon National Park

The South Rim of GCNP has an extensive shuttle system that will take you to various places throughout the park so you can hike or just check out the views. America the Beautiful National Park Pass). The park is enormous, so there was no way that we could see or experience it to the fullest in only 2 days. We picked some points of interest and things that sounded interesting to us & just went with it.

Watching the Sunset on the Grand Canyon

One of the highlights (pun?) of our visit was watching the sunset from Mather Point. We noted the time of sunset and made sure to get there (by shuttle) with plenty of time to find a place to stand and watch. It was crowded, but amazing.

Front row seats for Grand Canyon sunset!

 

 

Wildlife in Grand Canyon National Park

Out of all of the national parks we visited on this particular trip, we saw the most wildlife in Grand Canyon. We were surprised by this, as we hadn’t expected such accessible wildlife in what we had perceived as a rocky, rugged, inaccessible place. We were totally wrong. There are so many places to spot wildlife, and I am sure that we would have seen more if we had more time. We saw California Condor soaring above the canyon (wow!), almost bumped into a huge elk in the dark, spotted a bobcat crossing the street. We saw mule deer and sheep. Tons of birds and small mammals. Here is a list of the mammals alone that you can find in the park.

We almost bumped right into this guy hanging out in front of one of the restaurants at night!

California Condor in Grand Canyon

Where to stay in Grand Canyon National Park

We spent 2 nights at an average Holiday Inn right outside the park. We had read that it was best to stay right in the park (it is), but we were on a really long trip visiting many different national parks and other places, and we needed to be able to use hotel points when available in order to save money and make this trip do-able for us financially. I would not change our decision, but I do think that staying within the park at one of the lodges would have been better in other circumstances. With that said, the Holiday Inn was pretty close to the park entrance, and it was not a big deal to just drive into the park from the hotel. And it was also a great deal for us, as we had gotten 80,000 IHG points from the Chase IHG credit card. The hotel (at the time of our stay) was 20,000 points per night, but was selling for close to $300 per night. It is nowhere near “worth” that much money based on the hotel itself, but you are paying for the location and high demand.

The park itself has several different lodging options that you can find campgrounds, which seems like a great choice if you are not afraid of huge elk attacking your tent during the night (that doesn’t really happen).

 

We had such a great visit to Grand Canyon National Park, and the kids still talk about it as one of the coolest places to see. We would go back soon (and I’m sure we will at some point because I need to fulfill my overnight hike to Phantom Ranch goal) if the United States wasn’t so full of places we haven’t been yet. So much to do….so little time!

Filed Under: Are You Stuck in a Rut?

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I generally find that when the same topic comes up over and over again in a short amount of time, in conversations with various people or in other ways, it is a sign that it is something that I should think about & focus on for a bit. I don’t claim to know how or why this phenomenon happens, but I do know that each time I experience it, I end up feeling that there is something that I should say, do, or think about that relates and changes things for myself or for others. And each time, it just feels “right” to me, and at this point in my life I have learned to trust my instincts.

This time, it relates to the topic of being stuck in a rut & I feel compelled to write about this. Randomly, I have had numerous conversations over the past few weeks with all different people who have expressed the same sense of feeling lost, out of control, and just plain stuck. I have thought about these conversations, and thought even more about why I don’t feel stuck in a rut. My first thought was that it relates to change and how people handle and experience changes in their lives. But that wasn’t the complete picture. Because I haven’t changed major things in my own life much at all. I’ve had the same job since 2000, and the same house since 2003. Thankfully my husband and kids have remained steadfastly solid.

Are you stuck in a rut?

The explanations are obviously as varied as the people themselves, but I think that there are things that we as humans can do to prevent and rectify the feelings of sameness, boredom, and rutty-ness that seem to pop up (and I’m hearing this across a variety of age groups, not just my middle-aged (gulp!) peers). The first one that comes to mind, and the reason I am writing this here, is travel. For me, at least, I think that travel is a huge factor in keeping those feelings at bay and of fostering a sense of excitement and joy in life. For others, it may involve a different kind of anticipation, like signing up to run a marathon or take a cooking class or one of those pole-dancing exercise classes that seem to be popular with 40 year old moms.

Since I have been involved in this hobby of creative budget family travel, I have noticed that my life feels ever changing and evolving (in a good way). There is always something on the horizon to look forward to. And somehow that makes living in the present moment more enjoyable as well. I also think that goal-setting, especially when the goal is fun and/or personally fulfilling, can lead to a sense of forward momentum as well. My goal of visiting all 50 states over the next 9.5 years has helped me to look toward the future with excitement and purpose. It’s a fun purpose, and that makes it all the more fulfilling. Of course, I have tons of other personal and professional goals as well, but having one that feels like purely enjoyable self-indulgence is key.

In studying human behavior, talking and listening to humans, and also after being a human for 40 years now, I have also noticed that those who take small chances and risks seem overall happier than those who are more anxious about change (and therefore don’t take the risk of feeling the anxiety associated with it). Of particular interest was the reaction from most people about 2 of our trips, above all others. One was our overnight Amtrak adventure. People were so intrigued by those trips because they are out of the comfort zones of most of the people we know. The most common reaction was “that sounds so crazy and amazing….I could never do that.” Or “don’t give my husband any ideas, he has always wanted to ride across country in a train, and God forbid your story would lead him to thinking that he could give it a try.” But here’s the thing….each time you break out of your comfort zone just a little bit, fun and spontaneity gets easier and easier. It no longer feels “crazy” to backpack through Europe for a whole summer (as we did in 2001) or to drive with 2 little kids on a 28 day road trip down the East Coast (2011) or to take your 5 children on an African safari (as one of my friends is doing as a write this….wait, maybe that is crazy). Each baby step can lead to a happier and more fulfilling life overall.

And it does not have to be travel related, although in my humble opinion there is nothing better. Just do something a little bit different than your normal day to day. Or start planning something that is new for you. Join something. Set a new goal. Spin around that pole. Try it….I dare you.