The Grand Canyon South Rim ~ Snowed in!

We headed out of Sedona for the next leg of our road-trip ~ a night at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Although heading up the 89A to Flagstaff is the slow route, it is also far more scenic. You are able to take full advantage of the pullouts along the bank of Oak Creek. We took our time and while I explored the creek Bryan was able to do some fishing.

Arriving at the Grand Canyon South Rim

Due to the recent government shutdown, the ranger station was closed and so there was no entry fee to get into the park. Usually it is $35 per car.

We took our time getting to the Canyon as is typical of us, pulling over at some of the sightseeing spots and lookouts along the way. We arrived at the park in time to take a drive around the South Rim which allowed us to check out some amazing views and get in a short hike.

There are an abundance of pullouts and viewpoints along the route to the west of the village. In addition, the Canyon-view information plaza has hiking and driving maps and they are able to provide plenty of informational resources.

In the summer months, you can rent mules to ride to the floor of the canyon. For hiking, the South Kaibib trail is one of the most famous hikes in the US. The trail begins on the South Rim near Yaki Point, and descends to the Colorado River. Elevation change from rim to river is 4860 ft (1480 m), along a 6.3 mile (10.1 km) trail. Because of the unavailability of water and steepness of the South Kaibab Trail, rangers recommend hiking down this trail only. It is recommended that you use the Bright Angel Trail for the hike out. For more information on hiking the Grand Canyon, click here.

Bright Angel Lodge ~ Grand Canyon South rim

The minute you step into the lobby of the Bright Angel Lodge, you can feel the energy; in fact, it’s palpable. The rooms of the lobby are buzzing. You can watch an incredible variety of people. While some are there to hike the canyon, many were sitting by the fire and enjoying the view, children were running around in a wonderful state of pure joy. Everyone seemed to be elated to be here.

There is also an awesome gift shop off the lobby with souvenirs and great historical reference guides. We checked into our adorable historic cabin and headed out on our walk to the El Tovar Lodge for dinner. It started snowing while we were walking, just enough to make the walk magical.  

The huge fireplace in the lobby of Bright Angel Lodge

Our Cabin @ Bright Angel Lodge

The El Tovar

Dinner at the El Tovar is a must. This is one of the original buildings in the village. Their website states: This celebrated historic hotel which is located directly on the rim of the Grand Canyon first opened its doors in 1905. The hotel was designed by Charles Whittlesey, Chief Architect for the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway. 

The Chicago architect envisioned the hotel as a cross between a Swiss chalet and a Norwegian Villa. This was done in an effort to appeal to the tastes of the elite from that era. Back then, many considered European culture the epitome of refinement. El Tovar was one of a chain of hotels and restaurants owned and operated by the Fred Harvey Company in conjunction with the Santa Fe Railway.

The hotel was built from local limestone and Oregon pine. It cost $250,000 to build. During that time, many considered it to be the most elegant hotel west of the Mississippi River. In 1987 the Hotel was designated a National Historic Landmark.  Overtime it has hosted awesome people like Theodore Roosevelt, Albert Einstein, Western author Zane Grey, President Bill Clinton, Sir Paul McCartney, Oprah Winfrey, and countless others.

Two things happen when you enter the lodge building. First, you can feel the energy of the history of this building and second, you will encounter a rush of gratitude for your good fortune that has brought you here.

After our long day of exploring and travel, we headed back to our cabin. It was still snowing and so walking along the canyon rim with the lights reflecting off the snow was mesmerizing. It is such a strange feeling to have this huge canyon on the right that you couldn’t see but you certainly could feel it’s energy.

Snowed in

This was the view in the morning ~ over 8” of snow had fallen.

We were both due back at work on Monday morning, and so we had an early breakfast in the Fred Harvey room. There was so much snow on the road. I told the waiter we were headed out; he said “good luck with that”. Now I know if anyone ever says that to me again, I need to seriously reconsider whatever’s next.

We checked out and headed out of the park. The snow continued to fall and because of the government shut-down, snowplows were far and few between. It took us about an hour to go 10 miles and cars were skidding off the road. An hour into it we realized we were risking too much and this was definitely a blessing in disguise therefore we turned the truck around and headed back. I called ahead and fortunately they said we could check back in, so back to the canyon we went.

A day of exploring the Village

Officially snowed in and stoked!  The snow was swirling, the wind was blowing. The Grand Canyon Rail Train was parked at it’s stop by the lodge and made for some amazing pictures! 

The Grand Canyon Railway

The Grand Canyon Railway, is a heritage railroad and makes regular daily trips between Williams, Arizona, and the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. The 64-mile (103-kilometer) railroad, built by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, was completed on September 17, 1901. The arrival of trains led increased tourism to the area. This made the railway company instrumental in the creation of the Grand Canyon Village to serve guests.

Exploring the village

We hopped on one of the village shuttles that circulate about every 20 minutes. There are two reasons, we recommend that you do this. First, when you arrive in the park it is a great way to see everything and helpful in getting an overall view of the park. Second, this is a convenient way to get supplies. We rode the shuttle down to the Canyon Village Market , this is a great place to get supplies and souvenirs.

While we were on the shuttle, we had the chance to chat with a couple locals of who work and live in the park. It was interesting to hear what their life is like living inside a national park.

Since the snow had stopped, we decided to walk the couple miles back to the lodge. The paths were plowed and created a great way to stretch our legs. Bryan threw snowballs at me most of the way back. After a short time on the trail, we stumbled upon a herd of deer so we hung out with them for a little while.

There’s usually some huge Elk in the park but we didn’t see them on this trip.

When we got back to the village, the sun had just begun to set and the resulting view of the rim of the canyon was spectacular. Exploring the rim is made easy by all of the wonderful look out spots. The contrast of the colors from the sun and the snow and the clouds was incredibly dramatic. This park is such a blessing and we are so fortunate to be able to experience this incredible beauty. Bryan threw a couple snow balls into the canyon that fell for hundreds of feet (that might be illegal!)

Sunset on the rim

Afterwards, we walked back to the El Tovar lodge and grabbed a booth in the bar, watched some football and had some amazing chili. This is a great place for a light lunch. The view is beautiful and they have plenty of TV’s if you want to watch some sports. Normally we would be out exploring but in light of the snow, this made a great option.

Following our meal we discovered there was a guy playing acoustic guitar in the lobby. There is a giant fireplace so we lingered and listened.

When we woke on Monday morning, the sun was out, the snow was melting, and thus the roads were clearing. We got an early start so we were able to take the scenic route home. This route not only takes you into the super cute town of Prescott, Az, you also get to drive through some beautiful mountains. As luck would have it, we found an awesome Mexican restaurant, Maya Mexican restaurant so we picked up some green chile burritos and sopapillas for the road home (seriously can’t ever get enough green chile.)

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