West Coast Trip to Grand Canyon National Park

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My husband and I had been wanting to travel to the west coast for a while now so we decided to take our kids on a quick trip to see some amazing sights along the way. We first traveled to the Grand Canyon then to Las Vegas then to Santa Cruz and finally onto San Francisco before heading back home. Although our trip was only 8 days long, we made some amazing memories along the way and saw many amazing sites. We did not have our campervan during this time so we had to stay in hotels along the way.

We didn’t start our travel until early afternoon on a Friday due to some circumstances out of our control. I was booking some of our hotels in the car as we started our trip as we were unsure if we were going to be able to go. Last minute changes allowed us to take our trip so a quick packing and into the car we go.

How to keep kids busy during travel

During a long trip I always purchase a couple new books and other activities for them to do. When they were younger I didn’t allow them to be on their electronics the entire time as I felt they needed to give their brain a break from the stimulus of their electronics. Here is a list of some of the things we buy before we travel to keep them busy. I also go to thrift stores to find books cheaper if available.

• Some books my kids enjoy are books by author Rick Riordan, Diary Of A Wimpy Kid series, Harry Potter series, Dog Man and more!

• New art supplies such as blank notebooks and colored pencils.

• Smaller toys such as matchbox cars, dinosaurs, card games, or other travel games like Battleship or Spoons.

• We also purchase snacks such as granola bars, chex mix, and more.

As we were traveling, I began to notice the closer you get in the desert the harder it is to find decent hotels without spending a fortune. Unless you want to be in the mountains with a mountain view, beautiful I am sure, but we were only there for one night on our way through so didn’t need anything fancy. This made the search for hotels more difficult and the hotels we did find along the way were not the best but they served the purpose. I often use Hotels.com to look for hotels that will be in the area we were traveling. Once I find a hotel we would like to stay at I go to the actual hotel website to book it.

Grand Canyon National Park

The first couple of days were non-stop travel and we were ready to see some sights. Unfortunately due to the last minute planning I booked our second hotel stay too far and we had to back track a little over an hour to get to the South Rim entrance of the Grand Canyon National Park which is where we wanted to start. Make sure you decide where you want to start your journey in Grand Canyon so you can find a hotel or camp at a location close to that entrance.

Hours: South Rim is open 24 hours/365 days a year. The North Rim is closed in the winter between mid October and mid June.

Visitor Center Hours: South Rim. 8am to 12pm. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Hours vary depending on season. North Rim. 9am to 6pm daily. Closed in the winter

Cost: private vehicle $35 for a 7 day pass or FREE with a National Park pass. NO cash accepted. Credit/Debit card only.

Amenities within the park: gas, ATM machine, post office, General Store (offers delicatessen and groceries), Visitor Center (Café with coffee, grab-and-go breakfast and lunch, hiker/biker supplies, and bookstore), hotel, and lodge

Things to do: hiking, backcountry hiking, river trips (lottery), ranger led programs, bicycling, mule riding, raft trip on the Colorado River, and more.

Havasupai tours: Tours are open again for 2023 to visit this area of the Havasupai tribe. If you have not seen pictures of the waterfall in this area you have to look it up. It is so beautiful!! These are overnight tours which require you to provide your own tent and food. Mules can be rented for the trip.

Pets: are allowed within the park but are not allowed on the shuttle bus. They must be on a leash. Pets are not allowed below the canyon rim. Grand Canyon Kennel on the South Rim is available for your pet (dogs and cats only) while you hike the trails. Proof of vaccines is required. Kennel hours: 7:30am to 5pm daily.

Laundry and showers: available near Mather Campground

Camping in Grand Canyon National Park

Camping: 3 developed campgrounds within the park. More details HERE.

• South Rim campgrounds open all year:

  • Mather Campground - 327 sites includes campfire ring/grate, picnic table, room for tents and 6 people. Flush toilets and water available throughout the campground. No hookups. Free dump station.

    • Cost: $18 for family site. $9 with Senior/Access pass.

  • Trailer Village Campground - Full hookup. See website for more details.

• South Rim campgrounds open seasonally:

  • Desert View Campground - 49 campsites for tents or smaller RV’s and trailers (less than 30 inches). Reservations only. Closed mid October to mid April.

    • Cost: $18 or $9 with Senior/Access pass

  • Tex-X Campground - 142 campsites for up to 8 people. 30 sites are non-reservable and are first come, first served. All other sites are reservable. Each site has fire pit/grill and picnic table. Pit toilets nearby.

    • Cost: $20 for single sites

• North Rim campground open seasonally:

  • North Rim Campground - 87 sites. campfire grills. Flush toilets, potable water, and dump all seasonal.

    • Cost: $18 family site, $9 with Senior/Access pass

  • DeMotte Campground - 38 sites with picnic tables and grills. No hookups. Water and trash is available.

Dispersed camping: is available for up to 14 days within Kaibab National Forest. See HERE for more details on this location. Camping must be .25 miles away from Highway 64.

North Rim to South Rim travel is 45 minutes. Or 21 miles if hiking.

Once you enter Grand Canyon there are plenty of gas stations and restaurants available for restroom breaks, gas or snacks. I found it weird to have these within the park but they definitely provide convenience if needed.

For FREE camping locations near National Parks, check out my blog post HERE.

FREE Shuttle bus route (see picture)

Maps of North Rim and South Rim

Hiking

The Grand Canyon is a magnificent National Park to explore. With huge canyons cut out by the Colorado River and beautiful scenery it is a must see when in the area. The scenery was beautiful but it is very hot in the summer which made it more of a challenge to get my family motivated to keep walking to each scenic point! My husband was afraid to get too close to the edge for his fear of heights so I took the kids closer as he video taped our journey from afar.

The kids enjoyed seeing all of the valleys and canyons. We were amazed at how the canyons seemed to go on forever and we could just stand and stare in awe of the view. We walked quite a bit of the time we were there and then took the bus back to our car. 

There are multiple trails to explore. South Rim day hikes are between 2 miles and 12 miles long. North Rim day hikes are between 0.2 miles to 26 miles.

Want to tour Grand Canyon from Las Vegas but don’t want to fight the crowd?

This tour company provides the transportation for you and includes several stops from the Grand Canyon, Skywalk, Hoover Dam and lunch from Las Vegas. Click HERE to book this tour.

National Park Access Pass

Free Tip: Did you know that your child can get a National Park Access Pass if they have a disability (physical or mental). The Access Pass is free if you obtain it at a federal recreation site. There is a small fee to gain the pass through email or mail. This pass will get your child and their passengers into National Parks for free or with minimal charge. All you have to do is take documentation from your child’s doctor on their disability and that it is a lifetime disability, and you could be granted an Access Pass which gives that child and anyone in the car FREE access to National parks. Try it out. Once the child is an adult they can take that pass and use it anytime they are in a National Park. What a great way to encourage them to continue to explore while saving them some money. This Access pass also provides a discount on camping at most National Parks.

We enjoyed our time viewing the sites at this National Park. I know my hiking details are very limited. This trip was several years ago, before I had a blog so I didn’t think to write down all the details. We would definitely visit there again next time we are in Arizona. After our time at Grand Canyon we headed to Las Vegas. Head over to West Coast trip Part 2 to see our experiences there. The kids loved Las Vegas and still talk about going back!

Check out our journey on Instagram. @adoptinglifesjourney

I hope this trip inspires you to consider a trip to the Grand Canyon, you won’t be disappointed.

Enjoy the journey,

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