Jerry,

Great post and here is another recommendation for those who want to do a 
little hiking. Make a reservation at Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the 
canyon and hike down, stay one or two nights, and hike back to the top. My 
wife and I did that about 8 years ago and recently made a reservation for 
March of 2007--we are hoping our old knees can hold out for a couple of more 
years. Of all the outdoor adventures we have had in our married life (32 
years), hiking to the bottom of the canyon was our most memorable. The 
scenery from the trail is breathtaking. You want to do this in late March or 
early April or in the Fall since it is way too hot in the summer months. 
Also, you have to book TWO YEARS in advance or get really lucky if you want 
to stay in a cabin or a dorm. We called at 7:00am on April 1 (1st day you 
could make reservations for March 2007) and got beds, and some friends of 
ours called two hours later and were told that March of 2007 was sold out! 
So, call at 7:00am on May 1st for April 2007. 

For lodging information, see: "
http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com/static/68.htm"

Good luck,

Harold
-- 
Harold Teer
Harrisonburg, VA 
1991 Westy

On 4/23/05, Gerald Masar <azsun99@earthlink.net> wrote:
> 
> It was only 300 miles RT from my house, including one night at a close-by 
> campground.
> I wanted to check out some upgrades (furnace & second propane tank) to my 
> '90 Westy,
> and hadn't been to the edge for some years, so decided to go before the 
> tourist
> season.
> 
> The campground (Mather, 300 sites) is officially on the reservation system 
> now, but
> there were plenty of sites open. Camping is $15, or half that with one of 
> the passes.
> You don't pick your own, they are assigned, but I told him I had a dog, so 
> I got one
> with nothing but woods behind me. Unlike most NP and NM, dogs ARE allowed 
> on the
> trails ABOVE the rim.
> Tuesday morning there was a mass exodus from the campground because of 
> cool temps, in
> the 50's day and one night down to 20� and extremely windy conditions. 
> After the first
> night, I kept the top down, because the wind was just sucking the heat 
> out.
> 
> I am glad I went now, because there were already hordes of visitors. I 
> think many just
> come up off of I40, jump out take a look and a photo and leave. I was at 
> Mather Point
> one morning at 9:00 and there were lots of spaces. By 10:00, it was full. 
> The new
> visitor center is nearby and has no parking lot, so you walk to it or take 
> the
> extensive, free shuttle system.
> There is a hiking trail running miles along the rim, and once I got away 
> from the main
> overlooks, I saw few people.
> 
> Glad I brought my new porta-potti. The drains backed up in the closest 
> restroom one
> evening and by morning there was 1"or 2" of water over the floor. Water 
> you wouldn't
> want to step in :).
> 
> All in all, it's still THE GRAND CANYON, but go right now or in the Fall.
> Jerry
>