>My mum wants to see the Grand Canyon. We'll ( Mum my wife and I) will
>be flying from Chicago and would like to spend about 5 days there.
Five days is a looong time unless you're actively hiking or doing
something similar inside the canyon. There's only 32 miles of road on
the south rim and after you've seen the view from the dozen or so
overlooks at sunrise and sunset it starts to get repetitive. There are
fewer overlooks on the north rim.
>1 Is there a package holiday that anyone can recommend ?
There are a lot of package tours from Vegas and Phoenix but it's simple
and cheaper to do it on your own with a rental car. You could probably
spend 5 days if you did a couple of days on the south rim and then
drove around to the north rim for a couple more days, maybe stopping
over a day in Page for a tour of Lake Powell on the ride-around ...
from the north rim access it's not too far to Zion and Bryce Canyon,
two other 'don't miss' spots for most people.
>2 We don't really mind if it's a hotel or motel just so long as it's
>near the canyon ( 5 - 10 ) miles. Any suggestions?
I think there are seven or so lodges inside the park at the south rim
and one lodge with cabins on the north rim. A couple of the south side
lodges are right on the rim, if you have the bucks El Tovar is the
classic spot. Maswick and Yavapai Lodge are cheaper and maybe half a
mile off the rim, but OK places to stay. Hard to get reservations at
some of these places on short notice, but you can check the official
web site for openings. The only other place within 5-10 miles is
Tusayan, which is just outside the south rim entrance and maybe 7 or 8
miles from the actual canyon. Several nice hotels there like the Best
Western Squire Inn (I think the best of the lot) or Holiday Inn Express
or half a dozen others. Easier to get a room here than on the rim,
usually. Don't miss the Imax show on the Canyon.
The north rim lodge has fewer rooms and it's usually harder to get a
cabin there.
>3 Is the helicopter ride worth it ? If so which one?
I'm sure you'd enjoy it. I think they are all pretty much the same.
Check their safety records, there's a fatal crash every couple of years
...
>4 Can you still drive to Tuweep
Yes, but it's a long way from any of the developed areas.
>5 can you hire electric wheelchairs in the park?
Dunno this one, sorry.
Bill
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