After finishing our tour of Utah’s Mighty 5 national parks, I didn’t think we were going to see anything more beautiful. At each new park the many arches, canyons, rivers, and towering rock formations continued to amaze us. Little did we know that there was even more glorious America to behold when we visited Arizona. We also drove on some of the longest, straightest sections of road I have ever seen!
Grand Canyon: North Rim
We left Zion National Park and headed south to Kanab Utah, which is just before the border with Arizona. Our 2-night stay at the RV Corral campground in this small town was very nice and it was also where we had to part ways with our new friend Dan (we stayed at the same parks all through Utah). From Kanab it was about an 80-mile drive through the scenic Kaibab National Forest to get to the Grand Canyon North Rim. The route was pretty isolated and had only one cafe/gas station as we headed south to get to the North rim (talk about directionally confusing!). It was so cool to see a herd of bison grazing right by the park entrance. We spent the morning at the North Rim Ramble where Mike got to stretch his legs by running a half marathon.
Later in the day, we visited the small North Rim Visitor Center. I don’t think either of us was prepared for the view that met us after the short walk to Bright Angel Point—it just took our breath away! I wasn’t sure if the Grand Canyon would live up to all that we had heard about it, but I can definitely say now that it was totally worth it. We didn’t do a lot of hiking here as Mike had done his 13.1 miles already, but it was nice to walk along the canyon rim and take in the beauty of the area.
You can’t really get from the North Rim to the South Rim in a direct manner (unless you hike 24 miles across the canyon!), so we drove from Kanab to Page Arizona before heading south. Page Lake Powell Campgound was a convenient spot to camp for the night. We just spent a day in Page, but for a small town there are some really cool things to see and do– and we packed in all we could!
Slot Canyon:
Antelope Canyon is an example of a geologic curiosity know as a slot canyon. These hidden narrow canyons are carved from Navajo sandstone over the course of thousands of years. Our kayaking tour with HIdden Canyon Kayak Company started at Lake Powell and paddled into the flooded portion of the Upper Antelope Canyon. It was a tranquil and awe-inspiring trip through the high canyons as they got progressively narrower. We also had time at the end to do a little cliff jumping to cool off (Mike was brave enough to do the higher spot). I wish we had had more time to do the land tour of the slot canyons. Because the canyons are on tribal land, you can only go via guided tours and the availability and timing didn’t fit with our short visit. I would definitely go back to see it on our next trip, though.
After kayaking for half a day we made the short drive to Horseshoe Bend, a horseshoe-shaped meander of the Colorado River 5 miles downstream from the Glen Canyon Dam. It costs $10 to park and then walk the ¾ mile path down to the overlook area. You can look down 1000 ft onto the river from multiple viewpoints. We were there before sunset which is a very popular time and many people were staking out spots for the amazing view. Cameras were clicking like crazy!
Our last stop in this jam-packed day in Page was a visit to Glen Canyon Dam, which we had driven over on our way from Kanab. The dam is on the Colorado River and forms Lake Powell, one of the largest man-made reservoirs in the US. At 710 feet, the dam is the second highest concrete arch dam in the United States. Visitor Center attractions include tours of the dam, exhibits, video shows, and a bookstore.
Grand Canyon: South Rim
The next day we got up early to head south to Williams Arizona, which is about the closest place to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon without actually staying inside the park. We camped at the Grand Canyon Railway RV Park which also had a dog kennel on site. Since we only had the one day, the kennel was a lifesaver and allowed us to stay away longer at the park. If we had had more time, I would have liked to take the train ride from the there into the Grand Canyon….maybe next visit. It was an hour drive to the South Rim which is much bigger than the North Rim and is full of shops, museums, restaurants, campgrounds, and hotels. You can take shuttle busses throughout the very large park but even then you will be hard pressed to see everything in one day.
It’s always great to start at the Visitor’s Center to get a map and plan your visit. We began at Mather Point right behind the visitor center for a magnificent vista. From there we walked the Rim Trail to the South Kaibab Trailhead. At the top of the trailhead we encountered a large elk who wanted to share the water fountain– it was a pretty warm day! We headed down the steep trail which is the same one the mules take when carrying passengers to the bottom of the canyon. All I could think of was seeing the Brady Bunch family ride those mules on their TV show trip to the Grand Canyon (yes, showing my age here). The switchbacks and steep rock stairs are much scarier than it looked on TV!
We only went on the trail as far as Ooh Ahh Point due to time constraints, but it was worth the 3-mile round trip trek. After that we rode the shuttle to the west side and stopped at Maricopa Point for a different viewpoint before heading home. While it was a quick day, we thoroughly enjoyed our time at the South Rim. We also got our National Park stamp for the Grand Canyon.
It was then time to head farther west to Las Vegas, via I-40 west to US 93. We couldn’t believe how much the city has grown since we lived there back in the early 90s. Small roads have become major highways and so many homes and businesses are in areas that used to be desert. We visited our old house (why did they remove all the nice grass and add all those bushes??!) and Nellis AFB where we used to work….back in the day.
We spent some time with the great folks at National Indoor RV Center in their newest location at Las Vegas and got our RettroBands installed on the coach. These bands are designed to support the coach should a front tire blowout occur and allows you to slowly drive to safety. Definitely peace of mind in this big rig!
Watch Angie Morell’s amazing video of what RettroBands do and how they can protect your coach from a front tire blowout. This 8 minute video starts with a visit to Australia and the inventor and then proceeds to explain how the bands work and are installed. Especially interesting is the video during the last minute that shows blowout testing on a motorhome!
The number of casinos in Las Vegas seems to have tripled as well. We spent 2 weeks in Vegas and enjoyed several shows: David Copperfield was an amazing magician, and two different Cirque du Soleil shows kept us very entertained. Of course we had to partake of the $9.99 steak and lobster dinner at a casino while we were there. (It used to be $2.99 in the 90s).
Black Canyon:
One of our favorite adventures was a 12-mile guided kayaking trip through the Black Canyon along the Colorado River. The river is the dividing line between Nevada and Arizona, so even though we were staying in Nevada we were technically also in Arizona while kayaking. Our guides were US National Kayak champions from the Las Vegas SUP Kayak Club. They provide an amazing full-service tour which starts at the Hoover Dam and included stops at Sauna Cave, Arizona Hot Springs, and Emerald Cave. We learned so much about the history of this volcanic area and the building of the Hoover Dam from our knowledgeable and fun guide, Bali. We also enjoyed lunch on the beach which is included in the price of the tour, as well as lots of cold water and snacks. While paddling, our timing was fortuitous as we saw a bald eagle and several groups of bighorn sheep. Overall it was a great day and such a peaceful getaway not far from the hustle and bustle of Las Vegas.
While we were busy sightseeing in Las Vegas, our furry girls were living it up in doggie day care at Just Like Home Doggie Hotel and Grooming. We were so happy to find this awesome place where people truly care about your pet–even if they are old and don’t move so well anymore. (Two other places turned us down because of their age and limitations!) Just Like Home had shaded outdoor areas and cool indoor rooms for our babies. We loved being able to check in on them by video anytime also.
We added Arizona and Nevada to our state map!
Next up is Reno and our experience with workamping…
Beautiful pictures Robin! Wow! I want to go there now! We miss you both!
Thanks Susan–it is great hearing from you! I am glad you liked the pictures–I couldn’t believe all the beauty we saw in Arizona and hope to go back again soon. We miss y’all too. Please say hi to everyone for us–we’ll be back for a few weeks around Christmas before heading back on the road.
Thank you for sharing with us these good moments. We will certainly keep in mind your suggestions for when we will be there.
Hi Yves, thanks so much for following along with us! I do hope that you are able to visit Arizona sometime –the beauty there is amazing. Happy travels:)
What a fabulous post full of great pictures from some very interesting adventures! I was captivated throughout the entire thing. I really enjoyed this!
Thanks Sandi, we really enjoyed all of our adventures in Arizona. It was a quick trip–we will definitely go back for more in the future!
Never had a big interest in Arizona until reading your blog…beautiful and sounds like you two had a lot of fun! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Nancy–so glad you are following along with us! I never knew so many cool things were in Arizona either. We really enjoyed our quick travels through the state and will definitely try to return so we can spend more time there in the future. Hope you and the family are doing well.
You guys definitely found some great stuff in Arizona. We missed out on the North Rim of the Canyon because it was buried in snow when we were there. It does sound like a great place to visit though – all the views with fewer tourists!! Love the idea of a sightseeing paddle and Vegas is always the best kind of crazy.
It’s also great to hear you found a good place for your pups while you were out and about. It’s disappointing that other shops declined your business, but I guess I’d rather have them be honest than take your money and then neglect your dogs. Still though, it’s tough….
Hi Laura, for a quick trip I felt like we crammed in as much as we could! You should definitely try the North Rim during the warmer months–it was a whole different feel than the more touristy South Rim area….although both were amazingly spectacular. I know you feel our pain in dealing with dog issues during traveling. Our babies are 15 1/2 so we are facing some new hurdles now that they are elderly. We have been doing acupuncture with one of the dogs having back/hip problems, but they are hanging in there for now. Happy Travels!
This post is so awesome! It’s on my bucket list. I’ve been to AZ a ton of times and haven’t done the grand canyon yet though as our children get older it will be a MUST to take them! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Nicole–thanks for the nice comments! The Grand Canyon had always been on my bucket list too. The amazing views just took our breath away–you will love it!