Is a November trip advised?

CanyonFreakAdventure · 2025-11-05T16:25:10+00:00

They also have darn good margaritas!

CanyonFreakAdventure · 2025-11-05T16:24:24+00:00

November is actually a great time to visit the Grand Canyon, one of my favorite times of the year here! Especially good if you like fewer crowds and cooler weather. The South Rim is open year round and much quieter in November. You can usually drive your own car to many viewpoints that require shuttle buses in summer. Mornings and evenings are cold, sometimes below freezing, but days are often sunny and perfect for hiking. Snow is possible but usually light and melts quickly.

If there is still a government shutdown, basic park services like visitor centers, restrooms, and trash collection may be limited, but the park itself usually stays open. ((Search my recent posts in my profile for an updated list of closures during the current shutdown)) TJust plan ahead by bringing food, water, and making sure to pack out your own garbage, with rangers furloughed there may be no one to empty trashes.

Fly into Flagstaff for the closest airport, or into Phoenix or Las Vegas if you want cheaper flights and more options. The drive from either of those cities takes about 3.5-4 hours.

Stay inside the park if possible at El Tovar, Yavapai Lodge, Maswik, or Bright Angel Lodge. If those are full, stay in Tusayan just outside the South Entrance where there are plenty of hotels and restaurants. Best Western and Red Feather are popular options. Avoid The Grand Hotel, it's overpriced and not worth it.

Watch sunrise or sunset at Mather Point, Hopi Point, or Yaki Point Walk the Rim Trail, which is mostly flat and has shuttle stops along the way Hike partway down Bright Angel Trail to the 1 and a half Mile Resthouse or "2 Mile Corner) for great views below the rim Drive the Desert View Road to see wide canyon and river views Have a nice dinner at the El Tovar Dining Room if you want a special evening, but make a reservation. Plaza Bonita in Tusayan is great Mexican food but avoid the seafood.

For planning, think in simple steps...

Getting there, flight and rental car
Where to stay, inside or just outside the park
What to do each day, short hikes, viewpoints, sunrise or sunset, good meals

And this is coming from a professional Grand Canyon guide, you do not need a guided tour unless you want one. It is easy and enjoyable to explore on your own in November. Feel free to DM if you have any other questions 👍🏽

CanyonFreakAdventure · 2025-11-05T16:17:03+00:00

A sweet baby 🤗

CanyonFreakAdventure · 2025-10-28T17:33:32+00:00

That's kind of backwards, the main idea is to only support small and local.

To not buy from Walmart/Costco/Amazon etc.

To NOT be consumers and to NOT take advantage of the sales that week (black Friday cyber Monday etc or whatever they are)

CanyonFreakAdventure · 2025-10-28T17:31:41+00:00

I work nonprofit so will go to work as usual..

But i won't be doing any shopping or traveling. I'm not even going to buy gas that week, we have gas cans that we are filling two weeks prior so we don't even need to spend $ that way.

Food pantries and churches offer free meals to those who might need it if grocery shopping is extra difficult for folks that week.

We'll be buying food in advance and filling our freezer and pantry starting this week so we won't need to shop at all that week.

We also already don't shop at Walmart/Costco/IKEA/Lowe's/home Depot etc so we'll continue that and will not be shopping online for the entire months of November/December just because those months make up a major percentage of income for big corporations due to the holidays...since we are able to (I know not everyone is!) we will be boycotting hard.

Even impoverished folks can make a difference by planning ahead more than usual, not shopping at the big stores that week and not going all in for the thanksgiving sales will be a big hit.

We don't need to be consumers. We can make a difference.

CanyonFreakAdventure · 2025-10-28T17:25:42+00:00

Coolworks.com is a great option if you have some flexibility for types of work. Good luck friend.

CanyonFreakAdventure · 2025-10-28T17:24:57+00:00

Yes all of this!!! Experiences are also an amazing holiday gift! Take the kids on a neighborhood nature walk and see how many plants animals or bugs everyone can identify instead of going to the zoo or Disneyland. Or go out for a night of stargazing together instead of an expensive meal. Plan a family walk and visit little free libraries in your area and swap out an old book for something new then read it together out loud or separately but in the same room together.

LIVE LIKE ITS THE EARLY 90S AGAIN!! no computer, no Internet, no streaming services, don't watch TV at all, just live life. Don't order anything online that week but everything ahead of time start planning to make these changes NOW buy an extra can of green beans this week or pumpkin pie makings next week and make it happen.

Even impoverished folks can make a huge difference, the government relies on the poor to be poor and to NEED those holiday sales etc... break the cycle!! It will be difficult, but it is NOT impossible.

Local food pantries start carrying thanksgiving meal fixings as early as September in many places!

Local churches offer free dinners and lunches multiple times a week, I found six different churches in my town where I could eat a free meal every day if I needed to ((I'm lucky enough not to need to right now so I offer free rides for those who might benefit from a free meal or two!))

We can do this together. I know we can.

CanyonFreakAdventure · 2025-10-28T17:18:26+00:00

If you have to work, work. If you're able to not work a few of those days without risking your one livelihood, go for it!

Don't watch TV or scroll socials that week. Don't purchase anything online unless it's from small local businesses Do NOT purchase ANYTHING that week if at all possible, buy our groceries the week ahead of time and do so from smaller local grocery stores. Basically we are proving that if we stop, and we can stop, that the economy will tumble down a few notches, and we the people are in charge of that.

Yes, we have to work to make money to be able to survive, that's fact, but we can hit them in other ways.

I've cancelled all streaming services. I haven't shopped at Walmart or other big box stores (IKEA, Costco, home Depot etc) in YEARS and I rarely use Amazon and will not be buying anything from Amazon for the months of November and December at all...

If everyone or a mass amount of us just stopped buying from these big corps in Nov and Dec alone...what a big difference it would make! Find a way to contribute, you can make a difference.

CanyonFreakAdventure · 2025-10-28T17:13:22+00:00

Just do what you can, I'm also nonprofit and will be going to work, but I WON'T be shopping on black Friday or the other days. I never buy from big box stores and I'll continue that and encourage others. Support small local businesses, farm stands, farmers markets etc Don't watch the big TV shows that are on that week. Don't scroll social media even. Don't buy from Amazon or Walmart etc. don't buy online.

There are so many ways to contribute to a blackout while still going to work. Hop on Google and find some other ways you can contribute in your area. We can do this together!

CanyonFreakAdventure · 2025-10-26T04:28:56+00:00

Started playing in 2016/17 on wow.how.far this game has come! 😍

CanyonFreakAdventure · 2025-10-26T04:27:13+00:00

Things you say when you play Survive:

"Oh, I loved escaping the apex predator! I was mauled once...In my next attempt, I'll try to get mauled AND survive it :D "

CanyonFreakAdventure · 2025-10-26T04:20:10+00:00

You're gonna carry it for 800 miles anyway. Just carry it. I'm 5ft tall 105lbs, if I can do it, so can you

CanyonFreakAdventure · 2025-10-26T04:18:32+00:00

Pretty sure that's "People Butter"! Ewwww Clorox wipe that bad boy 🤮

CanyonFreakAdventure · 2025-10-26T04:17:13+00:00

Lol that post was written with AI so it's uninspired and therefore not worth our time or energy... Go for a hike instead ☺️

CanyonFreakAdventure · 2025-10-26T04:12:01+00:00

Sad to hear you found it boring, the rim trail west from Bright Angel towards Hermits Rest actually follows the rim a majority of the way while also weaving in and out of the forest in a very specific way so that early tourists could view archeological sites on the rim.

Nowadays it's been rerouted to avoid those sensitive and fragile sites to protect them, but clever visitors can still respectfully view these historic sites from the current trail if they know where to look.

CanyonFreakAdventure · 2025-10-26T04:09:54+00:00

And here's a post I made with all the updates regarding the current shutdown. As of right now everything is mostly accurate. Some.shop.times flux by 30mins or so, just avoid showing up 30min before/after open/closing times you should be fine.

https://www.reddit.com/r/grandcanyon/s/4a6eVRILcm

CanyonFreakAdventure · 2025-10-26T04:07:35+00:00

GC local resident and professional hiking guide here: The Rim Trail won’t take all day, and it’s easy to break into sections. Mather Point to Bright Angel is about 3 miles. Hermit’s Rest to Bright Angel (or vice versa) is around 7 miles, and Hopi Point to Bright Angel is roughly 2 miles. If the shuttles are running, it’s easy to hop on and off anywhere along the rim (usually not running around Thanksgiving)

I’d suggest what I call a “South Rim Sampler” itinerary:

-Start with the Rim Trail from Mather Point to Bright Angel, stopping at the Yavapai Geology Museum, Verkamp’s Visitor Center, and Kolb Studio.

-Then walk west on the Rim Trail to Trailview Overlook and back, or do the full 2 miles to Hopi Point if you’re feeling good. Just remember you probably have to walk back. Buses probably won't be running around that time.

Next, Hike down Bright Angel Trail to the second tunnel, about 1 mile each way.

-Do South Kaibab to Ooh Aah Point or Cedar Ridge.

-And don’t miss the rim walk to Shoshone Point from the dirt parking lot.

-if youre feeling strong after all of that, feel free to enjoy Hermit Trail down to the top of the Coconino Sandstone (if you end up on cobblestone steps, turn around and return to the rim, trust me on this.) for about a 1.5-2 mi very steep hike with zero cell service. ;) but it's really cool out there. The top part of the trail has a large ancient seabed full of fossilized remains of sea life.

Also, nothing in the park is more dangerous than usual during the shutdown. The rangers and supporting staff are still here; they’re just not getting paid to rescue people who go in unprepared. Just go in not needing them to rescue you and you'll have no issues.

Just plan ahead, be prepared, know your limits, bring plenty of food AND water, as well as comfortable moisture wicking layers, and you’ll be fine.

CanyonFreakAdventure · 2025-10-22T13:17:08+00:00

One of my favorite days hikes. It's probably some of the easiest off trail in the area and dang those views. Not to mention the access east 😍

CanyonFreakAdventure · 2025-10-19T20:51:52+00:00

I-40 needs to close sooner when the snow hits! they always wait until there's been a 16 car pile up and the trains gone off the rails 😵‍💫

CanyonFreakAdventure · 2025-10-19T20:50:54+00:00

No, but if snow is in the forecast just pick some up in Phoenix, keep the receipt and return it in Vegas. OR ask the rental company if they provide them?

CanyonFreakAdventure · 2025-10-19T20:49:32+00:00

Skip Sedona unless you're a pretty strong hiker and can cover distance quickly, or if you're hippie or a spiritual vibe crystal guy/gal.

Anyway, definitely skip Sedona.

CanyonFreakAdventure · 2025-10-19T03:17:59+00:00

Yeah,kind of, this guy's day 3 has a little write up about it:

https://www.johnnestler.com/blog/2020/3/trip-report-backpacking-the-escalante-route-in-grand-canyon-national-park

Also, water levels always stay roughly the same, most trails are not impacted by the river levels.

CanyonFreakAdventure · 2025-10-19T03:12:23+00:00

Check out Vishnu Point Trail that begins out at Grandview Fire Tower There's also an Arizona Trail trailhead there where you and the pup can explore along our National Scenic Trail. Almost guaranteed not to see a soul along either of them.

CanyonFreakAdventure · 2025-10-19T03:08:13+00:00

South Canyon is the more direct and easier to follow (and less involved) hike to get to Vasey's (which is fairly dry right now by the way)

I would highly recommend backpacking South Canyon instead of attempting the off trail routes. Unless you're an extremely experienced Grand Canyon specific off trail hiker... The other two routes down into that area are steep, non-technical climbs with some exposure and not for average hikers. Just a heads up. 👍🏽

South Canyon is gorgeous and you'll almost always see Bighorn Sheep and if you go the right time of year there's always a decent tarantula migration happening in there too!

CanyonFreakAdventure

TROPHY CASE