Anyone been to the Grand Canyon

[Buddah]

do they still have the horse or donkey rides down in the canyon ? just wondering if they did ?

[Mr. Peanut]

I'm pretty sure they did when I was there in ?96.

[freethrow]

I think you meant Mule tour's. Hard to get unless you sign up long in advance. This is a place that gives them.
http://www.grandcanyon.com/gcnmule.html

and this one

http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com/Mule-Trips-716.html

[Buddah]

thanks guys, i was watching a special today on the travel channell and they were talking about grand canyon folklore and so forth.. even did a special on bessie and glen hyde, the eccentric couple who wanted to brave the rapids or something and they disspeared. only years later for a woman who said she was bessie hyde to say she murdered him something.. what a werid great story, full of intrigue.

thanks for the input and the link guys.

[Terry L. Wildcat]

:cool:Buddah, I have done five backpacking trips in The Canyon...yes, the damn mules (no offense to them) are still there...as a hiker I can't tell you how odious it is to hike through fresh mule stuff and urine...if you ever need hiking info I would be glad to share with you...IMHO the best way to enter the canyon is on foot.

[DenCat]

I've been to the Grand Canyon, but I couldn't tell you whether they had mules or not. I will say this though,NO picture or television show will EVER be able to capture thebeauty of that place.I was in awe justlooking at it.

[Mr. Peanut]

Terry L. Wildcat wrote: IMHO the best way to enter the canyon is on foot.

After I moaned and cried and ached and sweated and wobbled and crawled and... oh, you know the drill... out of the canyon, I'm not sure I agree with you.

Of course, I thought the water warning signs were for grandmas and my impromptu supplies were peanut butter and poptarts, and I was by myself without any gear... so, maybe others have had better experiences.

[ukfanman]

While the mule rides are booked far in advance, if you check the day before, or the morning of, there are often last minute cancellations.

My neighbor was able to ride the mules down when she inquired early one morning and a party had cancelled.

Also any cabins and lodging is also booked well in advance.

We was there a couple of years ago, and has been said, pictures or television do not do it justice.

[Stucat]

Buddah,

I was there in 2001 and yes the mule rides to the Canyon floor are still going. It takes seven hours to reach the Canyon floor with the mules. I was on the south rim of the Grand Canyon. They also provide a heliocopter ride to the Canyon floor if you want to go that route. My brother took the heliocopter ride down to the Canyon floor but I didn't want to go the Canyon floor that bad. They say if you hike down the to theCanyon floor it takes about twelve hours. Terry could probably tell you more about it as he has done that. Theway my legs are now I would take the mules or heliocopter instead of hiking down. About twenty years ago I would have hiked down to the floor of the Canyon but not now.:lol:

[Terry L. Wildcat]

Stucat wrote: Buddah,

I was there in 2001 and yes the mule rides to the Canyon floor are still going. It takes seven hours to reach the Canyon floor with the mules. I was on the south rim of the Grand Canyon. They also provide a heliocopter ride to the Canyon floor if you want to go that route. My brother took the heliocopter ride down to the Canyon floor but I didn't want to go the Canyon floor that bad. They say if you hike down the to theCanyon floor it takes about twelve hours. Terry could probably tell you more about it as he has done that. Theway my legs are now I would take the mules or heliocopter instead of hiking down. About twenty years ago I would have hiked down to the floor of the Canyon but not now.:lol:

:cool:Here are the hiking times for the Boucher Trail on the south rim...it is an unmaintained trail and very steep in parts...it is outrageously beautiful...it took us five and a half hours to go down ten and one half miles...we came out from the Hermit Campgound via the Hermit Trail and it took us five hours to hit the rim and cold beer...I believe it took us about four hours to go down the South Kaibab Trail and it's another thrilling hike...it you are backpacking the easiest exit is from the Indian Garden campground...it's about three miles and three hours...as Dencat noted you have to see this big ditch in person to begin to comprehend its vastness...then going into the canyon gives you a completely different perspective...sitting at the Colorado River watching the rapids is sure worth the effort...way too many people start down without water of proper gear and those are the ones who probably aren't in the shape to do it anyway...hiking the canyon, even just a few miles down and back on any of the trails is something you will be glad you did.

[Ralph Cramden]

I've been to the Grand Canyon but never took a mule train. :ggrin:Actually its been many years since I've been to The Canyon, due for a return trip. I would agree that hiking is definitely the way to see The Grand Canyon. As with all hiking trips.....be prepared both mentally and physically and consider The Ten Essentials.

[UedK]

I've been to the canyon three times and have hiked the South Kaibab and Bright Angle Trails. A very doable day hike is to take the Bright Angle Trail to the first plataeu and instead of taking the trail down to the Colorado, taketeh West Tonto Tral outto Plateau Point on the canyon edge. Thre are some spots where you can sit observing the Colorado almost 1200 feet directly below. This can be done easily in an eight hour day hike with plenty of time for rest, water, food and OMG-Look-At-That stops.

Here is a link to a high-res photo looking down the Bright Angle Trail out to the trail leading to Plataue Point.

Google Link to Bright Angle Trail (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://web.umr.edu/%7Erogersda/umrcourses/geo372/2005-03-31-325-Grand_Canyon-Mather_Point-Plateau_Point.JPG&imgrefurl=http://web.umr.edu/%7Erogersda/umrcourses/geo372/&h=1536&w=2048&sz=956&hl=en&start=36&tbnid=Bqhlh87 w4QVP2M:&tbnh=113&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3DPlateau%2BPoint%26start%3D21%26ndsp%3 D21%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN)

(Someone please teach me how to make a shortcut to a link):shrug:

As all have pointed out, Hiking the canyon is the best way to experience it. It is an endevor that requires preperation, every year there are numerous heat/dehydtation emergencies, some which result in fatalities.

I have never been to the north rim, I hope get there some day. Have any of you ever been on the north side.

So Budah, Are you going to the Grand Canyon?

[Coldstream]

^^UedK
Here is an example but note that you would not use the '}' bracket in the end which I put there to keep the code from being hidden.

[url=http://www.examplelink.com]Example[/url}

[Stucat]

UedK wrote: I've been to the canyon three times and have hiked the South Kaibab and Bright Angle Trails. A very doable day hike is to take the Bright Angle Trail to the first plataeu and instead of taking the trail down to the Colorado, taketeh West Tonto Tral outto Plateau Point on the canyon edge. Thre are some spots where you can sit observing the Colorado almost 1200 feet directly below. This can be done easily in an eight hour day hike with plenty of time for rest, water, food and OMG-Look-At-That stops.

Here is a link to a high-res photo looking down the Bright Angle Trail out to the trail leading to Plataue Point.

Google Link to Bright Angle Trail (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://web.umr.edu/%7Erogersda/umrcourses/geo372/2005-03-31-325-Grand_Canyon-Mather_Point-Plateau_Point.JPG&imgrefurl=http://web.umr.edu/%7Erogersda/umrcourses/geo372/&h=1536&w=2048&sz=956&hl=en&start=36&tbnid=Bqhlh87 w4QVP2M:&tbnh=113&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3DPlateau%2BPoint%26start%3D21%26ndsp%3 D21%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN)

(Someone please teach me how to make a shortcut to a link):shrug:

As all have pointed out, Hiking the canyon is the best way to experience it. It is an endevor that requires preperation, every year there are numerous heat/dehydtation emergencies, some which result in fatalities.

I have never been to the north rim, I hope get there some day. Have any of you ever been on the north side.

So Budah, Are you going to the Grand Canyon?





I am glad that you mentioned the Bright Angel Trail. We were at the Bright Angel overlook and had lunch at the Bright Angel Lodge.

[Terry L. Wildcat]

:cool:On one of our trips we packed down the South Kaibab trail and spent two nights at the Bright Angel camp...then we packed up to Indian Gardens on the Bright Angel trail and out the next morning...I have a VSH tape of this trip including a flash flood while we were camped at Indian Gardens followed by a double rainbow over the canyon...waazoo!

[UedK]

Coldstream wrote: ^^UedK
Here is an example but note that you would not use the '}' bracket in the end which I put there to keep the code from being hidden.

[url=http://www.examplelink.com]Example[/url}

:idea:Simple, I understand.

BTW, did I say that I love the Grand Canyon. On mysecond trip there. my wife (then girlfriend, still girlfreind but now also wife) and I first stopped at the bar at the Lodge. We imdeiately were invited into a conversation with a group at the bar that was so friendly each of us thought the other one some how knew the folks we were with. Onmy first trip sitting around the camp fire with a bunch of new friends singing and playing John Prine tunes is a lasting memory. On my last trip, hiking the South Kaibab trail with my two teanage sons was as good as it gets.