Grand Canyon in late January???

anonymouscuban

So I'm going on a "team building" trip to Las Vegas Jan. 31 - Feb 2. My wife is coming along and I thought it would be a good opportunity to visit the Grand Canyon after our event in Vegas is over. I've never been. The only concern I have is the weather.

Is Jan-Feb a good time to visit the Grand Canyon? If so, any must photograph places?

a110p0

Hey Alex,
Depending on how much time you have, you could stop in at
Zion through Kanab, UT, then to Page AZ.

Zion is worth a trip on it's own.

Nearby Kanab are the Toadstool hoodoos that are pretty neat
to see. You have to walk about a quarter mile up a wash to see
it. I can't remember exactly where it is.

Another neat place is Wahweap Hoodoos we took a back way
on dirt roads, but those may be closed to vehicles now. I'm not
sure they were allowed when we did it several years ago. To this
day, I wonder how we actually found the place. Amazing place,
unfortunately, I didn't get any photos worth showing.

Antelope Canyon is the famous slot canyon in Page AZ. It's often
photographed, probably over photographed, but it's worth visiting
to capture your own images. Not sure how the lighting is in Feb,
but you probably want to be there around noon or thereabouts to
get the best light.

I only spent a half day at the Grand Canyon so I don't have any
secret spots. All the overlooks I stopped at had great views.

Sorry I don't have more precise locations or images, but you can
google and find lots of photos and information.

I got my ideas of places to visit using these two books by Laurent
Martres. Photographing the Southwest Vol 1 (So. Utah + Colorado)
and Vol2 (Arizona and New Mexico).

We visited the Grand Canyon in late October and the year we went
there was snow on the ground. The north rim is closed in the winter.

I hope that helps some.

Alvin

Punkybeth

I second Alvin...Consider Zion, and the surrounding areas. Zion is spectacular! Bryce and the Dixie National Forest are amazing! Kanab is a fun little town.

South Rim of the GC is open, but like Alvin said the North Rim is not. There's also the West Rim Sky Walk (not part of the Nat Parks, it's on the Indian Reservation)...to get there you cross over the Hoover Dam. IMHO the best views are from the South...because you really get a sense as to how massive it is. If you're really adventurous and have a lot of time and a good vehicle, there's the Tuweep/Toroweap overlook of the GC accessed by dirt road near Fredonia, AZ. I'm not sure I'd go there this time of year though.

I guess it all depends on how much time you have to spend. Don't let the maps deceave you...the distances between places can be very far. You'll want to keep an eye on the weather..especially if your headed more north.

There's also some nice parks near the Vegas area, like Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire, Lake Mead.

Good luck and have fun!:ivar

Robyn

Tango

my number one suggestion would to just stay in zion for a day or two...(stay at the lodge in zion)

go on alot of hikes, enjoy some food, enjoy the area...

it will be nippy cold. get good hoodies for your heads...

look me up, maybe i can go out with you...

Punkybeth

AaronNelson wrote:

my number one suggestion would to just stay in zion for a day or two...(stay at the lodge in zion)

go on alot of hikes, enjoy some food, enjoy the area...

it will be nippy cold. get good hoodies for your heads...

look me up, maybe i can go out with you...

Aaron...I envy you!!! I just visited Southern Utah this past Sept...and all I can say is WOW!!!! Such a beautiful area...wish I was there now taking pictures!:photo

Tango

i really dont get as many photography chances as one would think.....

yes, i agree, its a very wowful place....

anonymouscuban

I'm horrible with geography so I had to google map where Zion is in relation to Grand Canyon. It looks like it's not too far. Am I right or is the map deceiving?

What I mean is that it looks like I need to actually travel pretty close to Zion in order to get to the Grand Canyon. I mapped both from Vegas and it takes about half the time to get to Zion than to GC. Very interesting.... I've seen your pictures of Zion, Aaron, and found it beautiful.

We will be in my Nissan Titan V8 truck so I think we should be OK. I need to get chains though. Zion... will it be a lot of rough hiking or more leisurely hikes? I ask because my wife is a little bit high maintenance. OK, that's sounds bad. She tough but definitely not the outdoors type. No camping for sure... she needs a bed and a shower.

Aaron, you would actually meet up with us? It would be during the week so not sure if that would work for you. How much time do you think we need in Zion... will a full day be enough or do we need more time?

denisegoldberg

anonymouscuban wrote:

I'm horrible with geography so I had to google map where Zion is in relation to Grand Canyon. It looks like it's not too far. Am I right or is the map deceiving?

What I mean is that it looks like I need to actually travel pretty close to Zion in order to get to the Grand Canyon. I mapped both from Vegas and it takes about half the time to get to Zion than to GC. Very interesting.... I've seen your pictures of Zion, Aaron, and found it beautiful.

I agree with everyone else that Zion is definitely worth a stop. In fact, I would recommend just going there. The north rim of the Grand Canyon is the part of the park that is a reasonable distance from Zion. And the north rim is closed in the winter. It's quite a distance from Zion to the south rim. I just requested directions on Google maps from Springdale, UT (town at the entrance to Zion) to the south rim of Grand Canyon National Park. It's 250 miles between the two.

Zion has hikes that are easy and hikes that are not so easy. You definitely have a choice there.

Red Rock National Conservation Area in Las Vegas is gorgeous. Info at http://www.redrockcanyonlv.org/. Maybe some photos from there will tempt you to visit... some shots from my way too short stop there in November can be seen at http://www.denisegoldberg.com/gallery/6633406_ZYsXd#423234872_J2TKo.

--- Denise

Tango

well if during the week ya i wont beable to meetup.
if it were me i would stay at the lodge, or somewhere in springdale every night you have avail...nothing is worse than fitting too much in...relax getting to know one area is far better that visiting five or six...... (like trying to add Grand Canyon with Bryce Canyon and then Zion etc...etc...)
Zion really is not much for sunrise and sunset, so there is no hurry to get anywhere... the best times to shoot are mid morn and late afternoon...

i would suggest going to emerald pools (and dont miss the upper most pool), and dont miss the great arch overlook trail. very easy.
just hit them all, but be prepared for angels landing.
angels landing is serious. very well maintained trail but just a down-right-intense trail. (and worth every step)


if you dont go north of zion then you will not need chains...

Pm me if you need anything!

anonymouscuban wrote:

I'm horrible with geography so I had to google map where Zion is in relation to Grand Canyon. It looks like it's not too far. Am I right or is the map deceiving?

What I mean is that it looks like I need to actually travel pretty close to Zion in order to get to the Grand Canyon. I mapped both from Vegas and it takes about half the time to get to Zion than to GC. Very interesting.... I've seen your pictures of Zion, Aaron, and found it beautiful.

We will be in my Nissan Titan V8 truck so I think we should be OK. I need to get chains though. Zion... will it be a lot of rough hiking or more leisurely hikes? I ask because my wife is a little bit high maintenance. OK, that's sounds bad. She tough but definitely not the outdoors type. No camping for sure... she needs a bed and a shower.

Aaron, you would actually meet up with us? It would be during the week so not sure if that would work for you. How much time do you think we need in Zion... will a full day be enough or do we need more time?

anwmn1

anonymouscuban wrote:

So I'm going on a "team building" trip to Las Vegas Jan. 31 - Feb 2. My wife is coming along and I thought it would be a good opportunity to visit the Grand Canyon after our event in Vegas is over. I've never been. The only concern I have is the weather.

Is Jan-Feb a good time to visit the Grand Canyon? If so, any must photograph places?

Heading a different direction you could see Death Valley, Hoover Dam, Western Rim of the Grand Canyon w/ Skywalk, & the South Rim.

Snow will only be an issue at the Grand Canyon if there is a strom during the time you are there. The South Rim is the high traffic area and they do a really good job of clearing the roads.

I guess it really just depends on what you want to see and shoot.