What to Do in Grand Canyon With Toddler
The G Canyon is on and then many travel saucepan lists and with expert reason.
Because it is such an important travel destination, some say to wait to visit until your kids tin "appreciate it." To those naysayers I say instead: GO! There'due south zero preventing you from going back. With depression entrance fees and family friendly attractions, national parks are relative upkeep-friendly deals for family travelers. There is no reason yous tin't take your kids at various ages and stages. Because my kids have a four 1/2 yr age gap between them, we also don't want to hold our older child dorsum from experiencing the world until her younger brother is "former enough."
With this principle in mind, my family decided to spend a few nights on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon this spring as part of a Southwest road trip from Las Vegas to Phoenix. Our traveling family included myself, my husband, our almost 6 yr old daughter and our 18 month old son.
Our daughter was more than prepare to experience much that the park had to offering but the toddler made things a bit more challenging. With the proper planning, withal, at that place is no reason not to take a toddler to the Grand Canyon. The natural beauty is something that can be appreciated fifty-fifty at such a immature age. I adored hearing my son utter "wow" and "whoa" (ii of only a few dozen words in his vocabulary at the time) as we looked over the magnificent natural area.
If you are planning to take piddling ones to the park, hither are 8 of my kid-tested tips for visiting the K Coulee with toddlers:
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G Canyon with Toddlers: Acme viii Tips
1. Stay overnight inside the park.
Hotel rooms at the K Canyon within the borders of the park are in high demand, but try mightily to get them if y'all take young children. Information technology volition brand the logistics of your trip (specially naps) so much easier. When my family started looking for rooms about iv months before our spring break trip, the entire park was about completely sold out, even mid-week. Luckily we snagged one of the last rooms in the Village at Maswik Society and it fabricated things much easier for usa.
The Thou Canyon does things the sometime fashioned mode – by phone, with accompanying long hold times. All the major South Rim lodges except Yavapai (Vivid Affections, El Tovar, Kachina, Thunderbird and Maswik) are managed by the aforementioned visitor, and then at least yous merely need to make ane or two phone calls. As soon as you are considering a trip, phone call and book a room. The counterfoil policies are generous so you can e'er cancel or change afterward. If you do stay inside the park, be aware that all the M Canyon hotels are a little rustic. But isn't that why you are going?
two. If you tin't get a hotel room within the park, plan to arrive early.
If yous are staying outside the park and planning to visit the South Rim and K Canyon Village (the most popular part of the K Canyon), at that place is only ane major car entrance into the park. This means entrance lines for vehicles can exist quite long. When traveling with toddlers, I cannot stress enough how important information technology is to be an early bird. Guests arriving mid to belatedly morning will find very long lines. We personally witnessed a line of cars over a mile long on our visit by eleven am on a weekday in bound.
3. A baby carrier is essential.
Dusk on the South Rim with the fiddling guy cozy and safe in his carrier.
The Grand Canyon involves real nature, with its accompanying dangers. With its busy crowds, too many visitors forget that they aren't in a theme park. In that location is considerable danger even in the parts effectually the South Rim that are developed. Parents of toddlers should have appropriate heed. Keep toddlers contained for safety near the rim. Strollers are a chip difficult to use in some places due to uneven terrain and lots of stairs, and so I'd recommend using a carrier for your toddler whenever possible. If you are going to employ a stroller, a compact umbrella stroller is your best bet, especially if you lot programme to ride the park shuttles where space is tight.
iv. Bring a sippy cup or water bottle.
To protect the surroundings, no bottled water is sold within the park. You lot'll definitely want to keep your children well-hydrated in the heat, sun, and at tiptop. Bring a few reusable water bottles and/or a sippy loving cup for your piddling ones that y'all can refill at the h2o stations throughout the park.
5. Learn the shuttle routes.
When traveling with toddlers, you probably won't exist doing all-encompassing hiking and will need to rely on other transportation to get effectually. Parking is a challenge on the South Rim, and then the best option is to take the free shuttles provided by the park. The major routes are adequately simple, but take a few minutes to learn which means they run. Y'all may need to get off at an alternative end to avoid having to ride the long way effectually, particularly on the blue route that goes through the Village.
6. Make dining reservations or dine early.
Our family unit enjoying Easter dinner at El Tovar.
All of the restaurants around the S Rim are kid-friendly, fifty-fifty the fancy El Tovar Dining Room where my family enjoyed an amazing Easter dinner watching the sun set over the canyon. Making a reservation at El Tovar is essential if you lot want to eat with your kids in this historic location.
Bright Angel Lodge next door also has a nice eating place and amazing views, merely they don't take dinner reservations. We arrived right before v pm for an early dinner and were able to grab a table. I'd recommend you practise the same, every bit the restaurant was completely full by 5:15 pm.
7. Rent a cycle trailer.
Biking is one of the keen ways to come across the South Rim of the G Canyon, but toddlers obviously aren't exactly ready for the ride (and sometimes 6 year olds aren't either!). Nosotros found that Brilliant Angel Bicycles rented double Burley trailers that are only perfect for biking with a toddler. As with everything at the M Canyon, reserve well in advance.
Biking the South Rim with piffling brother in a rented trailer.
One word of alarm: biking with a trailer at the M Coulee is not for the out-of-shape. If you plan to go up to some of the college overlooks west towards Hermits Rest (Maricopa Point, Powell Point, Hopi Point, etc.), you lot will take quite the climb, peculiarly with a cycle trailer in tow. My husband biked with the empty trailer while I took both kids on the shuttle bus up the steepest stretch (with our bikes on the bike rack of the shuttle). Alternatively, take one of the guided tours with Bright Affections that will shuttle you, your bikes, and fifty-fifty the trailer up the steep stretch.
8. Exist prepared to wait.
The 1000 Canyon is extraordinarily popular then expect to meet lines and waits. Gear up your toddler as best you can and bring distractions, particularly for pre-repast time waits. And relish the slower pace and natural beauty while you do.
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Take you taken a toddler to the Grand Canyon? What tips would you add?
Want to follow forth on my family unit's Southwest Road Trip from Vegas to Phoenix? Bank check these other stories:
- General
- Road Trip Tips for Frequent Flyers
- Spring Break, Tummy Bugs & a Surprising Gesture from a Hotel that Saved a Day of Our Vacation
- Las Vegas
- 10 Things to Practice With Immature Kids in Las Vegas
- Best Hotels in Las Vegas with Kids
- Grand Canyon
- 8 Tips for Visiting the Grand Coulee with Toddlers (you lot are here)
- Sedona, Arizona
- Pinnacle Things to Do in Sedona, Arizona with Kids
- Phoenix, Arizona
- A Family-Friendly Evening with the Arizona Diamondbacks
Source: https://tripswithtykes.com/grand-canyon-with-toddlers/