The South Rim of the Grand Canyon

Sunday, April 20 we were up with the sun to beat the 56 other Lazy Dazers to the dump station. We were successful, had breakfast and were on the road by 6:45. Our trip took us north following the Colorado River and then turned east on I 40. We turned north on Arizona 64 and arrived at the south rim of the Grand Canyon in early afternoon. We traveled about 260 miles. La Paz is at about 350 feet altitude and the South Rim is at 7,000 feet. We were climbing all day. When we got out of the RV, it was colder than when we started, about 60 degrees. What a nice change. The south rim is part of the Colorado plateau and has a transition zone pine forest.

We got a nice site, with lots of sun for the solar panels and open sky at 151 degrees, magnetic. That is where our Direct TV satellite resides and provides us with input from the outside world.

Mather CG is beautiful, in the trees and it’s only about 10% full. There are definitely advantages to traveling in the off-season. AND, 2 elk walked right through our campsite. That’s a first.

For our RV friends: Mather CG is much nicer than the full hookup trailer village. It’s centrally located and has pay showers with a dump station. The grocery store is large and well equipped. There is only one gas station located near the east entrance to the park, approx. 20 mi east of the village (and the gas is cheaper here than in Tusayan, near the south entrance).

Parking is limited at the overlooks but there is a shuttle available that runs regularly. Don’t miss the historic El Tovar hotel on the edge of the rim. They serve wonderful food, but I would call ahead for reservations. They fill up quickly.

Monday saw us out exploring. The viewing was hazy, due to high winds from the south blowing up dust. Notice the background in the first 2 photos. The winds died down on Tuesday morning and we went out again to see the improved views.

The canyon is 3000 feet deep and people fall over the edge more often than you might think. Last year, a model fell to her death when the photographer asked her to “step back”. That first step is a few hundred feet down!