Trip to Canadian Rocky, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, San Francisco

[Extinguisher]

I am planning a trip to Canadian Rocky, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, San Francisco. Does anybody knows if late Oct/early Nov is ok to go Rocky and Canyon? Can I book the land tour when I am there or do I have to book in advance? Lastly any advice on must-see/must-go locations? Thanks.

[Sabian]

Other than the Canadian Rockies, we have 3 common locations.

 

Pity...maybe could have gone together on same flight under SQ 4 to go.

 

Not sure of Rockies but for GC, south entrance is open, north depends on weather. After skimming through tripadvisor, seems most will head for south and also suggest south for first time.

 

I still firming up my plan but have since booked with CX to SFO. SQ is abt $320 more but does not have "2 to go" fare to SFO departing Sun so I opted for CX.

[Extinguisher]

I will be flying by Northwest Airline.

 

I was thinking if I should book the local guided land tour through internet. Or can I just reach Rocky/GC then book a land tour there. Anybody knows if this is possible/cheaper?

[Yaloryalor]

late Oct/ late Nov will be cold up there in Grand Canyon. I went there 2 years ago during March. Its Sunny but when the wind blows, its still very cold..

 

I joint the local tour there. You can find out from your hotel conciege. However, my friends suggest dun take the helicoopter or the plane; its dangerous..

[Sabian]

For GC, plan a 2 day stay and do the mule ride to the lodge that is further lower down in the canyon.

 

For land tours, it seems winter is not peak period.

[Fcw75]

I took the plane, a small 10 seater propeller plane.

 

It's an experience but the thought of the plane crashing into the grand canyon is scary, so I juz enjoy the scenery and not think so much.

[Extinguisher]

Which hotel did u all satyin? Anyone stayed in the lodge inside the park?

[Yaloryalor]

Ya.. I wanted to take the plane but was told its kind of unsafe.

 

I think now they installed a glass walkway rite?

[Jchuacl]

For Canadian Rockies, it might be a little late though it'll not be crowded 8). If autumn arrives early, then the weather is going to get very cold and some places may be closed. One good thing about the Canadian Rockies is that it's quite untouched by tourists, so you'll find it more pristine as compared with the American Rockies, which is more commercialised.

 

But it's a long way between Grand Canyon and the Canadian Rockies, so I guess you must be flying from US to Canada? Might be worthwhile to book a land tour first from here in case you can't go anywhere when you reached there except in the major cities like Vancouver.

 

  Quote

I am planning a trip to Canadian Rocky, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, San Francisco. Does anybody knows if late Oct/early Nov is ok to go Rocky and Canyon? Can I book the land tour when I am there or do I have to book in advance? Lastly any advice on must-see/must-go locations? Thanks.

[Fondue]

Are you renting a car to drive around or going with local tour ? I think Las Vages is the nearest major airport to GC, but its a good 7hrs drive from LV to GC south rim ... unless you are taking the sightseeing flight from LV to GC.

 

How about between Canadian Rockies n SF n LV ?? Domsetic flight ?? Can come up to quite a tidy sum .

 

Oct might be too cold for Canadian Rockies .... can consider Glacier NP in Montana instead ... the going-to-the-sun road is awesome.

 

Are you the hiking type ?? IF you are, then self-drive might be better ... cos eash hike will easily take a whole day.

 

The lodge within the National Parks are clean and ok priced. They will have some rooms reserved for current day booking, so if you don't plan on booking in advance, try to arrive at the lodge early.

 

We actually rented a station wagon and brought a couple of sleeping bags for our trip .... if can't get the rooms, just par at camp site and sleep in the car

[Oflyboy]

My sis have been to the Canadian Rockies in winter and it's quite cold and many places are closed. My own experiences are in summer and it was snowing in late June when I was in Lake Louise! A hike up to Lake Agnes really ended up in knee-deep snow as well. The year I visited may be a bit colder than usual (1998) but global warming would have taken its toll since then.. :-)

 

For Canadian Rockies: Lake Morraine, Lake Louise/Agnes, Marble Canyon, Emerald Lake, Athabasca Glacier(if you don't believe in global warming, you will after visiting this glacier), Angel Falls, shopping in Edmonton Mall. Banff and Banff Springs Hotel (visit the Sunday brunch if it's still available) is tourist-ty to me but you may like it. Forget about the Paint Pots (apparently laterite soil is rare in Canada :-)) as you can see these in your back yard.

 

If you really want a fantastic experience, detour to Golden and take a scenic flight to the Columbian Icefield. Ask for the package to LAND on the Icefield. You won't regret it. It was the highlight of my trip there. The aircraft (Cessna 180 with 4 seats) is fitted with skis and wheels. The pilot/operator is very skilled and is very safety consious. You will need to call ahead a few days to check for weather. If it's not good, they will not go. Again, it was a very inspirational experience for me and my wife.

 

I rented a car and booked only the key "hot" areas but kept a flexible schedule and book B&Bs only a few days ahead. This way, I can stay in places that I like longer and not tied to any tour schedule.

[Tploh]

Don't know how many days you planned for all these.

 

I would personally prefer to experience these places ( i.e. spend more time to live like a local there ) rahter than rush through by just go-and-see-and-take-photo type of travel.

 

I was studying in Edmonton during U-days and did a 14-days rent-a-car holiday during the summer to all these places. The drive in the Canadian Rockies was a pleasurable experience itself. However, the drive in US is kind of boring.

 

Suggestion

1. 7-days plan = Either Canadian Rockies or US SF+LV+GC. Fly in to either and rent a car to travel.

2. 14-days plan = Can do both, but must fly between US and Canada.

3. 21-days plan = Can do all on car.

 

By the way, summer ( my definition = people wear bikini ) is a 7 days thing in Edmonton. Since Rockies are at the highground, you better prepare winter clothing when you visit. We camped in the Rockies during my summer trip and I woke up at 3 a.m. to hide in the heated toilet to get warm till morning.

[Tweakmax2]

which is the best routes from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon? IS route 66 the best?