The Grand Circle, USA
Introduction:
The Grand Circle is basically a route around the Grand Canyon which is filled with a rich number of National Parks and other natural wonders. The Grand Canyon is part of a vast area of rock known as the Colorado Plateau. This plateau also makes up the other awe-inspiring rock formations found in the surrounding National Parks. Completing the Grand Circle, if you’re coming from Las Vegas, requires you to traverse three different states, which are Nevada, Utah and Arizona.
Day 1:
My journey began with a flight arriving in Las Vegas at about 11pm. It was a pretty good time to drive down the strip and see the city lights. I got a bunk bed at the Sin City hostel and spent the night there.
Day 2:
Woke up at about 5.30am in the morning (darn that 3-hour time difference!) and headed out to my first destination, Zion National Park. The journey was about a 3 hour drive with a stop at the Utah Welcome Center. Zion is one of the lesser known National Parks because it doesn’t really have a signature attraction. The park just seems to host a sprawling area of limestone and sandstone peaks. However, the views are simply breathtaking. The park is really well run, with a visitor center, bus services and other facilities for hikers, campers and the casual sightseer.
The day ended and I headed to the town of Kanab, Utah, which is known as the gateway town for the Grand Canyon’s North Rim. It’s about an hour’s drive from Zion NP. I spent the night at the Sun & Sand Motel, which provided a clean and affordable room to rest. There are other motels around but the one I chose happened to be the most cost effective one.
Zion National Park
Day 3:
I rose bright and early once again and departed for Page, Arizona. The journey took about 2.5 hours. It was a nice, scenic drive especially when you hit the Lake Powell area nearing Page. I checked into the Red Roof Motel, which offered an excellent value for a two bedroom suite.
Just before lunchtime I drove out to the Antelope Canyons; a 10 minute journey. There was a fee of USD$6 to enter the Navajo Reservation and then a USD$15 fee for the Navajo tour guide to drive me into the mouth of the canyon. I spent about an hour there before realizing that I needed more time to see the famous sunbeams through the canyon roof. So another USD$10 upgraded me to the photo tour and granted me another hour to spend.
Antelope Canyon
Dusty and tired but very satisfied, I went for lunch at the local KFC. They actually serve buffet! Anyway, the next ordeal was a 3 hour drive out to the Monument Valley Tribal Park. Along the way I stopped at the Navajo National Monument, which is a site of the Navajo cliff-dwellers. The area is operated and maintained by the National Park Services, who run a visitors’ center packed with information about the site.
The Monument Valley Tribal Park was really cool because there was a nice row of Navajo-run shops along the highway selling traditional arts and crafts. The vendors were very friendly and were not hesitant to share information about their culture with me. Entrance to the park was another USD$6. Monument Valley was made famous by those Marlboro advertisements. The rock formations seem to be synonymous with the Wild West. After watching the sun go down on the east and west mittens, I jumped back into my car and headed back to Page; another 3 hour drive.
Monument Valley
Day 4:
The time difference effect on me hasn’t worn off. I’m still waking up at obscene times of the morning. I checked out of the motel and headed to the famous Horse Shoe Bend located about 10-15 minutes outside of Page. It’s an interesting piece of rock that is surrounded by a river that forms sort of a horse-shoe shape around it. It was a ¾ mile walk from the car park to see it. Demanding, but worth it.
The rest of the day was dedicated to a 3 hour car ride to Flagstaff, which is one of the gateway cities to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Along the way, I stopped by the Wupatki National Monument and Sunset Crater Volcano National Park. The two attractions are located in the same vicinity, about 20 minutes away from Flagstaff.
Flagstaff is a really hip town, with a lot of trendy retail shops and quaint stores. It’s a popular stop for tourist also because it’s located right on the historic Route 66. I checked into the Grand Canyon International Hostel, which is probably the only hostel available close enough to the GC.
Horse Shoe Bend
Day 5:
It was off to one of the seven wonders of the world; the Grand Canyon. But before that, a 2-hour drive was required. I got to stop by a ranch which is famous for breeding white buffalos. Apparently only one in 10 million buffalos are white. They have seven on their ranch. Viewing the unique animal came at a cost of USD$5.
Then the grand finale of the trip unfolded, with the breath-taking view of the Grand Canyon. One’s initial reaction upon seeing the vastness of the canyon is simply one of plain confusion. It looks almost too wide to be true. So distant it looks almost like a painting. Words cannot describe. Pictures fail to do justice.
I stayed for the sunset, catching it at the Desert View lookout point. Sunsets at the GC are spectacular just about anywhere you are along the rim. Watching the light change, as day turns to night, is really worth the wait. Based on a park ranger’s recommendation, I hung around a little longer, until moonlight was left illuminating the canyon. The sky was clear and hundreds of stars lit up the sky. I was awarded an even bigger bonus by witnessing my very first and second shooting stars that night.
Grand Canyon
Day 6:
It was my last full day of the trip. It was a day that would require a 4 hour drive back to Las Vegas. Fortunately there are a few little towns along the way which are worth stopping by for like Williams and Boulder City. Arriving in Vegas was a big relief. I had finally completed the Grand Circle with a heart filled with great memories, a PD70X filled with RAW files and a Mini Trekker filled with gear in desperate need of some TLC.
More pics can be found here:
http://www.pbase.com/mikench/southwest
The Grand Circle is basically a route around the Grand Canyon which is filled with a rich number of National Parks and other natural wonders. The Grand Canyon is part of a vast area of rock known as the Colorado Plateau. This plateau also makes up the other awe-inspiring rock formations found in the surrounding National Parks. Completing the Grand Circle, if you’re coming from Las Vegas, requires you to traverse three different states, which are Nevada, Utah and Arizona.
Day 1:
My journey began with a flight arriving in Las Vegas at about 11pm. It was a pretty good time to drive down the strip and see the city lights. I got a bunk bed at the Sin City hostel and spent the night there.
Day 2:
Woke up at about 5.30am in the morning (darn that 3-hour time difference!) and headed out to my first destination, Zion National Park. The journey was about a 3 hour drive with a stop at the Utah Welcome Center. Zion is one of the lesser known National Parks because it doesn’t really have a signature attraction. The park just seems to host a sprawling area of limestone and sandstone peaks. However, the views are simply breathtaking. The park is really well run, with a visitor center, bus services and other facilities for hikers, campers and the casual sightseer.
The day ended and I headed to the town of Kanab, Utah, which is known as the gateway town for the Grand Canyon’s North Rim. It’s about an hour’s drive from Zion NP. I spent the night at the Sun & Sand Motel, which provided a clean and affordable room to rest. There are other motels around but the one I chose happened to be the most cost effective one.
Zion National Park
Day 3:
I rose bright and early once again and departed for Page, Arizona. The journey took about 2.5 hours. It was a nice, scenic drive especially when you hit the Lake Powell area nearing Page. I checked into the Red Roof Motel, which offered an excellent value for a two bedroom suite.
Just before lunchtime I drove out to the Antelope Canyons; a 10 minute journey. There was a fee of USD$6 to enter the Navajo Reservation and then a USD$15 fee for the Navajo tour guide to drive me into the mouth of the canyon. I spent about an hour there before realizing that I needed more time to see the famous sunbeams through the canyon roof. So another USD$10 upgraded me to the photo tour and granted me another hour to spend.
Antelope Canyon
Dusty and tired but very satisfied, I went for lunch at the local KFC. They actually serve buffet! Anyway, the next ordeal was a 3 hour drive out to the Monument Valley Tribal Park. Along the way I stopped at the Navajo National Monument, which is a site of the Navajo cliff-dwellers. The area is operated and maintained by the National Park Services, who run a visitors’ center packed with information about the site.
The Monument Valley Tribal Park was really cool because there was a nice row of Navajo-run shops along the highway selling traditional arts and crafts. The vendors were very friendly and were not hesitant to share information about their culture with me. Entrance to the park was another USD$6. Monument Valley was made famous by those Marlboro advertisements. The rock formations seem to be synonymous with the Wild West. After watching the sun go down on the east and west mittens, I jumped back into my car and headed back to Page; another 3 hour drive.
Monument Valley
Day 4:
The time difference effect on me hasn’t worn off. I’m still waking up at obscene times of the morning. I checked out of the motel and headed to the famous Horse Shoe Bend located about 10-15 minutes outside of Page. It’s an interesting piece of rock that is surrounded by a river that forms sort of a horse-shoe shape around it. It was a ¾ mile walk from the car park to see it. Demanding, but worth it.
The rest of the day was dedicated to a 3 hour car ride to Flagstaff, which is one of the gateway cities to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Along the way, I stopped by the Wupatki National Monument and Sunset Crater Volcano National Park. The two attractions are located in the same vicinity, about 20 minutes away from Flagstaff.
Flagstaff is a really hip town, with a lot of trendy retail shops and quaint stores. It’s a popular stop for tourist also because it’s located right on the historic Route 66. I checked into the Grand Canyon International Hostel, which is probably the only hostel available close enough to the GC.
Horse Shoe Bend
Day 5:
It was off to one of the seven wonders of the world; the Grand Canyon. But before that, a 2-hour drive was required. I got to stop by a ranch which is famous for breeding white buffalos. Apparently only one in 10 million buffalos are white. They have seven on their ranch. Viewing the unique animal came at a cost of USD$5.
Then the grand finale of the trip unfolded, with the breath-taking view of the Grand Canyon. One’s initial reaction upon seeing the vastness of the canyon is simply one of plain confusion. It looks almost too wide to be true. So distant it looks almost like a painting. Words cannot describe. Pictures fail to do justice.
I stayed for the sunset, catching it at the Desert View lookout point. Sunsets at the GC are spectacular just about anywhere you are along the rim. Watching the light change, as day turns to night, is really worth the wait. Based on a park ranger’s recommendation, I hung around a little longer, until moonlight was left illuminating the canyon. The sky was clear and hundreds of stars lit up the sky. I was awarded an even bigger bonus by witnessing my very first and second shooting stars that night.
Grand Canyon
Day 6:
It was my last full day of the trip. It was a day that would require a 4 hour drive back to Las Vegas. Fortunately there are a few little towns along the way which are worth stopping by for like Williams and Boulder City. Arriving in Vegas was a big relief. I had finally completed the Grand Circle with a heart filled with great memories, a PD70X filled with RAW files and a Mini Trekker filled with gear in desperate need of some TLC.
More pics can be found here:
http://www.pbase.com/mikench/southwest
posted by Mike Ng at 9:30 PM
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