I need HELP with the GRAND CANYON (Phoenix: rent, hotel)

[WmMeeker]

Maybe you can help me. I am torn between posting here or in travel forum but this looks more active so I will try it here. I am planning a long sad trip to the Grand Canyon soon and I need people that have been there and are familiar to tell me a few things about it.
I will be flying into the airport at Las Vegas, Nevada which is the state next to Arizona just to the west because that appears to be the closest airport that does not have outrageous fairs. It is my plan to then take a tour bus from the Circus and Circus Hotel to the Grand Canyon. I note that they have 2 destinations which are the "west rim" which is closer but for some strange reason actually more expensive and the "south rim" which is further away and less expensive.
I am leaning towards the west rim because it has a walkway out over the canyon but I need to know some things about it if you can help me out here:

1. Does the walkway have enclosed guard rails that you cannot stick an arm over or through? How tall are they?
2. Do they have any people that stand on it and watch you while you are on it?

The reason I ask is because I am taking with me the creamated remains of a dear relative and I want to dump them into the canyon- his favorite place- in such a way that they scatter as they fall (as opposed to just leaving them on the ground). I would like to dump them off the walkway if possible or, if you know of a better place with a drop on the south or west rim, please advise me.

[wit-nit]

The West Rim site you speak of is on Indian Reservation, run by the Indians and they have steep costs and restrictions to see and use the walkway. You are not allowed to take a camera on the glass walkway for pictures so that limits your photo opportunities. You probably would not be able to distribute the remains as that is considered by the Indians to be sacred grounds.
The view from the West Rim is on the tail end of the Canyon and the view is not as good as the many views from the South Rim.
You would probably have to get permission from the National Park Service to distribute the remains. I believe they do allow it but in certain areas.
The South Rim of the Grand Canyon is well worth the time and views.

[Eddyline]

Go to the South Rim, much better and many places along the South Rim trail to scatter ashes.
Take the Hermits Rest shuttle bus out to any view point and you will find a private space to honor your relative. Both sunrise and sunset are beautiful, quiet times on the South Rim.

If the Grand Canyon is your relatives favorite place, I can guarantee you it was NOT the west rim.
The west rim is a rip off tourist attraction financed by Vegas money on tribal lands to exploit the both the tribes and the tourists. My guess is anyone that has been to both, will recommend the South Rim.

Where was your relatives favorite spot in the Canyon?

[locolobo13]

Have no idea what it costs. What about flying over the canyon and dropping the ashes out of the plane?

If you're willing to hike into the canyon, Plateau Point (Plateau Point Trail - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) is a very beautiful lookout. It can be done as a day hike from the south rim, but it's not an easy one.

[Bummer]

Sorry for the reason for your trip to one of the most beautiful spots on earth, WmMeeker.

Have you considered renting a car and driving to The Canyon? Bus Tours are great but they can be restrictive and, in some cases, fairly expensive. Driving very well could afford you more "destination" freedom as well as the much needed and deserved privacy.

Just a thought.

[kdog]

Originally Posted by Eddyline

The west rim is a rip off tourist attraction financed by Vegas money on tribal lands to exploit the both the tribes and the tourists.

That is a gross misrepresentation. The only "Vegas" money in the park is from one developer who helped finance the Skywalk which is a new attraction at the west rim and has its own separate fee. The rest of the park is entirely owned by the Hualapai native American tribe and 100% of the admission fee goes to the tribe. The reason it costs more is because it's not government financed, like the national parks. The relatively steep entrance fee does cover about a half-day worth of activities including shuttle buses to various attractions like native villages, a recreated western town, various viewpoints and included bbq lunch. So you can't base value on entrance fees alone. They are entirely different experiences. To be sure, the south rim has better views. On the other hand, you will learn a lot about native American life at the west rim. Maybe you don't care about that, but I certainly enjoyed it.

As far as dumping ashes go, it's not like the west rim is challenged for places where you could do that.



As far as getting permission goes, I would think you'd have better luck asking an indian who would probably just shrug his shoulders than asking a government park ranger. But that's just me. Honestly, either way I think this is one of those cases where it's easier to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

Dumping from the Skywalk could be more complicated because they regulate what you're allowed to carry out on it. In that case I would ask. Maybe call ahead?

[Sco]

The West Rim is a joke and a ripoff tourist trap.

[Gandalara]

From nps.gov:

Scattering of Cremation Ashes

Please download the Scattering of Cremation Ashes Letter in order to scatter ashes from human cremains in Grand Canyon. There are specific rules and conditions outlined in the letter that are required of all ash scattering requests. There is no fee for the scattering of ashes.

Download the letter here (40 kb PDF file)

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by WmMeeker

Maybe you can help me. I am torn between posting here or in travel forum but this looks more active so I will try it here. I am planning a long sad trip to the Grand Canyon soon and I need people that have been there and are familiar to tell me a few things about it.
I will be flying into the airport at Las Vegas, Nevada which is the state next to Arizona just to the west because that appears to be the closest airport that does not have outrageous fairs. It is my plan to then take a tour bus from the Circus and Circus Hotel to the Grand Canyon. I note that they have 2 destinations which are the "west rim" which is closer but for some strange reason actually more expensive and the "south rim" which is further away and less expensive.
I am leaning towards the west rim because it has a walkway out over the canyon but I need to know some things about it if you can help me out here:

1. Does the walkway have enclosed guard rails that you cannot stick an arm over or through? How tall are they?
2. Do they have any people that stand on it and watch you while you are on it?

The reason I ask is because I am taking with me the creamated remains of a dear relative and I want to dump them into the canyon- his favorite place- in such a way that they scatter as they fall (as opposed to just leaving them on the ground). I would like to dump them off the walkway if possible or, if you know of a better place with a drop on the south or west rim, please advise me.

When are you planning to go?

Weather at the north rim can be winter-like from mid October through April.

In fact, the north rim usually closes to tourists after the end of October.

Fly into Phoenix (not Vegas) and rent a car for yourself. You'll want some alone time anyway when you are on such a somber journey. The trip to the south rim is much more doable (about 3 hours) from Phoenix.

It would not be a good plan to scatter the ashes at the sky walk anyway - you are limited in what you can carry out there on it with you.

But if you drove yourself, there would be plenty of areas where you could just pull over along East Rim Dr
(64) and have the place to yourself.

So sorry for the loss of your loved one!

[lovesMountains]

This info may be of use to you too:

How Do I Travel to the South Rim ? - Grand Canyon National Park (U.S. National Park Service)