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1^#

發表於 13-1-19 03:27 |只看該作者 |倒序瀏覽 |打印

Have anyone been there? Do you think it is good for kids in 5 and 7 years old?

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2^#

發表於 13-1-19 17:55 |只看該作者

ottomum 發表於 13-1-19 03:27
Have anyone been there? Do you think it is good for kids in 5 and 7 years old?

I have been there three times, twice to South Rim, once to North rim. It is a natural wonder, suitable for all age. North rim is only opened from May to October, south Rim is opened all year.

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3^#

發表於 13-1-20 05:34 |只看該作者

回覆 dillon 的帖子

Which rim is more beautfy? North or South? Can you suggest an itinerary? Say

HK to LA
LA to Las vegas
Las vegas to Arizona

As I need to fix for kids' school holiday, which reason is good for them? Thank you very much.

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4^#

發表於 13-1-20 08:37 |只看該作者

ottomum 發表於 13-1-20 05:34
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Which rim is more beautfy? North or South? Can you suggest an itinerary? Say ...

I suppose if you have to fit their school holidays, you can only go in Christmas, Easter and summer. There will be snow on higher ground during Christmas and Easter and some places are not easy to get to, and it will be quite hot in summer. some places can get in the upper thirties and even over 40 degrees Celsius in the summer.

If you have about 10 days or more (excluding the time you spend in LA and Vegas), you may want to take a loop covering Southern Utah and Arizona, throwing in places such as Bryce Canyon, Zion, Glen Canyon, Canyonland, Monument Valley, Meteor Crater, Petrified forest, etc. there will be a lot of driving, but the scenery is beyond description.

Summer is probably the best bet. Tell me how much time you have and I'll suggest a route form you.

Personally I like North Rim more. It is more remote with fewer tourists. North rim is about 1000 feet higher than South Rim and you'll be seeing the peaks in Arizona in the horizon. Regardless of which rims, the canyon floor is a few thousand feet below you.

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5^#

發表於 13-1-20 21:26 |只看該作者

Thank you for your detailed explanation. As the kids cannot leave home for too long so I just plan to go there for 2 weeks including LA and las vegas. Is it enough? Is there any local tour? Do you think I have to book motels in advance or just walk-in?

Once again, thank you for your kindness.

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6^#

發表於 13-1-22 01:37 |只看該作者

ottomum 發表於 13-1-20 21:26
Thank you for your detailed explanation. As the kids cannot leave home for too long so I just plan ...

The longer you go, the more you see. In my opinion, the scenery in southern Utah is among the best in the world.

I believe there are local tours from LA (Chinatown), and from Vegas to Grand Canyon and Zion/Bryce Canyon, but they will cost much more. nothing beats driving on your own. The US is best explored with a car. Motels can easily be found along highway. Normally you shouldn't have any problem. However, as you have two small kids it may be advisable to book in advance if you want to stay near national parks.

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發表於 13-1-22 01:57 |只看該作者

本帖最後由 dillon 於 13-1-22 02:02 編輯

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The following is a sample itinerary:

1) LA (3 nights)
visit Universal Studio and Disney, leave one day for other sights such as Hollywood.
2) Las Vegas (3 nights)
see the hotels, view the free shows, take some factory tours, visit hoover dam. The hotels in Vegas (and all over Nevada) are cheap and many offer cheap buffets. I have stayed in Circus Circus, Excalibur and Luxor in three different trips to Vegas. The first two are cheaper and your kids will love them. There are also many newly-built hotels in Vegas that I have not visited. You may want to go to the Vegas website to shop around. Prices of hotels in Vegas go up on Fridays and Saturdays, so plan your trip accordingly. You can consider staying in other towns in Nevada such as Mesquite near the Utah border or Laughlin near the Arizona border on weekends.
3) Vegas -> Zion National Park -> Bryce Canyon national park -> Grand Canyon North Rim
can consider saying in Kanub (2 nights) which is centrally located.
4) North Rim -> Meteor Crater (largest impact crater in the world) -> Sedona (a beautiful town inhabited by many artists) -> Grand canyon South Rim
(allow at least 2 nights to cover this sector, if you have time, take a detour to see the area near the Glen Canyon dam)
5) South Rim -> Laughlin (1 night)
6) Laughlin -> Barstow (on the way to LA you'll pass by Barstow; there is an outlet there) -> LA

You can use google map to find the routing.

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發表於 13-1-22 13:28 |只看該作者

We went there when my son was 4 years old. It's fun and he still remembered the experience very well. If your kids are 5 & 7, there should be no problem.
We stayed in the National Park for 4 nights. The best time for kids to go is summer (though it's very hot during daytime, especially on the way when you drive from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon). My husband went there for once in Easter and it was very cold at nights. Accomodation booking is very full in summer. You must book in advance. We stayed in the campsites in the National Park.

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發表於 13-1-22 18:12 |只看該作者

本帖最後由 dillon 於 13-1-22 18:24 編輯

MamaQueen 發表於 13-1-22 13:28
We went there when my son was 4 years old. It's fun and he still remembered the experience very wel ...

Four nights is a long stay. Did you walk down to the canyon floor, or take a rafting trip? Agree that you need to book in advance if you want to stay in the Grand Canyon Village in the summer.

One thing to add: there will be traffic restriction in the summer. Visitors will have to leave their cars in the canyon village and take the shuttle provided by the park.

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發表於 13-1-22 18:16 |只看該作者

Another piece of information on joining a tour to the canyon. There is a commercial establishment called West Rim. It is actually located in an Indian reservation outside the National Park. The elevation above the canyon floor there is only about half that of the North and South Rims inside the national park. You probably don't want to go there.

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發表於 13-1-22 18:23 |只看該作者

回覆 ottomum 的帖子

Another routing suggestion:

1) LA (3 nights)
2) Las Vegas (3 nights)
3) Vegas -> Zion National Park -> Bryce Canyon national park (1 night)
There are hotels near Bryce Canyon
4) Bryce Canyon -> Canyonlands N.P and Arches N.P. (2 nights in Moab)
(There are many hotels in Moab, but is is advisable to book ahead, as the closest place to Moab that you can find accommodation is Green River, which is 60 miles away.)
5) Moab -> Monument Valley -> Meteor Crater -> Sedona -> Grand canyon South Rim
(allow at least 2 nights to cover this sector,stay one noight in Winslow or Sedona and the other night at South Rim)
5) South Rim -> Laughlin (1 night)
6) Laughlin -> Barstow (for shopping) -> LA

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12^#

發表於 13-1-23 12:53 |只看該作者

Thank you for all your valuable suggestions. The plan is still on the brainstorming process.
I understand it is better to book the accommodation in advance. Do you suggest I book the accommodation through travel agent or through the internet? Did you guys take the helicopter over there? Is it expensive? Is it safe?

And do you think I have to book the ticket before I apply for US visa? Thanks.

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13^#

發表於 13-1-23 18:32 |只看該作者

本帖最後由 dillon 於 13-1-23 18:49 編輯

ottomum 發表於 13-1-23 12:53
Thank you for all your valuable suggestions. The plan is still on the brainstorming process.
I un ...

It is better to book the hotels online. Sites such as booking.com offer reliable service. You can look at the map and get a good feel on the distance. Furthermore, you don't have to pay in advance and can cancel your booking if you change your plan.

I woud not book from travel agents. Not only it will cost more, but also they may not know the area well enough to give you sound advice.

The canyon topography will create unstable air draft, helicopter is never 100% safe.

I don't think you need to produce a ticket when you apply for a US visa. As long as you have a stable job I don't think it is difficult to get a visa.

I'll upload some photos of the area for your reference later.

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14^#

發表於 13-1-23 21:12 |只看該作者

本帖最後由 dillon 於 13-1-23 21:30 編輯

Grand Canyon North Rim, you can see the peaks in central Arizona in the horizon:

South Rim

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發表於 13-1-23 21:29 |只看該作者

本帖最後由 dillon 於 13-1-24 20:26 編輯

The distance between North and South rims is under 10 miles, but if you go by road from one to the other will need to drive over 200 miles. On the way you will drive across the Canyon on Navajo Bridge:

You will also pass by Wupatki National Monument (an Indian ruin) and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument which may be worth stopping.

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16^#

發表於 13-1-23 21:35 |只看該作者

本帖最後由 dillon 於 13-1-24 01:07 編輯

Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National park are in Southwestern Utah, not far away from Las Vegas. They are not to be missed.

Bryce Canyon

Zion N.P.

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發表於 13-1-23 21:40 |只看該作者

Southeastern Utah is spectacular as well. the town Moab is about 4 hour drive from Bryce Canton. From there Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park and Deadhorse Point State Park are all nearby.

Arches N.P

.
Canyonlands

Deadhorse Point

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18^#

發表於 13-1-23 21:46 |只看該作者

Monument Valley is another magnificent site. it is in an Indian reservation located at the Utah-Arizona border. The mesas and buttes change color along the day.

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19^#

發表於 13-1-23 22:23 |只看該作者

Meteor Crater is the world's best preserved impact crater. it is near the town Winslow in Eastern Arizona, about 2-hour driving from Grand Canyon South Rim. This photo is actually a slide I brought there.

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