Shelly and I greeted the New Year at the Grand Canyon. The reason for the trip was twofold. I am planning another rim-to-rim trip for May and I needed to get the campsite permits. This time, my son Eric and I will be crossing the canyon. The permit request window for May opens January 1st (and, yes, the Grand Canyon Backcountry Information Center is open on New Year’s Day) and I wanted to ensure getting our desired dates. Secondly, it was just a good time for Shelly and I to get away for a few days.
The trip got off to a slow start due to a large snow storm that closed I-40 from Amarillo, TX, to Albuquerque, NM. We had planned to leave early Saturday morning, but we waited a couple of hours to see what the weather and roads would do. Eventually, it became clear we would have to take a southern route from Oklahoma City to El Paso to Phoenix and then the Grand Canyon. It made for a very long drive.
But, the drive was worth it. The winter is a great time to visit the Grand Canyon because it is cooler and far less crowded. In fact, there didn’t seem to be enough people around to make a crowd. The place is practically deserted. There’s plenty of parking and access to normally closed locations is open. Best of all, with less people there is less distraction from enjoying the Canyon’s beauty.
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