Grand Canyon in December?

[Sandersmr]

Anyone been in the area of the Grand Canyon around Christmas time - the last two weeks in December? What can I expect as far as temps and stuff open? I've got two weeks with the holidays so we want to go exploring.

[sharon]

Cold...as in really cold! Possibly snow. I don't go east of the Colorado river on the I-40 after the end of October. Check their website and it should give you average temps for that area in Dec, but it IS desert and it can fool you!

[Echo]

Cold, cold and more cold. The south rim of the Canyon is open year around so you can still get in there with no problem. I would imagine that it's a whole lot quieter then too. There wont be very many tourists around.

The north rim of the Canyon? Forget it. Everything shuts down November 1st. If you have any car trouble you will be totally out of luck and there are no gas stations that are open. The road does stay open until the first good snowfall. 2 rangers stay during the winter at the rim itself. The owners of the Kaibab Lodge where we worked use to stay up there all winter and the only transportation is by snowmobile. Last winter they did not stay up there, they spent the winter in Williams AZ.

Personally I wouldn't mind seeing some of it when there were no tourists around. At least at the south rim. I've seen the north rim when it's closed and deserted.

[Redwahine]

I was there for Thanksgiving a few years ago. Stayed at the El Tovar on the south rim. It was cold - gloves, hat, coat, etc. Dusting of snow, but gone by the time the sun came up!! But oh, so beautiful, clear skies, rainbows. Deer on the grass in the AM. Not very many people so all the roads are open and you can drive to all the various lookouts. Really nice to walk down the trails in the cool weather versus HOT!!

[JudyJB]

Are you planning on staying in an RV? Some of the campgrounds will be closed, and you will need to run your furnace constantly. The thing that makes even the south rim cold is that it is at 7,200 feet elevation. (The north rim is 8,500 feet and closed completely during the winter.)

How about some place at a lower elevation that would be warmer? Maybe Lake Powell? Zion?

Or the area closer to Phoenix and Flagstaff? Maybe even Death Valley and Lake Mead/Las Vegas?

[Sandersmr]

Judy - I was thinking around the Flagstaff/Sedona/Cottonwood area. Dead Horse is open year round as near as I can tell. I just didn't know if it would be better to day trip it from that area or actually stay at the South Rim - knew the North Rim was closed.

Mark is also talking about some time around Lake Mead. I was hoping for Canyon De Chelly but don't know if that will be possible.

[HorizonSeeker]

I drove from Flagstaff to Williams Christmas 2010 in about half a foot of snow (a dusting by local standards). It is beautiful. Felt like I was driving through a Currier and Ives drawing. I came right back home to Flagstaff that night too. Not doing that in a RV

[monik7]

Glad someone asked this question. I was wondering the same thing. Sounds like maybe not a good idea. Since I'm in sunny California, I tend to forget about the fact that some areas might not be the best for an RV in the winter
Sandi

[Bethers]

Truthfully, you'd have to have jello plans - go to Flagstaff and whether or not you can go to the South Rim with the rig or not would be a decision to make once in Flagstaff. Flagstaff itself can get cold and snow - so be prepared. That said, working around it is a good thing, if you can do it. And snow, if having already fallen and no more planned and roads clear - would be absolutely gorgeous.

[JudyJB]

Good idea. There is lots to do in that area and you could keep your eyes on the weather forecasts and road conditions. If all was clear, head up to the canyon as a day trip and then return before more snow it. You might be lucky and have clear, dry roads and sunny days!

If the weather got bad in Flagstaff, you could also head down to Phoenix where it would be warmer and dryer.

[snowball]

you could always come to Quartzsite AZ not a lot of people yet (more come in Jan) but at the same time not as many vendors
sheila