With Kids
Three kids, one wheelchair, one rental van, fifty peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and about 2,000 miles through Arizona and Utah = …. I don’t actually know how to finish that sentence. The perfect road trip? Evidence of unstable parents?
Of all our stops, the Grand Canyon was actually one of the most wheelchair accessible and kid-friendly. While the canyon itself is huge, if you’re traveling with kids (i.e. not stopping to meditate), you can enjoy the full experience in a day… as long as you plan ahead and know what you want to see! While there’s no such thing as a “bad view” of the canyon, there are plenty of similar views and there’s really no need to see them all. We only hit the South Rim because we went in the winter, when the North Rim was closed. I’ll outline the perfect itinerary below. As always, all suggestions are kid friendly and wheelchair accessible!
The Perfect 12 Hour Itinerary:
- Sunrise at Yaki Point
- Bright Angel Hike (How far in you go will depend on the terrain you’re comfortable with in your wheels. Either way, the trail along the rim leading up to the trail head is worth the views)
- Lunch at El Tovar (overlooking the canyon)
- Desert View Watchtower (this is an old tower with a lot of steps, but the view is still worth the stop even if you can’t climb to the top)
- Picnic dinner
- Sunset at Lipan Point
We arrived part way through the day, so we decided to split the day – starting with 4-6, and then doing 1-3 the next morning. We ended up hitting some weather snags on day two, so our actual agenda ended up looking a little different. This would still be my ideal plan.
Drives
The “perk” of not having wheelchair accessible buses is that you’re allowed to take your personal vehicle down private roads. I loved this. Yaki point (year round) and Hermit Road (March 1st – November 30th) are significantly less crowded than other vistas because of their limited accessibility. There are accessible vista pull-offs, and several places where the view is perfect from within your vehicle. Side note, if you’re traveling with kids and don’t have an accessibility pass, it may still be worth it to take the shuttles for the views. They’re much less crowded.
Hikes
View from Mather Point
Mather Point is a short, paved walk from the main visitor’s center. It’s crowded, but it’s likely the first viewing point you’ll come to… and who can wait another moment to see one of the most amazing sights the world has to offer?? It wasn’t on our plan, but we’re impatient – it was our first view of the canyon.
From Mather Point, you can head east and stay on paved trail for a good bit of the Rim Trail.
If you’d rather head west, Trail of Time is paved from Yavapai Point to Verkamp’s Visitor Center.
Check out the maps below, but all of this is really just to say you have options. You have lots of options. The Grand Canyon is one wonder that won’t be kept from you because of a disability.
If you want to make it further down the trail, a great option is the Freeloader carrier. The carrier holds kids up to 80 lbs and was a great way for us to explore beyond the paved paths (pictured below).
Views
There are several pull-offs with amazing views without leaving your car. Check this accessibility map marked with windshield views and wheelchair accessible viewing points. Hypothetically speaking, you could see most of the canyon without ever leaving your car.
Lodging
All of the hotels within the park have wheelchair accessible rooms. I feel like this is no small victory. Have you ever found a non-chain wheelchair friendly hotel – anywhere?? It blows my mind how many places have never updated. That being said, we don’t pay for hotels. Ever. Our Bonvoy points wouldn’t cover anything within the park, so we stayed off-property. If you want to stay within the park, book early. I scoped out availability about three months before our trip to see if any of the lodges would be interested in hosting us, but they were all booked full!
You can also camp in the canyon or on the rim.
Dining
Coffee shops, pizza joints, delicatessens, cafes, fine dining: food options run the gamut within the park. Food is priced as you might expect at a natural wonder of the world. In fact, if you’re following our plan for traveling on a budget and you want to eat at a sit down restaurant, then it needs to count as one of your splurge activities.
Other Notes of Importance
Admission is $30 per vehicle. Admission is free with the National Parks disability pass.
Stay away from the squirrels. I’m not even kidding. Apparently they’re quite aggressive.
Stay for sunset… or be there for a sunrise. The slant of sun adds a brightness of red that you shouldn’t miss.
Wear layers. This is true any time of year. Climates change quickly and vary by altitude.
Head out of the Canyon. While “grand” may not be a big enough word for the canyon, the canyon is by no means all the area has to offer. Since you’re in the area, I strongly suggest you also hit up Sedona and/or Antelope Canyon for a bit of perspective. In fact, the main attraction ended up being a side attraction for us! You’ll be amazed by the slightly less popular beauty outside of the park.
Bring Your Freeloader. I didn’t realize my son could still fit in a hiking carrier until I found this one! It holds up to 80 lbs. and was a great option for us to hit some more difficult trails. Actually, even if your kids don’t have mobility issues, this could be a great way to walk longer or higher!
