Folinazzo

During our brief visit to the Grand Canyon, we stayed overnight at the Best Western Grand Canyon Squire Inn, right outside of the Park. We definitely recommend it to everyone we know; it is the perfect place for families.

The location of the hotel is mere minutes from the South Entrance to Grand Canyon National Park. The hotel itself is huge and clean and every employee we dealt with was extremely helpful and friendly. We had a standard room with two queen beds. We originally reserved a room with one king bed but none were available when we checked in. We arrived prior to the 3:00pm check-in so we didn’t complain. The room was enormous! There was plenty of space for us two adults, our one-year-old daughter, her Pack-n-Play, and all of our luggage. The room also had a small refrigerator which really came in handy for us. We were able to refrigerate all of our daughter’s bottles and jars of food.

The hotel does cater to families with children and there is plenty there to keep the young ones busy. Of course there is a pool, but there also is an arcade and a bowling alley! I know I would have liked that as a youngster… When we checked in, we were given coupons for the continental breakfast the following morning. We were a bit reluctant to try it, expecting just pastries and coffee, but we did end up checking it out and were surprised to see that it’s a full-on hot breakfast buffet. We were quite impressed.

The price of our stay was $125 for one night (weeknight at the end of March). The cost was well worth it: we were close to the Park entrance; the hotel is clean, quiet, and safe; hotel personnel were wonderful; and breakfast was included. Lastly, guests do have the option of buying a Park entry pass at the hotel. It costs the same at the hotel as it does in the Park; it’s just more convenient to buy the pass ahead of time. Park entry passes are good for seven days from date of purchase.

The Best Western Grand Canyon Squire Inn was the perfect choice for our stay at the Grand Canyon. We would definitely stay there again.

We spent only a day and a half at the Grand Canyon but it probably is one of my favorite places on Earth now. We all have seen gorgeous photos of the Canyon, and everyone has heard how magnificent it is, but I still was not prepared for the grandeur and majesty of it upon catching my first glimpse in person.

At this time of year (the end of March), only the South Rim is open and accessible to visitors. Since we were visiting with our one-year-old daughter, I knew we wouldn’t be able to do any heavy duty hiking, that our time would be limited to the paved trails just off the parking areas (which were easily navigable for our umbrella stroller). The views from those trails proved to be sufficient. When we initially arrived at the Park, we walked from the parking lot, past the Visitor’s Center, and over to the viewing area. I was surprised to see so many people there at this time of year. My husband even commented, “I’d hate to see this place in the high season.” But I was more surprised by my reaction when I saw the Canyon for the first time. It was literally breathtaking. When I finally recovered and was able to breathe again, the only word (sound?) I could muster was, “Whoa.” My words here won’t do it any justice, and now I believe that many photographs don’t, either. In fact, I found it very difficult to capture, in photographs, the grandness of that canyon. I tried, though. My photos can be seen here (the set includes photos from our entire Arizona trip).

On our way out of Grand Canyon National Park, we drove east on Highway 64 towards Cameron. We stopped at most of the scenic viewpoints along the way, my favorite being Navajo Point. There, we were offered a view of the Canyon from a different angle, and at a different time of day, and the results were quite stunning. Furthermore, a park ranger happened to be there on duty and was happy to take some time to talk to us about the geology, the Colorado River, and other interesting facts about the Park. We also stopped at Tusayan Ruin and Museum, a spot within Park boundaries that offers visitors a glimpse of what Pueblo Indian life was like 800 years ago. The museum itself is quite small in size but largely interesting, and we thoroughly enjoyed walking around and observing the ruin. Admission to the museum and ruin is free.

Soon thereafter we were on our way out of the Park, but not before we were already planning a return trip. Next time, we want to actually get into the Canyon. Lucia will be older, too, and we’ll be able to do more active stuff with her. That’s what I look forward to the most.