Talk:Grand Canyon

North and South?
I think we need to have a North Rim (Grand Canyon) and South Rim (Grand Canyon). These two areas are hundreds of miles apart by car and have vastly different lodging options and directions. Cramming them both together on this page is making it kinda unreadable. --(WT-en) Evan 15:09, 1 Feb 2004 (EST)

I'm inclined to agree. Maybe keep this page to give an overview and the pros and cons of each rim to help travelers deciding which rim to go to. Does Flagstaff really have an international airport? (WT-en) Nurg 02:01, 16 Mar 2004 (EST)


 * It does have an airport. Just not an international airport (AFAICT).  Most of the time the definition of "international airport" in the US just means that they could potentially serve international flights. I think it may have something to do with having a Customs Office in the facility.  Looking at the page again I agree that it really should be busted into the two rims. -- (WT-en) Yosemite 05:11, 22 Mar 2004 (EST)

Since both rims are within Grand Canyon National Park, I think it would be better to keep them united on one page. Also, 80% of visitors go to the South Rim. Splitting into two pages will cause more confusion than it is worth. I think we should concentrate on making the Grand Canyon page a "star" page before we go off and try and split it. Just my two cents. (WT-en) Findbgs 16:59, 9 Feb 2006 (EST)


 * I would agree at the moment, especially with the comment that a breakup would cause more confusion than clarity. The article doesn't seem (to me) to currently be that unwieldy, although if it grows enough to be confusing then a breakup into North, South, and the Indian reservation might be warranted. -- (WT-en) Ryan 17:37, 9 Feb 2006 (EST)


 * The Havasupai reservation isn't referred to as a separate rim, but we're starting to see a lot of questions come up about "GC West" or the "West Rim", as the Hualapai have named it. They are getting a lot of publicity these days. Between the aggresive GC West tour sales in Las Vegas, and their under construction glass bottom walkway, should it be added as a "rim"?(WT-en) Gcmaven 21:56, 6 June 2006 (EDT)

I've updated the intro paragraph to make it clear that this article includes the Havasupai Indian Reservation and the Hualapai Indian Reservation. While typically on Wikivoyage we've handled national parks with their own articles, this article has for many years included the Indian reservations since they don't fit well elsewhere, and are actually a part of the geological canyon although not a part of the park. That said, with a more prominent mention in the opening paragraph for these reservations it's probably worth watching this article to ensure that no one tries to extend it further to include the Navajo Nation - that reservation includes land near the canyon, but it's a far larger entity and best kept separate. Similarly, any information about Lake Mead should be placed in its own article to avoid confusion. -- (WT-en) Ryan &bull; (talk) &bull; 01:08, 7 July 2010 (EDT)

In a region, or stand-alone?
Preparatory to doing some other work on Arizona, I have set up some regions for the state. Following the usual hierarchical structure that results, it would be normal to change the GC "isIn" entry to be North (Arizona), which is the region that more or less contains it. However, GC is such an obvious destination and so closely associated with Arizona as a whole (not to mention so plain old big) that I'm not sure that that's the way to produce an optimally useful article. Opinions? -- (WT-en) Bill-on-the-Hill 21:11, 23 Dec 2005 (EST)


 * My understanding is that isIn always specifies the smallest region that fully contains the article, so in this case North (Arizona). -- (WT-en) Ryan 21:04, 24 Dec 2005 (EST)


 * Part of my reason for asking is that I'm not entirely sure that North (Arizona) does "fully contain" the Canyon, unless it is declared to do so by fiat (i.e., the boundaries are drawn so as to contain it). Anyway, since the Canyon will obviously still be mentioned in the top-level Arizona page, might as well set up the isIn for North AZ unless someone sees a compelling reason not to.  National parks are difficult critters to fit into the hierarchy that's evolving here! -- (WT-en) Bill-on-the-Hill 22:55, 24 Dec 2005 (EST)

Tours
Thanks to User:(WT-en) Gcmaven for all of your recent work on the Grand Canyon article. One question though -- why keep Open Road Tours but remove Angels Gate tours? It seems like it might be helpful to provide a simple list of tour companies offering trips to the Canyon. -- (WT-en) Ryan 15:09, 30 March 2006 (EST)


 * My reasoning was that it seems to me that the "bus" sections are for commercial type transportation, like a regional bus service. Open Roads has a daily scheduled, transportation only service, which is the closest to a bus that grand canyon has. But I didn't think it fair to list just one of the hundreds of companies that operate tours. To try to be fair, I also took off the part that said Open Roads also provides guided tours.
 * (WT-en) Gcmaven 15:34, 30 March 2006 (EST)


 * Makes sense - at some point it might be worth compiling a short list of some of the more prominent / better tour companies so that people who like that sort of thing have some references, but that task can be left to people who have actually been on tours. -- (WT-en) Ryan 15:56, 30 March 2006 (EST)


 * I went ahead and put Angels Gate back in for a couple of reasons. They provide transportation to the canyon fro their tours, but they also provide transportation for hikers and backpackers and are relevant in the category.  Especially since there is such a lack of public transportation in the area.  I agree that it may be a good idea to start a "tour company" section also. (WT-en) Findbgs 01:33, 25 April 2006 (EDT)


 * You also removed other "get in" info and a competing hiker bus, so I reverted your change. -- (WT-en) Colin 02:17, 25 April 2006 (EDT)


 * I started a section for guided tours and moved the entry into it. Should the educational institute also be moved as much of the education behaves a lot like a tour? -- (WT-en) Colin 02:30, 25 April 2006 (EDT)


 * Hi Colin, I didn't remove a hiking company, just put it back into a more relevant category. GCFI website states:  "GCFI is an educational program whose mission is to help educate park visitors about the cultural and natural history of the Grand Canyon."  They are a non-profit that works with the NPS, and as such their charter does not allow them to use the word "tour" or "guide" in thier offerings.  At least it didn't when I worked for them. (I realize that the front page of their website says "guided educational tours" but this was likely a web copy edit that won't get past Park Service approval.  Click on the "class" link and you will see that they even use the word "tuition" instead of "prices" - "instructors" instead of "guides").  The emphasis here is educational.  I think it is a mistake to add them into a "guide" catagory.


 * I like the addition of the tour company section; however, I went and placed it in the "get in" section.  I think it is more relevant there.  Especially, since this is one of the few ways to actually "get in" to the park.  It is my feeling that the Grand Canyon Railway is also a guided tour and may be better placed under this category.


 * Furthermore, I deleted Transcanyon from the "get in" area. Since they provide North to South rim transport they are definately more of a "get around" organization.  Finally, I changed the Open Road link to directly link to the Grand Canyon Shuttle schedule. (WT-en) Findbgs 17:54, 25 April 2006 (EDT)

Grand Canyon Railway
I removed some of the Grand Canyon Railway links, because it is really more of a tour than a transportaion to the canyon. I would appreciate comments on where to classify the canyon railway. Should we put it under guided tours, or is it really bonified transportation to the canyon? (WT-en) Findbgs 01:29, 26 April 2006 (EDT)


 * I apologize if I'm not putting this comment in the proper place. It's starting to get a little confusing, but here goes: Angel's Gate doesn't provide transportation. They do not indicate that you can purchase a ticket to be taken to the park and dropped off, you can only buy a tour. Grand Canyon Railway, on the other hand, does sell tickets for a seat on the train for just transportation to the canyon. Regarding the transcanyon shuttle, it is one of the only ways to get transportation to the north rim, even if they only depart from the south(WT-en) Gcmaven 18:18, 5 June 2006 (EDT)


 * I greatly appreciate your comments on the train. However, my question for you is this:  Is the train really just transportation?  Can you really just buy a ticket for the transportation?  My experience with the train is that you are bombarded with cowboy actors, musicians, and other entertainment.  There is no train car that is solely for "transportation" without the additional song and dance that accompanies an organized tour.  For example, if you take the train from the canyon to Williams, there is no way to avoid the staged "train robbery" on the way back.  It is my feeling that the train is much more similar to a guided tour than to a mode of transportation.  I would like to see a few more comments in this regard before placing the train into the guided tour category.  I realize that historically it was transportation, but these days it's more of a guided tour.(WT-en) Findbgs 01:49, 6 June 2006 (EDT)


 * It probably wouldn't be the end of the world to have a mention of it in both places! It sounds like it is presented as a "tour" with entertainment, so maybe the full listing could go there, but a mention of the possibility of using it as transportation (as long as you don't mind a train robbery along the way...) should also appear in that section. Glad to see this article coming along btw... keep up the good work! (WT-en) Majnoona 21:39, 6 June 2006 (EDT)


 * Hey, sometimes on a bus you have an entertaining driver! If you fly, you might have a choice of coach, business, or first class. It's a way to get here. You can even purchase a one way ticket. And from some of the review on tripadvisor, it isn't very entertaining! Just my two cents.(WT-en) Gcmaven 21:56, 6 June 2006 (EDT)

Grand Canyon Field Institute

 * The NPS website list GCFI as their only recommended "back country guide service". So they are considered by NPS to be guides.(WT-en) Gcmaven 18:18, 5 June 2006 (EDT)


 * While this is currently accurate of the official national park website, you may remember that the "back country guide service" page used to list ALL of the back country offitters that operate in the park. Once Rebecca Rhea took over as the concessions cheif, she decided to remove most of the outfitters pending review.  GCFI is a non-profit educational institute.  It is also a "partner" with GCNP.  As such it belongs in educational classes section.  It is not a hiking outfitter, and they have no guides.  For clarification on this issue you should read the GCFI website. (WT-en) Findbgs 01:40, 6 June 2006 (EDT)
 * To some one looking for a guided hike in the park, this is a guide service. Why should their "non-profit" status make them unmentionable? And they do use the word "guide" on their website. We're listing multiple river companies and river organizations-so why not do the same for hikers?(WT-en) Gcmaven 21:07, 6 June 2006 (EDT)
 * I appreciate your input, and have researched the mattter further. I both spoke with the GCFI and researched their website.  They don't use the word "guide" or "tour", the park won't let them.  The terms that they use are "instructor" instead of "guide".  Instead of a "tour", they use the word "class".  And you don't pay for a "tour", you pay "tuition".  Occasionally, on their website they use verbage such as "guided educational tours", but this is likely a copy edit by a web designer or a wordsmith.  To say that this is evidence that they use the word "guide" is taking the word out of context.  A GCFI representative emailed me the following information describing the organization:  "GCFI has been working closely with the National Park Service (NPS) to provide educational opportunities that complement the park’s own interpretive efforts. Each GCFI class is reviewed by an interdisciplinary team of NPS resource managers to ensure that it meets the educational goals of the park."  I think it is pretty clear that this organization is not a tour company or guide service.  It is not that it shouldn't be listed.  It is simply that it doesn't need to be spammed all over the page.  It is correctly place where it should be under educational classes. (WT-en) Findbgs 16:57, 8 June 2006 (EDT)


 * And they also do custom hikes. If Angel's Gate can be linked twice, why not GCFI? And why present Angel's Gate as the only option for a guided trip into the canyon? And a guide service and an outfitter are two different things. Yes, some companies do both, but it isn't a requirement. Oh, for the good old days when "grand canyon guides" was in the depot! (WT-en) Gcmaven 17:05, 31 August 2006 (EDT) --New NPS website http://home.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/guided-hikes.htm. (WT-en) Gcmaven 22:40, 1 September 2006 (EDT)


 * I tire of rehashing this arguement. The new NPS site desribes GCFI as offering "guided hikes that are educational in nature".  They also describe the offerings as "multi-day learning events".  I understand your bias (see edit in the cars section below).  However, GCFI is clearly offering educational programs.  Regarding Angel's Gate, they are only mentioned once in the "DO" section.  Since the ranger walks are rim based, I added a "rim walk" edit to the "Ranger Program" section below hiking.  I have guided both for GCFI and Grand Canyon TRAIL Guides that was in the depot.  I am not sure if you were aware that the trail guide company that you refer to was owned by Canyoneers, Inc.  This is one of the "outside" tour companies that you seem to dislike so.  (WT-en) Findbgs 22:05, 9 September 2006 (EDT)

Air Tours
I changed the link for air tours to the Chamber of Commerce site, because it is more up to date. For instance, the info pages list Airstar, but it's Maverick, etc.(WT-en) Gcmaven 21:12, 6 June 2006 (EDT)


 * I don't think this link is really relevant to air tour companies, but I didn't want to revert all or your changes. I think you have some good things to add, but perhaps we should put a couple of links directly to the air tour operators themselves.  I couldn't find a list of the air tour operators anywhere on the chamber site.  (WT-en) Findbgs 17:50, 8 June 2006 (EDT)


 * It's on the "adventures" page. But we are only supposed to link to a main page. (WT-en) Gcmaven 18:14, 9 June 2006 (EDT)


 * Let's pick one or two air tour operators, and clean it up a little. I don't know the best one's so I will defer to your opinion.(WT-en) Findbgs 23:45, 9 June 2006 (EDT)


 * Sorry I haven't been back for a while. I'm not a huge fan of the airtours, so wouldn't really care to pick one over another. Even the chamber list is just those that joined the chamber. There are a lot of companies based in Las Vegas that also do flyovers. Maybe someone else could pick? (WT-en) Gcmaven 20:56, 19 June 2006 (EDT)


 * I just picked a couple that sounded good, and am happy to defer to a more expert source. I am however having a problem with a las vegas booking agent that keeps spamming his page into this listing.  (WT-en) Findbgs 01:01, 23 June 2006 (EDT)

Flora and Fauna
I moved the bird watching from "to do" into F&F. I was going to work on this section today, but ran out of time. Once we finish that section, and get the landscape section completed, AND get the external links into MOS. I think we might be ready for star recommendation. (WT-en) Findbgs 23:49, 9 June 2006 (EDT)
 * Does the Mule refer to the Mules, or is it Mule Deer? I edited it to read Mule Deer, no Whitetail here. (WT-en) Gcmaven 21:00, 19 June 2006 (EDT)

Thanks for the additions to the section. That was fabulous. I"ve been meaning to break out the field guide, and do some writing. Thanks for the additions.  I will check on the white tail;  I thought they were there.  But it wouldnt be the first time i was wrong.  I corrected some grammar, and added a few things.  I also broke the paragraphs up a little to make it easier on the web user's speed reading tempo.  (WT-en) Findbgs 00:59, 23 June 2006 (EDT)

Star?
Couldn't sleep so I made all the changes that I thought were necessary. What else should we do to bring it up to Star status? (WT-en) Findbgs 03:01, 10 June 2006 (EDT)


 * These are mostly subjective critiques off the top of my head: The biggest issue is that we should probably have a more useful map - (see Isle Royale National Park or Paris for examples).  Also, there are a lot of links not formatted according to Project:External links.  Other issues are just my own personal feeling that the article could be more useful if cleaned up: the "Do" section could be expanded a bit - my personal opinion is that it would be more useful if laid out like Yosemite National Park so that there is room to list trail descriptions and such.  I'm not sure that "Favorites" is a useful heading under "Buy".  The "Backcountry" section doesn't read very well and could provide more info.  Stuff like that - it's close! -- (WT-en) Ryan 12:22, 28 June 2006 (EDT)

Tour companies
Recently this article has had a lot of "tour company" links show up. That's not a problem, but according to Project:External links these "companies" must be actual companies that offer tours, and not booking services or travel agencies. One of several reasons for this policy is that while we want reviews like "Canyon tours offers trips tailored to adventure seekers" or "South Rim Expeditions focuses on family trips", it's less useful to say "Arizona Travel Agency is one of dozens of agencies that can help you find a tour". Below is a note from (WT-en) Findbgs about a few companies that should not be listed, including:


 * airlasvegas.com
 * Western River


 * I'm very familiar with the river companies. I was a guide for 15 years in the 70's.  I eliminated Western River, because right now ALL of the river companies can be accessed from the grand canyon river outfitters association link.  AZ canyon tours seemed to get a little aggressive with their postings, but they are a bonified tour company (i checked with the park).  I went ahead and placed their listing in the correct spot w/standard format.  The problem I have with 72.193.215.69 is that they keep placing their travel agent link for air tours, and I keep changing it back.  I know they are a travel agent, but the edits are just going back and forth.  I am happy to check the page once a week, and make any corrections.  But I don't want to overstep my bounds either.  Please let me know the best way to proceed.  I'd like to see this article achieve star status, and I think that we are close. (WT-en) Findbgs 11:51, 28 June 2006 (EDT)

-- (WT-en) Ryan 12:14, 28 June 2006 (EDT)

Car
I edited the warning box for two reasons - 1) They really have improved the wait times at the south gate, in addition to making a second prepaid lane, they will often direct traffic when it gets busy, which really helps. 2) The tour part! There are no special parking privileges in the National Park. There are a few outside daytour companies (and one in particular) that claim they have permits to access more places than an individual visitor, but it's not so. And they never mention that they're excluded from using the West Rim Drive when it's closed to private traffic March through November. They use these scare tactics to separate visitor's from their hard earned dollars. The park is a bargain! $25 to get in for a car load of people, and lots of free ranger programs to enhance your visit. Because of the lack of affordable public or commercial transportation to the park, these tour companies are great for people that don't or can't drive themselves to the park. But for anyone else, you could probably buy a telescope and some cold cuts to bring with you for less than it costs to put your family on one of these tours. They don't even give you a break on their fee if you're already here and paid your park entrance fee. The only viewpoint that requires a permit is Shoshone Point, and anyone can apply for that permit. There is a fee. It does have a locked gate, but unfortunately a lot of people park in front of the locked gate and walk out to the point without permission. NPS rarely if ever pays attention or fines anyone. (sorry I haven't had time to help with this lately!) (WT-en) Gcmaven 16:16, 31 August 2006 (EDT)

GCMaven, I understand that you are biased against "outside" tour companies. I also understand that you work for XANTERRA, a company that offers competing tours inside the park. However, when you make edits here please try and refine your bias. You have some great information to add. As a former river guide, and "outside" hiking and tour guide I have certain biases as well. But when I post here, I try to put those biases aside. (WT-en) Findbgs 21:48, 9 September 2006 (EDT)

I think your edits to the warning box were fine. I went ahead and simplified it a little more. The park will likely continue to make small changes to the entry station until the final record of decision is issued for the South Rim Visitor Transportaion Plan. This likely will not occur until sometime in 2007, then the plan requires funding and implementation. Until that time, delays at the South Rim Entry Station will likely occur during the busy months. (WT-en) Findbgs 21:48, 9 September 2006 (EDT)

Hualapai Section Added
Due to growing news coverage about the "Grand Canyon Skywalk", I added a Hualapai Indian Reservation section below the Havasupai. It seems that many are confused about the location of the skywalk, and assume it to be part of the National Park. I thought it best to create a new section so as to differentiate the two. (WT-en) Findbgs 14:58, 16 March 2007 (EDT)

Better map?
I'm considering a trip to the canyon, and after reading through this article with the map open alongside I couldn't find a lot of the places mentionned. Perhaps the map can be edited to add some of them? Since it's already fairly cluttered, symbols with a legend at the bottom would be even better. Perhaps a map of the area (for the "getting to" section) and a separate map of the canyon with landmarks. Well that's all assuming someone has the time/skills/will to draw the map :) 70.81.26.125 19:20, 28 August 2007 (EDT) (sorry no login, first-time visitor)


 * Hmm, unfortunately that is not an editable map; a new one would have to be created. Your suggestions seem quite sound, but I'm wary of tackling this one myself, just since I don't know the area all that well. If you are interested in making a map yourself, check out Project:How to draw a map. It's a time consuming process, but actually much less difficult than it seems, and very rewarding! --(WT-en) Peter Talk 21:21, 28 August 2007 (EDT)


 * Not editable, do you mean because of copyright issues? The image links to a page saying it is public domain, but does that include editing? If you mean not editable as in not easily editable, well I could give it a try. Otherwise, the link you provided mentions sat imagery, is it possible to take a Google map screenshot and edit it?


 * Also, it looks more and more like we'll be going (camping/hiking) early october. If there's photos needed or things to verify I'd be glad to help. Maybe in exchange people can answer this :) They don't recommend going down into the canyon and back out in a day, but I'm likely a bit late for backcountry permits. My only option would be the Phantom lodge thingy? If I want to start on the south rim and go camp on the north rim, and then back south then I would need to sleep at Phantom Lodge both ways (eg. 4 days total?) 70.81.26.125 21:43, 31 August 2007 (EDT)


 * Not editable in that it has no accompanying svg base file. Google maps are off-limits as their images and software are tightly wrapped up in copyrights, but you can make maps based on traces of screenshots (I believe the sat imagery is still under some sort of copyright) taken with NASA WorldWind (similar to google earth). The program I use for making traces and from them maps is Inkscape, which is linked in that article above. If you do try this out, I'll be glad to help you figure things out; you can contact me more easily on my talk page. Sorry I can't help with the hiking plans, I've never hiked in the area, unfortunately. I do know southern Utah like the back of my hand though, in case you are heading up that way ;) --(WT-en) Peter Talk 22:27, 31 August 2007 (EDT)

Changes to lede with respect to portions of the canyon located within Indian nations
I made the following changes to the lede:
 * Change "the southwestern end" to "parts of the southwestern end"
 * Reason: part of the southwestern end is located in GCNP (including the westernmost part of the canyon, as well as all of the Colorado River)


 * Change "(also known as Grand Canyon West)" to "(which includes the development known as Grand Canyon West)"
 * Reason: Grand Canyon West is just one small part of the Hualapai Indian Reservation, which also includes cites such as Peach Springs, and many miles of the canyon along the Colorado River.


 * Add sentence referring to that portion of the canyon located within the borders of the Navajo Nation. Change "All of the sections of the canyon offer amenities for visitors..." to "Except for the Navajo Nation portion, all sections of the canyon offer amenities for visitors...".
 * Reason: The Navajo Nation contains part of the southeastern canyon. However, there are not yet any tourist facilities in this section (although there's a big to-do about a potential development). --Traveling Man (talk) 14:21, 9 September 2015 (UTC)

Listing accommodations outside the park
Is it a good idea to include a listing for Jacob Lake Campground, which is described as being 45 miles north of the North Rim? How far is it from the park's limits? Ikan Kekek (talk) 16:22, 1 May 2016 (UTC)


 * Jacob Lake Campground can be a useful backup when the campgrounds in the park itself are all full, most of which need to be reserved far in advance. I think ideally this listing, along with Jacob Lake Inn and Gift Shop, should be in a separate article for the Kaibab Plateau. –StellarD (talk) 08:23, 2 May 2016 (UTC)


 * Thanks. So I'll take no action and hope someone creates that article eventually. Ikan Kekek (talk) 08:26, 2 May 2016 (UTC)
 * @Ikan Kekek, StellarD: ✅. See Kaibab Plateau. I've created it although I've never been to the north rim before. SHB2000 (talk &#124; contribs &#124; meta.wikimedia) 10:00, 20 December 2021 (UTC)

Havasupai Indian Reservation -- changes in fees/policy
I have updated fees, and policy, for the Havasupai Indian Reservation. There is no longer an official web site. The best sources are: a "secret" Facebook page (Backpacking Havasu Falls) which is monitored by tribe members; and an individual's web site at http://backpackinghavasufalls.blogspot.com/.

I have also briefly noted the insane difficulty of getting a permit. --Larry/Traveling_Man (talk) 18:06, 23 January 2017 (UTC)
 * Update -- as of 2 Feb 2017, there is a new official Havasupai web site -- http://theofficialhavasupaitribe.com/ . —The preceding comment was added by Traveling Man (talk • contribs)