Winter Van Life: Grand Canyon National Park
Embarking on van life, we had no intention of visiting National Parks because we have Bruce Leroy, our dog. Yes, dogs are allowed to enter National Parks, but where they are permitted is limited.
I have a bucket list of hikes I want to do that are not dog-friendly, including The Narrows at Zion National Park, and the Rim-to-Rim in Grand Canyon. I keep a mental list of all the places and things I want to do after our dog dies. This doesn’t mean I’m counting down the days. I literally tear up thinking about the day Bruce Leroy will no longer be in our lives. But, our lives revolve around him, so certain plans just have to wait.
Why not hire a dog sitter?
Bruce is special. He is blind, mostly deaf, senior, with a frail back, and has separation anxiety. He’s lost the use of his hind legs twice.
Not all dog sitters are created equal, and not everyone is equipped to handle all of Bruce’s quirks. I only entrust Bruce’s care to people that meet specific criteria, including their home environment. Dog sitters are not always readily available either.
As we’ve been traveling from ski resort to ski resort, we’ve passed a lot of amazing places, including National Parks. Regardless of having a dog and not having intentions of visiting National Parks at this point in our lives, it’s hard to just drive on by.
While having a dog with you in a National Park can be limiting, every park we chose to visit was worth it. Visiting National Parks during winter can come with fewer crowds and freshly snow-covered landscapes you don’t get to experience in the middle of summer.
We decided on a minor detour to Grand Canyon’s South Rim on our way from Arizona Snowbowl to Brian Head in Utah in March 2019. (North Rim is closed in winter.) If you directly travel between the two ski resorts, driving distance is about 300 miles. If you enter Grand Canyon’s South Rim at the South Entrance Station and exit at the East Entrance Station, it only takes you 80 miles out of the way.
Please see a map of the South Rim so you can identify the places we mention.
Park entry
See Grand Canyon’s Fees & Passes.
We purchased an America the Beautiful Pass while driving through the South Entrance Station. The Annual Pass was only $80 at the time and would give us access to all National Parks, as well as access to other federal recreation sites for one year. Some National Parks charge as much as $35 per vehicle to enter without a pass.
Campground reservations
See Grand Canyon’s South Rim Campground Information.
We booked three nights at Mather Campground in Grand Canyon Village. There was a lot of availability, and during our stay, the campground never got to full occupancy.
I also looked into the Trailer Village RV Park. There were far fewer sites available, and it was a lot more expensive. Since Mather Campground had access to showers, sites that accommodate rigs up to 30 feet, and we didn’t need full hookups, we chose to stay there.
Services
See Grand Canyon’s Goods & Services.
Showers, a laundry facility, and a camp store are available at Camper Services. Depending on your site location in Mather Campground, it’s a long walk or short drive.
Further away, the Market Plaza also offers showers and a laundry facility in case Camper Services closest to Mather gets too busy.
One evening we arrived at the Camper Services showers at the same time a couple of vans pulled up with a group of backpackers. All the showers were quickly occupied. If I recall correctly, there were about ten showers in both the men’s and women’s facilities. We didn’t have to wait too long, though.
Showers ran hot, and the water pressure was strong.
Canyon Village Market & Deli is also located at the Market Plaza, along with a post office and bank.
The dump station near Mather Campground is closed during winter.
Cell service and internet access
See Grand Canyon’s statement about Internet & Cellular Access.
At Mather Campground, the AT&T service on my iPhone was in and out, even using our WeBoost. The only thing I could do was send and receive texts, but it was intermittent.
In the Camper Services parking lot, AT&T cell service was reliable enough for texts and emails on my iPhone. The cell service wasn’t strong enough to reliably work on my Mac connected to the AT&T Hotspot on my iPhone, though. While I could do all of my work directly on my iPhone, when I have to type a lot, I get annoyed quickly.
The free WiFi at Camper Services was also not strong enough for me to work on my Mac.
My best option was the Starbucks just outside of the park entrance in the town of Tusayan six miles away. They offered free WiFi, and I was able to reliably and quickly send and receive emails from my Mac. I was also able to work in other apps needed for my job that struggle most when service is poor.
Tusayan also has strong AT&T cell service. I was able to connect my Mac to my AT&T iPhone Hotspot and access all my work tools reliably.
There is one thing to keep in mind if you decide to rely on visits to Tusayan for cell service and WiFi. You have to exit and reenter the park. Depending on the time of day and the time of year, the line to get back in could be very long. Think of hours. Keep an eye on the Grand Canyon South Entrance Station webcam. During our visit in March, the line seemed to stay short. Only a few cars deep.
Throughout the South Rim, I also discovered that walking along the edge of Grand Canyon on the Rim Trail, I could send and receive emails and texts in certain areas. The most reliable AT&T service I found within the park was the parking lot at Park Headquarters.
Weather conditions in March
See Grand Canyon’s Winter Visits page.
Our visit in the first half of March 2019, the weather was sunny and beautiful. But a storm had blown through before our arrival. Temperatures were below freezing, and our campsite had snow. A snowplow had come through and cleared the campground roads, but a berm was left at all campsite driveways. So be prepared to shovel depending on your vehicle’s clearance.
Dog-friendly sightseeing
See Grand Canyon’s pet information.
The Rim Trail in the South Rim allows dogs on-leash. Dogs are not permitted on any trails below the rim. We spent our Grand Canyon visit parking in a few different places and walking different portions of the 13-mile trail. See our Parking section below for where we parked.
Please note, certain sections of the trail can get icy. In some areas, you may be tempted to walk off the trail and peek down Grand Canyon’s rim, where no guard rail exists. Exercise caution and stay on the trail!
We observed a couple on our visit, each partner taking turns lowering their body while on their bellies down the side of the rim to get their perfect photo. This is not recommended! There are plenty of safe spots to take a beautiful picture with you and the Grand Canyon in the background.
Upon seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time, it reminded me of that scene from the movie Vacation, when Clark Griswold also sees the Grand Canyon for the first time. It’s really just a quick glance with a couple of head nods, and then he hurries his family along like there was nothing special about it. We saw a few different people playing out the scene, and I giggled every time.
Parking for the Rim Trail
See Grand Canyon’s RV Parking Tips.
During the afternoon on a weekday, we could not find a parking spot at the Grand Canyon Village Visitor Center after doing some rounds. Regular parking spaces were a little tight for our rig, and RV parking was primarily taken by passenger vehicles. When parking is limited, you’ll see this a lot in National Parks.
We chose to park a short distance down the road at Yavapai Lodge. We checked everywhere for signs indicating the parking was for guests only, but we couldn’t find any. The parking lot was nearly empty anyway, so we didn’t think our parking there would create an inconvenience for anyone.
From Yavapai Lodge parking, we walked to the Grand Canyon Village Visitor Center to catch the Rim Trail.
We also parked at Lot A at Park Headquarters. From there, a short trail meets up with the Rim Trail. This lot was never full during our visit.
We also parked at Lot D near the Backcountry Information Center and walked up the Rim Trail toward Hermits Rest.
Leaving Grand Canyon
The day we left the park, we exited using Desert View Drive through the East Entrance Station. Along Desert View Drive, we parked at various points for photos, as well as the Desert View Watchtower.
From there, we continued our journey toward Brian’s Head Resort in Utah. But not before a stop at Zion National Park.
