Grand Canyon in Winter

[TragedyTrousers]

Anyone ever camp in Grand Canyon during winter? I was thinking of going around Christmas and New Years. Thinking of camping at Mather CG and would luv to see the Canyon in snow.

[D_E_Bishop]

We have been there when there was snow on the ground and it is fantastic for viewing and photography. We had the DGKs during what was then called "Easter Break", now spring break, so sometime around mid-March. Not much in the line of crowds and roads clear. I too vote for Trailer Village, we have used Mather as much or more than TV but with cold and snowy weather, electric is nice.

We both have disabled signs so for us it is nice to drive to all points. The shuttles are better than driving except for the waits at times. Neither of us can stand still for long so a five minute wait requires a walker or wheelchair and they are difficult to get on and off the shuttles. The drivers will help and most visitors but still a hassle.

Good luck and if you have the ability to put a filter on your camera, get a polarizing filter. I have pictures from one of our AK trips and the blue of the glaciers comes out fantastic. The filter gets rid of the ice glare. As an added benefit, it is easier to clean than your lens.

[TragedyTrousers]

GordonThree wrote:

2gypsies wrote:
Definitely stay in the park at Trailer Village RV so you could have electric for heat. Mather doesn't have electric and I'm not sure it's even open in winter. If you can drive there in snow it would be a very special place to be in winter. I've seen pictures of RVs there.

It was open for 2015, and that campground was actually busier than Trailer Village. I don't know how those young people were staying warm, it was really cold with the wind chill, and that's from someone from Northern Michigan.

To the OP:
I don't know where my pictures went from that trip. I don't think I took many, because operating the camera with gloves was too much hassle. As I recall, there was 4-5" of snow on the ground in the campground. The roads were plowed, with patches of heavy ice.

The little cafe at Hermit's Rest was not serving food or beverage, but their gift store was open. Parking was VERY restricted out there, many spots were filled by the snow plow hills. Some folks with the fancy jeeps and toyotas saw those hills as a way to show off their expensive toys.

Expect icy walkways at the various overlooks, and icy parking lots. If you don't have some yet, get YAKTRAX (or other suitable slip-on traction devices) for everyone who will be out and about. The NPS does not use salt, they use volcanic cinder, which requires bright sun to work. The cinders themselves are also slippery when you walk on them over bare concrete.

Yaktrax, Had to look that one up. Interesting, never knew they had a product like that.

[Lauren]

Thanks, profdant139, I do not put links in much so was not sure how to do it. I think I know now though.

That was only the 2nd slide show I had done and it got longer than I had originally anticipated. And I wanted that music. Hence it got a little long.

Love the Grand Canyon! We will be there once again at Trailer Village in Sept. Were there last Oct and made the reservations - they only had 14 spots left for when we picked in Sept.

[TragedyTrousers]

profdant139 wrote:
Here are click-able links to Lauren's photos and video -- but fair warning. Once you see this stuff, you will drop everything to go see GC in the snow:

Lauren's photos

Lauren's video

On the video, the winter stuff starts at around 3:35. But the whole thing is worth watching, I think.

Thanks for sharing that, awesome pictures and video. Nice selection of music for the video as I like Enya.

[TragedyTrousers]

agesilaus wrote:
NatGeo

NPS

If you had searched on "south rim winter" you would have found the above and more.

Thanks for those sites, yes I had already checked the NPS site but not the NatGeo. Never been there before and was looking to see what other personal experiences have been there. Only thing I would be bit concerned with would driving conditions. I have MH towing a toad. Never drove my MH in snow before. Been out to Yellowstone last Sept and we had a few inches but it melted by the we left.

[profdant139]

Here are click-able links to Lauren's photos and video -- but fair warning. Once you see this stuff, you will drop everything to go see GC in the snow:

Lauren's photos

Lauren's video

On the video, the winter stuff starts at around 3:35. But the whole thing is worth watching, I think.

[GordonThree]

2gypsies wrote:
Definitely stay in the park at Trailer Village RV so you could have electric for heat. Mather doesn't have electric and I'm not sure it's even open in winter. If you can drive there in snow it would be a very special place to be in winter. I've seen pictures of RVs there.

It was open for 2015, and that campground was actually busier than Trailer Village. I don't know how those young people were staying warm, it was really cold with the wind chill, and that's from someone from Northern Michigan.

To the OP:
I don't know where my pictures went from that trip. I don't think I took many, because operating the camera with gloves was too much hassle. As I recall, there was 4-5" of snow on the ground in the campground. The roads were plowed, with patches of heavy ice.

The little cafe at Hermit's Rest was not serving food or beverage, but their gift store was open. Parking was VERY restricted out there, many spots were filled by the snow plow hills. Some folks with the fancy jeeps and toyotas saw those hills as a way to show off their expensive toys.

Expect icy walkways at the various overlooks, and icy parking lots. If you don't have some yet, get YAKTRAX (or other suitable slip-on traction devices) for everyone who will be out and about. The NPS does not use salt, they use volcanic cinder, which requires bright sun to work. The cinders themselves are also slippery when you walk on them over bare concrete.

[RGar974417]

I would make sure you have chains and a snow shovel. We have the kind that slip through the wheels. They go on easy and are made to get you out of a jam, not to drive many miles on. We were there in late April one year and had about 6" of snow on the ground then.

[Lauren]

In March about three years ago we went there. I am now a professional photographer and I want to see in with snow. Well, we did! Got snowed into Trailer Village. I went out very carefully during the white out snowstorm and got some great shots. Then went out for the next day. As storms do it cleared out all the haze in the canyon and I got shots to die for. Two have won several prizes and I have printed them up to 36 to 48 inches on canvas and sold many.

See my website www.LaurensPix.com for some and / or when you have 8 1/2 minutes you can see my Youtube video that they second half is in this storm - great music as well. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY3j9G1g4sw

Enjoy but be safe.

[2gypsies1]

Definitely stay in the park at Trailer Village RV so you could have electric for heat. Mather doesn't have electric and I'm not sure it's even open in winter. If you can drive there in snow it would be a very special place to be in winter. I've seen pictures of RVs there.

[GordonThree]

TragedyTrousers wrote:
Anyone ever camp in Grand Canyon during winter? I was thinking of going around Christmas and New Years. Thinking of camping at Mather CG and would luv to see the Canyon in snow.

It's great, spent Christmas 2015 at trailer village. On Xmas Eve and Day the crowds weren't bad. Day after Xmas, the line to the gate was 6 miles long. I was smiling, leaving before the rush. Mostly California and Nevada plates coming in.

There wasn't much snow in the canyon itself, but there was plenty around the buildings... They were short about half their parking spaces due to huge piles of snow.

There was no water fill available due to extreme cold. Days were in the teens with strong wind chill, nights below zero.

[Busskipper]

TragedyTrousers wrote:
Anyone ever camp in Grand Canyon during winter? I was thinking of going around Christmas and New Years. Thinking of camping at Mather CG and would luv to see the Canyon in snow.

Truly Special!!!!

[rv2go]

We got got in a light snow fall in April of 2001. The snow capped rocks were pretty.
I would go for Trailer Village in order to have the electric.

[BB_TX]

Not camping, but drove there once a number of yrs ago in mid December, a day after a heavy snowfall. Absolutely stunning. Apparently the snow had scared off everyone else. I was alone at almost every overlook. Clear blue sky, dead calm, about 40 degrees, and so quiet you could actually hear the river at a couple of the overlooks. A once in a lifetime experience.