A few weeks ago, I revealed that I’m going to Phoenix, Arizona for spring break next year. The plan is to simply enjoy a few days in the sun while relaxing in the resort’s lazy river and watching our school troubles melt away.
A few people have said to me, “Of course you’re going to the Grand Canyon, right?” Although I’ve been there twice, my kids have never seen it.
The short answer is no, we’re just not into it. Gasp! It’s almost un-American to say that.
The long answer is that for this trip, there are several reasons why we’re skipping the Grand Canyon.
The Crowds
When I was in high school, I visited Yellowstone National Park one summer. I prepared to be amazed by the scenery and wildlife I would see there. The reality was that most of our time inside the park was spent in traffic jams. And Old Faithful? I could barely even see it due to the crowds of people in front of me. (Check out this more recent experience by a couple who visited in the summer).
I’m not a huge fan of crowds, especially when I visit nature. And the crowds at the national parks have grown tremendously over the past several years. According to the National Park Service, in the last 10 years visitors have increased by 20%. Over 330 million people visited U.S. national parks last year.
Social media has helped increase the popularity of the parks. Five of the top 20 most Instagrammed places in the U.S. are national parks.
The Every Kid in a Park program, which gives every 4th grader free park admission for a year, has also spurred a growth in visitors. And, according to this article in the LA Times, low gas prices mean more people are taking road trips to the parks.
I’ve read reports and seen photos of the crowds at Yosemite National Park in the summer. No, thanks!
Last year, the Grand Canyon welcomed over 6 million visitors, a 42% increase in the last 10 years!
Of course, there are ways to avoid the crowds at national parks. Go early in the morning and avoid peak dates. Unfortunately, we will be in Arizona over spring break. Since my kids are getting older, off-season travel is no longer an option for my family.
The Distance and Purpose of Trip
The Grand Canyon is 3 ½ to 4 hours by car from Phoenix. So, we would be spending 7 to 8 hours in the car (or tour bus) round-trip. My kids can barely survive the 5-hour drive to my in-laws without killing each other. We are just not a good road trip family. By the time we add in a few hours to spend at the park, we would likely be gone at least 12 hours, which is a very long day.
If we were going to be gone that long, I don’t want to waste the points or cash on a nice resort like the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak. If the Grand Canyon was maybe an hour or two away, I’d reconsider.
Also, the purpose of our spring break trip is to relax and chill by a pool. Since I’ll likely have the kids by myself without the help of my husband for this trip, I’m not up for tackling strenuous activities like I attempted on our trip to Washington, D.C.
Later next year, we will be visiting Australia and New Zealand. Unlike this spring break trip, we won’t be lounging around at one resort when we go down under. We will be staying in several places, driving to different areas and spending more of our time exploring outdoor wonders. So don’t worry about us, not all of our vacations are spent lounging at cookie-cutter resorts.
Junior Ranger Badge Program Not a Draw
My family has been to several national park sites, and I’ve tried to get my kids involved in the Junior Ranger badge program. In case you’re not familiar with the program, kids ages 5-13 can complete a worksheet about the site and then earn a patch, badge or certificate from the park. Some kids set a goal to get a large number of badges and sew them onto a vest.
However, my kids are just not interested in earning the badges or spending time on the worksheets. We’ve tried at the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and most recently at the Castillo de San Marcos in Saint Augustine, Florida. Maybe it’s because two of my kids have ADHD, but they are more drawn to the hands-on crafts and demonstrations by park rangers.
So, going to the Grand Canyon just for the junior ranger badge is not a draw for my family.
Alternatives to National Parks
If you don’t want to visit a national park due to distance or crowds, check out state and local parks. Although they don’t have the “cool” factor that the national parks have gained, there are still some really great parks that are worth exploring.
We’ve visited two other big canyons in the U.S., Palo Duro Canyon in Texas and Waimea Canyon in Kauai. Guess what? They are both state parks.
During our spring break trip to Phoenix, we may explore a local desert park near Phoenix for half a day. My kids have never seen desert topography before, so it might be a worthwhile excursion. Or, depending on how we feel, we just may skip it and stay poolside. The great thing about getting older is I couldn’t give a hoot about what others think of our vacation plans.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to avoid national parks. I’d still like to travel to Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas since it’s only a 5-hour drive, and I’m open to visiting other parks. I’m just not obsessed with visiting national parks and they are not at the top of my family’s vacation wish list.
Bottom Line
Making the trek to the Grand Canyon from Phoenix over spring break isn’t the right choice for my family. But, it might be for yours, and that’s ok. Just like the Diet Coke commercial, “just do you”. Don’t shame me for not going out of my way to visit a national park, and I won’t shame you for skipping Disney or foregoing the beach on your next trip to Florida. Deal?
Have you visited the Grand Canyon? Do you think it was worth the drive? Do your kids earn the Junior Ranger badges? What is your favorite national park? Do you have a favorite state or local park that is not as well known?
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Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
I’m with you about having a relaxing trip with no sightseeing. Sometimes you just have to chill and enjoy each other’s company without being stuck in a car for hours and hours.
We took the kids to Grand Canyon for a day while on a road trip – we did Vegas, Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon, Sedona and ended it with baseball in Phoenix for Spring Training. The Grand Canyon is impressive and absolutely beautiful, but there’s something that I love about Sedona that is truly unique. However, my favorite park is Waimea Canyon…nothing beats a “Grand Canyon” by the ocean, but my husband loves Yosemite (you want to talk about crowded, and we went on a non-peak weekend).
@Stephanie That sounds like a great trip! I’ve never been near Yosemite, but the crowd reports absolutely terrify me!
My favorite comment from our Facebook page: “Heck I live in Phoenix (26 years) and my 18 year old son has never been! No shame here!”
LOL! Ok, that’s too funny. I wonder if there’s anything within 4 hours of my home that I haven’t seen that I should…I mean, probably? But I live in indiana. Not exactly a tourist destination ????
@Kacie I lived in the DFW area for 10 years before I made it over to the famous Fort Worth Stockyards. Just not a huge desire to go there, yet all the DFW tourists go there. I still thought it was mainly a bunch of overpriced stores, but the cows still parade down the street.
For a relatively easy hike go to Hole in the Rock. We did that a few years ago when we went to Arizona. Only 20 minute drive from resort it looks like.
Thanks for the recommendation, Paul! That looks cool.
Try Sedona
@HML Nah, that’s still 4 hours in the car and likely a full day trip. I’ve been to Sedona before and it’s lovely, but I don’t think my kids would appreciate it. Gosh, I sound so lazy, don’t I? My mind is fixed on that lazy river.
I totally get it. Sure, I would love to see Grand Canyon, and personally would be tempted to add it. We flew over it years ago, and I’ve been wanting to experience it at the ground level. But! I totally get your desire to chill and avoid any stressful activities during spring break. Enjoy and don’t worry about it. Grand Canyon will still be there later.
@Leana You are much more ambitious on trips than I am! Maybe if I hadn’t already seen the Grand Canyon I’d have more of a desire to make it happen on this trip. My kids have no desire to see it.
At most we might do something like this: https://www.360-adventures.com/jeep-tours/
We have a series of national parks coming up during various trips: Death Valley, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Trying to make sure my dates aren’t peak, because yah.
Even state parks near me are crowded during holiday weekends and it just isn’t that fun. Off-peak or bust!
I think your Phoenix trip sounds like just what you’ll need for that vacation.
@Kacie I miss my off-peak trips! It sounds like some of the parks are less crowded and more manageable than others, even at peak times. In that blog post I linked to above, the couple had a perfectly fine trip to the Grand Tetons right before their over-crowded stop at Yellowstone.
Nancy, you know how in love I am with the Grand Canyon, but I totally get it. Peak season at the Grand Canyon takes a lot of prepping to know how to deal with the transportation issue or getting in and around the park. When we took our family just two year ago, we spent a lot of time just figuring out how to minimize our wait times for the shuttles. Seriously, it took so much of our brain power to keep recalculating what we had time to do based on how long it would take to get the shuttles. Seriously, the NPS needs to get in touch with Disney to create an app to help people manage wait times at various shuttle stops and overlook points. That would be brilliant!
To understand Grand Canyon best, you really need to do one of the activities in the park, like a helicopter tour, major hike, river trip, or mule trip. This can be costly and requires more than a quick few hours in the park. Enjoy your time in Phoenix! If you do want a quick day trip, I also recommend Sedona.
Next summer we’re going to Yellowstone. I’m already preparing myself for the crowds and traffic. Oy!
@Erin I have (mostly) fond memories of hiking the Bright Angel trail with you! That was a tough one, but a great way to see the Grand Canyon. I agree, NPS needs to study Disney to help with crowd control. I’ve been to Disney parks these past several summers and have managed to largely avoid long lines due to the great Fast Pass systems and dining reservations.
It’s good that you’re preparing yourself for crowds and traffic and Yellowstone in the summer. I just didn’t expect it at all. I remember being pushed and shoved at Old Faithful. I was shocked. And that was with ’90s crowds, not even the higher crowds of today. But I know you’ll figure out a way and you’ll enjoy your trip.
Eh, no need to apologize. My wife and I were in Sedona a couple years ago and didn’t bother making the drive, and while I’ve seen it, she hasn’t. Why? We only had a few days there and didn’t want to spend extra time in the car. And frankly… while the Grand Canyon is cool to see… I don’t think it’s as impressive as most think it is. There. I said it.
It’s so spread out it’s hard to grasp it all. IMO the sights in Sedona are more fascinating. Frankly the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is far more impressive than the Grand Canyon; while “only” 1,000 feet deep it’s much narrower and has a more defined drop off. Add in the waterfall… simply breathtaking.
Don’t get me wrong… everyone should see it. But I’ve seen it once, and really in no hurry to go back. The other two places I mentioned however… I would love to visit again! And if you get the chance to visit the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone at night under a full moon… wow. That’s a moment I’ll never forget.
The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone sounds amazing! I wonder if I could visit without getting stuck in traffic 🙂