7
FEWSTANDBEFOREARIZONA’SGRAND
CANYONUNMOVED.
Thespectaclethatcours-
ingwatergougedintoeonsofsedimentarybuild-
updivesamiledeep,revealingstunningstriations
ofpurple,ochre,andgoldfartherthantheeyecan
see.NaturalhistorymeetsNativeAmerican life
andWestern loreinthecanyon,providingjaw-
droppingpanoramasfromeveryanglethatmakea
childofthebeholder,nomatterhisorherage.
Parentskeentoshowtheirkidsthewonderof
thenaturalworld—andregaintheirownsenseof
awe—flocktotheGrandCanyoneachsummer,
snappingInstagramshotsattheSouthRimover-
looksintheNationalPark,daringtowalkontothe
horseshoe-shapeglass-bottomSkywalksuspended
4,000feetabovethecanyonfloor,chartering
helicopterflight-seeingtripsfromLasVegasor
Phoenix,andeven,withampleplanningandtrain-
ingtime,attemptingtherigorousrim-to-rimhike.
LessDIYandmore immersive,outfittertrips
tothecanyoncombinetheconvenienceofsup-
pliedcampinggearwiththeexpertiseofguides
equippedtomanageanyworst-casescenarios in
theruggedterrain.Choicescome instationaryor
transiting.Ofthe former,
Austin-LehmanAd-
ventures
(austinlehman.com)guidesguests into
asidecanyonoasiswhereturquoisewaterpools
atthebaseof100-footHavasuFalls, theWest’s
most invitingnaturalswimminghole.Basecamp
comescompletelyoutfittedwithtents,ham-
mocks,andpicnictables,allowingyouandyours
unscriptedtimeto forage for fossils,visitaNative
Americanvillage,andsqueezebetweennarrow
canyonwalls.Guides,meanwhile, takecareof
thenitty-grittychoresandmealmakingoverthe
courseoffiveroughing-it-freedays.
Rafting through theGrandCanyon— the
top transitoption—upends thestandardview,
framingfloor-levelviewsof
thesoaringrockwalls,mys-
teriouspetroglyphs,hidden
grottos, andnatural springs.
Inflatableraftsfloat through
areasunreachableon foot,
delvingdeep intocanyonhis-
toryandbeachingnightlyata
newriversidecampsite.
WesternRiverExpedi-
tions
(westernriver.com) lets
youandyourchildrenages
9andupgetyour feetwet in
quickthree-daytrips.Kids
asyoungasage7canraftthe
ColoradoRiverwith
OARS
(oars.com)onfive-daytrips
featuringahelicopter lifttothe launchsiteat
WhitmoreWash.Roller-coasterthrills inthe
formofmoderaterapidsaccompany logride–
stylesoakingsonthe four-dayridetoLakeMead,
andthreenightsofbackcountrycampingoer
opportunitiestohikethedesertfloor,poke into
sidecanyons,chase lizards,andwade intheriver
whileguidessetupcampandcookheartymeals.
Cuddleupwiththekidsnightlybelowatwinkling
sky,elicitingyourmostcreativestoriesandgoofi-
estsongs inplaceof iPodsandvideogames.
Longer tripsrangingseven to12days intro-
ducemoreseriouswhitewater tokidsstarting
atage12.Manystartwitha9.7-miledescent to
thecanyonflooralong theBrightAngelTrail,
providingaseriousstart to thekindof tween-
and teen-orientedoutward-bound trip that
challengesstrengthandstamina inawayno
gymcan inspire—andnoparentcan teach like
MotherNature.
—E.G.
GRANDCANYON
TAKEAWAY
Bondover your
collective senseof wonder.
Accomplishamajor physical task.
Consider the stars your nightly
show. Stripaway allmoderndis-
tractions—cell phones, Internet,
TV—andentertaineachother.
TIPS
Summer is high season
in the Grand Canyon; book tours
and rooms well in advance.
•
Test your legs on theBright An-
gel Trail, considered thepark’s
safest, stockedwithwater and
signedwithample rest areas.
•
Trips into the Grand Canyon
aren’t “glamping,” or glamorous
camping, but they are assisted
in terms of supplies and set-up.
Still, be prepared for portable
outhouses.
Theoldest buildingon
theSouthRimof theGrandCan-
yon, the two-room
RedHorse
Cabin
was built as a stagecoach
stop in1890andmoved to the
headof theBright Angel Trail in
1902, where it servedover the
years as ahotel, apost office,
andmost recently a storage facil-
ity. After a recent renovation to
modernize the log structure, the
cabin, which features a stone
fireplace, is onceagainaguest
cottage, thebest of the rooms
andcabins rentedby neighbor
Bright Angel Lodge. Cabinover-
nights$340. (888) 297-2757,
grandcanyonlodges.com
STAY
39
celebratedliving.com
SUMMER2013
