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The Grand Canyon has always been a bucket list item for me. Seeing it from an airliner on the way to Las Vegas was a tease. So was going just 50 miles south of it on my Route 66 trip last year, only to pass it by because one of our group was suffering from altitude sickness. So as I left Colorado to make my way to Arizona for the winter, I made it a point to get there this time around. I spent nearly two weeks exploring the South Rim, camping for free and exploring both paved and unpaved roads all around one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Here’s how I did it.
Free Camping
Photo: Justin Hughes
You can choose from a number of paid campgrounds inside Grand Canyon National Park. Mather Campground is close to the visitor center and the town of Tusayan. Desert View Campground is at the east end of the park, and requires reservations. At both of these campgrounds, a “family site” costs $18 a night, or $9 if you have a “senior or access pass.” This includes the America the Beautiful annual pass, which I have.
Nine dollars a night is a bargain for a campground, but even this can add up during an extended stay. I opted for one of the worst-kept secrets in camping: dispersed camping in the adjoining Kaibab National Forest, where you’re allowed to camp for free for up to 14 days. I chose to stay close to the conveniences available in Tusayan, with a site on Long Jim Loop Road just outside town. While not a developed campground, there are obvious places to stay suitable for rigs of all sizes, from motorcycles to bus-sized RVs. I parked my moto-glamping rig at a site right along Long Jim Loop Road, with two trees the perfect distance apart for my hammock. During the day there was constant noise from tour helicopters and airplanes, but the evenings and nights were as quiet as could be.
Image: US Forest Service
If you’d prefer to camp someplace quieter and more secluded, the Kaibab National Forest has an extensive network of Forest Service roads, most of which are open to motorized travel. This map shows you where you are and are not allowed to ride. The major roads are easy for any vehicle to navigate. A seemingly endless amount of campsites enable you to stay as close to or far from civilization as you prefer. There are also plenty of hotels and other dwellings for rent both in Tusayan and in the park itself.
The Grand Canyon
Photo: Justin Hughes
While Kaibab National Forest is worth exploring for its own sake, let’s talk about the Grand Canyon itself. A seven-day admission pass costs $30 for a motorcycle, or $35 for a car, truck, camper, etc. The America the Beautiful annual pass covers your admission. At $80 for a year of unlimited access to all National Parks plus discounted camping fees, I highly recommend it for all travelers. It’ll pay for itself in just two or three park visits.
Image: National Park Service
The South Gate is just a few miles north of Tusayan and the nearby free camping. This is the most popular route in and out of the park. Wait times here can be long if you judge it wrong, so arriving first thing in the morning is your best bet to maximize your time in the park. There is ample parking at the visitor center, which is worth checking out. Mather Point is right there, offering a breathtaking first look at the Grand Canyon itself.
You can hike the Rim Trail along the side of the canyon itself, hop back on the bike, or take one of the free shuttle buses to other areas of the park. You could ride to the visitor’s center, then slip into something a bit more comfortable than your riding gear, and either hike or take the shuttle buses to explore this area rather than ride everywhere. In fact, you have to either hike or take a shuttle bus to get all the way out to Hermits Point. Due to heavy traffic and insufficient parking, this road is closed to all but shuttle buses.
If you pay to stay in the park, you can get everything you need right here without ever leaving. There’s a well-stocked market, a bank, a post office, and even a library. Visitors traveling Interstate 40 or Route 66 can take a train from Williams, 50 miles south, and arrive in the middle of the Village.
Photo: Justin Hughes
These areas are neat, but they’re not where the good riding is. For that, make your way back to Route 64 near Tusayan, then turn east on Desert View Drive, which is also Route 64. The next 22 miles wind along the South Rim, with breathtaking views and numerous points and pull-offs where you can stop and admire the scenery. The pavement is in great shape and off-road travel is prohibited, so this is not a challenging ride. This isn’t about the challenge. It’s about the Grand Canyon.
Photo: Justin Hughes
Just before the east gate, the Desert View Watchtower is worth checking out. Unfortunately you can’t go up the tower itself, but the Grand Canyon itself is beautiful as it turns north back toward Colorado. Beyond to the east is Navajo land and the Painted Desert.
For an extended ride, continue out the east gate and follow Route 64 all the way to the town of Cameron, then take US 89 south toward Flagstaff. A loop road will take you through the Wupatki National Monument, where you can explore 900-year-old pueblos where Natives lived long before western civilization touched this area. The loop road also takes you to Sunset Crater, a dormant volcano that last erupted 1,000 years ago. Recent wildfires have damaged this area pretty badly, but some areas are open for hiking.
Photo: Justin Hughes
Both of these National Monuments cost $25 each to get into, with no motorcycle discount. You don’t need to be a mathematician to figure out that if you do this loop, the $80 annual pass costs the same as the individual entry fees for these three parks alone. It pays for itself here, and gives you free access and cheaper camping for the rest of the year.
There is almost no dirt riding available in Grand Canyon National Park itself, but Kaibab National Forest and its extensive Forest Service road system will give you what you want, as easy or challenging as you want it to be. There are a number of dirt roads that connect with Kaibab National Forest all up and down the South Rim. In fact, if you plan your route correctly (or just get lucky, like I did), you can make your way in and out of the park this way and avoid any wait at the gates. Of course, I would discourage you from using this as a way to get into the park for free. It’s well worth the cost of admission, it’s the right thing to do, and it’s the law. If you have an America the Beautiful pass, just carry it with you so you can show it to any ranger who asks. None ever asked me.
Tours and Trips
Another option for exploring the area is taking a tour, by land or by air. I’d never flown in a helicopter before, so I decided to check off two of my bucket list items at the same time by taking a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon. I took mine through Maverick Helicopters. The 25-minute ride costs $289, but with the 45-minute ride just a few dollars more at $319, I splurged for the extended tour. Papillon offers similar tours at similar rates, as well as airplane tours if you’re not comfortable on a helicopter. You can get a sample of what I saw in this video, but there’s nothing like actually experiencing it for yourself. Plus, you can do a bit of aerial reconnaissance before tackling the area on your bike.
Papillon also offers land tours in Humvees that have been converted into small tour buses for $114. Despite the Humvee’s excellent off-road prowess, you don’t leave pavement on this tour, but you do get to see all the best views on the South Rim and avoid the crowds. Pink Adventure Tours offers similar tours in converted Jeeps. A two-hour tour costs $109, three hours is $128, and the premium sunset tour is $148. Since parking a motorcycle is easy even at crowded overlooks, I’d save the money on the sunset tour, but definitely take your bike to check out the sunset at least once, if not every night you’re here.
Photo: Justin Hughes
One Day I Shall Come Back
I spent a total of 13 days camping just outside the Grand Canyon in Kaibab National Forest. I left a day earlier than I had to when I woke up to a 35ºF morning and decided to go someplace warmer. I was camped at 7,300 feet elevation, which is how near-winter temperatures were possible in early October.
But even in just under two weeks, I only saw a fraction of what this area has to offer. I also didn’t explore the North Rim at all (except on my helicopter ride). It’s only a few miles away by air, but about 200 miles to get there by road. I’d love to take my entire moto-glamping rig to the North Rim on a separate trip. With free 14-day camping available on both sides, I could spend a month at the Grand Canyon. During the right time of year, that sounds like a lot of fun.
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