Ever since last winter, we've been talking about returning to one of the national parks that we had visited in the past to see it in the snow with the winter wildlife out.  By January, it looked like another winter was going to pass us by without any national park visits - it was time to act fast.  We would have really liked to go to Rocky Mountain National Park, or return to Yellowstone, but due to our limited time we selected a closer destination - Grand Canyon National Park (not a bad third choice).  Checking the weather for about a week before, it looked like it could be anywhere from 4 degrees and snowy to 60 degrees and rainy... We hoped for snow more than rain, but could do without temps quite that low.

Caroline picked Scott up from work at 1:30, as Scott's boss likes to ditch early on Fridays herself to go camping from time to time, and we headed to Flagstaff for the night - about 4 1/2 hours away.  While the Flagstaff Suites should be avoided at all costs (a rare Hotwire miss), we had great beer and good food at the crowded Beaver Street Brewing Company downtown and would recommend it.  It was less than two miles away, and we decided to walk (allowing us to maximize the brewery portion of the establishment).  Since the 'shortcut' through campus looked somewhat circuitous, Scott carried along our GPS to make sure that we would indeed eventually get there.

The next morning, we drove the hour and 15 minutes north to the Grand Canyon.  There were a few sprinkles on the way, and the ranger at the pay station told us we wouldn't get much for views, but as soon as we go to the rim the sky started clearing up.  With the crazy weather of the past week, we weren't sure what condition the trails would be in.  After testing out a few steps of the Bright Angel Trail, we agreed that crampons would help out immensely, so it was off to the general store to pick some up before heading down the trail.  There wasn't as much snow as we'd hoped for, since recent warm temperatures had melted much of it away.  The packed snow on the trail was either icy (easy walking with crampons) or slushy, muddy pools of melted snow mixed with mule feces.  This made it even more important to avoid slipping and falling.  It was slow going, and we only made it to the 1-1/2 mile station below the rim before having our sandwiches (made with supplies brought from home) and heading back up.  Even though that first ranger warned us the views wouldn't be great, we had beautiful scenery and got some excellent photos along the way.

We managed a few more stops at viewpoints along the rim and a trip to Hermit's Rest lodge before deciding to cool our heels at the El Tovar lodge with some beverages.  We managed to score a spot on a couch in front of the fireplace and enjoyed warming up while planning the rest of our weekend.  Some Japanese tourists came in and started posing, one by one, in front of the fireplace to have their photos taken.  One of them asked (non-verbally) if he could borrow Scott's coffee, which was in a photo-worthy glass mug, to have a prop to pose with.  Scott obliged, of course.

The Holiday Inn Express in Tusayan, AZ right outside the park proved a better lodging option than the Flagstaff Suites, and we ended up going to be early - all of that walking around in the cold took a lot out of us.  We fit in some rim-walking on the Rim Trail the next morning before heading back in the direction of central New Mexico, and also enjoyed a stunning scenic overlook by the Little Colorado River where, similar to Four Corners, you have to walk through a tiny Native American market to get to the overlook.

A great, but all too short, trip.  We hope to continue some winter park visits in the future... Maybe Rocky Mountain National Park or Yellowstone will be in the cards for next December.

Required footwear for snowy winter hiking

Scott adjusts his crampons on the Bright Angel Trail

We pose for a self-portrait before taking a picnic-lunch break at the Mile-and-a-Half Rest Station on the Bright Angel Trail

Caroline ponders the vastness of the Canyon on the Bright Angel Trail

Bright Angel Trail

A common wildlife pose (at least for our camera!)

Female elk, sporting winter neck attire

Scott takes in the Canyon from a cliff-side viewpoint

View of the Little Colorado River from a Navajo-owned overlook outside the park