Expert: Judy Hedding - 8/18/2007

Question
Hello:  I am wondering how far the Grand Canyon National Park area is from Mesa, Arizona?.  I will be in Mesa in Oct. and am wanting to drive to the Grand Canyon with my daughter.  Is it a day trip?.  Is it an overnight trip?.  If over night is best, where would you recommend to stay?.  Finally, are there bus trips from Mesa to the Grand Canyon that are day trips or an over night trip?.  Thank you so much.  PS  Accommodations as cheap as possible please.

Answer
Hello Andrea,

Mesa is pretty big, but let's guess-timate about 270 miles. As I discuss in this article, it's a very long day trip. If you are the only driver, I recommend an overnighter.
http://phoenix.about.com/cs/daytrips/a/grandcanyon01.htm

Lodging at Tusayan:
http://kayak.about.com/s/hotels.jsp?completed=true&searchid=NBvzzQu939dFIf_1uyK4

Or you can stay a bit farther away (but spend less) in Flagstaff--it's about 80 miles from the Grand Canyon.

Gray Line has a 14 hour tour; it's a long day, but you can nap and read while they drive!
http://www.graylinearizona.com/sightseeing.cfm?tour_id=344&action=tour_detail

The Train is a memorable trip.
http://www.thetrain.com/reservations/
It's about a 3 hour drive to Williams.

Enjoy!

Judy Hedding
About.com Guide to Phoenix, AZ
http://phoenix.about.com

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