I mentioned Tusayan because if the teens. Thought if it's cold they might enjoy the indoor pool.

Anonymous wrote:Also if you have the cash and can get it, the 4 suites at El Tovar are amazing. They have enormous patios that overlook the south rom so you’re just sitting there relaxing with nothing between you and the canyon. I just keep checking back on the website until one popped with availability. Obviously more expensive but the most amazing view I’ve ever had from a hotel room.

This. Amazing.

Also if you have the cash and can get it, the 4 suites at El Tovar are amazing. They have enormous patios that overlook the south rom so you’re just sitting there relaxing with nothing between you and the canyon. I just keep checking back on the website until one popped with availability. Obviously more expensive but the most amazing view I’ve ever had from a hotel room.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are lots of hotels in Tusayan some with indoor pools. We stayed there. Dinner at El Tovar after watching sunset outside is memorable.

How far is that from the Grand Canyon?

We just left there this morning. It was an easy maybe 10–15 minutes to the visitors center early in the morning. Highly recommend a place IN the park. We didn’t really understand the lay of the land from maps but the benefits of being there for sunrise, sunset, and star gazing made us wish we spent the extra money to be in the park. You can get some with rim views but I don’t think it’s that necessary since you can just cross a walking path.

In Tusayan, we stayed at the Grand Hotel at the Grand Canyon and they have some affiliation with the park as we saw them running tour buses. It was a fine hotel but really just a “mountain lodge” designed chain hotel.

Williams is about 45 minutes south so I don’t see much of an advantage to staying there.

El Tovar still has availability through December, Thinderbird and Bright angelldges also have availability. All three are right on the rim. Note some of the rooms do not have bathrooms in the room—they are down the hall. Just check. To my mind there is. Nothing better than staying right on the rim. Especially in winter with the short days it’s great to be there at sunrise and sunset and. It have to drive through the park in the dark. It will be cold but anyone’s guess whether there will be snow (which is beautiful but makes it harder to hike onto the canyon.)
The el Tovar dining room is really good — I’ve had both breakfast and dinner there and both were delicious. There is also a great market down the road in the park that sells stuff to pick up for snacks or has pizza or sandwiches.

We stayed at Bright Angel Lodge right on the rim. We were able to hike multiple trails and take in both mesmerizing sunrises and sunsets. We saw plenty of wildlife as we were in the park—steps from the rim. Take a flashlight if walking at night as the rim has no guard rails.

We stayed in the historic town of Williams, AZ when we went. It’s about a 45 minute drive to the Grand Canyon from there. Plenty of shops and restaurants there and you can catch the Grand Canyon Railroad train from there if you don’t want to drive.

Anonymous wrote:There are lots of hotels in Tusayan some with indoor pools. We stayed there. Dinner at El Tovar after watching sunset outside is memorable.

How far is that from the Grand Canyon?

There are lots of hotels in Tusayan some with indoor pools. We stayed there. Dinner at El Tovar after watching sunset outside is memorable.

OP here - we did Sodona last year around the same time and it was amazing - 60s and great for hiking. We just thought it was worth doing bc we will be so close, and we could just see it and do a short hike if it’s super cold. We have lots of teens with us who have never been

Gonna be cold at the top and snow might prevent you from hiking down in. But would need beautiful for a couple hours.

The most accessible hotels are those located inside the park and many think El Tovar is the best. With that said, seems like it would be miserable there in December.

I would skip

We are looking to visit the Grand Canyon in December. We are going to fly into Phoenix, does anyone have any recommendations on a hotel super close to the Grand Canyon or any tips on traveling to it that time of year. We are planning a week in Phoenix so it isn’t just for the GC.