We were in Arizona over New Year's, and we decided a fun day trip would be to take the 980 up to Grand Canyon for the day. I've flown over the Grand Canyon many times, but only visited it on the ground once, when I was about 6 or 7 years old, so excited to see it again.
The airport, KGCN, is very easy in and out, especially in the winter. It has good approaches and a tower, and there is an FBO there associated with one of the tour operators. There are no rental cars there, but there are cabs available who will come down from the park and pick you up. I spoke with the FBO in advance, and they agreed to call the cab when we showed up on their ramp. They also have Jet-A and 100LL, so I bought a bit of Jet-A to be friendly.
It took the cab about 20 minutes to show up, and it's a 20 minute or so drive into the park. The cabs are cash only, something to be aware of, and you have to pay the park entry fee as well, unless you have an annual pass (as we do). Once in the park, there are shuttle busses going from place to place, and we were able to take a very nice walk along the rim for a few miles from the visitor center to the El Tovar Lodge, which is the classic old national park lodge. There was quite a bit of snow and ice, and the temperature was just about freezing, but the views made it all worthwhile.
Going back to the airport was easier, as the cabs are plentiful inside the park.
This makes me want to go back and spend a couple of days there!
