Mrs Formerly and I have been tripping for years, the last decade or so in AP.
During that time, the only wildlife we've seen (or heard) were moose along Hwy 60 around Canisbay.
Last week, for the first time, we were awoken by the sounds of multiple wolves howling.
The trouble is, we were in a hotel room about 5 mins from the gates of the Grand Canyon at the time..........
I would highly recommend seeing the Grand Canyon, by the way. Our 15-yr old summed it up best, when he said, "makes you feel pretty small."

Get up to Algonquin in August for the wolf howls.

I've heard them howling west of the park at my place.


I haven't been down to the Grand Canyon; when would the best time of year be to go?

I've heard them howl on the east side of Algonquin on many occasions, around Sec, Grand and Travers lakes. Also in Gatineau Park.

Last year I drove to Scottsdale Arizona and back, and I didn't even think to take a quick spin over to see the Grand Canyon! Can you believe that?! I'm still kicking myself for that one.

But in all fairness it was a spur of the moment trip. One minute I'm talking about it, the next minute I'm quickly packing a bag.

Cheers
Shawn

I would have to say anytime from about now until maybe late May would be the best time to visit.
Because of the elevation (7000'), the Flagstaff area had more on the snow on the ground than we here in Southern Ont. had last week.
In the summer months, they will not allow you to climb down the canyon between 10 am - 2 pm because of the temps.
We did the South Kaibab trail, which is the quickest in terms of access (about 3-4 hrs to reach the Colorado R.), and gets you into daylight the fastest. It is an absolute you-know-what of a climb back up (double the descent time). Going down to the river and back in a day would be tough - start early and take LOTS of water.
You can also camp at the river. We plan to do that next time we go (in a couple of years, hopefully).
The GC is about a 2 1/2 hr drive from Phoenix. We detoured at Montezuma's Castle (cliff dwellings) and through Sedona (what a drive).
A good friend recommended staying overnight in the canyon. We booked at the Best Western for $89 US. The cost to enter the park is $25/car, but the pass lasts for 7 days.

Formerly Foxco, Now ?????

Southern Georgian Bay
Ontario

I've hiked some sections of the Grand Canyon and to my knowledge there are no wolves in the area. The reintroduction of the Mexican Wolf in GC NP is hoped to happen through the expansion of Mexican wolf territory.

A group involved in the cause ishttp://www.gcwolfrecovery.org/

My thoughts would be that Coyotes howls were what you may have heard.

That being said, the whole four corners region in a fantastic area. The Grand Canyon is impressive but my favorites are Bryce Canyon, Zion NP and horseback riding/camping in Monument Valley.

Darryl

Wow Foxco, that sounds like it would be an incredible adventure, especially after reading your last post. If I ever find myself in that part of the world again, I wont pass it up a second time!

Cheers
Shawn

I was in Arizona this past November and visited the Grand Canyon, what an amazing place! The only other place that I have been so far that compares to it is the Himilayan mountains. I heard a pack of coyotes howling(yipping) when I was camping just near the south rim, it sounded like they were 15 feet away from the tent. The next time I go there I would like to hike down to the bottom and stay at the ranch for a couple of nights. I stayed at Flagstaff for a while and travelled a couple of times to Sedona, it is an amazing drive. I went to a meeting about the re-introduction of wolves to the GC area and it was really interesting, a lot of the people there thought it was really cool that I lived in an area that still had a natural wolf population. I love Utah, Arizona and New Mexico( I love Algonquin Park too!) and hope to go back again soon, it is such a contrast to this area.

Yeah I can't believe how quickly the transition is just before Flagstaff from treeless flat arid dry land (think Wylie E. Coyote and the Roadrunner) to rolling hills with coniferous trees everywhere. And if you're lucky enough, you'll spot a few Elk running around here and there. Weird.

I remember traveling down a very long grade on the other side of Albuquerque NM heading to Flagstaff AZ. I could see for 70 miles. I know this because I could barely make out a tall mountain and was traveling 70mph, i reached the bottom of it in one hour. The base of this mountain is directly at the point where the hwy turns due west to Flagstaff. Ring any bells?

I'm going by memory here so without digging out maps and trip logs, I think the info is fairly accurate.

Cheers
Shawn

I agree with previous poster.. no wolves in Arizona... most U.S. states don't have wolves - extirpated..

u heard coyotes

Actually Rob that is not true, there are wolves in Arizona, they were re-introduced in the central area of Azizona and New Mexico, south and east of Flagstaff. In fact one wolf was killed on a highway near Flagstaff, apparantly the re-introduction is not going as well as planned. The current project involves the re-indroduction of wolves in the northern part of Arizona including the Grand Canyon.

a few of my pics from the Grand Canyon and Sedona.

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2469008990061846811CHrNwe

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2390052150061846811PdVbll

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2771660380061846811EXgwak

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2131553180061846811yCUPKL

I have to concur with all of you that Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico are fantastic places to explore. All kinds of terrain and habitat from mountains to forests to deserts which opens the door to many outdoor activities. This past fall, I went whitewater rafting on the Colorado River in Utah with a company out of Moab and later that day drove into Arches National Park. There are 4 national parks within a 3 hour drive from Moab - a real outdoors enthusiast's paradise!
My wife and I were down in Phoenix for a short vacation a while back and I decided to show her the Grand Canyon, she got to see it for a whole 5 minutes because the whole area became quickly shrouded with a heavy fog (we had to drive through a bad snowstorm around Flagstaff to get there as well).

Harry

Beautiful pics, Madmusher.

They probably were coyotes that we heard....whatever it was, I coudln't believe how close they seemed to be.
Thanks for the photos, Musher. I'll post a couple of mine in a day or two.
The whole southwest is an amazing place. Phoenix sometimes resembled Newmarket(endless cars and strip-malls) with southwestern architecture to us, but the weather was beautiful. Sedona is certainly worth a repeat visit. Next time, we plan to fly to San Diego, spend a day on the ocean, then drive the 5 hrs to Phoenix.
My brother bought a condo there about a year ago at the depths (maybe) of the real estate market, so hopefully we'll have a (cheap) place to stay.


Formerly Foxco, Now ?????

Southern Georgian Bay
Ontario