Excitedly, this time last year I booked our trip to the Grand Canyon for the holidays. We had not been to the Grand Canyon National Park before, so was not fully sure what to expect in regards to amenities. Customer service at the Grand Canyon Railway assured me that there were many restaurants within the hotel complexes.
Since we were traveling with children during a snowy season, I opted to pack shelf-stable food so we could have food in our room for meals without worrying about refrigeration. We packed foods we knew we would all eat, and would save us money! Listed the food with pictures, using Amazon images for ease (and no need for a license for them since it links to Amazon). I did annotate if we got them cheaper elsewhere.
Food
Applesauce pouches – perfect for snacks – bonus that Amazon had a box of 20 for less than $10!
Apple-VeggieZ pouches – sneak some veggies into that snack. I had stocked up on some of these when Costco had them on sale in the fall.
Shelf-stable yogurt – perfect for a fueling up for breakfast before going to play in the snow! Target had a deal for buy one box, get one free which is cheaper than what Amazon offered.
Clementines – a bag of oranges was eaten over the course of the week, paired well for breakfast for two days plus a packable and delicious snack when out and about
Olives – A delicious, healthy fat for snacking or supplement lunch.
Nuts – Can never go wrong with splurging on pistachios. And having to shell them means we stick to just a handful.
Beef Jerky – Costco had a two pack of beef jerky on sale in the fall that expired in 2022. We bought it ahead of time and packed it. It was our main lunch staple on the way up to the Canyon from the hotel along with fresh veggies we had from the hotel (and would spoil if not eaten).
Clothes
As a family currently in Southern California, we are not used to true winter weather. Winter here is 50 degrees! We hit up our local children’s consignment sale, asked neighbors to borrow boots and dug into our winter gear. Like a true military family, we may have spent more time living in warm weather, but we have winter clothes from living in winter for a few years.
- Winter Jacket for each person
- Snow pants for each kid
- Snow boots for each person
- 2 pairs (Non-knit) Gloves for each person– cannot emphasize this enough! Knit gloves are on offer in the stores only.
- Thermal Underwear like 32 Degrees – Costco does sell these in the fall and at great prices. We got a pair for under $10 in anticipation of our trip.
- 23390434348 pairs of socks…okay maybe not that many, but bring twice the amount you think you will go through a day. We utilized the heater in the room to dry socks everyday.
- Scarves – It is windy and scarves for wrapping your face or stuffing those crevices of your jacket and your kiddos jacket is worth it. Staying warm means you can walk those extra 10 steps without someone uttering the phrase “But it is so cold!”
There is a limitation on how many bags you can bring to the Grand Canyon Railway as we discussed here, so making the most of the space with bringing what we needed for the week was ideal. We hope this is helpful! If you have any questions, let me know! Check out our Instagram for more Grand Canyon pictures and tips we posted along the way!
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