Flying to Marble Canyon Lodge - looking for advice

I'm planning on spending Saturday night at the Marble Canyon Lodge after spending Friday night at the Cooper State Fly-In. I've searched the forums and read several trip reports as well as watched a bunch of cockpit video landings at Marble Canyon.

I'm looking for any advice anyone has on the approach and landing. What's the best way to descend into the canyon? I'm planning on landing there around 1 or 2 in the afternoon, do you think that might be too late and the winds will have picked up? Is Paige a decent source for what to expect the winds to be at Marble Canyon? Is there anyone on the Unicom at Marble Canyon that can give me the current winds?

Any advice or experiences you can share are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

I landed at Cliff Dwellers a year or so ago (AZ03) in the RV and found no particular difficulty getting down into the canyon. There seemed like plenty of room to maneuver with the RV. What are you flying?

Marble Canyon

I was there last month. The south end is still rough, do not taxi to the tie downs, big rocks, little rocks all kinds of stuff. Take your own tie downs, there are cables to tie to. Good turn around area, hold the nose off as long as you can if you have one. Take a tow bar. I was in a RV6A and it was fine but a little rough, really wavy. You have to go to the gas station to sign in at the lodge and that is where the rest room, ice and keys are. Gas in Page. They are not very friendly at the gas station but thats Ok the scenery is great. I did have cell coverage if you want to close a flight plan. Absolutely no services at the airport.

Spent Saturday night at the lodge. The taxi area has been re-surfaced. All smooth. We pushed our 9A back into the rocky area for parking... but the river running turboprops are done for the season, so they don't really need the space. Your forecast is for light and variable winds and warmer than normal.
Landing north east bound is usually the approach I make. Plenty of space... though the cuts and canyons on approach are visually stimulating to say the least. My ATT phone and wifes Verizon both worked. No wi fi anymore at the motel rooms. Small restaurant at back of Chevron has meals... until the new lodge gets inspections passed. As Far as FARS's are concerned... I have never really understood them. You get a free pass for 3000 ft. in the vicinity of the airport... for landing and takeoff. It does not really explain how a real airplane on a real path... would avoid the SFAR. But, I have never heard of a violation issued either. Have fun and PM if you want more info.

Toobuilder said:

There seemed like plenty of room to maneuver with the RV. What are you flying?

Click to expand...

I'll be flying a Glasair I FT, AKA my "plastic RV". From the videos I've seen online it does look like the canyon is plenty wide. I was wondering about how strict is the no flight below 8,000' until within 3 miles of the airport rule. It looks like I'll have to do one or two orbits around the field to get down to field elevation.

Thanks for all the respones and the pireps on the field conditions. I guess as long as you're not blatantly violating the SFAR abd really see making an approach to land you'd be in the clear as far as the regs are concerned.

122.9 is listed as Unicom... but you won't hear anyone unless another plane is landing. Page is on 122.8 but up over the hill. BTW, one of the most famous places on the river is on your route between Page and Marble Canyon. It is Horseshoe bend. Worth taking a look at. The Caravan tour planes will be there also... at 5000 ft.
The SFAR has never been a problem in this area of the canyon. Down toward the rim area.. they monitor. Mostly for noise reasons. In my humble opinion... it is one of the best kept secrets in the SW. You get to fly into the canyon, get lower than anybody else... stay legal. Fly low over the reservation on your way out... and the Vermillion Cliffs are just what they say.
Buy fuel from Classic Aviation. Good folks and Chrissy is cute too.
Don't tell her husband Matt I said so. He is a VP and flies helo medical...

We approached from the southwest (Grand Canyon airport as a waypoint), and simply made a reasonable, straight in descent. I can't see the need to orbit down in a 3 mile column around the airport.

Thanks again for all the responses, this is exactly the kind of info I was looking for.

For those that were recently there, how is the runway surface? I read somewhere that the first thousand feet are in pretty bad shape and if able you should plan on landing long. The comment that the taxi way had been resurfaced had me wondering if the entire runway has been redone our just the taxi way to parking at the north end.