It's a magical place but so difficult to plan a trip in! A few years ago my son and I spent a night at a north rim campground and got a reservation at a south rim hotel for the next night. It was easy to plan since there were no permits involved but it was frustrating rushing through such beautiful country. We'd like to try again but spend a night or two below the rim this time, it's just so hard to plan when the assignment process is so random and laggy. The best approach I can come up with is to create a whole bunch of itineraries, put the &^*%# form in the mail, and hope for the best. Do any veteran GC hikers have suggestions? I've noticed that there seems to be at least one area with non-assigned-site camping...

ideas?