The Grand Canyon drew our attention four years ago when we started writing this blog as it is one of the most impressive geological features in the world. Such was our astonishment at this magnificent landscape that Nina was overcome with emotion the minute that she approached the rim and laid eyes on the canyon during our trip in May of 2021. Indeed, how fortunate we were to finally visit this bucket list destination. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is so vast, its imagery so poetic and its grandeur so physically imposing that it was impossible to capture it on camera as our human eyes perceived it to be and even now we struggle to capture it with our words. As such, we earnestly believe that everybody should make this trip at some point in their lifetime (circumstances permitting) so as to marvel at the magnificent beauty of the Grand Canyon for themselves.
Come along as we share some helpful tips and insights from our trip.
Top Things to Do
We are not outdoor enthusiasts back home, so on this trip we made it a point to try and push ourselves out of our comfort zone and into the adventurous spirit of the old west as we made our way to the Grand Canyon. The amount of activities that are available are as varied as the amount of tourists that visit this wonderful place so depending on your preference, here are some of the top activities/attractions at the Grand Canyon.
Hiking: Nothing can quite capture the feeling of accomplishing a challenging hike and then sitting down to gaze upon a the most perfect and vast landscape. There is just something so primitive and yet so fulfilling about this activity. Almost like your soul is paying homage to the ancestors of our species whom once roamed the earth on foot. For this reason, if you are physically capable of doing so, we highly encourage you to hike one of the many paths available at the Grand Canyon. There is no cost to enter any of the trails, but make sure to note that the difficulty of any hiking trail depends on factors such as your level of fitness, experience, weather, proper gear and distance that you plan to hike. Below we’ve summarized some of the main hiking trails that are available along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Rim Trail: This is a fully paved, mostly flat trail that takes you along the rim of the canyon and is full of viewpoints, which makes for the best photo opportunities. Most people hike the portion of the trail that takes you from the Grand Canyon Visitor center to the Grand Canyon Village, which is only about 2 miles (3km) one way. Because of the easiness of this hike combined with its views, you can expect this trail to be quite congested with fellow travelers.
Bright Angel Trail: This is a very popular trail that is easily accessible from Grand Canyon Village and the trailhead is located close to the Bright Angel Lodge. The trail extends for a total of 8 miles (13km) from the South Rim to the Colorado River, but the national park service advises people against hiking to the river and back in the same day due to the extreme difficulty of this endeavor as well as the extreme difficulty in providing rescue services at the park. Most people hike no further than the Indian Garden campground (4.50 miles or 7km), which is a shaded area that has water and park benches available. Indian Garden is an unusually fertile part of the Grand Canyon that was historically used by the indigenous inhabitants of the area as a place of agriculture.
South Kaibab Trail: This is one of the more difficult hikes since the only way to reach the trailhead is to either take a shuttlebus or hike to it (about 2.1 miles from the visitor center) and there are only two rest stops on the trail (compared to 4 on Bright Angel trail). Because of this, you will find the trail to be less congested as compared to the other options. As with the Bright Angel trail, the South Kaibab trail extends all the way to the Colorado River but you are advised not to attempt hiking to the river and back in the same day.
Desert View Drive (Route 64)
If hiking or walking for long periods of time is not your thing but you still want to get amazing views, then Desert View drive (also called route 64) is a must do. This is a scenic drive that runs west-east along the canyon’s edge and has many overlooks with ample parking available. In fact, the views on each overlook as you continue east from Grand Canyon Village get better and better because every time you stop along this road to marvel at the view, you will be treated to a different aspect of the canyon. For example, on one stop you may see a multicolor gorge with light vegetation and faint signs of the river below. On another stop, you will see the river below, with all of its swirls and rip currents juxtaposed with fertile vegetation. Finally, on your next stop you may see a bighorn sheep climbing the canyon walls; its fur color contrasting with the red rock and skinny trees sticking out from the sides of the canyon walls. This was our favorite part of visiting the Grand Canyon.
Must see:
Moran Point
Navajo Point
Desert View Watchtower
Yavapai Geology Museum
Located along the Rim trail, this museum is an interesting place to catch some shade and learn about the history and geology of the canyon. The best part of this museum is being able to look through the panoramic windows and seeing the canyon below. This is arguably one of the best views of the Grand Canyon because it is located indoors and the museum is perched on a point that juts out into the canyon, so the view is unobstructed.
Kolb Studio
The Kolb studio is dedicated to the photography of Ellsworth Kolb and his brother Emery, who lived in the area in the early 1900s. They used intrepid tactics such as suspending themselves over the edge of the cliffs in order to capture unorthodox photos of difficult to reach areas. They also traveled down the Colorado River and captured their journey on camera. Suffice it to say, they were the Grand Canyon’s first official travel influencers and of course since we love travel blogging/vlogging, this place was well worth the visit.
Other Activities
Other activities such as mule rides into the canyon, multi-day river rafting trips down the Colorado River and helicopter rides are available for hire but they require advance planning in order to reserve your experience. In almost all cases, these activities are booked several months to a year in advance so unfortunately, we were not able to do any of these things on this trip.
Helpful Tips
South Rim vs North Rim
There are actually two sides of the Grand Canyon that you can visit. The South Rim is more popular with tourists as it is more developed and includes multiple hotels, restaurants, parking grounds, trailheads and viewpoints. The North Rim is less visited but is more rustic since it is not very developed and is often closed for several months of the year due to extreme weather. Make sure to check the National Park Service’s website if planning a trip to the North Rim.
We visited the South Rim during our trip due to the North Rim’s seasonal closure.
How Much Time Do You Need?
Most visitors to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon will need no more than one or two days for their trip unless they plan on overnight camping or river rafting. This is because most of your time will be spent hanging out at the various overlooks which are located on the South Rim walking trail and Desert View Drive which can be done in one full day. In addition to the overlooks, you can also hike one of the popular trails which descend into the canyon or visit a few small shops and museums. Aside from that, there is not much else to do for the average visitor.
How Much Does it Cost?
The entrance fee is anywhere between $20 USD - $35 USD depending on the method of arrival (private vehicle, motorcycle, bicycle, shuttle bus, railway, rafting trip or on foot). You can also purchase an annual pass (America the Beautiful - Annual Pass) which costs $80 USD and gives you unlimited access to the Grand Canyon and any other national parks in the USA. This option is worth every penny if you are doing a road trip throughout Arizona and Utah or plan on visiting other parks on future trips.
For more information visit: https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/fees.htm
Arrival Tips - South Rim
The nearest commercial airport is located in the town of Flagstaff, AZ which is about a 1.50 hour drive away. Also, once you enter through the gates of the national park it is an additional 30 minute drive before you even get to the parking lot and village. Lastly, all of the parking spaces fill up quite fast so make sure to arrive no later than 10:00 am if you want to ensure that you will find a parking spot.
Best Viewpoints/Overlooks
In no particular order, the best viewpoints/overlooks that we saw on our trip were the following:
Yavapai Point: This overlook is visible through panoramic windows located inside Yavapai Geology Museum. An added benefit is the fact that since it is located inside an air conditioned building, you will not have to contend with the harsh Arizona sun.
Mather Point: This lovely overlook is located next to the Visitor Center and main parking lot. There is plenty of space available for people to walk around and they even have several benches and picnic tables in the vicinity of the overlook. Unsurprisingly, this was also the most crowded overlook.
Desert View: The best part about Desert View is that you can see a good portion of the Colorado River amidst the canyon walls and multicolored rocks whereas at most other viewpoints you cannot see much of the river. Like Mather Point, this is also a really popular overlook not just because of the incredible views but also because of the very large parking lot and amenities that are available. They even have a general store with rocking chairs outside and a fast food restaurant onsite as well as a watch tower.
Where to Stay
Flagstaff, AZ: This will be the best option for most visitors to the Grand Canyon. Although Flagstaff is located 1.50 hours driving distance from Grand Canyon National Park, this town offers the best hotels at the best prices and is located at the crossroads of several major highways which can take you to the nearby towns of Sedona, Williams and various other state parks. Additionally, this small town has every perk of a major city such as malls, theaters, name brand retailers, nightlife, excellent restaurants and even a university. In fact, we ate the best meals during our entire trip while in Flagstaff and we highly recommend this town as a base for visiting not just the Grand Canyon but northern Arizona.
Grand Canyon Village: The village is located inside the national park and within walking distance to any of the main trailheads and bus stops. Location wise, this will be the best option for serious hikers and adventure enthusiasts who plan on spending their entire trip inside the national park. However, please note that the hotels are often sold out several months in advance and the prices are super inflated relative to the quality of accommodations. Also, there are a very limited amount of restaurants available so plan accordingly.
Tusayan: This tiny town is located just outside the gates of Grand Canyon National Park and its hotels are of better quality and cheaper pricing versus what you will find at Grand Canyon Village. However, because it is such a small town that caters exclusively to Grand Canyon visitors, the availability of restaurants and other goods and services is limited.
Food
Grand Canyon National Park is located in a very remote part of the world, so expect the food options to be very limited and overpriced. Most people would be wise to bring snacks or prepacked sandwiches. This is especially true if you plan to hike.