In one word “Grand”! Photographers should just set their cameras aside, you can’t do it justice, just take it in! We were prepared for the scenery, the hikes, and the crowds. What amazed us here was the wildlife and the solitude you can find once you leave the crowded overlooks. We celebrated Josh’s 10th birthday on the South Rim, and the Grand Canyon did its part to add to the magic!
Biking
There’s not a lot of hiking in the Grand Canyon (unless you’re going to the bottom), so we expected to spend a lot of time on shuttles and at overlooks. We were excited to discover how accessible the South Rim was by bike. You are able to bike from Hermit’s Rest all the way to Yaki Point on the South Rim. One of the best bike rides in the west has to be the seven mile ride along the rim from the Village to Hermit’s Rest. This scenic route is only accessible by shuttle, bike, or on foot and has numerous lookout points along the route. It was nice having the freedom to stop at all of the lookouts, some that weren’t even shuttle stops, without the crowds. There is some incline to tackle, but the boys did it on their single speed bikes only walking their bikes in a couple spots. We were rewarded at Hermit’s Rest with hot chocolate and a beautiful view! Each shuttle can accommodate three bikes, so we split up and took the shuttle ride back to the Village. Keep an eye out along Hermit Road, we saw so many elk along our bike ride!
Hiking
There are two main hiking routes on the South Rim, the Bright Angel Trail and the South Kaibab Trail, both going down into the canyon (all 5,000 feet down!). Regardless of which one you choose, choose the distance you go carefully, as the park warns, “down is optional, up is mandatory!” We hiked down to Ooh Aah Point on the South Kaibab Trail, which was only one mile down. We were intrigued by Ooh Aah Point and had to see if it lived up to its name (which of course it did)!
We would love to come back in the future and make it all the way to the Colorado River, camp overnight, and hike back up the next day!
Touristy Overlooks
The classic and most populated view, Mather Point, is only a five minute walk from the main Visitor Center. Although it’s a great view, its also a very congested area, and we liked many of the viewpoints out on Hermit Road just as much. Our favorite viewpoint was Desert View on the East Rim! If you’re traveling from the north this is the most convenient entrance into the park. At this viewpoint you can see a lot of the Colorado River, making it extra special.
Wildlife
We’ve visited many National Parks and never thought about the Grand Canyon for wildlife. We were surprised to see elk all over the place right around Maswik Lodge and the Visitor Center. They were definitely not phased by people!
Best time to visit:
The south rim is open year round and busiest in the summer months.
Where we stayed:
The Grand Canyon is such a big area its worthwhile to stay inside the park if you can. It was nice to park our car and be able to walk or bike to the rim. We had a good experience at Maswik Lodge, which is very close to the start of Hermit Road. There’s no benefit to having a second floor room as far as the view goes, so for ease of unpacking we would recommend requesting a first floor room.
Other things to do:
The IMAX movie, about the early exploration of the Grand Canyon, in Tusayan was very interesting and it was cool to see video from down in the canyon.
If you’re coming or going from the north definitely stop off at Horseshoe Bend, a really unique location where the Colorado River takes a very drastic “horseshoe” bend.
Just outside of the East Rim entrance stop off at the Cameron Trading Post, a really unique gift shop and cafe. Don’t miss out on the Navajo taco! We decided two people could definitely share one taco with an extra side of fry bread, so good!!
