Grand Canyon
THE AMERICAS · NATIONAL PARK · CANYON
A mile deep, 277 river miles long, and genuinely not conveyable in a photograph. Ninety percent of visitors see it from the South Rim, which is open all year and has the lodges and the shuttle; the North Rim is 300m higher, ten times quieter and only open May to October. The Colorado is down there somewhere, and getting to it is a serious undertaking.
The plan
Sunrise at Mather or Yaki Point
The canyon only reveals its depth in low light. Take the free shuttle out before dawn and watch it fill with colour.
Rim Trail on foot
Twenty kilometres of mostly paved path along the edge, with shuttle stops so you can walk one section and ride back.
Bright Angel Trail, partway down
Go to the 1.5-mile resthouse or Three-Mile. Every ranger will tell you the same thing: the way back up takes twice as long.
Desert View Watchtower
Forty minutes east, Mary Colter's 1932 tower with Hopi murals inside and the river visible below.
Sunset at Hopi Point
The furthest west the shuttle goes, and the point where the canyon opens up in both directions.
Book before you fly
El Tovar & Bright Angel Lodge
Thirteen months ahead to the day, and they go immediately for spring and autumn.
Phantom Ranch
A lottery fifteen months ahead — the only lodging at the bottom of the canyon.
Mule rides & rafting
Mule trips book a year out; Colorado River trips one to two years.
Grand Canyon Railway
From Williams, and cheaper than parking hassles at the South Rim.
Getting there
Fly Phoenix (PHX)
Three and a half hours to the South Rim, the closest major hub with cheap fares and plentiful cars.
Fly Las Vegas (LAS)
Four and a half hours to the South Rim, or two and a half to Grand Canyon West, which is not the national park.
Take the Grand Canyon Railway
From Williams, Arizona, two and a quarter hours to the South Rim depot. No parking, and a very good day out.
When to go
Best time to go
April to May and September to October — 20°C on the rim, cool in the canyon, and the North Rim road open at the shoulders.
Cheapest months
November to February on the South Rim: snow on the edge, almost nobody there, and the cheapest rooms.
Priciest & busiest
June to August, when the rim is crowded and the inner canyon reaches 45°C, which kills people every year.
If you've got one day
Morning
Sunrise at Mather or Yaki Point
Late morning
Rim Trail on foot
Lunch
Bright Angel Fountain
Afternoon
Bright Angel Trail, partway down
Sunset
Sunset at Hopi Point
Evening
Dinner at El Tovar Dining Room, then Desert View Watchtower
If you've got a week
Day 1
Arrive, settle in around El Tovar Hotel, and take it slowly — Bright Angel Fountain for dinner.
Day 2
Sunrise at Mather or Yaki Point.
Day 3
Rim Trail on foot. Dinner at El Tovar Dining Room.
Day 4
Day trip — Sedona →.
Day 5
Bright Angel Trail, partway down. Arizona Room, Bright Angel Lodge at some point.
Day 6
Desert View Watchtower.
Day 7
Sunset at Hopi Point. Finish with Grand Canyon Coffee & Café, Tusayan.
Staying longer?
Nearby & day trips
Two hours south into the red rocks.
Four and a half hours northwest via the North Rim road.
Monument Valley
Three hours northeast to the Navajo Tribal Park and the buttes from every Western.
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