The Grand Canyon, Arizona
*All work including photos, video and writing on this page is my own, except the link to the National Geographic video, freely available on Youtube.
Although everyone has heard of the Grand Canyon, few know just how vast it is. It is a natural formation of layers of red rock, mostly sandstone and mudstone with the Colorado river meandering through the canyons. It is 278 miles in length and 6,093 feet deep. It is made up of four rims. Most visitors however only view the most popular south rim. I would recommend seeing the East rim too, staying in the small town of Page. If you have time, the north is worth seeing as well and there is a newly opened west rim too.
The south entrance to the park is 3 1/2 hours drive from Phoenix, Arizona and 4 hrs drive from Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the busiest entrance to the park. There is also an East entrance to the South Rim near Cameron, Arizona, quieter and a shorter distance from Page, Arizona and Utah. Both entrances are open 24 hrs a day, but check the NPS website for any weather or other closures as well as local news for any wildfires, which had closed the road through Flagstaff when we were there.
Although everyone has heard of the Grand Canyon, few know just how vast it is. It is a natural formation of layers of red rock, mostly sandstone and mudstone with the Colorado river meandering through the canyons. It is 278 miles in length and 6,093 feet deep. It is made up of four rims. Most visitors however only view the most popular south rim. I would recommend seeing the East rim too, staying in the small town of Page. If you have time, the north is worth seeing as well and there is a newly opened west rim too.
The south entrance to the park is 3 1/2 hours drive from Phoenix, Arizona and 4 hrs drive from Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the busiest entrance to the park. There is also an East entrance to the South Rim near Cameron, Arizona, quieter and a shorter distance from Page, Arizona and Utah. Both entrances are open 24 hrs a day, but check the NPS website for any weather or other closures as well as local news for any wildfires, which had closed the road through Flagstaff when we were there.
Below is my very rough sketch of where each rim is located. The Grand Canyon Village is located in the most popular part of the South Rim, with shops, restaurants and toilets etc.
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Best Hikes in the Grand Canyon
-Bright Angel Trail
-South Kaibab Trail -Rim Trail -Shoshone Point Trail (Easiest hike) -Nankoweap Trail (Most difficult hike) -Grandview Trail Other things to do in the Grand Canyon Whilst most people only spend a few hours in the park, if you do stay overnight then there are more activities to try:
-Helicopter rides -3 or 4 hour off road sunset tours - Grand Canyon skywalk -Horse back riding. |
The Other rims are also worth visiting. I would highly recommend staying at Page, which is about a 1 1/2 hour drive from Desert View in the south rim and exploring the spectacular sites there on the East rim.
The sites on the East Rim are on Navajo land and accessible from the small town of Page.
Page is a small town in the north of Arizona, close to the Utah border. I would highly recommend staying here a few days as there are lots of places to visit from here. At the moment there are only some small hotels, most such as the Home2suites by Hilton, where we stayed, which I recommend, looked brand new. This hotel is just opposite the Glen Canyon Dam. Lots of the land near here has been sold or is for sale and I can imagine some larger resort style hotels will open up here. ( A good investment opportunity if you wish to open a hotel here.) The whole town has recently become a must see place thanks to Instagram photos of Antelope Canyon that even Microsoft paid over $1m dollars for as a wallpaper photo. A new Safeway supermarket has added to the new shops and restaurants opening here too.
The main sights to see from here within the East Rim is:
Antelope Canyon
Page is a small town in the north of Arizona, close to the Utah border. I would highly recommend staying here a few days as there are lots of places to visit from here. At the moment there are only some small hotels, most such as the Home2suites by Hilton, where we stayed, which I recommend, looked brand new. This hotel is just opposite the Glen Canyon Dam. Lots of the land near here has been sold or is for sale and I can imagine some larger resort style hotels will open up here. ( A good investment opportunity if you wish to open a hotel here.) The whole town has recently become a must see place thanks to Instagram photos of Antelope Canyon that even Microsoft paid over $1m dollars for as a wallpaper photo. A new Safeway supermarket has added to the new shops and restaurants opening here too.
The main sights to see from here within the East Rim is:
Antelope Canyon
This is situated on Navajo land and you can only go there with a Navajo tour guide. You need to book in advance. We used Antelope Slot Canyon Tours, which I recommend. We went to the Upper Antelope Canyon, which is the most famous one and the easiest to access, with no steps to get into it and some easy steps on the way out, which as an asthmatic I could easily manage. Below is my video and photos.
Horseshoe Bend, Page.
Before the Colorado river reaches the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and just after the Glen Canyon Dam, the river meanders around a large sandstone rock to create an entrenched meander of spectacular proportions. This was actually my favourite part of the Grand Canyon!
It is just outside the town of Page, 7 miles from Antelope Canyon and easy to drive to or get a tour. I would recommend driving there yourself. You do need to walk about 15-20 minutes from the car park to the viewpoint and back again, so wear suitable UV protective clothing in the summer and bring water or electrolyte drinks with you. It is very popular at sunset, but any time of day it is incredible. Just be careful you don't get too close to edge. I took the photos below without getting too close to the edge.
Currently there are no restrictions on visiting the Grand Canyon. You do not need to book in advance, apply by lottery or any sort of capacity restrictions, but can pay online in advance if you wish. There is a fee to enter the South Rim area of the Grand Canyon. There is a small parking fee at Horseshoe bend, but no fee to actually see it, if you are not going to the South Rim. Check for all up to date information on the park's website.
Where to stay
There is accommodation inside the park, such as Yavapai Lodge, or by the South Rim south entrance at Tusayan, with a bus service into the park.
Other towns that you could look into are:
Williams (53 miles from South Entrance) There is a tourist train from here.
Flagstaff (72 miles from South Entrance)
Sedona ( 107 miles from South Entrance)
Page ( 109 miles from East Entrance, South Rim)
Phoenix (222 miles from South Entrance)
Scottsdale (231 miles from South Entrance)
Las Vegas ( 273 miles from South Entrance)
We stayed in Scottsdale and stopped at the South Rim Grand Canyon on our way to Page.
Other towns that you could look into are:
Williams (53 miles from South Entrance) There is a tourist train from here.
Flagstaff (72 miles from South Entrance)
Sedona ( 107 miles from South Entrance)
Page ( 109 miles from East Entrance, South Rim)
Phoenix (222 miles from South Entrance)
Scottsdale (231 miles from South Entrance)
Las Vegas ( 273 miles from South Entrance)
We stayed in Scottsdale and stopped at the South Rim Grand Canyon on our way to Page.