Our country is home to 61 national parks which contain some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Today we’ll walk you through one of these marvelous fixtures: The Grand Canyon. We’ll be discussing specifics about traveling to this wonder and providing hiking tips in case you’d like to venture to the bottom and back. Enjoy our Grand Canyon overview and get in touch about how your trip goes!
General Thoughts
Most visitors to the park visit the South Rim, where the Grand Canyon Village is located. For those only sightseeing, free shuttles are available to many locations along the rim for photo ops. This is also the trailhead for the most popular trail, the Bright Angel Trail. More on this below. The North Rim is more remote and difficult to access.
Travel
Due to the remoteness of this National Park, travel can be difficult. Your best bet for flying in and driving is either Las Vegas (278 miles/4 hours) or Phoenix (233 miles/3.5 hours). We’ve included the links for the airport wiki’s as described in our Tips to Plan Your Trip post. Also see our Google Flights post to help you plan your flights.
Lodging is available along the South Rim for hotels and RV parks. You can also camp in the Kaibab National Forest at their designated campgrounds. However, we highly recommend booking well in advance especially if you’re going during peak months (June – August).
The wildlife around the campgrounds are entirely desensitized to mankind, so expect them to be very casual around humans. We were lucky enough to have a moose wander through a campsite close to ours.
This is also a great area of the country to visit other national parks in California and Utah, so take advantage to get the most out of your trip!
Visiting the Park
The Grand Canyon is truly one of those wonders where pictures do not do it justice. The Colorado River has spent millions of years carving out this gorge and the awe-inspiring scenery somehow makes you feel very small.
Depending on your itinerary, we recommend spending time at the Visitor Center as well as walking along the South Rim Trail to take in the views. No significant skill is needed for this trail as it follows the rim for a few miles and gives you spectacular views along the way. Mather Point is traditionally the first point most visitors see, but there are many viewpoints along this path.
Hiking
Hiking the Grand Canyon is no easy feat. Most forget that, along with the arid climate, the South Rim has an average elevation of 6,800 feet (2,072 meters) and the average elevation at the Colorado River is 2,200 feet (670 meters).
If you’re planning on hiking to the bottom, please train appropriately and prepare for a very strenuous hike. Mr. Thrifty has hiked to the bottom twice, most recently with his friend Ned, and can attest that heat exhaustion or dehydration can occur quickly. See the National Park Service’s hiking tips to help you in planning your trip.
We encourage you to take different trails on each leg of the hike to encounter more of what the park has to offer. Your best bet is taking the South Kaibab Trail to the bottom, then the Bright Angel Trail back to the top.
Hiking Trails
The South Kaibab trail spans 7.1 miles (with an elevation decrease of 4,780 feet) from trailhead to the Bright Angel Campground. Overnight camping permits must be booked well in advance with the Grand Canyon National Park Backcountry Information Center (we recommend at least 9 months in advance if you’re hiking during peak months). Phantom Ranch is another option for staying overnight, which hosts cabin accommodations.
South Kaibab is perfect for your hike to the bottom as it is remote. After the first mile, you’ll likely only encounter the occasional hiker or perhaps just wildlife. The downside to being remote is the lack of fresh water. We recommend carrying more than enough than you think you’ll need. The upside to being remote is having enough incredible uninterrupted views of the canyon as you hike.
On your hike back up, take the Bright Angel Trail. It’s longer as you follow the Colorado River for a few miles at the bottom, but it has key stops along the way with fresh water to keep your packs light. In case you want to break your hike into more than two days, we recommend looking into camping at Indian Garden, approximately halfway up the Bright Angel Trail.
The Bright Angel Trail will be more crowded as it’s the main trail that begins at the Visitor Center. Also, the trail is used by mules transporting people and gear to the bottom of the canyon. They’re well trained animals, however the trail can be narrow in some parts so it’s best to give them the right of way and listen to the guide’s instructions.
Other Tips
- Travel light! Everything you pack you will have to carry.
- Due to the nature of the canyon, it gets warmer the further you hike down (light reflects off the canyon walls).
- Don’t hike between 10am-4pm as the direct sunlight will pose greater risks of heat exhaustion.
- Eat/drink more than you’re used to; you’re expending more calories than you think.
- Proper footwear is a must; we like to be thrifty but hiking boots are not an item to skimp on.
Good luck on your adventure enjoying this beautiful national park! Get in touch with us to share your story about visiting this beauty.
