The Grand Canyon has always been an iconic site to see in the USA. To be honest, Miro was never quite convinced that the Grand Canyon would ever live up to all of the hype. Spoiler alert: it did! It is truly grand and unbelievable as soon as you arrive. We are so glad we didn’t overlook this National Park in the good old USA. We traveled here in April and stayed for 1 night to kick off our National Park loop out west.
Where We Stayed:
We stayed at Bright Angel Lodge, a hotel complex on site at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It is a complex with many cabins and one main lodge directly on the edge of the canyon. It was the perfect place to stay, with great views and convenient for all tourists and travelers. Make reservations far in advance if you plan to stay here because it does book up quickly!
Food:
There are several dining options at Bright Angel Lodge. We had breakfast at Harvey House Cafe and enjoyed our meal before we headed out to explore. The prices at the dining options on sight were a bit on the high end $$$ for those who are traveling on a budget.
For lunch, we stopped off at Canyon Village Marketplace & Deli to get a picnic lunch. This was the perfect way to grab something quick to eat and enjoy with the scenery (many budget friendly options here).
Adventures:
To get the best views of Grand Canyon, definitely visit the South Rim. That is where we spent our time exploring. Since we only had 1 full day, we utilized the shuttle, did some of the walking paths near Bright Angel Lodge & drove to see some of the best viewpoints.
Sunset
At Hopi Point, you can get 180 degree views of the magical place. Everywhere we looked was a perfect picture spot. This viewpoint is where we truly were amazed at the natural beauty of the formation of the Grand Canyon. To get to Hopi Point from the lodge, we took a shuttle bus along Hermit Road (no cars along this road). You can catch the shuttle bus at the Village Route Transfer stop. The shuttle was convenient and runs every 15-30 minutes. It is good to arrive about 90 minutes prior to sunset, especially if you want to sit, because it can get crowded.
Desert View Drive
We decided to take this scenic drive along the rim with many stopping points, viewpoints & places to hike around. If you are looking for a way to get away from the crowds, but also get some of the best views, this drive is for you! Below are some of the highlighted places that we stopped along the way.
- Mather Point
- Yaki Point
- Grandview Point
- Moran Point
- Tusayan Ruin and Museum
- Lipan Point
- Navajo Point
- Desert View and Watchtower
On our way back, we stopped off at a picnic area for lunch. Check out the Canyon Village Marketplace & Deli to pack the perfect picnic lunch.
Rim Trail to Maricopa Point
After our scenic drive, we had time to take a walk along the paved Rim Trail to Maricopa Point. This stop had a fantastic viewpoint where you are almost completely surrounded by the canyon. To get there, follow the red line along Hermit Point ( you can also take the shuttle). This is a spot you should not miss and was one of our favorite viewpoints in the Grand Canyon!
All in all, there is nothing that we can truly say about the Grand Canyon that will come close to the real experience. If you haven’t been, go. It is worth the visit!
Here is our itinerary at the next national park we visited, Capitol Reef.