The Grand Canyon — Tips + One Day Itinerary

The

G r a n d

C a n y o n

I love travel, I really do.

It brings such joy to my life and I can never get enough of it. At the beginning of this year I had so many trips planned, some for work, others were personal getaways. When the pandemic came along and we were forced to stay at home, I realized my plans were no longer possible, at least not international trips. However, as time passed and regulations loosened up a bit, I realized a get away might be possible. I decided to take a road trip to visit family in Texas. Along the way I would scratch off one of my top destinations, the Grand Canyon. 

When I started to plan a visit the Grand Canyon, I realized I wouldn’t be able to be there more than a day. As someone who has extreme fear of missing out, I was overwhelmed with what to do and see. Overall, I think I nailed it and got a pretty good one day experience. So thought I’d share all my tips along with a downloadable itinerary, incase any of you are taking a road trip out west. Please note for this trip I focused on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Best time to visit 

The best time to visit in relation to time of the day, depends on your ideal day at the Grand Canyon. If you want to see the sunrise, I’d get there early maybe 5:30 am. If you’re like me and prefer sunset, then I’d start your day a little later. I arrived around 9 am which gave me plenty of time to see everything without feeling rushed. A good departure time (if you’re looking to see the sunset) would be 8:00 pm. 

What to bring/wear 

In terms of what to wear, a cute outfit is a must if you want to capture some nice pictures. However, the temperatures change drastically (I went during the summer) so I recommend layering up. Ideally aim for comfy chic. Shorts and nice t-shirt will keep you cool during the day, while a sweater or denim jacket will keep you warm in the evening.  Additionally wear a hat if going in the summer as you will need some shade. Most importantly, don’t forget to pair your outfit with the best walking shoes you own (trust me you’ll need them). Other items I tried to pack include — a nice back pack, some snacks, sunscreen, plenty of water, and sun glasses.  

Itinerary for the Day

Because I was only going to be there for one day, I decided to focus on sightseeing near the Village Rim Trail (between Mather Point and Bright Angel Trailhead). Ideally I would have loved checking out the Hermits and Kaibab trails, but this would have been a lot of back and forth and I would have been exhausted. Below are the top stopping points for this Trail

Early Morning

Mather Point — This is the first lookout point as you enter the park (if parked at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center). It’s one of the more popular view points but absolutely worth checking out. I recommend going earlier in the morning or slightly after lunch time as it’s less crowded. I ventured out to the sides of the look out point and found a nice little mini trail that took me past the guard railing. Nothing too risky, but definitely proceed at your own risk. I found nice some stunning views in this section and had a nice few minutes to marvel at this beauty.

Yavapai Point and Geology Museum — This is a beautiful lookout point and precedes the Trail of Time. Ideally you could also walk into the museum, unfortunately it wasn’t open due to COVID-19. Luckily the Trail of Time made up for missing out on this museum.

Bright Angel Trail Head — While I brought my own breakfast and snacks, I opted for lunch near the Bright Angel Lodge. Nothing to crazy (a simple sandwich), which was delicious along with a refreshing drink to give me a burst of energy. After lunch, I descended into the Bright Angel hiking trail. To say pace yourself is an understatement. If you aren’t used to hiking at high altitudes, it is quite the challenge. Additionally, the canyon is ten degrees hotter (sometimes more). As someone who resides in California, I am used to hiking and the heat, but this trail (one of the easier ones) was still a bit challenging. I found myself getting lightheaded and feeling sick, so I had to make sure to stop for breaks more often and hydrate a lot. We hiked for about an hour down, then headed back up. Obviously I did not hike too far into the canyon as getting to the bottom is a sixteen-mile journey, but the small distance I went was enough to provide the most rewarding views. Along the way, we passed a park ranger who warned me getting back up would take twice as long. So I paced myself, making the journey a little over two hours total. 

Afternoon

Lookout Studio — To be honest, the hike left me quite exhausted. Not sure if quarantine really got me out of shape or if the altitude was bit too much or maybe both. Irregardless, I decided to wind down by checking out a shop in the Lookout Studio. This is a cute little studio full of souvenirs and other trinkets. The cool part about this spot is the lookout balcony towards the back of the shop. Perfect place to sit and recover. While I didn’t end up purchasing any souvenirs, I did enjoy spending a bit of time in there checking out all the items.

Sunset

Trail of Time Look out Point — I’m not sure if this point has a name (sorry), but slightly before you walk into the Trail of Time and after the Yavapai Point and Geology museum, there is a lookout out point that oversees the northwestern canyon. It was the perfect place to see the sunset. This area was wide open and had huge stones you could comfortably sit on. Because it wasn’t on a popular look out point, it was more deserted making the space more intimate. I arrived an hour before sunset to claim my spot, then watched the sunset. It was the most beautiful experience! I can see why people get engaged here, the views are stunning and it’s an intimate setting. As I watched the sunset, I couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty God created. It was breathtaking! I stayed an extra thirty minutes post sunset before walking back to the parking lot. I noticed the temperature drop drastically, but it made for a refreshing walk to the car. 

After spending three months unable to go anywhere, this was the most refreshing getaway! While, I obviously still had a few miles to go before arriving at my final destination, I enjoyed this pit stop in Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon. If you’re looking to road trip out to the West Coast, I’d make this a stop a long the way! Let me know if the comments if there are any other things you’d recommend checking out in the South Rim or if you have any questions. Also, please make sure to subscribe to this blog (top righthand corner) to receive a FREE One Day Itinerary for the Grand Canyon.

As always, keep happily exploring friends!

Xoxo,

Marina