This summer, we took our youngest daughter and oldest granddaughter on a trip that included the Grand Canyon. We only had a partial day to spend at the Canyon, so I tried to plan for us to make the most of our time. Here are my tips for maximizing your time for a trip to the Grand Canyon.
Plan your trip – but stay flexible
I did a bunch of research before we went on our trip and thought I knew what to expect. We had planned to camp about an hour away from Grand Canyon (since campgrounds in the park were already filled up). Then it stormed all day and we didn’t have a camper. So scrap plan A. We ended up in a motel in Tusayan, which is perfect for catching the bus into the park in the morning.
Be aware that like most tourist areas, prices are much higher than elsewhere. We visited the Wendy’s in Tusayan and my daughter ordered her usual “4 for $4” only to be told they do not have that. So we did not find a bargain there. However, we did have a comfortable night out of the rain.
We originally planned to take the Tusayan purple bus route into the park, which is a great way to save on the frustration of parking. However, the bus does not start running until 8am.
Arrive Early
Since the Grand Canyon does not close for the night we decided to drive into the park earlier than 8. We had hoped to catch the sunrise, but we did not get around that early. I think we got into the park around 7 am.
The great thing about arriving so early is we got a parking spot at the very front of the lot. In fact there were so few people around, I wasn’t even sure where to go. The worst part was the restrooms were very dirty. So you might want to wait until after the cleaning crew gets to work before using the facilities.
Without the crowds, we had plenty of time to look at the views. We started at Mather Point, behind the visitor’s center, and then spent time walking the Rim Trail to Yavapai Point. We took lots of photos, let the girls clamber on the rocks, and met an elk and several ground squirrels.
Note: do not bother the wildlife. Enjoy them at a distance, but do not approach. Use the zoom feature of your camera to get close shots. They are still wild, even if they are used to people being around. You are enjoying their home after all.
Be prepared for crowds
Once the visitor’s center opens the park starts getting busier. By 11, when we got done with our walk, the parking lots were full and there were long lines in the visitor’s center and the gift shop.
The part of the park where I found the crowd to be most inconvenient was when we stopped at the Desert View Watchtower. It was around 2 pm, and it just took a long time to climb the narrow stairs with all the other people. It was hard to get clear photos without people in them as well. Another time I would try to see the Watchtower earlier in the day.
Ask the Rangers
The National Park Service has lots of helpful suggestions on the Grand Canyon official site, including videos of what to see if you only have x-amount of time. These are quite helpful, but you can also ask the Rangers at any of the visitor’s centers for suggestions. They love to share their knowledge of the park with others. Both the girls completed the junior ranger program for the park. These are available at many of the National Parks and Monuments. Also try to attend some of the Ranger led programs. These are fun and informative.
Use the shuttle buses
The shuttle buses are a wonderful way to see the park. They run from Hermit’s Rest all the way to Yaki Point, including the Village and the Market Plaza. You can plan your trip without needing to take your car into the park at all if you get on the bus in the town of Tusayan.
For those with limited mobility (or young children) it is possible to take a bus, get off at a scenic spot, enjoy the view and then get back on the next bus to travel to the next overlook. But if you can, the walks along the canyon are magnificent. Most of them are not fenced so you can get as close to the edge as you are comfortable doing.
The buses do not, however, run to the Tusayan Museum and Ruin or the Desert View watchtower. If you want to see these sites at the eastern end of the park you will have to drive. Be aware that it takes about an hour to drive from the Visitor’s Center to Desert View.
If you only have part of a day, you will need to decide which part of the park you will see, since you can’t really enjoy the views if you are just hustling from one end to the other. We decided to see the eastern end of the park this trip, so we used the orange shuttle and then drove to Desert View and then out the eastern entrance to the park. Next time I would like to explore the western end of the park, so we would be able to utilize the shuttles even more.
Stay hydrated
The Grand Canyon is classified as high mountain desert, and is much cooler than the lower deserts. However, it is still important to stay hydrated, especially if you are doing a lot of walking.
Bring a lunch and snacks
Like most tourist areas, the prices in the park are higher than elsewhere. If you are on a budget you can save a lot of money by bringing in your lunch and snacks. We took water and snacks with us for our morning hike. Then afterwards we had a great picnic before checking out the gift shop and driving to the Desert View and out of the park.
For another trip, I would plan far enough ahead that we could camp in the park itself. That way we would be able to see the sunrise and sunset, which are supposed to be the best times to see all the colors in the rocks.
In another post I will talk about all the other parks we saw on the way to and from the Grand Canyon. There are so many things to see in the southwest!