Grand Canyon National Park Travel Guide

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The Grand Canyon warrants any hyperbolic language it inspires. Its vastness and staggering beauty are amazing, astounding and awesome and its many-layered splendor isnt mere metaphor.

Although the Grand Canyon is infinitely more than the sum of its iconic views, they are truly sublime. Weve all seen images of the canyon in print and on-screen, but there is nothing like arriving at the rim and taking it all in the immensity, the depth, the atmosphere and the light. Views from both rims are equally beautiful, although South Rim overlooks are probably more dramatic and definitely greater in number. While there are far fewer overlooks on the North Rim, one of the most iconic Grand Canyon views is from the north side of the canyon; another is from the highest point on either rim. Wherever the overlook, its worth finding a spot in the early morning or late afternoon not necessarily sunrise or sunset to sit quietly and watch the light and shadow work their magic on the canyon features.

Hiking into the canyon is one of the highlights of a Grand Canyon visit. Even a short roam below the rim serves up stunning views at nearly every turn of the trail, showing glimpses now and then of the Colorado River, which carved the curvaceous gorge. Descend deeper and get a closer look at the canyons rock layers, a beautiful and mind-boggling record of geologic time on a seemingly incomprehensible scale. On the more recent human timeline, its fascinating to think that ones footfalls follow the paths originally established by ancient Native Americans who lived in and near the canyon. Hiking into the gorge presents the rare chance to climb an inverted mountain, making every return trip an ascent always a good thing to remember as you traipse down a trail.

Even non-geologists will get to wondering about the hows and whys of the Grand Canyon while staring at its fins, its buttes and the multicolored rock layers of the canyon walls. Luckily for laypeople with burning questions, the South Rim has answers, primarily at Yavapai Geology Museum, the Trail of Time installation and geology talks given by the parks knowledgeable rangers. If rock talk doesnt inspire you, daily ranger-led fossil walks explore marine fossils embedded in stone just off the busy Rim Trail. For a more DIY experience, hike down the Hermit Trail to look for fossilized marine creatures, animal tracks and ferns. And for the intriguing human touch on canyon walls, you can find pictographs along the Bright Angel Trail.

The Grand Canyon from Toroweap ()
RON WATTS/CORBIS

The canyon doesnt have a photographic bad side, but it has to be said that the views from the South Rim ( ) are stunners. Each has its individual beauty, with some unique angle that sets it apart from the rest a dizzyingly sheer drop, a view of river rapids or a felicitous arrangement of jagged temples and buttes. Sunrises and sunsets are particularly sublime, with the changing light creating depth and painting the features in unbelievably rich hues of vermilion and purple.

Mather Point ( )
RICHARD LANSON/LONELY PLANET IMAGES

Hiking Rim to Rim

To really comprehend the scale of the Grand Canyon, theres no better way than hiking rim to rim. You can link a number of trails, but a good option is the classic corridor route, descending the North Kaibab ( )

DAN BARBA/PHOTO LIBRARY

Grand Canyon Lodge

Perched on the canyon rim, this stone-and-timber granddaddy of national-park lodges ( ) promises a high-country retreat like nothing else in the Grand Canyon. Completed in 1928, the original structure burned to the ground in 1932. It was rebuilt in 1937, and in the early days staff greeted guests with a welcome song and sang farewell as they left. Today, folks who find their way here discover that same sense of camaraderie, and its easy to while away the days at a North Rim pace.

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Havasu Canyon

The people of the blue-green waters, as the Havasupai call themselves, take their name from the otherworldly turquoise-colored waterfalls and creek that run through the canyon. Due to limestone deposits on the creekbed, the water appears sky-blue, a gorgeous contrast to the deep red of the canyon floor and the two sandstone spires watching over the Havasupai. The only ways into and out of Havasu Canyon ( ) are by foot, horse or helicopter, but those that make the trek are richly rewarded by the magic of this place, epitomized by spots such as Havasu Falls (below).

MARK NEWMAN/LONELY PLANET IMAGES

Widforss Trail

This gentle North Rim hike rises and dips along the plateau, veering towards a side canyon and meandering 5 miles to Widforss Point ( ). Its a mild, gentle amble, with canyon views whispering rather than screaming from the edges, plenty of shade, and room for children to play among wildflowers. A picnic table at the end makes a lovely spot for lunch, and at the overlook you can sit on a stone jutting over the Grand Canyon, dangling your feet above the rocky outcrop below, listening to the silence.

CHEYENNE ROUSE/LONELY PLANET IMAGES

Phantom Ranch

After descending to the bottom of the canyon, its a delight to ramble down a flat trail shaded by towering cottonwoods with leaves fluttering in the breeze. As the trail winds past a Puebloan kiva, a mule corral and a few scattered cabins, it leads to the Phantom Ranch canteen ( ), where you can relax with a cold lemonade, your feet up and your pack off. This lovely stone lodge, designed by Mary Colter and built in 1922, continues to be the only developed facility in the inner canyon.