TAKE A BREAK IN GRAND CANYON

I’m going to talk to you here only about the southern part of the Grand Canyon, the best known and most visited part. For information, the Grand Canyon is included in the “America the Beautiful” annual pass. You can put your car in one of the large car parks on arrival and then do everything with the free shuttle provided by the park. Shuttles start before sunrise and end after sunset. So you have time to walk around the Grand Canyon.

The Grand Canyon was carved out by the Colorado River over millions of years. And it gives today what you see in the photos (or in real life for those who have been there). When you get to the viewpoints, you will see this huge hole in front of you. This feeling is indescribable.
To see different viewpoints of the Grand Canyon, you can start at Yaki Point by taking the shuttle from the parking lots. This gives you a nice first view of the Canyon. I advise you to take the bus back to the next point where it can stop you. There are some hikes but they do not go in the direction of the Grand Canyon Village and if you are limited in time, it is better to take the bus again. Walk along the path which is at the edge of the cliffs called the South Rim Trail. Then, return to the parking lots and the Visitor Center to do a few more viewpoints. I warn you, there are people in this area. You have a museum on the Geology of the Grand Canyon. It is very interesting to have the explanations of the natural formation of this place. Walk to Hopi Point, passing by Maricopa Point, which have incredible views of the Canyon and the river! It’s breathtaking.
Then take the shuttle to Pima Point. From there, you have a nice walk to finish up Mohave Point! But the path between Pima Point and Mohave Point will also offer you magnificent views! Along the way, I was amazed. You will pass by Monument Creek Vista which has a very nice view of the park. The trail is the West Rim Trail, and for me, it is the most beautiful part of the Grand Canyon. At the end of the day, there were few people on the trail. Be careful to those who are scared of heights, some passages are very exposed but there is always the road not very far. It takes about a good 2h30 to make the journey that I have just described to you. Plan how long it takes to arrive at sunset time at Mohave Point. It is one of the most beautiful points of view to admire this precious moment of the day. Once the sun is down, stay for a few more minutes, the colors on the rocks are changing again after. Some condors were also present at this time, a very beautiful natural show.

I did 2 hikes that descend into the Grand Canyon.
The first was the South Kaibab Trail (the beginning of the trail is accessible by shuttle). I didn’t go very low because it was my first day at the Grand Canyon and I wanted to do a bigger one the next day, but already going down to Ooh Aah Point is magnificent! You descend these large cliffs to arrive at a super beautiful view of the Grand Canyon. To do 3 km (1,8 miles) and 183m of elevation, I took about 1 hour. It puts you in good shape for the next day’s hike. The hike has an average difficulty, the hardest part is going up. Bring water as there is no water point on the way.
The second hike I did was the Bright Angel Trail. I really advise you to start early because you go down low in the Canyon, and the ascent is done in the middle of the day there, during the peaks of heat. We started at 5 am, at sunrise for example. The hike is very beautiful and impressive. We descend further and further down the cliffs until we find ourselves in the middle of a large vegetation. I did not expect these landscapes at all once at the bottom of the canyon. We stopped at the Indian Garden point as we knew we would have to go up again. We did 20 km (12,5 miles) and 965 m of elevation in 7h30 with many breaks. I’m not going to lie that the climb seems endless, especially at the end. But it’s not as hard as you might think. If you can, I advise you to go to Plateau Point which has a great view of the Colorado River. If you are in good physical condition, this is a hike that I highly recommend.

The first time I went to the Grand Canyon, I was completely blown away. Coming back, I knew what to expect but I took the time to explore the place and its different points of view. The place is amazing and really beautiful! Going to the center of this canyon is a unique experience, you feel very small in the middle of this immensity of nature. A very beautiful American national park.

TEN-X CAMPGROUND
On the road 64, 15 minutes away from the Grand Canyon Village.
Price: $23 – €21,8 / night for a tent spot
Click here to book a night.

A campsite outside the Grand Canyon but about fifteen minutes by car from the entrance. Ideal location for not too much money! You have showers in the park if you need to cool off after a hike.