The Grand Canyon in One Day

I went on a family vacation to the Grand Canyon when I was in elementary school and we rafted down the Colorado River, through the Grand Canyon. It was one of the coolest experiences ever. I've been back to the Grand Canyon twice since then and I think because of that first experience, it never really lives up to the amazing idea of how the Grand Canyon is in my memory. I will say though, this past trip was really cool and slightly reignited my awe of the canyon.

We got in late the night before we were set to explore and posted up on BLM land in Kaibab National Forest. It's such a great alternative to the crowded campgrounds in the park, especially for our dog, Sammie, who had all the space to roam around. We drove down a forest road for about half a mile passing a few other campers along the way before setting up near an established fire ring (a good way to tell if it's an 'okay' spot to camp) with nobody else around.

The next morning we had the whole day to explore since it was a national holiday and we had off from work! Since we were camped outside of the South Entrance we drove the quick 15 minutes to South Kaibab Trailhead to being our day. We initially planned to hike to Cedar Ridge but decided it wouldn't look that different from the main turn around point, Ooh Aah Vista. Also, we were hot and lazy so hopefully we didn't miss significantly different views. The hike takes you down some switchbacks to a crazy view of the canyon!

After our hike back up, we took the free shuttle to Yaki Point, you can only get here via the shuttle and it was a gorgeous view of the canyon but honestly, not all that different from the view at Ooh Aah Vista. Then we walked around the Visitors Center and to Mather Point where there were SO many people waiting in line to take a photo on a rock? It was a bit weird to us because there are views of the canyon literally everywhere you look but to each their own! We were scoping out spots to come back at night with Sammie for sunset and opted to steer clear of Mather Point because of the crowds.

After heading back home for a late lunch, we returned with Sammie in tow for her first ever visit to the Grand Canyon! We arrived an hour before sunset and had no issue parking at Yavapai Point. Dogs are allowed on the Rim Trial which is a paved path that goes along the North to South Rim. After Sammie sniffed every square inch we posted up for a beautiful sunset!

The next day we headed out but made sure to stop at Lipan Point via Desert View Drive and it was by far the best view of the canyon we saw. You can see the Colorado River winding through the canyon and it really puts into perspective just how massive it is. It was a little hazy and we kinda regretted not doing Lipan Point for sunset, which was our orignial plan but it was just a little too far to justify. Luckily we stopped on our way out the next morning as we make our way on to Lake Powell!