How best to get around? With The Grand Canyon being one of the 7 natural wonders of the world, it has tourists from all over the world. People visit the Grand Canyon by driving in, by tour buses and RVs typically. There is no public transport to bring you into the park. There is a historic railway from the city of Williams, AZ (near Flagstaff, AZ) that takes you to the Canyon. The train is not an average commuter train but a vintage one with entertainment onboard. The Grand Canyon is a national park managed by the national park service and has a visitor center that will be your first point of interest in order to find out more about park activities, weather, maps and everything you need to know from the helpful rangers. Also, it is a good experience to stay inside the park than outside of it, if your budget allows for it. You will be able to utilize time better as well. There are park lodges like the Yavapai lodge. The El Tovar Hotel is an iconic one which gives great views of the canyon.

Currency is the US Dollar. Can easily use credit cards everywhere as long as you are aware of any foreign transaction fees charged by your credit card company, if you are travelling to the US from elsewhere.

Power outlets in the US are either A or B type plug adaptres with 110 V and 60Hz.

The weather is extremely hot and sunny in summers, cold in the winters. Best time to visit is March through May and September thru November. Check out more details on weather and events.

There cannot be enough said about dangers and safety when it comes to hikers. There are warnings posted everywhere in the park for hikers to not attempt strenuous trails without being properly equipped and also not attempt doing the rim to canyon or rim to rim hikes in one day. One needs to pay full heed to these warnings and to not become a liability or part of an undesirable statistic. Each year rangers rescue people who are dehydrated, passed-out and sick on trails. We also see news items where fit and experienced hikers have died when attempting to do strenuous trails in a day, especially in the scorching heat. The other warning, kindly do not go near wildlife. With this in mind, these parks are meant to be sensibly enjoyed.

About the blog

Thanks to Bala Ekambaram, Dallas, TX, for writing the narrative section, summarizing his preparation and the hike to the bottom of the canyon with his son. My own visits to the South Rim and North Rim, combined with reading up on the West Rim, enabled me to write the Highlights section and add all pictures prior to his narrative.

Thanks to Rekha Shenoy for her contribution of pictures of their hike to Havasupai reservation and Falls.

— Jyothi Shankar

The South Rim, altitude 7000 ft above sea level

The south rim is more developed and offers many restaurants and experiences. There is a shuttle bus service that takes you to several viewing points. The red route that takes you all the way to Hermit’s Rest has some wonderful viewpoints with the Hopi point known as best to enjoy sunsets. When waiting for the shuttle after sunset we didn’t realize how quickly the temperature dropped! We were cold in May.

Other than the shuttle route, view points like Mather point, Desert view and Yaki point are great vantage points for viewing the mega canyons and their spread.

• Rim Trail

A paved, flat and easy 13 mile walk (4 to 5 hours long) on the top of the rim, stretching from the South Kaibab trailhead to Hermit’s rest. It pretty much allows you to board the shuttle along the way if you want to do so. A great resource for the Rim Trail.

• The Rim to River hike and the Rim to Rim hike are described in the next section

South Rim pictures below

Throwback from our visit in 2000 with the 3-year-old, and revisit to the South Rim in 2022 with the same kid, all grown-up :-). Did we also notice in difference in photography? 😉

The North Rim, 8300 ft above sea level

The Rim to River Hike is from the South Rim which is at an elevation of 7000 ft above sea level.

Read the narrative section in this blog for a first-hand account about the hike experience.

Considered a very strenuous hike, one needs to train, and be very well-prepared. Read this very helpful article to know more and who should even attempt this hike. It is a great article by ‘the hiking guy’ with lots of minute details, maps and images, about the hike and gear.

There are warnings everywhere about not trying to attempt the hike down and back up on the same day and it is up to us to exercise judgement and caution. There is not always a mule option and ranger rescues can take hours if you have an emergency.

It is recommended to start at South Kaibab Trail (no water resource, you have to carry), and then ascend back to the South Rim on the Bright Angel Trail (has some water resources).

South Kaibab Trail

Very challenging, steep, less shade and dramatic views. The trail begins on the South Rim near Yaki Point and descends to the Colorado River. Elevation change from rim to river is 4860 ft (1480 m), trail is 6.3 miles long.

Spend at least a night at the Phantom ranch or Bright Angel campground before heading back up. The trail back up takes twice as long. These reservations need to be made a year in advance through the National Park Service/Xanterra for Phantom ranch, and you can book four months in advance for the back-country permit to camp. Details on booking can be found in this article (Article is about the rim-to-rim hike but overnight stay information is the same).

Bright Angel Trail

The trail begins on the South Rim near Kold Studio and descends to the Colorado River. Elevation change from rim to river is 4460 ft (1360 m), and trail length is about 9 miles.  This trail passes through Havasupai Gardens.

This is a must-read article that shows the distances from point to point.

Read the narrative section in this page for a firsthand account and a day-by-day plan for the rim to river hike.

The rim-to-rim hike is about 24 miles long and considered very strenuous. It takes you from the north rim to the south rim, or vice-versa.

The North Kaibab trailhead to the river is 15 miles long that of takes you to the bottom the canyon.

Coming back up the Bright Angel trail is about 9 miles long as mentioned before. Please read in detail about the rim-to-rim hike.

Official time stated to do this is 5 to 6 hours but it really takes much longer. Offers some shade along the way. This is a very challenging hike and as per the National Park Service, it generates the most rescues and 911 calls in the year! You can go part way and head back if you don’t want to go all the way down.

This is a must-read article that shows the distances from point to point.

The North Rim, 8300 ft above sea level

The South Rim, 7000 ft above sea level

The below hikes are from the South Rim

• Hermit Trail, Grandview Trail
• Tanner Trail.

Both steep to very steep, ranging in distance from 2.2 miles to 7 miles in challenging terrain.

Details of the hikes can be found here. 

Thanks to Bala Ekambaram who did the hike down to the Canyon floor with his son, Vik in Nov 2017 and wrote this feature with their pictures for my blog.

In 1963, Bob Dylan recited, as his role model and inspiration, Woody Guthrie, lay dying, “To find hope, you visit him at the Brooklyn Hospital; to find God, you go to the church of your choice”.  You will find both in Grand Canyon at sundown.

These are profound words repeated by Bala who writes this feature on the Grand Canyon and takes you on a hike from the top to the bottom of the canyon. Scroll down!! Not many do this hike and I urge you to read and get inspired get some great preparation tips into hiking the South Kaibab trail or Bright Angel trail if your fitness allows it.