If you were to ask someone to make a list of national parks in the United States, every list would include the Grand Canyon. This is the second most popular national park in the United States, only beaten out by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Visiting this wonder of the geological world, it’s easy to see why. The Grand Canyon descends more than a mile into the history of the earth, carving through layers of stone that predate everything from dinosaurs to Pangea. Due to its sheer size, Grand Cayon National Park can be divided into two distinct sections: the south rim and the north rim. Both areas are part of the same wonder, but they are so distinct that they truly are different parks.
Grand Canyon National Park: South Rim
The south rim of the Grand Canyon is by far the most popular of the two. Its popularity is due to several factors. The south rim of the park’s weather is much warmer year-round due to its elevation, so it is open year-round. Additionally, due to it being open year-round, the south rim is significantly more developed.
Amenities and Hiking at Grand Canyon National Park: South Rim
The south rim hosts Grand Canyon Village, a sprawling complex of hotels, campgrounds, restaurants, and shops. While we didn’t do a lot of shopping in the village, we did stop at a food court to order a post-hike pizza that was delicious. We did not stay in the park, opting instead to boondock outside the park. Whatever your housing preferences, there are numerous options in and outside the park.
The south rim of the park also hosts an expansive, complimentary shuttle service that spans all 22+ miles of the desert view drive, dropping visitors off at several scenic overlooks, historic sights, and museums along the rim trail. The rim trail itself follows the south rim and is the launching point for the 2 trailheads that cross the canyon from the south: Bright Angel and Kaibab.
South Rim: Highly Accessible
We enjoyed hopping on and off the shuttle, getting out to enjoy the views and take pictures, and hike short sections of the rim trail. The shuttle drivers were informative, friendly, and some were even funny! We especially appreciated a tip from one of the drivers to get out at Maricopa Point to look for condors. Mom was so excited to see them soaring below us!
We visited the south rim several times over the course of the two weeks we were in the area. Our first journey “below the rim” was a bit of a test for us. We took the Bright Angel Trail. At the time of our visit, Bright Angel trail was closed after only a ½ mile or so. That gave us a hard limit and we couldn’t get into too much trouble.
Of the many signs in and around the park, the one we saw the most was “Down is optional, Up is mandatory.” What it means is it’s very easy to hike too far down into the canyon and not be able to hike out again. We didn’t want to overextend ourselves and took comfort in the ½ mile limit. After going down and up again we felt confident we could go a little further on our next trip.
On a later trip, we elected to hike down the Kaibab trail. This trail was open “rim to rim” at the time. We chose to stop and turn around at “Ooh Aah Point.” This vista was about a mile down the trail, and over 700 feet down in elevation.
As the signs all promised, the trip down was pretty easy and scenic and the trip up again was grueling. We’ve gotten in the habit of watching Rock the Park episodes about the parks we visit. One tip we took from these guys was to rest at every switchback on the way up. One may be tempted to push through and make headway but in addition to climbing the equivalent of about 1000 stairs, the rims are at high elevation, meaning the air is much thinner.
The Grand Canyon: A view only being there can capture
The views at Grand Canyon National Park, both above the rim and below, can not be encompassed in words. Even the best photographs, presented in the best medium, are only a tiny taste of what the real experience is like. Technology can not capture the subtle colors or the majesty of the depths.
Grand Canyon National Park: North Rim
Being about 1000’ higher than the south rim, winter snows necessitate the park closing this side from mid-fall to early summer. While the south rim may be accessible, the flip side is it’s perpetually crowded. The north rim of Grand Canyon National Park is so much nicer from a “connecting with nature” point of view. Geologically speaking, the north rim is also much more gradual when it comes to elevation changes. There is no distinct “rim.” There are several trails around the visitors’ complex on the north rim. These trails dip below the rim while meandering around the forests of the Kaibab plateau.
That’s not to say that hiking far down is easy. Building on our experience on the south rim when we took Bright Angel trail down, we only went as far as the Supai Tunnel, a 4-mile (round trip) hike with about 1400 feet of elevation change. While we made it, it was rough and probably slightly too big of a bite for us.
Something that was counterintuitive to us was that as you drop in elevation, the temperature rises. We thought shadows would make it cooler in the canyon, but this was not the case. As a result, we started our big Supai Tunnel hike at the unearthly time of 7:30 am. We made it down to the tunnel by 9 and back up to the rim about noon.
Even with the tough hike, the natural beauty and relative seclusion of the north rim make it our favorite Grand Canyon experience. There are cabins and a hotel on the north rim, which could be a lovely way to take in this side of the park.
Mom’s Note: We often try to work in learning about the areas we visit. In addition to visitor centers and junior ranger books from the national parks, we enjoy reading related fiction books and watching documentaries. Brighty of the Grand Canyon was a book I read as a child and I made sure to share this gem with my kids, too. (We listen to audiobooks so we can pause and discuss along the way.) While we keep things casual, we also learn so much this way!