Grand Canyon

March 2005 - we stayed at the south rim and took a day hike halfway down to Indian Gardens.

The views from the rim are magnificent and the size is just overwhelming. But if you take a dayhike all the way Down, or at least halfway, you get to see plants, succulents and various Birds. Of course squirrels are following you as well, desiring some nuts or bread crumps. But we also got to see a condor.

Even in April the scenic Spots were packed with tourists. And on the hike Down we were still joined by a high number of hikers. From Indian Gardens however the view to the Colorado is completely different and you can almost smell the water. Geat!

The trail is shared with Mules that you can ride Down and up again. We observed a rather antipodous woman, that refused to ride on the Donkey back up again and was taken a Hand off a Ranger. For us the steep climp was strenous and took a few hours. Back up again we saw a helicopter towing the woman back up again. What an adventure she must have had. Great experienience for me as well.

In the Photo I marked the spot we hiked to!

June 2012 - this time we visited the North rim. It was already opened to public- We were lucky and could reserve a campground a few weeks earlier online. The north rim is way more remote, hence less tourists and less buildings. The campground is great, we could look over the rim from our tent. On our way from Mesa Verde we passed Monument Valley. A must see on your way through the mid West.

First day we drove to the scenic viewpoints. The views were even more magificant than from the southrim. The next morning we started our hike down at 5. a.m. so we would not get into the heat. After a few hours we met a group of Boys going already up again. They had been hiking all night starting at the southrim, passing Colorado and now back up again, amazing. The north rim is a bit higher and after hours of hiking it got warmer and dryer and the worst part was yet to come, to hike up again. So we decided to turn around after 2/3rds of the way and made our way back. Rest of the day we relaxed. The NPs have fridges loaded with a broad selection of lovely hopped IPAs. So also the rest of the day was great. 

North rim: was really one of the greatest adventures of my life. But we continued next day to Zion, almost as good an experience.

WHS#1

My very first WHS visit came from a trip to the West Coast of the USA way back when in 2008. It's so long ago that I can't even find my pictures of it (not that I took any pictures by myself as a child). On that trip, we met so many relatives and family friends, visited several cities, and did a lot of things. Being the child I was back then, I just so happen to remember none of that now. This is a part of my life that I really can't visualize, so it seems a bit of a stretch to even include this site on my personal list of WHS. But there are 3 vivid memories I have of that distant blissful bygone era, and they all happen to be in Arizona: my first encounter with snow (dirty, melting, meter-wide patch of compressed ice under a grove of pine trees) near Flagstaff, the unbelievable heat of Yuma that melted my ice cream almost instantly and made me feel like my butt was burning, and the Grand Canyon. Yes, those 3 still shine brightly in my imagination to this day, and it's time to discuss the 3rd one.

As the science-oriented kid I was, the Grand Canyon was definitely a highlight of my life back then. It was just such an amazing image that became true in front of my young, still eyeglassless, eyes. My parents and I were on a road trip, driving from …

I visited the Grand Canyon in August 2016. I stayed 2 nights in Tusoyan town (just 5 minutes from the park). I did two day trips.

1) like Els above, walked to Hermit and drove along the other view points.

2) the South Kaibab Trail hike up to Skeleton Point. This is a hike you really should do. it's betweeen 4-6 hours pending how fast you go. I walked with my daughter of 11 and she could easily do it. Don't take your grandma there!

Make sure to take water. A LOT. At least 5 liter per person I think.

check my site for Panorama photos. some made of 80 separate photos making them 150 MP resolution (the original; the one on the site are downsized.) If you are interested in the 150 MP resolution files ask me!

I've waited to review the Grand Canyon until I visited the South Rim, North Rim, and "Grand Canyon West". I have now visited Grand Canyon National Park (5) times, and the more remote North Rim is the most rewarding.

NORTH RIM

Firstly, I camped at the North Rim campground for $18. This campground is a prime habitat for the endemic Kaibab Squirrel, which is only found on the Kaibab Plateau. The campground is also located near the iconic structure "Grand Canyon Lodge" built in 1927 (National Historic Landmark), which offers fine dining and a stunning view. From here there are several trails both on the plateau, on the rim, and into the canyon. All worth your time.

Secondly, the most rewarding drives in the North Rim is the Cape Royal road that ends with the sublime Angel's window, and several more hikes (easy, moderate, difficult). I particularly enjoyed the Cliff Springs trail, which is not very long, but is quite stunning, and not a typical scene in the park that most visitors experience.

One of the benefits of the North Rim was the different atmosphere. The north unit is not visited by millions like the South Rim. It is not - viewpoint to viewpoint stopping. Indeed, you will have whole trails and views to yourself, even on a holiday weekend. I also benefited from camping in the park, morning and sunset views, a starry night sky, contemplation and solitude by the campfire is something difficult to …

My favorite part of visiting the Grand Canyon isn't the canyon at all. While it's one awe inspiring view after another, I found myself most impressed with the local Native Americans musicians and dancers. It was like being transported back in time. The whole experience is entrancing. If you have an opportunity to go, you must!!

I went to the Grand Canyon back in 2000, during a 3 week

trip to California, I have to say that it was a highlight.

We stopped overnight in the village with the intention of

seeing the sun rise, but unfortunatley we overslept which

resulted in us going late morning, it was just breathtaking

and we ended up staying to watch the sunset. I don't believe

it could have been any more spetacular. It will stay with me forever. I would recommend seeing the Grand Canyon to

anyone who is in the area, a must see.

We went to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon after a tour of the Utah national parks. What a surprise! After having been to the South Rim, we were expecting the same... not at all. It's about 1000 feet higher than the southern portion and we were met (in August) with a brief snowfall. We were also surprised by how heavily it was forested and spent quite a bit of time watching the chipmunks. We made the mistake of not staying at the Lodge .... a lot of reasons: one day really isn't enough, with all the hiking that you do it's not a good idea to travel afterwards, and most of all, you're so reluctant to leave, it would be a blessing to have planned in advance to delay the departure!

I was Overwhelmed by this canyon. corny as it sounds, there just aren't words to describe its enormousness and beauty. I went in winter, and it was freezing cold; there was snow covering the entire canyon (though I hear it was 10 degrees Celsius warmer at the bottom of the canyon). Though the canyon has been developed, it is so majestic, it seems that nothing can ruin the experience. This is definitely one of the seven wonders of the world, and visit to this site is amazing.

I tried to be there early, leaving my hotel in Flagstaff at 7 am. After two involuntarily rounds around town trying to find the right exit (I already had gotten lost the night before on the way back from the supermarket to the hotel), I headed north to Grand Canyon (South Rim). The sun already was shining brightly. Highways 180 and 64 are quiet roads within pretty surroundings.

Arriving at the gate of the park after 1.5 hours, I had to pay an entrance fee (per car) of 25 dollars - the highest amount I've paid in the US to get into a park or other attraction. I parked my car in Grand Canyon Village, and from there I had my first look at this enormous crack in the earth.

From the village, I started the Rim Walk westward, to Hermit's Rest. The Rim Walk is quite flat: I heard a German tourist say 'Grandmother could have come with us'. The height and the dry air do wear you out though, walking here is much harder than at sea level. The trail follows the edges of the canyon, so you can have a look down at the wonderfully carved rocks all the time. This easy walking is a very pleasant way to experience the park, smell, and see its nature.

Hermit's Rest at the end of the trail is a small souvenir and snack stall (with a great old fireplace). From there, the free shuttle bus took …

Yes, the Grand Canyon is all that it's cracked up to be! I've been twice - once when I was 9 and as an adult. During the former trip, we drove in my cousins car from LA and saw other tourist sites along the way, including the Hoover Dam and Vegas. I remember it being stinking hot at 110 degrees Fahrenheit and the drive was almost unbearable, even with the AC. My younger sister screamed and cried for a good part of the trip because she was so uncomfortable. But once we arrived, I kind of forgot about the heat and was astounded by the rock formations and fantasic colors.

I went again in 2004 with my then-fiance' while we were in Vegas. We took a plane ride above it and I can say that the ride was worth it. You really get a sense of how massive the canyon is. For those of you considering a visit, the Grand Canyon will not disappoint!

What can you say about the Grand Canyon? It is simply

the greatest chasm in the world. Once you get a look

into the great chasm, your problems seem insignificant.

It is just so awe inspiring and beautiful. I viewed

the canyon from the north rim in October 1994.

I can't wait to go back.

As said below this is Awesome in the proper sense of the word. I was lucky enough to be able to fly to the canyon from Las Vegas. The flight starts out across the Mojave desert before travelling over the Hoover dam and Lake Mead, which is all pretty impressive then the canyon proper starts. It is on a massive scale which I was not expecting, I was pretty much expecting two banks opposite each other like you see on post cards, not the vast expanse of canyons stretching off as far as you can see. Overall it was just the sheer size of the site that was spectacular in both its e breadth and also how deep it actually is, I guess the name should have given me a hint!

I would love to be able to go back and spend a few days travelling around, hiking down to the canyon floor and seeing the Colorado River up close, there is easily enough to keep you entertained for at least week from the look of things, and I feel even as a dedicated Urbanite that this would be something that would really appeal to me in the future.

Natural sites don't normally feature highly on my hit lists, however if you get to go to South Western USA this is well worth heading several days out of the way for. We headed out there from LA (a city I have grown to like over repeat visits) and spent a …

My first impression of the Grand Canyon was a mental struggle to grasp the enormity of it all. Sure, it's essentially a really big hole in the ground, but what a hole! Add to that the real Western flavor and pleasing native flora and fauna, and what you wind up with is an incredible life experience, and most likely, a passing feeling of insignificance compared to the splendor of the natural world.

The south rim of the Grand Canyon is reasonably user friendly to people travelling by public transport. There are buses from Flagstaff station to the Park that connect with the trains passing through. And a bonus, if you travel to the Park by bus entry is free.

Then there are the shuttle buses within the park that take you to the sights, also for free.

Bill Bryson once said that "nothing prepares you for the Grand Canyon. No matter how many times you read about it or see it pictured, it still takes your breath away. Your mind, unable to deal with anything on this scale, just shuts down and for many long moments you are a human vacuum, without speech or breath, but just a deep, inexpressible awe that anything on this earth could be so vast, so beautiful, so silent."

That about sums it up, and what's more is that I don't think there's a picture in existence that can do it justice (although I've included a pretty one from the South-Eastern end). My husband has been eager to take me to the Grand Canyon for as long as I've known him, and we made the trip in September 2004, on our tour of some exceptional World Heritage Sites in the South-Western USA. It was the first WHS of the trip and though I spent three days rambling around, hiking and viewing the Canyon from many angles, I never got used to seeing it. It's so huge that it doesn't look real - it seems like a painting.

Unfortunately, it's a major tourist attraction and can get quite crowded. The first day we ventured up there (we were staying in nearby Williams, Arizona) was the Sunday of a holiday weekend, and the throngs of people were most intimidating. The worst thing of all was that people were climbing over the safety barriers out …

Simply stunning. One should not have to leave this earth without having seen Grand Canyon. It makes you just stare in amazement and wonder. On a more practical note, I went there by train - an original Western railroad from the town of Williams, complete with a bandit holdup. Clichéd maybe, but still fun. The train's schedule gives you just a few hours at the canyon, so maybe you should stay there for the night. Anyway, it will be an unforgettable experience.

The Grand Canyon is just GRAND! I love this part of SW US; if you look at the whole area, starting with Bryce and it's hoodoos (eroded sandstone formations), then go south to Zion Natl. Park (eroded granite) and continue south to the north rim of the Grand Canyon (eroded everything), you can get the whole picture of what has happened by water and wind to this entire area. Throw in Monument Valley, the Painted Desert (multi-colored), the Vermillion Hills (purple)and on south to Sedona for a spiritual finish. This was a great 10 day trip, with a bush w/ hundreds of hummingbirds and beautiful hikes. Stay in Springdale,UT and the Northridge Lodge, if you get the chance.

The Grand Canyon is one of those few things in the world that lives up to its hype. It's a breathtaking, astonishing site, and the National Park Service has done a good job of keeping the area clean and natural (no mini-golf or Wal-Marts!), with signature WPA-era stone and timber architecture for the park service center. I've been there three times and would go back again in a heartbeat.

Recommended: stay in Flagstaff, and stop in on Wupatki National Monument and the Painted Desert areas on your way up to the Canyon. This whole area is peaceful and astonishingly beautiful. One unexpected thing that stays with me is the sound of the wind in the pines that flank the canyon. You'll probably also see chipmunks if you sit still.

Well i was only 17 when my Australian family of a mum, dad and 13 year old brother josh visited America for 6 months. After 1 and 1/2 months it was my 17th birthday. I could go anywhere i wanted my father told me. What caught my eye after days of thinking was that some world famous people visited the much loved site. No one beleived me when i told them the Grand Canyon. "You wont like it." My parents explained to me. I would just have to figure it out myself i thought. Now i'm 25 and have a beautiful 5 year old boy of my own. We are visiting the Grand Canyon next year. I would encourage everyone to go. IT'S SIMPLY AMASING!!

"It is just a big crack!!"

i was willing to be soo unimpressed by the Grand Canyon but it is impossible to be. the whole place is just fantastic. I have never been to a natural site as awe-inspiring as this! I just flew in on a day trip from Las Vegas, the flight along the Colardao and over the Hoover dam and Lake mead was impressive but as soon as you hit the canyon that all went out the window.

This was awesome in the original sense of the word and nothing else can describe it. I wish i could have gone there for a longer period of time amnd gone rafting or hiking.

Vegas looks like such a terrible place when you return!!

The Grand Canyon is an absolute must if you are anyhere near it!!