The Grand Canyon: Indescribable

The first time you see the Grand Canyon it will take your breath away. It is one of the most amazing sites you’ll see in your life. Most people will see it for a few hours and move on. But there is so much more to the canyon than just the views. The Grand Canyon is so large, there are four main areas to the canyon, and each is hours apart from the other: South, North, East, and West.

Places

Grand Canyon South Rim

This is the main section of the national park and has the most iconic views.

• Grand Canyon Village. The heartbeat of the national park with hikes, mule rides, lodging, and food.
• Hermit’s Rest. Accessibly only by shuttle in the busy season, it’s a fun little building designed to look like a hermit’s home.
• Desert View. Accessible by car with multiple viewpoints on the way, it provides the best views of the Colorado River below.
• Tusayan. A small town outside the park with a visitor center, lodging, food, camping, and no charm.
• Williams. A more charming Route 66 town with restaurants, the wonderful drive-through zoo Bearizona, and the Grand Canyon Train offering daily rides to the Grand Canyon with entertainment.
• Sedona. Gorgeous red rock formations coupled with green trees make this new-age city a popular place to visit in conjunction with the Grand Canyon.
• Flagstaff. Jumping off point to multiple national monuments, such as Wupatki and Sunset Crater.

Grand Canyon North Rim

The North Rim is also part of the national park. It is visible from the South Rim and located 11 miles away as the bird flies. But it takes 4 hours to drive around the canyon to get there! Open only from May to October, it receives only 10% of the park’s visitors (read: great getaway!).

• Grand Canyon Lodge. The heart of the relaxing north rim. Bright Angel Point, the Rough Rider Saloon, fine dining, and mule rides are all based out of the Lodge.
• Cape Royal Point. Take the 23-mile Cape Royal Road out to the point for some of the best viewpoints on the north rim.
• Jacob Lake. This is the gateway town to the Grand Canyon’s North Rim. Cookies and shakes at the Jacob Lake Lodge are a must!
• Kanab. Centrally located to Zion, Bryce, the North Rim, and the Vermillion Cliffs. An outdoor enthusiast’s dream, this was once known as Little Hollywood for the many movies filmed here.

Grand Canyon East

This is NOT part of the national park, this area is a collection of private, public, and tribal land. Page, Arizona, is the main city here. There are some overrated and underrated attractions in this area!

• Page. A large (for this area) city, it’s the base for hiking and boating enthusiasts.
• Horseshoe Bend. Overlook of the Colorado River.
• Antelope Canyon. Confusingly, there are multiple canyons here known as Antelope Canyon, and most are accessible only through (expensive) tours.
• Lake Powell. Famous and gorgeous lake accessible from Page.
• Rainbow Bridge. National monument accessible only by boat tour.
• Navajo Bridge & Lees Ferry. Underrated places to walk over and play in the Colorado River, as well as view California Condors.
• Glen Canyon Dam & NRA. Visitor center to learn about the dam, which forms Lake Powell.
• Navajo National Monument. Located closer to Monument Valley, this is a nice place to see cliff-dwellings.

Grand Canyon West

Also not part of the national park, this area is owned by two tribes.

• Grand Canyon Skywalk. Walk out over the Grand Canyon on a see-through bridge.
• Havasu Falls. Lottery-only hike to see gorgeous waterfalls at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
• Peach Springs. Route 66 town that provided the inspiration for Radiator Springs in the movie Cars.
• Hoover Dam. Famous, massive dam with a visitor center and tours.
• Lake Mead. This lake is formed by the Hoover dam and offers boat tours. Easily accessible from Las Vegas.

Read

• 16 AWESOME things to do at the Grand Canyon
• 15 fun things to do with kids at the Grand Canyon
• Where to stay at the Grand Canyon: Options and our recommendations
• Where to camp at the Grand Canyon
• Where to eat at the Grand Canyon
• Hiking in the Grand Canyon: What you need to know (hikes, tips, gear)
• Grand Canyon mule rides: Our review and what you need to know
• How many people have died in the Grand Canyon?
• Hiking in the Desert: 11 things to know before you go
• Bearizona: the best bear park we’ve ever visited

Watch

• Grand Canyon Trip Planner (40 min)
• The BEST of the Grand Canyon (20 min)
• Grand Canyon 101 for First-Time Visitors (11 min)
• 7 Things to See in the GRAND CANYON VILLAGE (8 min)
• Bearizona: A Fun Stop on the Way to the Grand Canyon (7 min)
• 10 Things to Know about Grand Canyon’s North Rim (11 min)
• 11 Great Things to Do at Jacob Lake, AZ (15 min)
• Antelope Canyon: Our Full Review (24 min)
• 10 GREAT Things to Do at the Grand Canyon! (15 min)
• What to Know About Mule Rides at the Grand Canyon (18 min)
• What to Know About Hiking in the Grand Canyon (11 min)
• Where to Stay and Camp at the Grand Canyon (15 min)
• Where to Eat at the Grand Canyon (11 min)
• 20 Things You Didn’t Know About the Grand Canyon (13 min)
• Grand Canyon: Don’t do these 7 things (11 min)
• Things that Surprised Us About the Grand Canyon (18 min)