大峡谷国家公园

Awesome not busy as I expected either. Plenty of space for everyone.

I was absolutely in AWE. I didn't get to spend much time there. I'm already looking forward to going back

I have to admit, the Grand Canyon was a spectacular sight - it definitely exceeded my expectations.

We arrived at the Southern Rim by car and purchased the $35 pass which allows you to visit the park multiple times for up to 7 days. Parking was a bit of a chore; there are multiple lots but the layout is not clearly depicted in the park map nor on Google Maps. To reduce your stress, I'd recommend arriving early in the day (before 9am) or later in the day (after 3pm) to increase the chance of finding a good parking spot.

Once on campus, there are a few locations to be aware of. There is a visitor center (small & boring, you can stamp your Park passport here), a market village (grocery store, dining hall / restaurant), lodging, gift shops, and a geology museum. There is a free shuttle service connecting all these things!! Please save your walking energy and use the shuttle to get around.

At the Southern Rim, there is an extensive rim trail that parallels the canyon for several miles. The shuttle service parallels the rim trail and makes stops at all the good vantage points. I'd recommend riding the shuttle to a few stops to take in the entirety of the canyon.

We took the shuttle all the way to "Hermit's Rest" and it was a bit disappointing.

Breathtaking! Excellent place to hike, explore, take photo. I will definitely be returning! Cost is $35 into the park. They have a gift shop and a coffee shop. Bus transportation to different areas of the park and guided tours. You can also explore in your own. We visited in April and the weather was absolutely amazing!

We visited in mid-April and everything was open and available. The weather was great for hiking, and they had many trails to challenge you, or make it easy to see the sights (Rim trail). Arriving early is a great idea as the clarity of the view was at its best. We arrived at the East entrance and it was a breeze to get in and lined us up nicely to stop at many viewpoints before getting the main visitor center.
I’ve never been to a national park that didn’t deliver and this is no exception. It is interesting and very well maintained. The park was probably not as busy as it can get, but it was a bit of a hunting game to get a parking spot at the visitor centre on a Thursday morning. I can only imagine what it would be like on a busy weekend, so you might aim to get here first and then walk or bus around from there.
We had a really enjoyable day and put many miles in walking and exploring so be sure to wear good footwear. If you plan on hiking this is even more important. Bring a lunch with you, water, sunglasses, and sunscreen.
Also don’t forget your common sense. I’d hate to see fencing go up everywhere to save people from trying to get too close to the edge. There are plenty of good viewpoints and really the only way to absorb it is to take a trail down to grasp the depth that is before you. I did the south Kaibab trail to ooh ahh point and that was a decent hike, but not nearly enough. Wish I had more time here to explore more.
Every national park I’ve been to is awesome in its own way, while the Grand Canyon doesn’t disappoint, I do think other parks are awesome too, so don’t end your journey here. Happy travels!