If you only have one day to spend at the Grand Canyon, this is your ultimate list of things to do to get the most out of your time there:
1. Visit the Desert View Watchtower
This tower was built using mostly locally sourced rocks and reused timber and the tower appears to grow organically from the rim of the canyon itself. Plus there are great viewing areas of the canyon from this spot, as well as a cute gift shop inside the tower.
2. Look For Wildlife
Drive slowly through the park and be on the lookout for elk and other wildlife. In addition to all the elk, we saw a family of mountain goats, big beautiful birds, and plenty of adorable chipmunks!
3. Stop for Lunch
While you certainly can save money by packing a lunch, we really enjoyed the restaurant at the Yavapai Lodge. We felt that it was reasonably priced for a filling lunch, and we enjoyed sitting in the nice outdoor picnic area to eat. If you plan to hike during your visit, you will be hangry and really need to load up on calories.
4. Hike to Ooh Ah Point
This was my family’s FAVORITE activity that we did during our visit. We took the shuttle bus over to the South Kaibab Trail (you can’t drive to this trailhead yourself). We then descended down the stairs into the Grand Canyon until we reached the sign pictured above, which is appropriately named due to the magnificent views found here. Then we hiked back up to the starting point. This hike only takes about 2 hours to complete, but it is not for anyone that has difficulty with stairs. Bring water, it’s much harder to get back up than you’d think!
5. Stop at Grandview Point
Grandview Point is a must see area. It has panoramic views of Grand Canyon from east to west, including several bends of the Colorado River to the east. It is also the trailhead for the Historic Grandview Trail. This is also the perfect way to end your visit if you’re there at sunset, watching the colors and shadows changing on the rocks is glorious.
6. Do Some Off Trail Adventuring
There are several other spots you can stop along your way to view the canyon from if you have time. We made a few other quick stops and hiked around the top areas of them, but honestly my elementary school aged kids were pretty worn out after about 6 hours at the park. We were all ready to go sit in the hot tub at our hotel afterwards!
Thanks for reading, please like and comment with your own favorite Grand Canyon activities!
Knoll It All Travel 