The Majesty of Grand Canyon

This review is dedicated to all the fellow travelers who saved our life at South Kaibab Trail.


The Grand Canyon from Yaki Point

What is considered as one of the seven natural wonders of the world can hardly be described in a single travel review. We could write all day about what an amazing sight is ahead of you and what a spectacle it is. Yet, at the end of the day words do no justice to it.

Isis Temple

There might be a number of “Grand Canyons” in other parts of the world. But this is THE Grand Canyon. Universally famous for the combination of large size and depth, the exposed layering of colorful rocks dates back to the prehistoric times. The easiest way to remember the formation of Grand Canyon is the word DUDE, which stands for Deposition – Uplift – Down Cutting – Erosion.

Vishnu Temple

Perhaps it's no surprise, but the lure of the canyon induces a lot of visitors to leave the rim and head downward towards the Colorado River. Our personal recommendation is that one should always find a way to make that a part of the canyon experience, whether he/she is at the South Rim or the less-visited North Rim.

Sunrise from Yaki Point

Day 1: Arrival

We made it to the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park in the month of October, where the off-season timing reduced the large numbers of people. We arrived there at late afternoon after a 240 miles (384 km) drive from Phoenix Airport. We barely managed to catch the stunning views of sunset from the Yavapai Point. The camping experience at Mather Campground, as it must be in a national park, was fun. People might find hotels outside the park boundary or can also avail the log cabins available but spending the nights so close to nature cannot be enjoyed in any better way than to camp in the park.

The end of "Trail of Time" near the Grand Canyon Village

Day 2: Exploration of the South Rim

The next day started with sunrise at Yaki Point and ended with sunset at Lipan Point. We spent the whole day going from one vista point to the other along the Rim Trail and Desert View Road. We were somewhat in awe of the “Trail of Time” that extends along the rim for what feels like miles. This starts from the Yavapai Point and continues through the Grand Canyon Village. About 2 billion years of earth's geological history, supplemented by spectacular specimens of rocks from the bottom of the canyon, have been exhibited throughout the trail.

Vishnu Schist – the oldest exposed rock layer in the canyon

Inside the park, the important vista points include Hermit's Rest (and all other points on the Hermit Road), Yavapai Point, Mather Point, Yaki Point (ideal for sunrise), Grandview Point, Navajo Point, Lipan Point (ideal for sunset) and Desert View.

One important thing we learnt from visiting the vista points is that a lot of the views look identical. The canyon is so vast that one can only get a slightly different perspective from adjacent viewing points. So it is worthwhile taking this into account when one plans to visit there. More so it also gives us a idea of its vastness and what seemed a long distance for us to get us enough tired, was actually small enough for the canyon to barely show any change in its view.

Colorado river from Navajo Point

The most popular point for sunrise is Yaki Point, and that for sunset is Hopi Point in the Hermit Road. But for a quieter and serene atmosphere, I would recommend Lipan Point near the Desert View, where the experience was overwhelming. The changing color of sunset was better than anything we have ever seen. The sharp turns and rapids of the Colorado River can be best seen from the Navajo Point on the Desert View Road. The Desert View boasts of a historic watchtower designed by famous architect Mary Colter.

The Abyss at twilight, from Lipan Point

Day 3: Deep Dive into the Canyon

As it was said from time to time, one hasn’t really seen the Grand Canyon until it is observed from inside of the canyon. Leaving the crowds of Grand Canyon Village behind was always a part of our plan. And we found that heading down the canyon's steep slopes gives a much better feeling for the grandeur and scale of the place.

Sunrise at O'Neill Butte

From the South Rim, the most popular hiking trail is the Bright Angel Trail (9.5 miles one way), which is one of the two well-maintained routes to the river. It is also heavily travelled, but this is the place for first-time hikers or those who are concerned about safety. The route is broad, and rangers patrol it frequently all throughout the day. However, according to our fellow travelers, the South Kaibab Trail (7 miles one way) provides much better panoramic views all the way to the bottom, whereas the Bright Angel Trail is mostly inside a canyon, and therefore hides most of the views.

The trail from Tip Off

The biggest issue in the South Kaibab Trail is the safety of the adventurers. This is steeper than the Bright Angel, there is no supply of drinking water and the restrooms are not maintained during the off-season. The late summer squeezes every last drop of moisture out of the hiker whenever he/she goes deeper. It's easier going downhill, although our aging knees beg to differ. But normally people get themselves in trouble when they don't have enough resources for a trip down and back, which includes salty food, enough water and energy drinks. It seems obvious to point out, that a good pair of running shoes is recommended for canyon hiking. Anything less can bring serious trouble and can become fatal. Most importantly, no one can come and get you out of there easily if you turn an ankle or stiffen a knee.

Colorado river from the trail

The Descent

We left our car at the visitor center, took the shuttle bus to the trailhead (since there is no designated parking there), and started before sunrise. Just below Yaki Point, the trail begins with a series of switchbacks. From Ooh Aah Point, the trail follows the top of a ridgeline through Cedar Ridge (1.5 miles from rim). After that, the trail traverses below O'Neill Butte to Skeleton Point (3 miles from rim) without a single switchback. Thereafter, the trail descends rapidly towards Tip Off (4.4 miles from rim) via another series of switchbacks.

Kaibab Suspension Bridge

The rangers recommend using this trail to descend only, because it is very steep and shadeless, but offers stunningly dramatic views. By the time we reached the Kaibab Suspension Bridge, one of us managed to get a stiffened knee and another got back pain. Though we were overwhelmed by the breathtaking views, carrying DSLR cameras and big lenses felt like a big burden, forget about using them. After reaching the Bright Angel Campground (7 miles from rim) at the bottom end of the canyon, we became little tensed thinking about the upcoming ascent. The whole descent took nearly four hours, which was pretty awesome considering our rusted joints.

Bright Angel Creek at the bottom of the canyon

The Ascent

Though the slightly longer Bright Angel Trail (9.5 miles one way) is much shadier and less steep, we again chose the South Kaibab Trail (7 miles one way) for the ascent; just to save the two and a half extra miles. When we started the epic ascent, we felt like lying down on the stones and prayed for some miracle to happen which will teleport us to the rim. We desperately wanted that in the whole ascent of eight hours with the increasing pain that one of us was suffering from the stiffened knee. Asking for help from park rangers went in vain. We would not have survived severe dehydration if not for some of our fellow travelers who helped us with ample water, energy drinks, and some herbal treatment for the knee. 



Giving way to the mules at a switchback

Near the Ooh Aah Point a heavy thunderstorm started along with a drizzle. The strong gusts of winds gave us a challenge to keep the body balance intact along the edge of the trail and not take a shortcut to heaven. To add to our misery, our sunglasses went flying and forced us to withstand the dust with bare eyes. Thanks to a piece of rock where they got stuck and we could recover them.

The last quarter of the hike was the most frustrating one. It looked like we had almost made it to the top for the last two hours or so, but the tight switchbacks disheartened us every passing minute. But when we finally reached the top, it was a great feeling; that we finally scaled the Grand Canyon in a single day.

The Tip Off

The whole hike took nearly twelve and a half hours. We started just before sunrise and finished just after sunset. We barely managed to catch the last shuttle bus which dropped us at the visitor center. The driver who had a good sense of humor managed to make us laugh by cracking jokes about our hurting feet. As we entered the Yavapai Cafeteria at Market Plaza, most people were staring at us like they have seen two Orcs from the Middle Earth. The restroom mirror gave us the answer to all those looks. Our black hairs had turned reddish brown from the canyon dust and our heads looked somewhat like thorny bushes in the deserts.

Day 4: Never Say Goodbye

It is needless to mention that significant time and effort were given to nurse the hurting legs and bring them to usable conditions. After the astounding experience, catching the return flight from Phoenix was our top priority.

Since that was our last camping trip in US, we decided to donate our tent and other camping gears to the National Park Service. Then, amidst a persistent drizzle, started the 240 miles drive back to Phoenix Airport.