Grand Canyon National Park - Day 1 Itinerary

Here is the post on how to plan a trip to Grand Canyon National Park. Now, let me discuss our itinerary in detail. 

Our Grand Canyon National Park Itinerary - Day 1

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Photo by Sleepy Cat on Unsplash

Desert View Scenic Drive:

On Day 1, we drove from Page, Arizona, to Grand Canyon National Park. It takes around 2.5 to 3 hrs to reachthe  South Rim from Page. It takes roughly 2 to 2.5 hrs to reach the North rim from Page. We visited the Grand Canyon during winter, and so the north rim is closed. 

We started around 9 am and reachedthe  Grand Canyon South Entrance by 1 pm with a lunch break in the middle. This drive takes us to the East entrance through the Desert View watch tower. 

Desert View scenic drive is a 23-mile scenic drive connecting the East entrance and the Grand Canyon Village.

After turning right at Cameron, on the way to the East entrance, you will come across a sign to 'Little Colorado River Gorge Overlook'. It's also a tribal park, and there is an entry fee of $10 per vehicle. I didn't find this overlook that great as the water levels are too low. But, if you want a place to stop for restrooms, it's good. 

After you pass the national park entrance sign, there are many viewpoints to stop and enjoy. Don't miss Grand View, Yaki point and Desert View Watchtower. These are great introductions to the park. Other Viewpoints are Lipan Point, Moran Point, and Navajo Point.

I like the view from the Desert View Watchtower. It is free to climb the steps of the watch tower, but there are long queues when we reached around 1 pm. We had to skip that.

Since we had some time before sunset, we decided to hike the popular South Kaibab Trail. 

When we visited in December, the entry to the South Kaibab trail is through the orange route shuttle only. No cars are allowed. So, we parked our car at the Grand Canyon South visitor center, got into the free shuttle (Orange route) to the trailhead after packing our backpacks with water and snacks. 

South Kaibab Trail:

The South Kaibab Trail is one of the most popular trails. It is steeper and more challenging than the Bright Angel Trail and has better views of the canyon.  

These are a few major landmarks:

• Ooh Ahh Point – 1.8 miles roundtrip (790 ft elevation change)
• Cedar Ridge – 3 miles roundtrip (1,120 ft elevation change)
• Skeleton Point – 6 miles roundtrip (2,040 ft elevation change)
• The Tipoff – 9 miles roundtrip (3,280 ft elevation change)
• Phantom Ranch – 14.6 miles roundtrip (4,700 ft elevation change)

You can hike as much as you can and return. For an average hiker, Ooh ahh point is the best starting point. It takes 1 to 1.5 hrs to reach the ooh ahh point. It takes double the time to climb back.

Be aware of the following:

1. Every hiker needs 1 to 2 gallons of water

2. Hiking poles definitely help

3. Don't underestimate the hike. It takes double the time to reach back when compared to hiking down

4. Carry salty snacks, protein bars, and ensure proper hydration. 

5. Hiking down is easy, enjoyable, but hiking up is mandatory and challenging. 

We hiked with kids aged 11 and 14 yrs. We did some warmups before attempting and reached the ooh-ahh point in 1 hr itself. Climbing up took almost 1.5 hrs. The total hike is around 1.8 miles round-trip. 

The first part of the hike is called the chimney and features many switchbacks. While returning, only that part seemed challenging. We took some breaks in between. Ooh ahh viewpoint is completely worth the effort. It was very windy for us to take good photos, but we enjoyed our first hike in Grand Canyon National Park.

The views were amazing on this hike. They were better than all other hikes in the national park. So, this is a must-do if you want to see the canyon up close.

My husband continued to Cedar ridge which is 3 miles round-trip and a lot of elevation. It is important to train for this hike beforehand. Climbing elevations, training knees, trying knee strengthening exercises, wearing knee pads, using hiking poles etc defenitely will help. 

Mule crossings:

Mules also use the same trail to pick trash from Phantom Ranch and come up. We saw mules on the way while returning. They have the right of way. The trails are maintained very well, but the trails have mule shit at many places, which made the hiking experience a bit uncomfortable. 

We took the shuttle back to Grand Canyon Village and spent time exploring the visitor center exhibits. The Grand Canyon visitor center has a lot of information about different hikes and the junior ranger badge activities for kids. 

Restrooms were clean, but water filling stations were closed in December when we visited. We watched the free movie "We are Grand Canyon", a movie about the different tribes who made this canyon their home and sacred place. 

We had an early dinner at Maswik Food Court. This food court looked vintage and had a lot of food options, including vegetarian options. 

Thus, we ended day 1 hiking the South Kaibab trail and covering the Desert View scenic drive. 

See you in the next travelogue covering the Hermit Road scenic drive and Bright Angel Trail. 

Until next time,