Horseshoe Bend is one of the most photographed spots on the Colorado River.

From Indian Garden, it is just 4.5 miles to the rim. Doesn’t sound so bad, right?

It’s in northern Arizona, about 280 miles from Las Vegas. Find two nearby towns with restaurants and lodging, Williams and Tusayan.

This is a great, low-key activity to add to your list of things to do. In the IMAX theater in the Visitor Center, you can watch 34-minute movie about the Grand Canyon. It’s not quite as thrilling as seeing the Grand Canyon from the viewpoints or hiking below the rim, but this makes a great midday activity to do during the summer, since you can escape the heat in the air-conditioned theater.

It’s in northern Arizona, about 280 miles from Las Vegas. Find two nearby towns with restaurants and lodging, Williams and Tusayan.

The Bright Angel Trail is the most popular hiking trail from the South Rim. It gives visitors a chance to experience going below the rim and “into the canyon”. 12 miles long in its entirety, there are multiple rest houses and switchbacks every 1.5 miles that provide opportunities to turn around when opting for a shorter hike.

A mule trip to the bottom of Grand Canyon tops many a bucket list. Though the trip to Phantom Ranch is the most famous, it’s not the only option.

If you have just a few hours to explore, start at the Grand Canyon Visitors Center. Then grab the Junior Ranger booklets and watch the introductory movie, Grand Canyon: A Journey of Wander.

When visiting the Grand Canyon for one day, I recommend that you enter the park via the South Entrance Station or from Desert View Drive (Hwy 64).  From there, follow signs to the Visitor Center Parking Complex.

You probably already know that the Grand Canyon is huge. It’s about 277 miles (446 km) long and up to 18 miles (29 km) wide. Needless to say, you won’t be able to experience all of it in a day, not even in a week or two… But you can certainly see some amazing places, even if you just have a day…

If you have more time at the South Rim, then head to the Grand Canyon Historic Village, a registered historic district designed by Mary Coulter, the original architect.

The Colorado River carved the Grand Canyon, measuring 18 miles wide and one-mile deep and 277 river miles long. Human artifacts have been discovered in the Grand Canyon that date back 12,000 years.

Drive to Page, Arizona and visit Antelope Canyon. Watch the sunset over Horseshoe Bend.

If you are visiting the Grand Canyon with kids, Yavapai Lodge is one of the best lodging options. It is located near Market Plaza. The only lodging in Yavapai that has air conditioning is Yavapai East. The rest of the rooms do not. In addition to regular king and two queen rooms, the lodge also has family rooms which have a king bed and twin bunk beds. Have a large family? Double Queen Family rooms feature 2 queen size beds and a twin bunk bed and can accommodate up to .....6 guests. All the rooms at Yavapai West have two queen beds and are pet-friendly. There are mini fridges, TVs, and coffee makers in the rooms at Yavapai. Show less

The true beauty of the Grand Canyon is it can be enjoyed and explored in a few hours, or for days, in every season.  And each time I visit the Grand Canyon I see a new facet, a new viewpoint.

Hermit Road is 7 miles long. It starts near the Grand Canyon Village and ends at Hermit’s Rest. From March 1 to November 30, you can take the Grand Canyon Shuttle (Hermits Rest Route, red line) to get to all of these viewpoints. From December 1 to February 28, you will need to drive or walk to get between the viewpoints.

The Grand Canyon is in northwest Arizona. The nearest major fly-in cities are Phoenix, 225 miles southeast, and Las Vegas, 278 miles west. Flagstaff is closer, but has limited commercial aircraft flights from Phoenix. The small Grand Canyon National Park Airport is served by charter flights from Salt Lake, Las Vegas, and Phoenix.

The Thunderbird Lodge is basically the twin of Kachina Lodge. The design and amenities (tv, coffee maker, mini fridge) are basically the same. They are located right next to each other, so views and nearby food options are the same as well.

This information is for the hike on the North Kaibab Trail to Bright Angel Campground to the Bright Angel Trail.

If you have just a few hours to explore, start at the Grand Canyon Visitors Center. Then grab the Junior Ranger booklets and watch the introductory movie, Grand Canyon: A Journey of Wander.

The name says it all. From the main viewpoint, you can walk down to several other unique photo spots.

If you do not want to camp, you can stay at the Havasupai Lodge. It is difficult to reach them, but keeping trying!

If you are looking for an RV village with full hook-ups, Trailer Village is the spot for you. It is located next to Mather Campground.