Itinerary – May 2024 (About 2 days in the Park including the 2019 visit)

Phoenix to Seattle Road Trip – May 2024 (7 National Park and Lake Tahoe & Portland sights)

Day -3 – Grand Canyon NP

(We had been to Grand Canyon National Park in June 2019, during which we visited Grandview Point, Desert View Tower, and Mather Point at sunrise. Additionally, we hiked short sections of the Rim Trail and Bright Angel Trail)

Williams to Grand Canyon NP

Visitor Center

Mather viewpoint

Blue/Red Shuttle

Powell, Mohave, and Pima Viewpoints

Drive to Cedar City for overnight stay at Springhill Suites

We visited Grand Canyon National Park in June 2019 and May 2024, and the highlights of these two trips are summarized below:

Grand Canyon Visitor Center near the South Rim entrance:

We got our National Park Passport book stamped with the cancellation here. The area also featured some informative display boards, as shown below

The free shuttle service into the park begins from the visitor center.

Desert View Tower:

We drove approximately 25 miles to reach Desert View Tower, passing by several scenic viewpoints along the way, including Grandview Point

Sunrise at Mather Point:

At Mather Point, the sunrise occurred around 5 am, with visitors already occupying the best viewing spots by 4 am. We were lucky to witness the sunrise on a clear morning

View Points:

Mather View Point: This was just walkable from the visitor center offering panoramic views of the Canyon

Powell, Mohave, and Pima Viewpoints:
We visited these locations using the park’s shuttle system, starting with the Blue Shuttle from the Visitor Center and transferring to the Red Shuttle on the Hermit Rest Route.

Each of these viewpoints provided breathtaking views of the canyon. We could see the winding Colorado River from Mohave View Point

Trails:

We walked along the Rim trail for a short distance and descended the Bright Angel Trail for about a mile and turned back