bluecordfishermen 
Left Flagstaff at a leisurely pace. That changed once we got to the park entrance.
20 minute wait to enter was not too bad, but finding parking was worse. The wait can be much worse during peak periods. The Train is the easy way to go but not the most flexible, plus its $82 round trip. After checking several parking places, we parked, loaded up the pack
with snacks and water and headed straight to the rim. Without a plan in mind, we just walked along heading North. At the western end, we loaded up on the shuttle and went all the way to the east end where the Museum is and walked back to our parked cars. Logistics is key. Bathrooms are over worked and spread apart at the main part of the park. The outer sites have their own. Sounds like an ugly detail but it’s a factor that impacts everything. Food is expensive as expected but is surprisingly limited in options. Our solution was to pack lots of snacks.
We drove east to Desert View and stopped along the way at select
overlooks. Desert View has top notch views plus lots of facilities that include an ice cream bar. Desert View has some great views of both the near by desert to the east and the Colorado River on the Canyon floor. We got there late enough to enjoy the changes in light as the sun set.
I know this sounds like the kill joy guy, but be careful near the ledge of the canyon. In many places there is no railing, rope or barrier. Watch children and stupid teenagers or Hipsters. Its just your common sense, the edge of the rock and gravity combined with a thousand foot drop to enable you to approach terminal velocity before hitting the ground. During the week we were in Utah, two tourist from Hong Kong went over the edge by accident on the South Rim.
We did not hike down to the Canyon Floor, but if you have time and are in good shape, consider it if you can get an early start.
The North Rim is closed during the Winter until April. The pictures in the gallery show snow given the fact that the South Rim is near 8000 feet above sea level. If you are not accustom to the altitude, you will feel it if you exert yourself.
Bottom Line we hiked 7+ miles during our day at the Grand Canyon. It was a great day.
We headed out late toward Kanab. We stopped at Cliff Dwellers Bar and Grill along 89A near the crossing of the Colorado river heading toward Zion well after dark. Great food and super friendly. Cliff Dwellers caters to fishermen and guides on the Colorado River. This makes for a great overnight stop if planned. We didn’t plan and drove on to Kanab. We missed some great scenery in the dark but were in great position to start the next day to drive to Zion NP.
The Gallery says it all.
