…CANYON!
I have always wanted to see the Grand Canyon, even more so after moving to the West coast, and I was finally able to see the national park.
On our drive from Zion, we first stopped at Horseshoe Bend. Aptly named, the site is a winding horseshoe-sized bend of the Colorado River near the town of Page, Arizona. Before stopping I wasn’t sure what to expect, but we pulled up to a lot packed with cars and visitors.
The short 1.25 mile round-trip hike begins at the parking lot and is easy to follow. There’s a gentle uphill climb to the gazebo where you can take a breather – there is no shade anywhere else. Although it is a pretty simple and quick hike, I would recommend carrying adequate water, especially in the summer months. Beware there are currently no railings on the edge of the cliffs!
But the views are even more stunning in person than any photo can ever describe. I highly recommend a quick stop here!
From Horseshoe Bend, we drove about 2.5 hours to the Grand Canyon South Rim. If we had more time, we would have loved to see the park from the North Rim, which is less heavily trafficked but a longer drive.
From the Visitor Center we followed the path for the Rim Trail and soaked in the views along the way. My eyes darted to and fro as we walked, trying to see everything at once. There are definitely railings around the trail, but if you’re daring you can find your way to different view points. I could have sat on the edge and stared out into the canyon all day – photos or words can’t do it justice.
I’ve been dying to go back to the Grand Canyon! How cool would it be to hike the INNER canyon!
Liz and I were actually thinking about how wild that would be as we dangled our feet over the edge!
Wow, what an amazing adventure. I will make sure to visit this amazing place asap. Thanks for sharing. I love the pics!
You definitely should! I had never done a road trip like this before, but I absolutely loved it. Thanks for reading 🙂