Hello friends, I hope everyone is having a great week! I’m back today to continue with part two of our Arizona vacation – check out part one here if you haven’t had a chance yet. This may have been my favorite day, as we spent zero time in the car and had plenty of time to explore the Grand Canyon! Anyways, enough of my rambling, lets recap……
Day Three: We woke bright and early (5:55 AM to be exact!) to watch the sunrise over the Grand Canyon. This was our first view of the canyon, since we arrived when it was dark the night before. Despite having visited when I was younger, I was still blown away with the incredible sunrise. To this day the canyon never fails to take my breath away….
It was pretty chilly while watching the sunrise – a little under 30 degrees- so we warmed up with coffee, and just took in the views. I was surprised that parts of the canyon were still covered in snow/ice, but it really added to the beauty. Also, just to note, March is a great time to visit, because there are minimal crowds (a major plus!)
After an hour of walking around and enjoying the views, we decided to sit down to a long breakfast at our hotel the El Tovar. This hotel was built in 1905 and sits directly on the south rim of the canyon. While it may not be a five star resort (no elevator and our rooms were on the smaller side), the location more than made up for everything. We were literally steps away from the canyon!
After carb loading, we set out for a day of hiking. We attempted to hike down the Bright Angel Trail, however there was still snow/ice on the path so we decided to turn around. This trail takes you all the way to the base of the canyon and is only a few feet wide with no railing! While the narrow path made me a little uneasy, the views were still incredible and I can now say I’ve hiked down (a portion) of the trail, ha!
Also, for those hoping to visit the Grand Canyon, I can’t recommend enough the shuttle service offered from the Grand Canyon Village (it’s free too!) The Hermit Road shuttle bus parallels the Canyon Rim Trail for about eight miles, with nine stops along the way. We spent most of the afternoon either riding the shuttle bus or walking along the rim trail between stops (probably a good 3 miles walking). I loved that we were able to walk as much as we wanted, but were able to jump back on the shuttle whenever.
The trail was also incredibly secluded- at times we were the only ones on the trail (it seems like most people just road the shuttle vs walking). We really were able to take in the beauty and solitude around us. At one point we even sat on a bench for a good 15 minutes just soaking in the views. It was pure bliss- so calm, quiet, and beautiful. This was by far one of my favorite moments of the trip….
After hiking, Myles and I were both worn out and decided to relax with a few drinks before dinner at the hotel (steak as always!) We then called it a night, because honestly there is not much to do once it gets dark at the Grand Canyon (other than look up at the stars, I seriously have never seen so many before in my life!)….
If you made it this far, thank you for reading! I really hope you enjoyed the shots as much as I enjoyed taking them. I’ll be back with part three shortly, but in the mean time I thought you might like this video from our trail hiking (note how narrow the path is!)
XOXO,
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