Grand Canyon National Park: South Rim
By Sherril Steele-Carlin
The South Rim of the Grand Canyon, located in Northern Arizona, is one of the most visited national parks in the nation. Only a day's drive from Las Vegas, the park is easily accessible via air and ground, and there are a number of tour operators who offer tours to the Canyon. If you want to visit the Grand Canyon, you should know some things you should know about the area and accommodations.
Make Reservations
There are only a limited number of accommodations in and around the park, so make sure to make your reservations early, so you aren't disappointed.
The nicest lodge inside the park is the El Tovar, and it is also the priciest, with rooms over $200 per night in most cases. All the lodges fill up quickly. Others include the Bright Angel, Thunderbird, Yavapai, and Maswik, which are all located inside the park. There are also numerous lodging choices about seven miles outside the park boundary in Tusayan. For reservations inside the park, call 888-29-PARKS (888-297-2757), or visit the first Web site in the list below.
Dining
Believe it or not, you can enjoy fine dining in the middle of nowhere at the dining room in the El Tovar Lodge. The majestic dining room looks out over the canyon, and features everything from fresh rainbow trout to penne pasta and Mediterranean shrimp. Reservations are recommended, especially in the summertime. Call 928-638-2631 for reservations and dinner times. Other restaurants include the coffee shop at the Bright Angel Lodge, the Arizona Room Steak House, the Yavapai Café, and the Cafeteria at the Maswik Lodge. There are also snack bars located in many of the shops in the park.
What to See
You'll need at least two days to see most of the South Rim, and if you want to hike, allow yourself more time. The drives along the West and East Rims are beautiful, and include many scenic overlooks where you can stop and put your camera to good use. The West Rim Drive ends at Hermit's Rest - be sure to see the massive walk-in fireplace inside the gift shop. The East Rim Drive ends at the East Rim Park Entrance and Desert View Watchtower, a beautiful tower that gives breathtaking vistas of the Hopi Mesas and Painted Desert to the east.
Hiking
If you aren't in good shape, or are not an experienced hiker, don't even think about hiking the Grand Canyon! The terrain down is steep and rocky on both the Bright Angel and Yavapai Trails, and remember, once you get down inside the canyon, you have to come back out, and it will take you two to three times as long to come out as it does to go down. Also, the inner gorge of the canyon is MUCH hotter than the rim, and so, in the summer, it can be well over 100 degrees on the trail. Hiking the canyon is strenuous, and should only be done by experienced hikers. It is certainly not your average walk in the park!
Visiting the Grand Canyon is a memorable experience. Be sure to make time for a Grand Canyon sunrise or sunset. It is one of the most breathtaking things you will ever see. It is amazing to see how the colors of the canyon change in the ever-changing light from morning to night. Enjoy the Grand Canyon, and try to visit in the off-season, like winter or fall, when there are fewer people and more elbowroom to enjoy the view.