We were both pretty tired after the 8hr drive so we slept brilliantly. At 7am when the alarm went off I quickly reset it for 8 to sneak in another hours sleep.
After we finally got ourselves out of bed it was off to breakfast. At this point it was minus 3 so heading out in a light jacket was the last thing on my mind. We bummed around in the hotel room for a little while and then once the sun was a little higher in the sky we headed for the Grand Canyon.
The hotel is about 4 miles give or take from the first lookout point (Mather). This was where we went the day before for a quick peak after the long drive.
The view was amazing. It’s one of the few things I’ve ever seen where I’ve been left awestruck. There are lots of things on Earth described as “has to be seen to be believed” or “photos don’t do it justice” and I can confidently say this is one of them. Kate was equally impressed.
There was not a cloud in the sky and although the carpark was full, it didn’t seem to be flooded with tourists. There are a couple of different lookout points within about 200m of each other and I think this provides everyone with ample room to get un-inhibited access to the view.
Although it’s way colder than we’d have liked, it definitely seems to be the right time of year. They are currently building three new car parks that will accommodate 600 cars. I’m confident it would be horrific here in peak season. So while it was cold, it was definitely do-able with better clothing. (Well it was do-able without really, just not brilliant).
We then went along the southern rim to the Angel walking trail. This walking trail is huge and takes you all the way to the bottom. You don’t have to do the whole lot of course. We walked down a little but had no intention of doing a big walk. Every time we left the sun, the temperature dropped a good 10 degrees. A walk to the bottom is an overnight experience and something for fitter people than us.
That’s the great thing though. There is something for everyone here and you can make the experience whatever you like.
After a beer (wine) and lunch at the Bright Angel lodge (worst service of the trip so far by the way – avoid it) we walked around a little then headed back to Hotel to freshen up for the IMAX movie we had pre-booked the day before.
The movie was OK. We were hoping for info about the forming of the Canyon but they focused on the human element – who had lived here before, the exploration of it etc. This wasn’t the angle we were after but having said that, it offered plenty of amazing footage of the canyon which you’d only ever see if you were an IMAX photographer. Bottom line, worth seeing, but don’t expect too much information.
Finally, it was back to the Canyon (it was almost 7pm by this time – the Canyon is open 24hrs a day which is brilliant!) to check out the stars. It was bitterly cold by this time so our stay was brief but we did get to see the stars in all their un-light-infested glory. Again, if we’d had warmer clothes we’d have stayed here a bit longer and would have tried to get some long-exposure photos.
But we didn’t have warmer clothes so we bid farewell to the Grand Canyon and headed back to the hotel for food and sleep in preparation for the 5hr drive to Vegas (via the hoover dam) the following day.
It was a brilliant day and one we’ll remember for many years to come. We are both keen to return.
Our two regrets from the time spent here. We didn’t pack warm gear (my bad) and we didn’t get down to the canyon floor.
Our two pieces of advice. Avoid peak season and if you’re thinking about doing a day trip from Vegas, consider getting a car instead and spending a couple of nights here. We paid less than $200AUD for the two nights accommodation. If you add the $25USD park entrance and a couple of days car hire, it would only be moderately more expensive than a tour.
Not to worry, there is always this afternoon!
