How To Get to the grand canyon

Flagstaff is the closest airport and is a roughly 90 minute drive away. You can also add the Grand Canyon on to a longer roadtrip.

Best Time to Visit the grand canyon

The Grand Canyon gets HOT, but also really cold! The temperatures at the top of the canyon are different from the bottom of the canyon, and also vary by which section you visit. As a general guide, the best time to visit is during fall or spring when temperatures are mild with a lower chance of snow. The nights tend to be significantly cooler than the days, so make sure to pack some layers, no matter what season you visit.

Summer (June-August): mid 90s – 100 with nights in the 70s (°F)
Fall (September-November): 50s – 60s on the rim with temperatures in the valley ranging between 70s (°F) and 90s (°F).
Winter (December-February): the South Rim experiences mild daytime temperatures in the mid-60s (°F) to low-70s (°F), while the North Rim is much higher in elevation and receives significant snowfall, closing for the season (typically from December to mid-May).
Spring (March-May): Highs ranging from the 50s (°F) on the rim to the 80s (°F) down by the Colorado River, but there is still a chance of freezing temps on the rim in early spring.

How Much Time Do You Need Here

How much time you spend at the Grand Canyon depends on how much hiking you want to do and how many sections you’d like to visit.

The Best Lookouts at the grand canyon

South Rim
Mather Point
Yavapai Point
Hopi Point
Grandview Point
South Rim Visitor Center
The Visitor Center is pretty expansive here. It’s a great place to learn about the geology, history, and ecology of the Grand Canyon. You can also buy food and souvenirs, or find some shade to beat the heat.

East Rim
Lipan Point
Desert View Watchtower – This is a super cool lookout. Situated on the East Rim of the Canyon, it offers a different vantage than the other viewpoints. You can go into the Watchtower and browse the gift shop. We took some of our favorite photos from this stop. It is a bit of a drive to get here. You’ll need to take Desert View Drive.

North Rim
Point Imperial
Bright Angel Point

Ooh Aah Point
Distance: 1.8 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation Changes: 685 ft
Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
This trail is magnificent. You have amazing views the entire time and it’s so exciting to actually be IN the Grand Canyon. You will be sharing this trail with mules, so watch out for poop on the trail. This trail is super easy on the way down and moderate on the way out. Just remember, you’ll have to hike back up what you’re hiking down. There’s an option to go further and hike out to Cedar Ridge or Skeleton Point, but if you’re in a time crunch, Ooh Aah Point is your hike.

If you visit in winter, you may find the first few switchbacks to be icy, before it clears up.

Hike part of the Bright Angel Trail
The Bright Angel Trail is a 15 mile out and back trail that leads to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. You’ll be hiking straight down and then straight back out, gaining close to 4,500 feet in elevation on the way out. A lot of people opt to hike 1.5 or 3 miles of this trail (out and back). There are resthouses at both of those mile markers.

Personally, I have a love/hate relationship with hiking. I LOVE hiking in ideal conditions, but rain and snow are not my friends on hikes. When we attempted this hike in January, it was completely iced over and not possible without spikes. We have big plans to visit and try again. Maybe we’ll be able to score the elusive passes to camp at the bottom of the canyon and hike rim to rim. This trail goes all the way to the bottom of the canyon, so you can turn around whenever you want. Just remember, it’s a lot easier going down than up.

As with most national parks, good food options are limited, so I’d recommended grabbing sandwiches or packing your own lunch and bringing it with you to the park.

If you’re driving from Sedona, Bedrock City is a quirky roadside stop worth your time. Bedrock City is exactly what it sounds like, a recreation of Bedrock from the TV show the Flintstones. It’s a great place to get out of the car and stretch your legs. It’s $10 per person, which may seem a little steep, but hey, you’re on vacation, right?!

NOT DONE TRAVELING?

Check out our guides of nearby areas:
Page, Arizona
Petrified Forest National Park
Saguaro National Park
Sedona
Phoenix
Monument Valley
Scottsdale
Havasupai
Grand Canyon