An Epic Weekend Grand Canyon Itinerary for Adventure Lovers
The Grand Canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. I’m still SHOCKED at how many Arizona Natives haven’t seen the Grand Canyon. My husband first saw the Grand Canyon at age 27- WHAT. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long and 18 miles wide. It sees over 4 million visitors per year from all over the world. People who come to visit The Grand Canyon often fly into Phoenix, and have many other things to see while they’re here. I’ll hep you plan a concise itinerary, so you can fit as much into your Arizona trip as possible.
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WHEN TO VISIT THE GRAND CANYON SOUTH RIM?
Truly, you can visit the Grand Canyon any time of the year. The Grand Canyon is especially beautiful in heavy snow, but services are limited in the winter. In the summer, mornings and evenings are beautiful, but the daytime can exceed 100 degrees, and it’s warmer the lower you go in the canyon. I personally suggest April-May and September-November if you plan on hiking down into the canyon.
GRAND CANYON ITINERARY- HOW MANY DAYS DO YOU NEED?
I believe 1, 2, or 3 days is perfectly for a trip to the Grand Canyon. If you’re from out of state and you don’t visit often 2 or 3 is ideal. If you’re from Arizona, 1-2 days is great! I have never stayed 3 days myself, but I would love to. Honestly, my dream is to work at the Grand Canyon Medical Clinic (I am a Physician Assistant) and live on the canyon. Let’s go over what you can expect out of your Grand Canyon Itinerary.
1-DAY GRAND CANYON ITINERARY
1 day in the Grand Canyon is short, but doable. In fact, most of my visits to the canyon were only 1 day. You can’t see the entire South Rim in one day, but I will help you prioritize. I’ll assume you’re traveling from Phoenix, as this is the most common. My biggest tip is to GO EARLY. The line into the park can be 30-60 minutes or more if you go late morning or in the afternoon. Here’s an ideal itinerary.
9am: LEAVE PHOENIX
Leave Phoenix. I know I said go early, but sometimes it’s not reasonable. Sometimes you want to move slow, or you have people that don’t like to wake up early. It takes 3.5 hours to get from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon. You’ll take a gas/bathroom break in Flagstaff or Williams. From Williams, it’s an hour due north.
1 pm: ARRIVE AT THE GRAND CANYON
ARRIVE AT THE GRAND CANYON. There are hundreds of parking spaces, so don’t worry about that. If you’re the type to want to wander around the visitor center first, do that. Get dressed after driving, take a bathroom break, and just get ready for the day.
2 pm: VISIT MATHER POINT
GET YOUR FIRST LOOK AT THE CANYON. Mather Point is a few short steps behind the visitor center. If you haven’t been to the canyon before, your first view is JAW-DROPPING. You can’t imagine the entirety of it until you see it in person. Mather Point is one of the most visited viewpoints, because of proximity. There’s a couple adjacent unnamed viewpoints nearby to enjoy as well.
3-6 pm: VISIT RED ROUTE VIEWPOINTS
GET A LOOK AT MORE VIEWPOINTS. There are 9 more viewpoints to enjoy on the west portion of the South Rim, and a few ways to access them. First, you can walk- it starts near Bright Angel Trail. The Rim Trail on the Grand Canyon is 13 miles total, but 7 miles from Bright Angel Trail to Hermit’s Rest, the west most point. I don’t suggest walking all of it. If you want to see just a few viewpoints, feel free to walk.
You can also rent bikes and bike down the Rim Trail, because it is paved. You’ll find the bike rental check in between the Gift Store and the Visitor Center. Here’s a link. It’s $30 an hour for a cruiser, $45 for a half day, and $70 for a half day of an e-bike. I highly suggest doing this!
Lastly, you can ride the Red Route Shuttle. Be aware, in the afternoon, there can be a long line. Once I went on a Saturday and waited 45 minutes to get on the shuttle. It’s popular! From the Red Route, you can get to Trailview Overlook, Maricopa Point, Powell Point, Hopi Point, Mohave Point, The Abyss, Monument Creek Vista, Pima Point, and Hermit’s Rest.
630 pm: dinner on the rim
TIME TO GET SOME GOOD FOOD. You’ve earned it. There’s a few good options on the rim itself. We ate at Fred Harvey Burger in Bright Angel Lodge and it was DELICIOUS. Arizona Steakhouse is the most expensive splurge, with views right over the rim. El Tovar and Fred Harvey Tavern are middle-priced options. The dining halls and food courts are the most affordable. Here are some other options-
FRED HARVEY BURGER (Bright Angel Lodge)- 11am-10pm
EL TOVAR DINING ROOM (El Tovar Hotel)- 630pm- 930pm
ARIZONA STEAKHOUSE (Bright Angel Lodge)- 1130am-930pm
MASWIK FOOD COURT (Maswik Lodge)- 630am-9pm
MASWIK PIZZA PUB (Maswik Lodge)- 12pm-10pm
YAVAPAI DINING HALL (Yavapai Lodge)- 5pm-9pm
730 pm: Head home
If you’re going back to Phoenix, it’s time to go home. You may choose to stay later to see sunset, but it might be hard to drive to Phoenix that late! Still, you are able to fit so much into one day!
2-DAY GRAND CANYON ITINERARY
2 days in the Grand Canyon is ideal. You’ll be able to explore down into the Grand Canyon and enjoy sunset and sunrise- the absolute best time to see the canyon. During the day is great, but the colors of the walls can get washed out by the harsh desert sun. At sunset and sunrise, the colors are INSANE. It’s a must, to me. You don’t have to jam-pack your two days to see everything you need to, you can take a nice, easy pace.
10 am: LEAVE PHOENIX
TIME TO GET SOME GOOD FOOD. You’ve earned it. There’s a few good options on the rim itself. We ate at Fred Harvey Burger in Bright Angel Lodge and it was DELICIOUS. Arizona Steakhouse is the most expensive splurge, with views right over the rim. El Tovar and Fred Harvey Tavern are middle-priced options. The dining halls and food courts are the most affordable. Here are some other options-
130 pm: HOTEL CHECK IN
I suggest checking into your hotel early, to have your stuff all set up so you don’t come back late- because you’ll be out enjoying sunset. I’ve stayed at YAVAPAI LODGE in the park and STARRY NIGHTS GLAMPING outside the park.
WHERE TO STAY NEAR THE GRAND CANYON
There are many lodging options near the Grand Canyon, or on the GRAND CANYON RIM. You can stay on the Rim, in one of the six main parks HERE. They book up fast, and cost at minimum $200. If I was to stay on the rim and splurge, I’d stay at El Tovar Hotel. It’s stunning. We had breakfast here. You can also camp at Mather Campground, but you need to book ahead of time.
You can also stay in TUSAYAN, less than 15 minutes from the Grand Canyon South Rim. There are many hotels here. On the pricey side, there’s Red Feather Lodge, Grand Canyon Plaza Hotel, and The Grand Hotel at the Grand Canyon. On the more affordable side, there’s Holiday Inn Express. We stayed here and it was just fine. The breakfast was actually delicious!
Some people choose to stay in WILLIAMS, but this city is 1 hour away from the Grand Canyon. There are many affordable lodging options here. On my last trip, I had the pleasure of staying at Starry Nights Glamping 30 minutes from the park and it was AMAZING.
Lodging Options include staying on THE SOUTH RIM, in TUSAYAN, or in WILLIAMS.
3-6: MATHER POINT RED ROUTE VIEWS
We’re going to start off your afternoon with the same itinerary as above. Walk to Mather Point behind the visitor center, and then hope on the shuttle to the red route and explore some of the west view points. the shuttle guides report each stop there and back take a minimum of 2 hours- keep this in mind. We didn’t give ourselves enough time.
6-730: SUNSET ON THE RIM
Depending on the time of the year, you HAVE TO SEE SUNSET. Sunset is more beautiful than any time in the Grand Canyon. Any spot is fine, I choose the spots next to Mather Point without railings (always be careful and stay away from the edge). No photo is worth your life. I will also note- DO NOT EVER throw anything over the edge. A famous influencer was seen at the Grand Canyon hitting golf balls into the Grand Canyon and was fined significantly.
On one of my trips to the Grand Canyon, I spent 2 days with a girlfriend, and we bought fun shoes and dresses to take photos on the rim at sunset. We didn’t quite give ourselves enough time because the red route shuttle took so long, but it was so much fun! Highly suggest. WHY NOT.
730: DINNER ON THE RIM
Like mentioned in the 1 day itinerary, there’s many places to dine on the rim. We had a blast at Fred Harvey Burger before heading back to our hotel room. The nice part about staying overnight near the canyon, is being able to wake up and see sunrise too!
NEXT DAY- SUNRISE HIKE
Depending on the time of year, getting up for a sunrise hike may be EARLY, but I promise it’s worth it. We had a wake up call at 430 to get dressed and ready and hiking by 530 at sunrise. If you hike in the winter, you’ll have some more time to sleep in. You can either hike South Kaibab or Bright Angel. I suggest South Kaibab Trail to Ooh Aah Point.
YOU CAN EITHER HIKE SOUTH KAIBAB OR BRIGHT ANGEL AT SUNRISE. I SUGGEST SOUTH KAIBAB.
WANT TO READ MORE ABOUT SOUTH KAIBAB?
Read My Post Here: Best Sunrise Hike in the Grand Canyon
10AM- BRUNCH AND GO HOME
After your tiring hike, get some food! I suggest a hearty meal at El Tovar Hotel- it was delicious! After your hike, it’s time to head back home. I love this 2 day itinerary- you have a chance to hike into the canyon and see a lot! This is the ideal Grand Canyon Itinerary to me.
NEED SOMEWHERE TO CAMP??
I’ve created a FORTY PAGE GUIDE outlining all the best free and paid campsites in Northern Arizona, including The Grand Canyon.
It can be hard to spend hours researching campsites, trying to figure out were they’re located, what they look like, the price, and the amenities. With my guide, those days are over! I give you everything you need to know, with links to my Google Maps AND it’s in a PDF so you can access it any time!
3-DAY GRAND CANYON ITINERARY
If you have the time, 3-days in the Grand Canyon would be amazing. If I was to stay 3 days, I would choose a hotel ON THE RIM. This gives you extra time just to relax and lounge around your hotel, even spend a night watching sunset from the balcony. This gives you time to RELAX.
If you hiked South Kaibab on Day 2, I’d hike down into Bright Angel Trail on Day 3.
READ MORE ABOUT BRIGHT ANGEL TRAIL
Read My Post Here: Day Hikes on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon
You could also do an excursion like TAKE A HELICOPTER TOUR. Another option is to drive out the East Exit, so you can experience the Desert View Drive. My friend Kara wrote more about this in her post here.
SUMMARY ON GRAND CANYON ITINERARIES
Whether you have 1, 2, or 3 days in the Grand Canyon, you’ll have an amazing time. It will leave you wanting more. If I was to suggest 1 thing while you are there, it’s to hike to Ooh Aah Point. It’s my favorite part. Happy hiking!
HAVE A FEW EXTRA DAYS TO EXPLORE ARIZONA?
I highly suggest stopping in Sedona before or after seeing the Grand Canyon. Here’s a few options!
