Grand Canyon: How to Maximize 2 Days at the Park

One of the most popular and highly visited parks within the National Park System, the Grand Canyon is a natural wonder of which you can't find anywhere else on Earth. Most people are familiar with the South Rim of the Canyon which is the most visited; however, don't forget about the North Rim of the Canyon (only about 10% of visitors go to the North Rim.) The North Rim has a few gems of it's own which helps distinguish itself from the more popular South Rim. Quick fun facts: According to the NPS website, the Grand Canyon is 277 river miles long and 18 miles wide at it's largest point, and the Canyon is 1 mile deep at it's tallest point.

Below we give a few pointers on how to make the best of both the South Rim and the North Rim in just two days!

Grand Canyon North Rim

North Rim (Day 1)

The Drive In via Grand Canyon Highway/Route 67:

To reach the North Rim, you travel through some very scenic stretches of highway including route 389 through the Kaibab Indian Reservation in Arizona before splitting off onto route 89A once reaching Fredonia. From there it isn't long before you hit the Kaibab National Forest which comprises the remainder of the drive until you reach the Grand Canyon National Park.

More often than not the drive in almost always includes a greeting from the local bison herds that roam the open fields lining both sides of the road as you enter the park. The drive in from the entrance is rather long but enjoyable as there are plenty of points to pull off and enjoy the views, stretch your legs, and capture some photos of the local wildlife.

Cape Royal Road:

Angel's Window

Your first adventure at the North Rim should be the drive all the way into the park down Cape Royal Road which leads to the furthest point out in the park. Here you find a scenic overlook called Cape Royal which offers some of the first stunning views of the Grand Canyon. Here you will have amazing views of what's called Angel's Window, a natural window, or opening, in one of the large rock formations offering you views both well beyond and below into the canyon.

From here we ventured back towards the North Rim Visitor Center by way of the Cape Royal Road. Our next few stops included Walhalla Overlook (also situated next to an old Native American ruins site), Roosevelt Point, and Vista Encantada, all of which offered varying views and stunning scenic photo ops of the canyon deep below.

Point Imperial Road:

After Vista Encantada we continued just a bit down Cape Royal Road again until we hit a fork in the road which led us down Point Imperial Road where we diverted down again another wonderfully scenic drive to Point Imperial. Here we were graced with views of the eastern edge of the northern rim of the canyon, which sits east of the Walhalla Plateau, offering us a very different vantage point of the canyon than that of Cape Royal and Roosevelt Point.

Grand Canyon Highway/Route 67 to the Grand Canyon Lodge:

Bright Angel Point

After Point Imperial, you'll head back towards the Grand Canyon Highway. Making a left will take you over to the final part of the park that makes up the North Rim. On the drive you'll encounter the North Kaibab Trailhead which will set you off on a 28 mile round trip hike which leads down into the canyon, along Bright Angel Creek until you reach the mighty Colorado River near Phantom Ranch. From here you can also continue on towards the South Rim either via the South Kaibab Trail or the Bright Angel Trail.

If the North Kaibab Trail is a little too much for you (as it is an all day hike,) then continue up a little further until you reach the Visitor Center. From here you can make a small, ~half mile or so round trip trek to Bright Angel Point from the Visitor Center parking lot. It's here that you get some of the best views from the North Rim down into the canyon outside of the North Kaibab Trail hike. You are able to have more than 180 degree, unobstructed views from this point. If you have never been to the Grand Canyon this is where you will start to really get a grasp of the size and pure majesty that is the Grand Canyon.

After spending time enjoying the small hike and views at Bright Angel walk on over to the Saloon for a beer at the Grand Canyon Lodge-North Rim where they have a few Grand Canyon Brewing craft beers on tap.

The Drive from the North Rim to the South Rim:

The only way out of the park is the same way you drove in. Unfortunately, even though the North Rim and the South Rim are physically less than 20 miles apart at it's widest point, you must make the 220 mile drive back up Route 67 to get out of the park. Once out of the park from the north entrance, take routes 89A/89 to Cameron where you'll then continue further south onto route 64 which will lead you down to the South Rim side of the park.

Once reaching the South Rim, it's now been a long first day at the Grand Canyon. If you did day 1 right you hopefully arrived to the park early and were able to accomplish most of the points mentioned above. By the time you reach the South Rim it's likely going to be late in the night, so this is where we settled in for the night and stayed at the Red Feather Inn at Tusayan, just south of the Grand Canyon Village.

South Rim (Day 2)

Getting to the South Rim:

I would highly recommend staying within the park if possible or just south of the Grand Canyon Village in nearby Tusayan. This made getting up and over to the South Rim easy and did not take long at all as it is a pretty quick drive. It was a short 15-20 minute drive from the Red Feather Inn at Tusayan to the Village.

Grand Canyon Village:

There is plenty to do and see at the Grand Canyon Village. From here you can venture off onto the Bright Angel Trailhead by the Bright Angel Lodge. Or, you can venture out to Hermit's Rest via either the Rim Trail on foot or Hermit's Road by shuttle. Other points of interest around the Grand Canyon Village include the Grand Canyon Railway, the Hopi House, Verkamp's Visitor Center, and even an auto repair shop (just in case.) There are also a wide array of accommodations located in the Village beyond Bright Angel Lodge including Maswik Lodge, Grand Canyon National Park Lodges, Thunderbird Lodge, and El Tovar.

Grand Canyon South Rim

Hermit's Rest via Hermit's Road or the Rim Trail:

Whichever route you take, you will have the opportunity to stop at a variety of scenic overlooks and points (9 in total.) The hike is about 7.8 miles each way. The ride via the shuttle is ~25 minutes each way (includes drive time + stopping time at each stop along the way.) The shuttle stops at each of the 9 points heading west out towards Hermit's Rest; however, to head back east along Hermits Road, the shuttles only stop at 3 of the overlooks so be sure to plan ahead and know which points you can jump on the shuttle at when heading back towards the village (if you do not plan to hike back.) If you do plan on taking the shuttle, or even if you plan on hiking out and back, be sure to take a mask with you just in case as all public transportation, including shuttles, within the National Parks are currently still requiring masks if riding. Once you reach Hermits Rest you have the opportunity for restroom breaks as well as to pop into a small gift shop offering drinks, coffee, snacks, and of course souvenirs.

Yavapai Lodge:

Just east of the Grand Canyon Village a little further down on the South Entrance Rd you will encounter Yavapai Lodge. Here you will find additional accommodations, the Yavapai Tavern, a gift shop, post office, bank, and the Grand Canyon Village Market & Deli.

Additionally, a short walk north of the Yavapai Lodge will lead you to places such as the McKee Amphitheater, Yavapai Geology Museum, Yavapai Point, and Mather Point. Both Yavapai and Mather Points offer stunning views from the South Rim of the Canyon. A little further east from here you will encounter the main Grand Canyon Visitor Center where you can find additional information such as trail updates, the latest weather conditions, and additional points of interest throughout the park.

Yaki Point Road:

Grand Canyon South Rim

Just east of the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, off of Route 64, you'll find Yaki Point Road. Off this road you will encounter both the South Kaibab Trailhead as well as Yaki Point. Yaki Point offers some additional amazing views of the canyon while the South Kaibab Trail takes you deep down to the canyon floor where the trail ends after about 6.5 miles at the Colorado River. Like the North Kaibab Trail, the Southern version is a top notch hike and is rated as strenuous. Expect the hike to take you ~8-10 hours round trip depending on your skill level and pace of hiking.

Final Thoughts:

The South Rim has a lot more to offer overall than the North Rim. Depending on which hikes and how many hikes you plan on doing while at the South Rim you will need between 1 and 2 days. We accomplished the Rim Trail out to Hermits Rest and many of the other points mentioned above in 1 day; however, would have needed a second day to conquer either the South Kaibab Trail or the Bright Angel Trail.

You have a variety of options when planning your trip to the Grand Canyon:

Option 1: If you want to see what the North Rim offers, spend one day each in the North and South Rims. Remember only ~10% of visitors to the Grand Canyon National Park ever step foot in the North Rim so crowds there are at a minimum offering much more peaceful and uninterrupted vies of the canyon from the North Side.

Option 2: Skip the North Rim and spend two full days in just the South Rim. If you are more into the hiking and adventure aspect then the South Rim is probably where you want to be as it offers a variety of half day and day hikes, all of which are some of the top rated hikes throughout the entire National Park System.

Option 3: Go for it all and spend three days at the park splitting your time between both the North Rim (1 day) and the South Rim (2 days.) This will allow you to experience pretty much anything and everything you will likely want to do throughout the park without feeling rushed or as if you are missing anything.

Whatever you decide when planning your next trip to the Grand Canyon, just remember to plan ahead. Be sure to book your accommodations well in advance (they book fast and often a year in advance,) check the weather and be prepared for changing conditions especially if planning on hiking down into the canyon, and most importantly just remember to have fun, relax a little, and enjoy the beautiful views!