A visit to the Grand Canyon should be on everyone’s United States bucket list, especially if you ever find yourself in Arizona (or nearby Las Vegas). One day at Grand Canyon National Park is all that’s needed to see the canyon in the South Rim and walk along most of the 13-mile Rim Trail, an easy, flat hike with impressive viewpoints.
Planning to visit the Grand Canyon National Park? Here’s all the essentials you need to know to explore Grand Canyon’s South Rim for one day.
About Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon National Park is one of the most visited national parks in the U.S. It’s world famous, attracting visitors from all over the globe.
It’s more than just a big hole in the ground!
The Grand Canyon vastly impressed us, and I’m so glad I got to finally visit in 2019 to see what all the hype was about. The hype is well warranted.
Interesting Facts about the Grand Canyon
- The Grand Canyon became a national park in 1919 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.
- Hundreds of plant and animal species inhabit the park, and some of its oldest rocks date back to 2 billion years ago.
- Thousands of years of human history and millions of years of natural history can be found at the Grand Canyon.
- Eleven tribes have cultural connections and ancestral homelands in the Grand Canyon.
North Rim vs. South Rim: Which to Visit?
The Grand Canyon encompasses more than 1.2 million acres. It is about 4,000 feet deep (on average) and 6,000 feet deep at its deepest point. It’s 277 feet long and 18 miles wide at its widest.
With a canyon so big, how does one go about visiting it?
The National Park Service doesn’t manage and protect the entire canyon.
Part of the west side, for example, is owned and managed by the Hualapai Native American Reservation. (This is where you can visit Skywalk.)
The two main areas that are owned and operated by the NPS are the South Rim and the North Rim.
What’s the difference? And which one should you visit?
The South Rim
Easier to access. The South Rim is much easier to access from major cities and airports, such as Las Vegas and Phoenix.
Has tons of amenities. It’s also open year round and provides a wealth of amenities, including restaurants, lodges, visitor centers, museums, and more.
More crowded. It’s much more crowded than the North Rim. The South Rim is made for tourists, after all.
This is the rim we visited when venturing to Grand Canyon National Park.
The North Rim
Less visited. The North Rim is quieter, receiving only 10% of all Grand Canyon National Park visitors.
Not open all year. It closes during winter (December 1-June 1) as roads become too icy and treacherous.
Colder temperatures. The North Rim sits at 8,000 feet elevation, a higher elevation than the South Rim (1,000 feet higher). It’s often colder, receiving an average of 142 inches of snow a year.
During summer, it can be a great place to visit with less crowds and ideal temperatures.
I haven’t been to this side yet, but it would be nice to see it one day.
Check out the lodgings and services in the North Rim.
What to Do: Itinerary for One Day at Grand Canyon National Park (South Rim)
View the Canyon: Walk along Rim Trail
Length: 13 miles
Elevation gain: Flat
Difficulty: Easy
The number one thing to do at Grand Canyon National Park is view the canyon — from as many angles as possible.
Upon approaching the edge of the canyon near Grand Canyon Village, you’ll see the paved Rim Trail with several overlooks. Some overlooks are closed in with railing, some are not.
The Rim Trail stretches for 13 miles and most of it is flat, paved, and accessible. You can walk as far as you’d like and then hop on a shuttle bus whenever you get tired.
As you’re walking, you’ll surely find places to take photos without crowds.
There’s a lot to explore along Rim Trail. We spent a few hours walking and taking in the views.
For beginner hikers, your best bet is to stick to the Rim Trail.
Check Out the Museum and Visitor Center
Along the Rim Trail, you will come across a few museums and visitor centers, such as:
The museums have interesting facts and artifacts about the geology, plant life, and animal life at the Grand Canyon.
Hike the Grand Canyon
While the hike to the bottom of the canyon (the river) requires overnight camping, there are shorter day hikes that don’t go quite so far into the canyon.
The South Kaibab Trail and the Bright Angel Trail are the two primary trails for hiking into the canyon. Both are very steep and for advanced hikers only.
Three points on the South Kaibab Trail that you can hike to for a day hike:
- Ooh Aah Point — 1.8 miles roundtrip with 790 feet of elevation gain
- Cedar Ridge — 3 miles roundtrip with 1,120 feet of elevation gain
- Skeleton Point – 6 miles roundtrip with 2,040 feet of elevation gain
Five points on the Bright Angel Trail that you can hike to for a day hike:
- First Tunnel — 0.1 miles roundtrip
- Second Tunnel — 1.8 miles roundtrip with 590 feet of elevation gain
- Mile-and-a-Half Resthouse — 3 miles roundtrip with 1,120 feet of elevation gain
- Three-Mile Resthouse — 6 miles roundtrip with 2,120 feet of elevation gain
- Havasupai Gardens — 9 miles roundtrip with 3,040 feet of elevation gain
Before hiking to Skeleton Point or Havasupai Gardens, check with a park ranger about conditions.
Hiking below Skeleton Point or below Havasupai Gardens is not recommended as a day hike.
See the NPS website for more information on these day hikes and how to prepare for them.
Don’t Attempt a Challenging Hike Unless You Are Prepared
The NPS website warns that there are NO easy hikes going in and out of the canyon. All are challenging and for advanced hikers.
Hundreds of people are rescued every year in the canyon because they attempted a hike that was beyond their capabilities.
If your dream is to hike to the bottom of the canyon and back, be prepared to camp overnight at the bottom (it’s not a day hike) and to be properly trained for the excursion. It is a challenge for sure!
Have Lunch in Grand Canyon National Park
We grabbed lunch at Bright Angel Lodge in Grand Canyon Village and enjoyed it, but there are a few other restaurants around to try.
I’d recommend staying in the park for lunch, if you can, so you can make the most of time.
Watch the Sunset at Grand Canyon
Consider staying at the park until sundown to watch the sunset over the Grand Canyon.
It is definitely worth waiting for.
We watched the sunset from the Mather Point area and took some great pictures during golden hour.
Once the sun is down it can get cold quickly, even in the summer, so bring a light jacket if you plan to stay well after sunset (otherwise you’ll be okay).
Listen to a Ranger Talk
Ranger talks are often held at various times and places at Grand Canyon National Park, and we decided to attend an evening talk at the Mather Point Amphitheater.
The topic was ranger’s choice and it happened to be about deaths in the national parks. A little morbid but also interesting.
It was a good way to kill some time while waiting for the sunset (no pun intended).
Other Things to Do at the Grand Canyon with More Time
Visit Grand Canyon Skywalk
A lot of people asked me if I walked on the Skywalk, a clear walkway bridge, when I visited Grand Canyon’s South Rim.
They didn’t know that the Skywalk is actually 3-4 hours away from the South Rim and 6-7 hours away from the North Rim.
It’s not officially part of the national park.
Rather, Skywalk is part of Grand Canyon West, which is on the Hualapai Native American Reservation. You’ll need separate tickets and reservations for this attraction.
Ride the Train from Williams, AZ
I’ve heard the Grand Canyon Railway from Williams, AZ to Grand Canyon Village is an epic experience. It’s a 2 hour and 15 minute ride (the 60 miles would otherwise take an hour to drive).
Midway, you’ll even witness a staged Wild West robbery on the train.
The train ride takes up a lot of the day and you’ll have to adhere to its schedule (so, no sunset).
Getting around Grand Canyon’s South Rim (Using the Shuttle System)
Shuttle Buses IN the Park
To make getting around the Grand Canyon National Park a little easier, free shuttle buses run every few minutes.
The blue, orange, and red routes will take you around the park.
Lines to board can get long, especially during the summer, so just be patient.
The Rim Trail stretches 13 miles so being able to board a shuttle bus back to your starting point whenever you get tired is a nice convenience.
Shuttle Buses to/from the Park
For those, like us, who are staying in Tusayan, Arizona, there is a shuttle bus that connects the small town to Grand Canyon Village.
The Tusayan Purple Route has four stops in town before heading into the national park, taking about 20 minutes.
It’s free and only runs from late May to early September.
Buses come every 20 minutes, between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., and you’ll need to show your park entrance pass to the bus driver.
Entry Fees
It costs $35 per vehicle to enter Grand Canyon National Park, and your entry is valid for one week.
Where to Buy Entry Passes
Passes can be bought at the entrances if you are driving your car into the park. However, it’s recommended to take the shuttle buses to avoid the parking nightmare in the summer months.
If you are taking the shuttle into the park, you’ll need to show an entrance pass to the bus driver in order to board. Passes cannot be bought online.
You only need to purchase one pass for everyone in your vehicle.
You can purchase a pass at any of these locations in Tusayan:
- IMAX Theater
- Canyon Plaza Hotel
- Red Feather Lodge
- Two shuttle stops in Tusayan have machines where you can purchase your entry pass.
- Shuttle stop in front of the IMAX Theater
- Shuttle stop in front of the Grand Hotel
If you plan to visit more than three national parks in a year, definitely get an America the Beautiful pass to save money. If you have an annual pass already, you can just show that to the shuttle bus driver.
Where to Stay Near Grand Canyon National Park (South Rim)
Stay in the Park
There are five lodges in the Grand Canyon South Rim within walking distance of the canyon rim. We weren’t lucky enough this time around to snag a room in one of those lodges as they book up well in advance.
Stay Near the Park: Options in Tusayan, AZ or Williams, AZ
Stay in Tusayan, AZ
The next best option to staying inside the park is staying in Tusayan, Arizona, which is only a short 20-minute shuttle bus ride away from Grand Canyon Village.
We stayed at the Grand Canyon Plaza Hotel in Tusayan, AZ, and definitely recommend it. It was nice to park at our hotel, take a free shuttle bus into the national park, and not worry about parking.
An additional benefit is this hotel sells entrance passes to the Grand Canyon, making it even more convenient to use the shuttle.
Stay in Williams, AZ
As for staying in Williams, AZ, I’d only recommend it if you’re taking the train to Grand Canyon Village as Williams is an hour drive away from the national park. There are a lot of hotel options here, though.
We stopped in Williams for breakfast at Goldies Route 66 Diner, which was super cute.
Getting to the Grand Canyon’s South Rim
Most visitors to the Grand Canyon will be coming from long distances.
Grand Canyon Village is about a 4-hour drive away from Las Vegas, NV and Phoenix, AZ.
If you wake up early enough, you can explore the Grand Canyon that same day.
Although, I would recommend staying the night in a nearby hotel (in the park or in Tusayan), so you can spend more time in the park and drive home in the morning.
For us, we arrived a little after noon, having driven about 6 hours from Southern California (we woke up very early).
After checking into our hotel in Tusayan, AZ, and parking our car there, we boarded the Tusayan shuttle bus into Grand Canyon Village. We arrived at noon and left after sunset, which was around 7 p.m. during the month we visited.
When to Visit Grand Canyon’s South Rim
Summer: In the summer months — June, July, and August — average temperatures in the South Rim are in the 80s ℉. Summer months are the most crowded months at Grand Canyon because school’s out and people have more free time.
Spring/Fall: In spring and fall, temperatures in the South Rim cool down to the 60s and 70s ℉. There are less crowds as well, making it a more ideal time to visit.
Winter: The South Rim sits at an elevation of 7,000 feet and receives an average of 58 inches of snow each year. The South Rim stays open all year round. If visiting in the winter, check the NPS site frequently for road and weather updates.
We went in early September, on Labor Day weekend, when the Tusayan shuttle bus was still running. The weather was warm but not unbearable. We expected crowds, but it didn’t ruin the experience. We had a great time.
Before You Go: Check Current Conditions
Always check the National Park Service’s website for current conditions before setting out to the Grand Canyon National Park.
You’ll want to stay updated on latest weather warnings and road closures, just in case.
Frequently Asked Questions about Visiting the Grand Canyon
Can you go down and up Grand Canyon in one day?
The hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back is more than 23 miles and is extremely strenuous with more than 5,000 feet of elevation gain.
Only the most advanced hikers will even attempt to do the rim to rim hike in two days, let only one.
Is one day enough to see Grand Canyon?
Yes, one day is more than enough time to see the Grand Canyon from the South Rim. It really only takes a few minutes to see the Grand Canyon unless you’d like to walk along the rim for a bit to see it from different viewpoints.
Was the Grand Canyon formed quickly?
No, the Grand Canyon was formed over the course of millions of years.
Is the Grand Canyon always open?
The South Rim is open 24 hours, every day of the year.
The North Rim is only open seasonally. It closes for the winter.
When was the Grand Canyon established?
Grand Canyon National Park was established in 1919.
Does Grand Canyon National Park require reservations?
Reservations are not required to enter Grand Canyon National Park. However, all visitors do need to purchase an entry pass.
Is Grand Canyon National Park free?
No, the park is not free. It costs $35 per vehicle, unless you already have an annual pass.
How big is the Grand Canyon?
The Grand Canyon encompasses more than 1.2 million acres. It is about 4,000 feet deep (on average) and 6,000 feet deep at its deepest point. It’s 277 feet long and 18 miles wide at its widest.
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