Grand Canyon National Park Travel Guide
We couldn’t very well travel to Arizona and NOT see The Grand Canyon, right?
You know the drill. It’s big, it’s deep, it’s enormous. Check out our travel video of the Grand Canyon National Park here and keep reading below all the details of the national park.
Here’s what we did at the park!
Grand Canyon National Park Quick Stats
Size: 1,217,403 acres (that’s a lot!)
Location: Northern Arizona
National Park Established In: 1919
Best For: Hiking, rafting, backpacking, scenic drives, mule riding, geology, staring in awe
What to Do:
Mini Adventure:
Hike any length of the 13-mile Rim Trail, located on the South Rim. Again, over a million acres of national park, so you won’t be able to see everything at once and hikes you’re interested in might be several hours apart.
But the Rim Train is a flat, mostly paved path where you can start at Yavapai Point and learn all about the canyon before walking toward Trailview Overlook and Powell Point. When you’re done, you just hop onto a park shuttle and ride back to wherever you parked. Great for families! If your kids lose their energy, you can call it and bus it back!
Mega Adventure:
Backpack the South Kaibab–Bright Angel loop. If you park near the Bright Angel Trailhead, you can ride the shuttle to South Kaibab, then travel down to the South Rim. Then, you can camp on the Colorado River at the Bright Angel Campground.
The hike takes you up Bright Angel Trail, and you can stop overnight at the Indian Garden Campground to give yourself a break in the hike. You’ll need to get a permit for this mega adventure, and you can grab a permit as far as four months out from your visit. Some of the more popular hikes require entrance in an online lottery.
What We Did:
I know this is not what anyone expects someone to do right away when visiting the Grand Canyon, but the first thing we did when we reached the Grand Canyon was go to the IMAX to watch the Grand Canyon movie.
We arrived in Williams, Arizona in the afternoon, watched the movie, and then decided not to actually go see the Grand Canyon until the next day at sunrise. We knew very few people would be there (we went in winter), and it is at its most beautiful when the sun is rising.
Even the IMAX itself was fun. The kids thought the huge screen was fun, and Brian loved the history of it.
The next day, it was time to see the canyon for real.
Because we were traveling in our Airstream, we had our own bikes with us, but if you don’t bring your own bikes, you can rent bikes at the Grand Canyon. However you get the bikes, it was totally worth it! The “bike hike,” as my family calls it, was one of my favorite things we did!
Rent your bicycles here— Bright Angel Bicycles at 10 South Entrance Road Grand Canyon, AZ, 86023.
We took a very family friendly bike ride, the orange bike route.
Duration: 1 - 1.5 hours
Distance: 3.5 miles one way (7 miles round trip)
Conditions: paved
Recommended for: families with children, riders wanting less vehicle traffic
Here’s a map (plus other routes).
We hiked the Bright Angel Trail, 1.5 miles down into the canyon to the mile and a half rest house, then returned for a total of three miles.
The hike is narrow and we had small kids with us, so we definitely took our time. Totally a doable hike with kids, but you need to pace yourself! We packed a picnic lunch and enjoyed it at the 1.5 rest house before turning around and heading back up the canyon.
After, we drove into Williams and went to Cureton Park.
If you’ve been following our travels then you know we are basically on the North America Playground Tour - ha! So this was the closest playground.
We also went to Bearizona Wildlife Park while we were in Williams.
When to Go:
As you might imagine, the Grand Canyon can be pretty busy in the summers when most US schools are on break. If you can go in the spring or fall, there will be fewer crowds and more temperate weather. If you want even more solitude, head there in the winter when temps will be between 18 and 82 degrees.
If you do visit in the summer, there is not usually inter-canyon camping in the summer months because temperatures can get up to 107 degrees by the river.
Where to Stay:
Just an hour outside the park is Williams, Arizona, which houses dozens of affordable bed-and-breakfasts.
Where We Stayed:
Trailer Village - it’s the only full hookup RV park inside the National Park.
Where to Eat:
We pack a great lunch and plenty of snacks. Kids carry their own food and water in their backpacks.
Here’s what we use on every hike.
Grand Canyon Village Market & Deli
There is a grocery store within the Grand Canyon. I was pleasantly surprised with the selection.
If you travel just outside the park to Williams, there are tons of food options! We ate at Pine Country Restaurant. Save room for the pie - so good!
Pine Country Restaurant in Williams serves up huge portions of home style food and over three dozen different flavors of pie every day.
The Phantom Ranch Canteen is located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. To get there you can hike down the Bright Angel Trail 9.6 miles or down the Kaibab Trail 7.8 miles. Don’t forget— you will have to hike out. Ha!
It’s such a popular destination that you need to book a reservation at least a week in advance in winter and a month in advance in summer.
Fun Fact:
The Grand Canyon is just 203 miles from another national park, Petrified Forest.
If you plan on traveling to two national parks in one year, it is worth it to purchase the Annual Pass. We purchased ours in our home state at the Hot Springs National Park , but you can buy them at any national park.
KID FRIENDLY?
Yes, there are so many benefits to hiking with kids. It’s a great opportunity to teach real life lessons about risk and safety. It also allows them to be in nature, be creative, and to create their own adventure.
There are so many great things to stop and explore, so the kids get to be in charge of what they want to explore. A hike is kind of a kid’s curiosity playground. They get to jump on rocks, play in a puddle, ask tons of questions, etc.
Here’s what I take on every hike.
We also saw so much wildlife. Elk, deer, you name it. The kids loved it.
JR. RANGER PROGRAM:
This is such a great way to get the kids involved and really get excited about the park. You can go on the park website and download all the information and resources and print it beforehand so you can learn about it with your kids before you go. Then you’d turn your booklet into a ranger at the visitors center and receive your Jr. Ranger pins, or you can wait until you get to the National Park (that’s what we do), and receive a beautifully colorful workbook, do the activities while at the National Park, then head back to the visitors center (before they close) and receive the pins.
Either is great! We love the workbook the parks provide, and it means we don’t have to figure out where to get the content printed.
HERE’S WHAT I BOUGHT TO MAKE THIS EVEN MORE FUN FOR THE KIDS
Grand Canyon National Park Passport Stamp locations:
All visitor centers:
Grand Canyon NP Desert View Watchtower
Grand Canyon Village, AZ 86023
Grand Canyon NP South Rim Visitor Center
8 S Entrance Rd Williams, AZ 86046
City of Williams Visitor Information Center Kaibab National Forest
200 West Railroad Avenue, Williams, AZ 86046-2899
Grand Canyon NP Park Headquarters
Parking Lot A, near Market Plaza
Grand Canyon NP Indian Garden Visitor Information Station
Bright Angel Trail, Grand Canyon Village, AZ 86023
Grand Canyon NP Kolb Studio Bookstore
13 N Village Loop Williams, AZ 86023
Grand Canyon NP Phantom Ranch Gift Shop
N Kaibab Trail, Williams, AZ 86046
Grand Canyon NP Phantom Ranch Ranger Station
Grand Canyon National Park, N Kaibab Trail, North Rim, AZ 86052
Grand Canyon NP Tuweep Ranger Station
Saddle Horse Loop Valentine, AZ 86437
Pipe Spring NM - Visitor Center
406 W Pipe Springs Rd, Fredonia, AZ 86022
Grand Canyon NP Verkamp's Visitor Center
100 S Entrance Rd, Grand Canyon Village, AZ 86023
Grand Canyon Association Park Store (formerly Books 'n' More)
6 S Entrance Rd, Grand Canyon Village, AZ 86023
Grand Canyon NP Yavapai Observation Station Bookstore
Located at Yavapai Point, between Grand Canyon Visitor Center and Grand Canyon Village.
Grand Canyon NP Tusayan Ruin Museum
12-98 Tusayan Ruin Road Williams, AZ 86023
Ok - here’s the truth. I’m kind of a nerd about this. I think it dates back to when I was twenty-five and had never been anywhere, and I flew to Europe and received my first passport stamp.
To this day, that old passport is one of my most treasured possessions. Each stamp burns a memory and I love to think back on the time away whenever I see those stamps.
So naturally, I’m all about the fact that you can get a passport stamp at each and every National Park. Just walk into the visitors center; there is usually the stamp and ink sitting out for self-use. I have passports for each member of the family.
Purchase yours here.
Remember, you can make any trip exactly what you want it to be. You don’t have to do everything just because it’s the Grand Canyon. Figure out what’s important to you and make it a priority!
Looking for a handy guide to all the info above (plus more fun pictures of the national park)? Download the travel guide below:
Catch up on all our airstream adventures here.
