The Grand Canyon is the most popular spot to see in all of Arizona. That's saying a lot because Arizona has a lot to offer. The Grand Canyon is even considered one of the new 7 wonders of the world.
When we went to Grand Canyon, it was closed due to a government shutdown. Not just was the park closed, but the roads in and around it were closed. You couldn’t see the enormous hole in the ground no matter how hard you tried! Personally, I found this appalling. I get closing the park itself. Close the shops and buildings, don't have the rangers, that makes sense. I just couldn't believe they closed access to simply walk up and see the Canyon. I don't believe it to be a safety concern either. I come from a mountainous area that people hike all the time without staff around to ensure they don't get lost or hurt themselves, so there's nothing that makes this area different.
I stopped at a local gas station and asked a Navajo lady if there were any side roads to get to see it, and she pointed me to a logging dirt road. We tried it, but it was so rough and rocky and rutted, we couldn’t make it. After going maybe 2 miles in, we had to turn around and pray we made it back out. Luckily, we did.
Thank goodness, the state of Arizona paid to open the park in spite of the shutdown on our last day on this trip, so we rerouted everything in order to go back. We walked some trails, saw the Grand Canyon from various viewpoints, saw the Hope House, the Desert View Tower and Kolb Studios. Aside from the main view of the South Rim, my favorite view was from the top of the Desert View Tower.
We also helped our boys work through the Junior Ranger Program to become Junior Rangers of the Grand Canyon! To get this, you get what is essentially a scavenger hunt book from the rangers. While hiking the trails, you look for different plants, animals (or just signs of certain ones), and different points of interest of the park. Once you've checked everything off, you become an honorary Junior Park Ranger. This is a fun activity that helps educated children and keep them interested for the duration of your park visit. It's offered, generally, at every National Park.
I had been determined not to simply take the Clark Griswold tour of the Canyon. You remember, he had just essentially stolen cash from a place that wouldn't let him use his cards to get money, so he was in a hurry. His "tour" amounted to about a thirty second look into the Canyon from just the one viewpoint. While it is just a hole in the ground, I wanted to do more. With research, I found that people essentially look at that hole from different viewpoints, enjoying the hiking and scenery as they move from spot to spot. The aforementioned spots we took the Canyon in from are the more popular viewpoint. Beyond that, look for the ranger programs and talks where the rangers cover everything from plant and animal life to the formation of the canyon itself.
Granted, when we first arrived to the National Park, my boys weren't having it. They were four-and-a-half at the time and chose our initial arrival as a time to simultaneously break down into loud crying and tears. Sure, they came out of it and enjoyed the park, especially becoming Junior Park Rangers, but this picture here is a keepsake for life!
Other activities in Grand Canyon National Park include river rafting trips, mule trips, camping, wildlife photography, and back country hiking. Some of the more popular trails include the Bright Angel, South Kaibab, and North Kaibab trails.
Just be aware,
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