Grand Canyon South Rim

Day 1 · ~4.2 mi (6.7 km)

1. 

   1

   Mather Point

   a 5-minute walk from the Grand Canyon Visitor Center; the main first-look viewpoint

   Any time · 45 min · $$

   Walk out from the visitor center plaza to the rim and look across Granite Gorge toward Bright Angel Canyon; on a clear day you can see more than 60 miles to the west.

2. 

   2

   Yavapai Point

   east of the Village; stone geology museum with a picture window on the rim

   Morning · 45 min · $$

   Step inside the Yavapai Museum of Geology to study the big relief map and the rock layers, then stand at the window or the rim outside to match them to the real thing.

3. 

   3

   El Tovar Hotel

   Grand Canyon Village; 1905 log and limestone hotel on the rim

   Evening · 20 min · $$

   Take in the building from outside: built of local limestone and Oregon pine, logs below and framed timber above.

4. 

   4

   Bright Angel Trail

   Grand Canyon Village; trailhead of the switchback trail into the canyon

   Morning · 45 min · $$

   Look down the switchbacks from the trailhead, or walk a short way below the rim and turn back well before you tire, since the way out is all uphill.

5. 

   5

   Rim Trail

   South Rim; mostly paved path along the edge, about 13 miles from South Kaibab to Hermits Rest

   Any time · 60 min · $$

   Walk the stretch between Mather Point and the Village, which overlaps the Trail of Time exhibit.