1 day itinerary

While being an enormous national park, Grand Canyon is actually a great day experience, with plenty of options to choose and tackle! Fly above and hike below the south rim all in one day with this itinerary!

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Kick off your day in the immense Grand Canyon early, with a choice of two fantastic hikes. The earlier you start the better, especially in the summer to beat the incoming heat. So if you can stay overnight in or close to the park, ideal! Use the shuttle buses to cross the park, and check the times that they start and end for when you're visiting! The south rim boasts two spectacular trails, both challenging and requiring a good level of fitness, as well as plenty of preparation and respect.

As we always remind adventurers, temperatures in the canyon are often 10F to 20F warmer than at the rim, notably in summer, and there is little shade. Plenty of water is required, with the NPS recommending 4 quarts/litres each during warm weather. Salty snacks are also important to resorb more water. But the most important thing to do is to listen to your body and turn back before you feel like you're struggling. The steep climb is much harder on the way back up than on the way down!

The South Kaibab trail has a few options if you want a shorter hike. The first stop comes after hiking just short of a mile below the surface, at Ooh Aah Point! You can probably guess why it has that name! From here you can see a few of the landmarks further down the hike, including Cedar Ridge, O'Neill Butte and Skeleton Point, giving you the first view of the Colorado River on this trail! But beware of the intensity of those switchbacks on the way back up!

The other option is for a longer hike, with more switchbacks at the beginning but some flatter sections, especially further into the Bright Angel trail. One of the toughest hikes we recommend at National Parks Planner, you can descend over 3,000 ft to reach Plateau Point, with views of the river. With the round trip being 12 miles long, start extremely early, well before sunrise - so be prepared with head torches. Given that most people will take 8 hours or more to complete the hike, aim to be back at the rim by midday. This should give you a rough idea of the sort of time you need to start at...!

Greenery awaits at Indian Garden 4.5 miles in with water usually available to top up those bottles. But it is not recommended to go further than this point in the summer due to the heat. It's a great turnaround point, as you won't go much deeper into the canyon from this point, and seeing the greenery is what makes the Bright Angel more unique!

Enjoy some time to rest your heavy legs by grabbing lunch in Grand Canyon Village, which also hosts numerous lodges and studios, the train depot, visitor centres and a market plaza.

In the afternoon, drive just out of the national park for an activity on many people's bucket list! Helicopter flights are one of the best ways to understand the scale of the canyon, and the feeling you get as you soar over the trees of Kaibab National Forest, before the surface of the earth drops away and the Grand Canyon begins - an absolute can't miss experience!

Your guide will point out different buttes that you can see out the large windows of the helicopter, and you can try to spot sections of the trail you tackled in the morning.

One of the best ways to catch sunset at the rim is with a takeaway pizza. Maswik Pizza Pub is located in Grand Canyon Village! Pick one up nice and early and find a spot to enjoy the colours and shadows created from the orange Arizona rock. Stay after the sun has set too, to enjoy a spot of stargazing. Moran Point, Mather Point and Lipan Point are all great locations! The NPS also hosts events at the rim, mainly through summer, where enthusiasts bring their telescopes for you to try, or for guide-led tours detailing the constellations! As they say, "half the park is after dark!"

If you want to fully explore Grand Canyon NP, then check out our three day itinerary and full national park guide! Or dedicate some time to the awesome hikes here as part of one our Road Trip itineraries!