Ain’t it Grand?

When traveling cross-country with kids, there are few opportunities as welcome as the chance to get out of the car and stretch your legs for a bit. We have found that the amazing diversity and incomparable beauty of America’s national parks make them stand out as some of the best stops for road-weary families.

Recently, my family found ourselves driving through Arizona on our trip across the nation. Plenty of amazing landscapes and a handful of national parks make Arizona one of my favorite destinations. On this particular trip, we opted to introduce our kids to the most “gorge-eous” view of all: the Grand Canyon!

We were actually really lucky that the Canyon was open when we passed through (May 24th), since it had mostly been closed due to coronavirus. Most of the services normally available at the Canyon were closed, but the scenic views were definitely still there, and our kids ate it up.

The Views

Mather Point, and Yavapai Point

Hoping to get in before the crowds, we arrived at the South Rim of the canyon at 7:00 am. Our foresight earned us a parking space close to front. While we planned on walking throughout the day, there’s no reason to add on a hike across the parking lot. 

The Visitor’s Center wasn’t open during our time there, but the restrooms were. It’s worth noting that these restrooms are the only ones available in the area near Mather’s point and the South Rim Trail. The next nearest are just past Yavapai point. 

Mather’s point was the kids’ first real look at the canyon and it did not disappoint. The sun was rising higher in the sky, but the depth of the canyon meant that much of it was still cast in shadow. Lines of pale red, yellow and gray stone contrasted beautifully with each other along the gorge’s opposite wall. Plant life dappled the ground far below us, splashing an otherwise dry landscape with signs of vibrant life. It was absolutely spectacular! We spent a few minutes here enjoying the view before deciding to continue on down the Rim Trail to see what other vistas.

I think that simply walking along the Rim Trail was probably my kids’ favorite part of the entire trip. It is an asphalt path that sits 20ft or so back from the edge of the canyon. No matter where you are on the trail, you can look out over the canyon’s natural beauty.  They especially loved jumping from rock to rock along the edge of the path, pretending that they were much closer to the edge than they actually were. Every few minutes we would stop to rest and take pictures. There weren’t any railings for much of the trail, which gave us a clear view, but also made my overprotective dad mode kick in every time one of my kids wanted to get a better look. Especially since my daughter is utterly fearless. We stayed well away from the edge and arrived safely at Yavapai Point.

While I continued attempting to take in the sheer scale of the canyon, the kids had fun with a viewing tube that was set up near the geology museum. It wasn’t a telescope. Just a tube of metal that helped to direct your eyes to different points of interest. Still, for our kids, it was something fun, and we had to pull them away from it to start heading back.

Returning to Mather point, we settled in for a morning snack, eating to sustain our strength while feasting on the view. Taking one final look, we packed up and headed for the Bright Angel Trailhead. While the views on the Rim Trail are absolutely stunning, we wanted to get the kids off the pavement and into the dirt.

The first stop on Bright Angel Trail is a little over a mile and a half down the trail. We didn’t do that. Instead, we walked down a short distance to where a small tunnel passed through the rock. It was probably only 10 ft or so long, but the kids loved getting to pass through the rock. On the other side, we grabbed some seats against the wall of the canyon and enjoyed the view.

The Animals

While the obvious reason to come to the Grand Canyon is the canyon itself, our kids also loved the chance to see the wildlife! There are a ton of elk in the area, and we spotted our first one even before we parked the car. Overall, we probably saw around 20 elk while we were there, which was great! More than once we found ourselves within 30 ft of elk nibbling at the shrubs just off the road.

The other animal that made an appearance was a rock squirrel. A few of these ridiculously cute critters entertained our kids to no end as they came right up to us looking for food. We knew that feeding the wildlife is strictly forbidden, so we didn’t give them any, but their behavior tells me that others have not been as considerate. Unbeknownst to us, rock squirrels are one of the most dangerous animals in the area. Not only are the known to attack people to get food, but they also can be carriers of diseases like rabies and the plague! Luckily, these squirrels didn’t give us any trouble.

The Grand Canyon is an iconic American destination and is absolutely worth the trip out to see. While we only stopped in the area for a single day, there are enough trails and tours to keep a family busy for days. Just remember to stay hydrated and respect the limits of your kid’s abilities. And your own! Don’t get me started on that one time I didn’t…