Our route from Zion National Park to The Grand Canyon took us southeast through the town of Page Arizona. As we got closer to Page, I could see the Colorado River in the distance. When I pointed it out to William I told him I thought we might be getting close to the Glen Canyon Dam. We followed the river for a bit more and just before entering the town of Page, AZ we saw the Glen Canyon Dam and Visitor Center.

The Glen Canyon Dam creates Lake Powell and both Page and Lake Powell have now become vacation destinations. To build the dam in the 1960’s this bridge was built to get construction workers from Page across the river to the Dam Construction site.

After leaving the Visitor Center we stopped at the Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River. On our trip thus far we had seen several goose necks on rivers but here in Page where the Colorado river bends is absolutely breathtaking.

There were several tours available; you could fly over in a helicopter, you could kayak around the bend, or you could do a self guided tour by walking down to the overlook. The hike from the parking lot to the overlook and back is about a mile and a half and the view is spectacular.

From here we completed the drive to The Grand Canyon entering at the East Entrance. Our first stop was the Desert View Watchtower. The tower was designed by Mary Jane Colter to resemble a Puebloan Watchtower. It sits close to the East Entrance to the Park and is over 20 miles from the Main Visitor Center at the South Entrance. The only way to visit this site is by car as the Shuttle Bus does not operate in this section. We were happy we were driving in our own car and had the opportunity to see this beautiful structure and overlook.

Our next stop was at the Grand View Point Overlook. This is another view point only accessible by private vehicle or a tour. Perhaps it was the late evening sun that made it so beautiful or maybe this is the Grandest View Point on the Rim.

Our accommodations for the evening were at the Bright Angel Lodge which was also designed by Mary Jane Colter. The Bright Angel is a series of cabins around a main lodge and is situated directly on the canyon rim. The canyon rim was calling us so we neglected to take any pictures of the lodge. But we did get this shot just outside our cabin.

And although the sunrise was nothing to brag about it is kinda interesting with the sun enveloping the rooftop of one of the several hotels on the canyon rim.

After a grand breakfast at the Lodge we took the shuttle bus over to the Visitor Center to see Mather Point, the most photographed overlook in the park.

From the Visitor Center we boarded the Orange Route Shuttle Bus to take a look at Yaki Point. This point is on the east side of the park and is the last stop on the Shuttle Bus route.

From Yaki Point we took the Shuttle back to catch the Red Shuttle route which would take us to the western part of the South Rim. In my opinion the Hopi Viewpoint is the best view on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. I had visited the Grand Canyon some 25 years ago and the one thing I remembered was that there were no guard rails to keep one from falling off. At Mather Point guard rails have been added but here at Hopi Point you could stand right on the edge of the rim. It is very easy to walk from Hopi Point to Powell Point and I would recommend that you do so.

Pictures cannot really show you the vastness and beauty of the Grand Canyon. Statistically speaking, The Grand Canyon stretches 277 miles long. It is 1 mile deep and averages 10 miles across. And a point less talked about The Grand Canyon is a Spiritual and sacred place to the 11 Native American Tribes who have connection to this Canyon. Their ancestors farmed along the Colorado River, built homes in the cliffs and caves, and hunted along the canyon rim. They also sought refuge in the canyon to escape from the US Army who wanted to displace them from their homeland.

Our last stop on this shuttle was at Hermit’s Rest. The historic rock cabin which is now a gift shop was impressive. I particularly liked the fireplace.

And as I said earlier, This park is just too grand for pictures to do this park justice however William certainly took a lot of pictures of me trying to take pictures of its vastness.

The only way to really understand The Grand Canyon is just to go see for yourself.