I’ve been to the Grand Canyon more than any other national park. I’ve also almost died in the Grand Canyon more times than in any other national park, but maybe we’d better not dwell on that in this post! Instead, I’d like to share photos and stories from the 14 (!) times I’ve visited the park, starting in 1995 and most recently in 2023. There have been laughter, tears, adventure, excitement, (almost) frozen fingers, deadly heat, elation, awe, exploration, old favorites, and so much more over these years and visits to one of the most famous destinations in Arizona.
Our first visit to Grand Canyon wasn’t exactly planned. We’d read the stats and decided it was just too cold to try camping on the South Rim in November. But then we made the mistake of spending the night in Flagstaff… and it seemed a pity to be only one hour away from something as famous as the Grand Canyon and drive right by. Three days later, we did leave the park, but by then the park had left is mark on us. The views stole our hearts, hiking three miles down and three miles back up on the Bright Angel Trail showed us just what we could accomplish with a troop of kids under the age of 8, and the people we met would leave their (positive) mark on us for many years to come.
We’d loved the South Rim so much that it only made sense to visit the North Rim two years later. Maybe the June heat turned us off. Maybe I’m just not a lover of views with trees. But to this day, I prefer the South Rim, even if the North Rim is much quieter (and cooler).
Fast-forward to 2001. Again, we were staying at the South Rim Campground. My dad decided that any kid who was awake (and wanted the experience) could go with him to see sunrise over the canyon. Miraculously, I was up for this little adventure. It would be a life-changing experience as I watched in awe as the shadowed canyon filled with the golden glow of sunrise. To this day, I can still feel what I felt then; the amazement and the certainty that I’d never seen anything like this, never felt anything like this, and I wanted to do it again… and again.
At this point, we started a roll. Between 2001 and 2006, we missed only one year in visiting Grand Canyon National Park (2004 took us too far north, and in the August heat). I remember seeing the temperatures at the visitor center in November 2002… a balmy 19F! No wonder our water jugs froze outside at night!
Once again, we didn’t plan to visit the Grand Canyon in 2003. But smoke from wildfires in California forced us east, and we somehow found ourselves on the North Rim after it had officially closed for the winter… in October. They’d opened up the campground to give the local firefighters a place to stay during controlled burns, but I’m not sure when I’ve been so cold. Even our Lipton Side Dishes seemed to instantly freeze the moment they left the pot and hit our paper plates.
Ever since our first visit, we wanted to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Sometimes we’d fantasize about riding the mules, but they had a sticky rule about not allowing children under 6. And we all knew we couldn’t carry our own gear that far (we’ve never backpacked as a family, though there were times where we hiked close to 20 miles in a day with our daypacks in more recent years). My dad has had access to the internet much longer than most people, and by 2005, blogging and hiking reviews were beginning to take off. When he read about the Lava Falls Route, he knew he’d found our ticket to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. We did it, too, and had a fantastic time – even if our trek included trying to find the non-existent trail, skateboarding on rocks down a scree chute, dipping our toes in the Colorado River (just to say we’d done it), and throwing our baseball caps in the air in unison when we finally made it back to the van!
Our 2006 visit was one of those wild times where it just doesn’t work the way we’d planned. We were late getting a campsite in the national forest the night before, late waking up, and late getting into the park, so we figured we’d take it easy and hike the Bright Angel Trail down to Plateau Point the next day. I don’t remember what conspired among us, but there we were, taking a 12 mile trek in the Grand Canyon after starting at 10am. We did make it back out before sunset!
Times and situations change, and after the spring of 2006, our travels were forced first into shorter timeframes and second into the warmer months. So we didn’t return until 2011. One of my dad’s coworkers had told him of the best hike in the entire canyon – down the South Kaibab Trail, across on the Tonto Trail, and then up the Bright Angel Trail, with its water, resthouses, and (somewhat) less steep grade than the South Kaibab. It was a glorious day and absolutely gorgeous!
In the spring of 2013, I got a Falcon Guide out of the local library that detailed the trails around Horseshoe Mesa, between the South Kaibab Trail and Desert View. Between that and some internet research, I decided this should be our next adventure! Except that my GPS logged 5 miles longer than the Falcon Guide suggested, it really was a great hike.
We returned to the Lava Falls Route in 2018. It was a disastrous decision, and we didn’t make it to the bottom (we were just glad to make it back to the top!) I learned a lot on that hike, including to overlook your own strength when others in the group are weaker than you. While we were in the area, we spent a couple of days up at the North Rim, which was a much more positive experience.
In 2023, my sister started talking about finally hiking the South Kaibab Trail Rim to River to Rim – a dream many of us had held for a long time and only partially satisfied with the Lava Falls Trail. We knew if we trained carefully, and planned even more carefully, we were capable of doing it in a day – especially if we were ready to turn around at the first sign that it wasn’t working out. Well, we made it down to the river about 8:30am, so we were even able to hike down to Silver Bridge (below Phantom Ranch) before heading back up!
What’s our next adventure in the Grand Canyon? I don’t know, but I do know that we’ll have fun, be in awe of the views, and probably get ourselves into some excitement (hopefully not too exciting!) along the way!
Hiking in the Grand Canyon
Explore what the Grand Canyon has to offer in the way of views, history, and much more with this guide. It even includes sections on safety, hiking with children, wheelchair access, and available services. Buy your copy here.
