How To See The Grand Canyon In One Day

Grand Canyon South Rim

People will tell you that you simply cannot see The Grand Canyon properly in just a day, and you know what? They are correct! You cannot hike to the bottom and back up and really SEE it properly, but you definitely can get the most out of a one day visit to one of North America's top 10 natural wonders! Check out this article for more info on the best way to see Grand Canyon National Park in one day.

A follow up to Driving From Las Vegas To The Grand Canyon, this blog post will give you information on how we spent what little time we had at Grand Canyon National Park, which is one of the better ways to see it if you're limited on time like us!

Grand Canyon South Rim

Grand Canyon South Rim

The South Rim entrance is located about an hour out of Willams and around 5 hours from Vegas, which is where we came from for our day trip. Plan your trip here strategically. Make pit stops for gas and snacks but don't over stay at these stops because you'll want as long as possible at The Grand Canyon!

Grand Canyon South Rim

Grand Canyon South Rim

 First things first, know which viewpoints you want to stop at! We skipped the Visitors Centre and turned right onto Desert View Drive. From there it won't be long until you come to your first glimpse of the canyon! "Woah" is what came out of both mine and Aaron's mouths at the same time. We pulled in to the turn out and had a look at the most amazing hole in the ground I have ever seen. We spent some time just looking and watching the storm clouds rolling over in the distance, every now and then some lightening would flash through. The Grand Canyon is just that... Grand. 

Grand Canyon South Rim

Grand Canyon South Rim

Grand Canyon South Rim

 Yaki Point is the first of many view points we checked out along Desert View Drive. There was a barrier up stating that this turn off was for the shuttle bus only, but I had done my research and knew I had to see this point. We decided to be 'tourists' and take the left turn anyway and I am so glad we did because it appeared we were not the only people to do this. There isn't a parking lot but plenty of areas to pull over and hop out to explore.

Grand Canyon South Rim

Grand Canyon South Rim

Grand Canyon South Rim

 Tip: Plan ahead! My number one tip, but it's just so important. I found this map online from google images and saved into my photos on my iPhone. I had googled photos of each viewpoint so I knew that I wanted to turn right onto Desert View Drive and see Yaki Point, Grandview Point, Moran Point and Desert View (because limited time).

South Rim Viewpoints

Grand Canyon South Rim

After spending more time here than anticipated, we ended up making our way back out of the park around 5pm. The traffic had built up and there is only one road out my friends so be prepared for a long and slow drive. We were lucky enough to come to a stand still because there was a car accident and a tow truck had to come through so park rangers had stopped traffic both ways. Be prepared for stuff like this to happen and don't let it get to you! It's all part of the fun :)

Grand Canyon South Rim

Grand Canyon South Rim

On the way out we came to ANOTHER standstill of traffic, but this time there was no car accident. There was a pack of wild female elk walking through the forest in the distance! It would have been so wonderful to stay and watch the sun set over the South Rim but we had a long drive ahead of us so we made our way back to Vegas stopping at a gift store on the way out to buy a magnet and some snacks.

Wild Elk At South Rim

Grand Canyon South Rim

Grand Canyon South Rim

Tip: Get gas in the town just outside the park, or at Williams. It's a very long and boring drive home with minimal services along the way! Don't risk running out of gas in the middle of the desert at night! Some of the smaller gas stations we saw on our drive TO the canyon were closed on the way home.

Grand Canyon South Rim

Did You Know: The Grand Canyon would not exist without The Colorado River!

For more cool facts and info on The Grand Canyon visit National Park Service.

Do you have a preferred way to visit The Grand Canyon? Comment in the section below!