A Grand Natural Wonder - Grand Canyon National Park
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The Grand Canyon is one of the most popular and well known
destinations in the US and for good reason. Anyone that has visited
this natural wonder can tell you that it is a place full of undeniable
beauty that is sure to enthrall all who visit. Definitely a must have
location on your travel bucket list! I visited the Grand Canyon for the
first time in July 2016 and what I saw left me speechless and ready to go
back again. You can read all about my trip below!
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The first stop on this Grand Canyon visit happened before the sun
was up. Or at least that was the plan. Of course I had a hard time
dragging my butt out of bed so I made it to the site a little after
first light, but it was still worth it. Oh and the site I am talking
about? Horseshoe Bend in Page, Arizona.
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Horseshoe Bend is a section of the Colorado River that, due to
its unique shape, has become one of the most popular areas in the
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. It was so peaceful and
relaxing to sit on the edge of the canyon and look out onto this gorgeous
natural wonder. If you are going to the Grand Canyon I definitely
recommend making a stop here and trying to go around sunrise to avoid the crowds.
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For reference on how big this canyon actually is...notice the person standing at the top of the rock in the upper right corner?
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After watching the sunrise at Horseshoe Bend it was time to move
on to Grand Canyon National Park itself. The only bad thing about
Horseshoe Bend is that it is quite a drive from there to the South
Rim of the Grand Canyon where I was wanting to go, about 120 miles
to be exact. However, the scenery on the way there was incredible
so it made the trip go by much faster.
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Peek the rainbow :)
And now we are starting to see sections of the Grand Canyon!
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The first stop inside the park was at the Desert View Watchtower at the South Rim.
I had to stop and take a pic of this little guy first. #tourist. Lol
This tower was built in 1932 and designed by Mary Coulter. It stands as
a monument to the Puebloan heritage that is prominent throughout
these lands and is said to serve as a cultural gateway to
Navajo and Hopi reservations.
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Another neat thing about the tower is that it offers visitors a 360° aerial
view of the Grand Canyon below. They say on clear days you can see
for well over 100 miles! You will have to climb a total of about 85
steps in order to make it up to the observation deck that offers
this 360° view so just keep that in mind if you or someone
you are traveling with has issues with stairs.
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After spending some time admiring the scenes around Desert View
I continued further into the park and stopped at the visitor center.
There were soooo many people here. It was absolutely insane.
Definitely easy to see that the Grand Canyon is one of the most popular
national parks in the country! At the visitor center I hopped onto a
shuttle that took me into the town of Tusayan, AZ where I went to
the IMAX theatre to watch “The Grand Canyon: Hidden Secrets.”
The movie was 34 minutes long and in it they explored the human
history of the canyon and followed the expedition of a man named
John Wesley Powell who was responsible for mapping the canyon.
It honestly wasn’t what I was expecting, but it was still very interesting
to watch and if you have some extra time I recommend sitting down to watch it.
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After the movie I grabbed some Pizza Hut and then travelled
back (via shuttle again) to the Grand Canyon visitor center where
I went to the famous Mather Point. This viewpoint offers most
people their first main look at the Grand Canyon and on clear days
you can see 30+ miles to the east and 60+ miles to the west.
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Staring out into the canyon it really struck me how amazing this
entire landscape is. It’s hard to believe that a little river and
some natural elements could create such a huge masterpiece.
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While at Mather Point I also saw a bunch of squirrels begging for
food. It was actually here that I captured one of my favorite wildlife photos!
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Grand Canyon Tips
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Come On In, Stay Awhile
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Don’t just stop at a few viewpoints and call it good. One of my
biggest regrets about my Grand Canyon visit is not spending more
time actually exploring the canyon and trying to see more. I was in
such a time crunch because I wanted to get to Tombstone that I just
stopped at a few key sites and moved on and I think my visit definitely
was much less fulfilling because of it. So when you go I highly recommend
you take the time and spend at least a day or two really exploring
this glorious natural wonder.
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Beat the Summer Heat
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Even though this is listed as one of the top summer destinations
I personally think summer is one of the worst times to visit. The
temperatures are high and the crowds are massive which can make
your trip less than ideal and more stressful. Best time in my opinion
to visit this natural wonder is in the spring or fall. I really
want to go for New Year's Eve!
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Early Bird Gets the Worm
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Get to the park EARLY. As with any popular national park it is always
best to try and get there as early as you can. Crowds really start to
grow around midday so if you want to avoid that and make your
visit waaay more enjoyable I highly recommend
dragging your butt out of bed.
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Take a Hike
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One thing I didn’t do while I was at the Grand Canyon was take
the opportunity to hike down below the rim. I have seen and heard
so many people say that their experience hiking down into the
canyon was amazing and I will definitely be doing this when I return.
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Hike Smart
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Speaking of hiking below the rim….don’t try hiking down to the
bottom of the canyon and back in a day. I’m not saying that it isn’t
possible, but it certainly would not be an easy feat and I feel like it
would turn your hike into quite the negative experience. If you do want
to hike all the way down to the bottom of the canyon, bring your camping
gear and plan on spending the night down by the river.
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Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute
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If you plan on spending more than a day at the canyon, don’t wait
to book your accommodations. As I said before the Grand Canyon
is a very popular park and hotels fill up fast especially near the South
Rim so if you don’t want to be stuck sleeping in your car or having
to drive an hour to Flagstaff I recommend planning ahead as much as possible.
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And that was my visit to the Grand Canyon! As I mentioned before
I am ready to go back and really take the time to explore the park.
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Have you been to the Grand Canyon or any of the other
places I mentioned in this article?
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