Adventure Date: 08/04/2024
Need to scratch that itch to explore nature while in Las Vegas but only have a day to do so? Wake up super early and head to Grand Canyon National Park!
It’s about an 8-9 hour drive there and back. And if you have time, you can head north to check out Horseshoe Bend or Glen Canyon also! It’s definitely doable in a day, but there are plenty of accommodations nearby if you want to enjoy it longer.
For us, we started out from Las Vegas at around 4 AM, making it to the first visitor center by about 9 AM with a few pit stops along the way.
First stop, Grand Canyon Visitor Center
Stop here, take a bathroom break, and get a glimpse of the Grand Canyon before you start your exploration.
Here at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, you’ll also be able to take the different shuttle buses to various places in the park if you don’t want to drive. We decided to drive instead since we were only planning on spending the day here. Waiting for the shuttles would add on to you time, but if you would prefer to sit and let someone else drive you around the park, this is a good place to start.
We walked around the Rim Trail up to Mather Point and spent some time looking in awe of the monstrous crack in the earth before heading back to the visitor center. If you need to buy souvenirs, you can either do it now at the park store or wait until you’re at the Grand Canyon Village Market & Deli for even more souvenir options!
Yavapai Point & Yavapai Geology Museum
Our next stop was the Yavapai Geology Museum and the surrounding area. Here you’ll run into the Rim Trail again as it winds its way westward. Check out the museum for some fun facts about the rock structure of the canyon and its geological history.
Onwards to Grand Canyon Village
After making a pit stop at the Grand Canyon Village Market & Deli, we headed towards Grand Canyon Village. Here, you’ll be able to see the Grand Canyon Railway, lodging accommodations, restaurants, stores, and more! We stopped and parked at the parking lot near Verkamp’s Visitor Center and walked from there to the different places on the rim. We slowly made our way down to Bright Angel Lodge to grab lunch at Harvey House Cafe before heading back to the car to head up to Horseshoe Bend.
Bonus: Horseshoe Bend
Horseshoe Bend in Page, Arizona was about a 2 hour drive north from the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Some of the fellow adventurers with us had not been here yet so with plenty of daylight left, we decided to make the trip there and then swing north then west to come back to Las Vegas.