One of the seven natural wonders of the world…the Grand Canyon. When we were planning our trip to Arizona, there was no doubt in my mind that we were going to the Grand Canyon; a first for all of us.
The National Parks Service website has a wealth of information on it and I used their site while planning our trip. Something I did not know until I started researching our trip to the South Rim was that you could not drive to all the overlook spots (particularly those to the west towards Hermits Rest); you have to use their bus system. They have three different bus lines (all color coded) that operate in different areas of the park and there are also transfer stations.
When we arrived at the Grand Canyon, we went straight to the Grand Canyon Market for a couple reasons. 1) to pick up some items to eat for lunch, 2) our hotel, the Yavapai Lodge, was across the parking lot and 3) there is a bus stop at the Market and at the front of the Yavapai Lodge.
The Market has everything you could want from t-shirts, toys, and books to milk, hummus, and alcohol. What I really liked about the alcohol was that the beer was sold by the bottle, so you did not have to purchase an entire six pack. There is also a snack bar at the front of the market and a spot for you to refill your water bottles. One thing you will not find at the Grand Canyon is bottled water. They encourage visitors to purchase or bring their own refillable bottle to reduce waste.
After grabbing our snacks we were off to take the bus out to the Western point of the park, while stopping at most of the overlooks along the way. The bus system seemed to work really well. It was nice not having to read signs and to worry about where we were going. It also allowed both my husband and I to look at the view as we rode along. At each stop we would get off, take in the view for as long as we wanted and then we would wait for the next bus. The buses ran quite frequently and we never seemed to wait for long. The only negative we encountered was how crowded the buses were. Several times guests were left at the stops because there was not enough room on the bus.
When planning our trip to the Grand Canyon, I was very nervous about S getting too close to the edge of the canyon. As we toured, I discovered many times there was some form of barrier like a railing or large rocks along the path and overlooks. However, even with the barriers either my husband or I had S by the hand or she was being held the whole time we were out at the overlooks.
Everyone has seen pictures of the Grand Canyon, but let me tell you they do not do it justice…it is amazing to stand there on the edge of the canyon.
Each overlook offers a little bit different view or angle. Some of the overlooks are a little bit of a walk out to a point, while others are right by the bus stop. We did not stop at all of the spots; however we did stop at the majority.
Hermits Rest has bathrooms, a gift shop, a snack bar, and water bottle refill station. While all overlooks offer wonderful views, a lot of people assume that Hermits Rest offers the best view, but in my opinion it does not. Since Hermits Rest is the western most point of the overlooks it is very busy and we waited the longest here to get onto a bus to head back.
How did a 3 year old do at the Grand Canyon? She was awesome! We did the I Spy that I created, more info here. S did a lot of rock jumping with help from daddy. We looked for wildlife and she took photos with her own camera. In addition, all of our traveling must have finally caught up with S because she actually fell asleep on the 45 minute bus ride from Hermits Rest to our hotel and she hasn’t taken a nap in a year!
Stay tuned for our Grand Canyon trip Part 2 (Yavapai Lodge and Cafeteria) and Part 3 (Tusayan Ruin, Desert View Point and Watchtower).
If you are looking to travel to Arizona, you may enjoy my other posts about our trip.
I’m sure that it is even more impressive in the flesh, so to speak. What a wonderful trip to take. I’m glad your three year old enjoyed such a wonderful place. #CountryKids
Thank you Cheryl!
Oh – I so want to take my kids to visit the Grand Canyons. I went there when I was three and to this day my Mum loves telling everyone how I suddenly took off a shoe and threw it out over a canyon to watch it fall. Beautiful pictures. #countrykids
Kriss that’s too funny! Thank you for stopping by.
Wow, simply stunning pictures. It looks like such a beautiful place and I would love to take the kids one day. My husband travels to Vegas every year and I think one year we may have to tag along near the end and visit. Beautiful location and gorgeous pictures. #countrykids
Thank you! I hope you get the chance the join your husband on one of his trips.
Just wow, I would love to visit one day, those views are fantastic!! #countrykids
Thanks Chantelle! It is quite an amazing place.
What an amazing sight – the photos look incredible so I can only imagine how wonderful it must have been to actually be there! Fantastic photo with S with the stunning backdrop – what an amazing trip. Thanks for linking up and sharing with Country Kids, I can’t wait for Part 2.
Thank you Fiona!
breathtaking. I am out of words on its beauty #countrykids
Thanks Merlinda!
This is the sort of place I dream of seeing for myself, but doubt it’ll ever happen, you know. The photos I’m sure don’t do the place justice. Fabulous. #countrykids
wow what an amazing trip! its on my list of must travel to places 🙂
thanks for linking up with #MagicMoments x
Thank you Jaime!
One day, I will get to the Grand Canyon! It looks amazing, I cannot wait to experience it for myself! #magicmoments
Thank you!
Hello there, wow those photos are amazing! We visited the Grand Canyon a few years ago and would love to head back to America but haven’t travelled that far with our little boy so it’s interesting to see it from another parent’s perspective. Really enjoyed reading your blog post and looking forward to reading more about your trip. x #magicmoments
Thank you Lystra you’re so kind! I hope you make it back to the US.
Great pics of a wonderful place. It amazed me just how far it stretched, on and on!!
What great ideas for keeping a 3 yo’s attention. How did her pictures turn out? I often find that my kids’s pics are better than mine. They see things from a different angle and capture them well.
She always has great photos! I love looking through the camera and seeing what gems she captured.
Such beautiful pictures!! We love traveling and take our 18 month old with us, i am always looking for insight from a mommy before we go new places. My post http://leavingtherut.com/weekend-in-ponce-isla-caja-de-muerto/ is about us taking our son on a weekend trip with our boat here in Puerto Rico. I’d love for you to stop by and check it out!
Stopping by from Happy and Blessed home’s link up.
Thank you Ashley! I love traveling with S. I will stop by and visit your blog post!
Great post! It’s being featured at Family Fun Friday! http://happyandblessedhome.com/2014/05/family-fun-friday-week-69-outdoor-family-fun.html
Thanks for sharing!
Monica
I really enjoyed reading your tips. We would love to see the Grand Canyon someday and it does help to get travel tips to plan vacations.
Thank you Linda! The Grand Canyon is amazing!