2 to 3 Days at the Grand Canyon: South Rim, Ooh Aah Point, Hermit Road, Watchtower & Page

This itinerary organizes your stay so that Day 1 explores the central and western South Rim using only the free shuttle buses and paved Rim Trail, Day 2 tackles a morning hike below the rim followed by the scenic eastern drive to the 1932 Watchtower, and Day 3 exits the East Gate to Page (Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon) or Sedona! Read our free shuttle bus guide before Day 1.

Day 1: Mather Point, Trail of Time, Historic Grand Canyon Village & Hermit Road Sunset

• 09:00 to 12:30: park at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center and walk out to Mather Point for your first sweeping view of the chasm! Follow the flat, paved Rim Trail 15 minutes west to the 1928 Yavapai Geology Museum (looking down at the Colorado River and Phantom Ranch bridges), then continue along the 2.1 km Trail of Time into Grand Canyon Village!
• 12:30 to 15:30: enjoy lunch or a patio drink at the historic 1905 El Tovar Hotel (or a Navajo Taco at the Arizona Room), tour Mary Colter's 1905 Hopi House, Bright Angel Lodge (Geological Fireplace) and Lookout Studio, and walk 15 minutes down the top of the Bright Angel Trail through the First Rock Tunnel to spot the 1,000-year-old red-ochre pictographs!
• 16:00 to Sunset: board the free Red Route Shuttle Bus west along car-free Hermit Road: visit Mary Colter's 1914 Hermits Rest and Pima Point, then walk the spectacular 2.4-kilometre cliff path linking Powell Point, Hopi Point and Mohave Point for Sunset! Return after dark for Dark-Sky Stargazing!

Day 2: Sunrise, South Kaibab Hike to 'Ooh Aah Point', Helicopter Flight & Desert View Drive

• Sunrise to 10:30 AM (The #1 Hike!): park at the Visitor Center and ride the pre-dawn free Orange Shuttle Bus 7 minutes to the South Kaibab Trailhead! Hike 35 minutes down the exposed ridgeline to Ooh Aah Point (2.9 km round-trip, 1.5 hours—or continue 25 minutes further down to the red-sandstone saddle of Cedar Ridge!).
• 11:30 to 13:30 (Optional): drive 10 minutes south to Tusayan for a thrilling 25-to-45-minute Dragon Corridor Helicopter Flight over the canyon!
• 14:00 to Sunset: drive 37 kilometres east along Desert View Drive (Highway 64 East)—stopping at Grandview Point, Moran Point, 800-year-old Tusayan Ruin, Lipan Point (the best view of the Colorado River and Unkar Delta!) and climbing inside Mary Colter's 70-foot 1932 Desert View Watchtower for sunset!

Day 3: Exit the East Gate to Page (Horseshoe Bend & Antelope Canyon) OR South to Red-Rock Sedona!

• Option A — Page, Arizona (2 Hours North-East of Desert View Gate): drive up US-89 North to walk out to the 300-metre cliff edge of Horseshoe Bend, take a midday guided Navajo tour through the glowing sandstone waves of Upper or Lower Antelope Slot Canyon, and see Lake Powell (Wahweap Overlook)!
• Option B — Route 66 Williams, Flagstaff & Sedona (2 Hours South): visit Historic Route 66 in Williams, then drive down scenic Highway 89A through Oak Creek Canyon to hike among the crimson monoliths of Sedona (Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock & Chapel of the Holy Cross)!