4 Days in the Grand Canyon
A few months after my now husband and I first started dating, we set out on a road trip from Atlanta to the Grand Canyon. Most people told us we were crazy, but we went anyway. I think it’s safe to say everything worked out just fine. While we had a blast, I’m sure that kind of road tip would be a lot for some people. One popular way to get to the Grand Canyon is from Las Vegas. This trip itinerary is for four days but could easily be extended for more time in any spot.
South Rim of the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas
Day 1 – Travel Day
The first day of your trip will be a travel day. Your best bet would be to fly to Las Vegas in the morning – or even the night before if you want to stay on the strip. We spent one night here, and to be honest that was plenty for us! From Las Vegas, it’s a 4 hour drive to Flagstaff, AZ. After about 45 minutes on the road, you’ll drive right past the Hoover Dam, which we thought was really cool! You can exit the highway and stop at the Boulder Dam Bridge parking lot and walk out onto the bridge for a view of the Hoover Dam. Or you can stop at the Visitor’s Center, then continue on over the dam before getting back on the highway. The drive is very scenic along the way.
Flagstaff is at 6,900-ft, so be sure to be prepared for the change in altitude. The City is the home to Northern Arizona University, and to us it felt like a college town. In a good way, it was small, walkable, and had a little main street area with great food and breweries.
Hiking Options
If you have time, check out the Lava River Cave. This “hike” felt so unreal to us. You’re driving through a forest, and all of a sudden you come across a parking lot. There were a few other cars in the lot but none had been on the road. There’s a pile of rocks near the parking lot, and if you look closely, you’ll see a hole big enough to an adult to fit through. You climb down into the hole, and then walk about 0.2 miles before having to turn around due to the cave ending. It was so strange and eerie but also so cool!
Another great option that we enjoyed was Fatmans Loop Trail. This hike is 2.4 miles roundtrip with 561-ft of elevation change and is considered moderate. There are some rock formations that you have to walk through, hence the name. Another option would be to do one or both of these hikes in the morning on Day 2!
Day 2 – Grand Canyon
Depending on when you got into Flagstaff yesterday, you could hike one of the trails I mentioned this morning. The drive to the Grand Canyon Village from Flagstaff is about 1.5 hrs. The Lava River Cave adds about 30 minutes to the drive and Fatmans Loop adds about 20 minutes.
After driving for a bit, you’ll probably want to stretch your legs. One great option is to park at the Grand Canyon Visitor’s Center and head out along the South Rim Trail. The trail is 13 miles long and almost all paved. It’s a great way to access a lot of viewpoints. There are shuttle busses that run throughout the year in case you don’t want to double back to the parking lot.
We stayed at the Yavapai Lodge (West) and it was around $250 per night. This lodge is among others in the Grand Canyon Village. It’s going to be more expensive, but I’d definitely recommend staying in the park.
Day 3 – Grand Canyon
For your first full day in the park, I’d suggest heading into the canyon. We hiked the 5.8 miles from the South Kaibab Trail to Skeleton Point. With 2,027-ft of elevation change, this hike is considered difficult. When hiking into the canyon, it feels very easy, but every once in a while, look back because it’s only uphill on your way out. No matter how long you plan to hike, bring plenty of snacks and sunscreen. The days start out cold but the trails are very exposed to the sun. If it’s going to be hot out, the general rule of thumb is to pack one liter of water per hour of hiking.
The two main trails that you can take into the canyon from the South Rim are the South Kaibab and Bright Angel trails. The South Kaibab Trail to Phantom Ranch route will take you down to the Colorado River. This hike is 14.3 miles roundtrip with 4,872-ft of elevation change and is obviously difficult. The Bright Angel Trail also ends at the Colorado River. This trail is 15.3 miles roundtrip with 4,478-ft of elevation change and is also considered difficult. If you want to take one trail down and the other back out, that’s also an option. This combination of trails is 19.2 miles roundtrip with 5,124-ft of elevation change.
If you plan your trip very early in advance, you can stay at Phantom Ranch or the Bright Angel Campground along the Colorado River. We talked to another hiker who had to book their stay at year in advance to secure a spot.
Day 4 – Page, AZ and Travel Day
For the last day of your trip, I’d suggest taking the longer route back to Las Vegas to see more of what Arizona has to offer. About 2.5 hours from the Grand Canyon Village is Page, AZ. A popular stop in Page is Antelope Canyon, which is located within the Navajo Nation. Because of this, the only way to visit the Lower and/or Upper canyons is through a tour. The tours are affordable, and the canyon is incredible. We visited the Lower Canyon, which was generally more affordable than the Upper Canyon. One thing to note, is that Arizona doesn’t do daylight savings but the reservation does. Tour times follow Arizona time, but while you’re driving there the time on your phone will change so just pay attention to the time on the clock in your car and you should be ok.
After the tour of Antelope Canyon, two more cool spots worth stopping for are Horseshoe Bend and the Glen Canyon Dam Overlook. Both are located just outside of Page, AZ. From there, it’s about 4.5 hours back to Las Vegas. This northern route will take you just past Zion National Park in Utah, which would be a great way to extend this trip! I’ll be writing a post about Utah’s Mighty Five soon!
If by chance you have time, I’d recommend stopping at the Valley of Fire State Park, which is about an hour outside of Las Vegas. The state park is known for its red sandstone formations and petroglyphs. We hiked the Fire Wave, White Domes and Seven Wonders Loop which was 3.2 miles long with 390-ft of elevation change. It was a great way to end the trip and was different than most things we had seen already!
