{"id":6994,"date":"2023-10-19T20:24:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T00:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/steveandmarleneontheroad.com\/?p=6994"},"modified":"2024-02-13T02:09:20","modified_gmt":"2024-02-13T06:09:20","slug":"october-19-2023-trip-12-day-18-grand-canyon-national-park-south-rim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/steveandmarleneontheroad.com\/?p=6994","title":{"rendered":"October 19, 2023 : Trip 12, Day 18 – Grand Canyon National Park South Rim"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It was about a one hour drive from Williams, Arizona to the Grand Canyon. It was a very flat drive with only a few hills. The mountain in the first picture was quite a surprise. On our way into Grand Canyon National Park, we caught a glimpse of a very large hole in the ground. We parked near the Grand Canyon Visitor Center. Today’s destinations included some places only accessible by a bus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Our first destination was the South Kaibab Trail. The trail goes all the way to the Colorado River. We were not that ambitious. Our plan was to hike to Ooh Ahh Point. You can see from the first few photos what the trail traverses. It is many switchbacks leading quickly into the canyon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The views along the way are spectacular. We finally could see Ooh Ahh Point. At Ooh Aah Point we saw a mule riding group heading back to the top of the canyon. We hiked about 540 feet down over about 0.9 miles. The rest of the trail is 6.2 miles with an elevation change of about 3,760 feet. We went just a little over 10 percent of the way down the canyon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It may have only been 12 percent of the way down, but we got 100 percent of the view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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No surprise, the hike back up was both physically and mentally more challenging. From Ooh Aah Point to the top, it was all up hill. To look up was to see directly how much was left to climb. In spite of the challenge, it was great fun. The views were worth the effort. The sense of accomplishment at the top of the canyon made the view back down into the canyon even better than the first view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We rode a bus to Yaki Point to get a new perspective on the hike we had just completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Here is a wide angle shot of the view from Yaki Point that spans the two views above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From Yaki Point, we rode another bus to Pipe Creek. The rest of the day we hiked the rim trail from Pipe Creek to Grandeur Point. The hike was about 4 miles of magnificent views of the Grand Canyon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Pipe Creek, we saw a narrow side canyon and some birds floating on the updrafts. On our way to Mather Point, we saw more open views of the main canyon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Much of the hike was close to the rim. Occasionally, we walked some distance from the rim. That was when we got to see the variety of plants and bushes growing around the canyon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mather Point extends out into the main part of the canyon. You can see what seems like forever to the east, the north and to the west.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The hike to the Yavapi Geology Museum was almost entirely along the edge of the rim. On this hike, we could see the mountains pushed up above the deepest part of the canyon that contains the Colorado River. If you look closely, you can see the Colorado River in some of the pictures. The river is over 4,000 feet lower than the rim. When we could see the river, we zoomed in to see the river better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Here is a panoramic view of the Grand Canyon near Yavapi Point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At Yavapi Point, we looked west to see the canyon disappear into the distance. We also saw the Black Bridge Pedestrian Bridge. It was built in 1928. All the materials were carried down to the bottom of the canyon by hand. When we looked north, we could see a side canyon so deep and long that it faded from sight. We also met a cute begging squirrel. He got no food from us. To the east, the canyon turns a corner out of view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On our way to Grandeur Point, we got a better close up of the Black Bridge. Here again we had marvelous views of the Grand Canyon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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After Grandeur Point, we walked back to the Grand Canyon Visitor Center. We learned that they have very short hours this time of year. The Visitor Center was already closed, so we went back to our car and drove to the Yavapi Lodge for the night.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was about a one hour drive from Williams, Arizona to the Grand Canyon. It was a very flat drive with only a few hills. The mountain in the first picture was quite a surprise. On our way into Grand Canyon National Park, we caught a glimpse of a very large hole in the ground. 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