The Grand Canyon National Park's South Rim is the canyon of the photographs: Mather Point beside the visitor centre, the Rim Trail along the edge to Hermit's Rest, the Bright Angel and South Kaibab trails switchbacking down toward the river, and Desert View with its 1932 Watchtower at the eastern entrance. It is open all year, has lodges on the rim and a free shuttle, and a day here is a full day. The North Rim, a thousand feet higher and five hours around by road, opens mid-May to mid-October and sees a tenth of the visitors.
The West Rim is a different place. On the Hualapai reservation outside the national park, it is the closest canyon to Las Vegas and home to the Skywalk, a horseshoe of glass cantilevered 21 metres over the edge with the Colorado 1,200 metres below. It is a thrill and a good photograph; it is also a narrower, shallower stretch of canyon than the park, sold as a package with the Skywalk and a hop-on bus. If you have one day from Vegas and want the wow, take it; if you want the Grand Canyon, drive the extra two hours to the South Rim or stay the night.
Hiking below the rim is where people get into trouble: the walk down is easy, the walk back is a climb in heat with no shade, and the park's rule of thumb is to turn around after a third of your water is gone. The Bright Angel Trail to the Mile-and-a-Half Resthouse is a sensible taste. Rim-to-river-to-rim in a day is a warning on every sign, not a challenge. Helicopter flights from Las Vegas or Tusayan are the way to see the depth without the walk.
Sleep on the South Rim if you can — El Tovar and Bright Angel Lodge sit on the edge and book out a year ahead; Tusayan, ten minutes south, is the fallback. A chauffeured day trip from Las Vegas to the West Rim is straightforward; a two-day South Rim trip with a driver via Hoover Dam and Route 66 at Seligman is the better version of the same idea.
Three things to get right
- South Rim for the real canyon; West Rim Skywalk for the quick thrill from Vegas.
- Never plan to hike to the river and back in a day.
- Rim lodges book a year ahead; Tusayan is the fallback.
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