The Grand Canyon is one of the places you have to see I guess. I thought Sedona Arizona was far more inspiring myself but then again, we see so many pictures of the Grand Canyon growing up and hear so much about it, that with the exception of seeing it up close and personal, there really isn’t anything new about it. You know what to expect and you certainly get it. I wish I could have seen it that day having never heard about it before. I cannot imagine what explorers must have thought the first time they came across it. That would have been a spectacular experience. We visited the park on the south side, having spent the night before at an Airbnb in Flagstaff.
One of the things you learn about the Grand Canyon and many of the famous national parks out west is that they are CROWDED! The line of cars waiting to get into the park is quite long. It took us forty minutes to get through the gate. Finding parking is a definite challenge at all of the main sports as well. Anyone who has been there will tell you the same advice, get there early, like right after they open.
However, once we entered into the park, we had no trouble parking at all and got to enjoy the grandeur of the Grand Canyon with few people around, thanks to a great tip Linda and I got from a sweet couple from New Jersey while waiting for a dinner table in Sedona two nights before. They had gotten the tip from someone else prior to their trip and were paying it forward. Once you enter the park, turn right onto Hwy 60, which is one of the main navigational arteries of the park. Once on Hwy. 64, start looking for mile marker 224. Just after the 224 marker sign, you will see an anonymous parking lot on your left. There is no sign distinguishing it or alerting you of it. Pull in that lot and park (which will be very easy). At the back of the lot is a nice trail that extends for just less than a mile. The trail eventually feeds straight into the Grand Canyon. I imagine the views are no better or worse than any other point, just plain gorgeous. They are even better in solitude and peace as well.
