National Park Journal Grand Canyon 2022

Last night, I stood outside my house with a star app, pointing my phone upward to a particularly bright planet. The app revealed a large ram, Capricornus, connecting Saturn, the planet I could see, with Jupiter. To the right was the deeply complex-looking Milky Way. Suddenly, the night sky was alive with things I couldn’t see because of light pollution and my lack of knowledge of the constellations. In places like Indian Garden nestled five miles down into the Grand Canyon, I’ve seen the black sky pulsating with light from hundreds of thousands of stars. It’s like watching a performance in itself, the universe sparkling as the Earth spins and rearranges the stars. And it’s moments like this that keep me going back to Grand Canyon, Zion, Arches and Bryce Canyon,…

BRIGHT ANGEL TRAILHEAD Built by native people who lived in the canyon, this beautiful trail has some shade and water at Indian Garden with seasonal water available along the way. It's 9.3 miles to the Colorado River. See pages 14-15. BRIGHT ANGEL LODGE Bright Angel Lodge is home to two restaurants, a coffee shop, gift shop and exhibits on the Harvey girls who worked in Harvey hotels. Architect Mary Colter designed Bright Angel Lodge in 1935, along with Hopi House, Lookout Studio and numerous Harvey hotels. See page 13. TRAIN DEPOT Take the train from Williams, Ariz., to the park for a lively ride and a car-free day. See page 17. LOOKOUT STUDIO Designed by architect Mary Colter in 1914 with inspiration from Ancestral Puebloan ruins, this spot allows you to photographt the canyon safely from a…

1 NORTH RIM Perched between 8,000 and 9,000 feet, Grand Canyon’s North Rim is located in northern Arizona 45 miles south of Jacob Lake via Hwy. 67. It’s composed of a mixed conifer forest and stands of aspen trees. Because it sits about 1,500 feet higher than the South Rim, it gets blanketed by snow and closes for winter. Open mid-May through mid-October, it’s less developed and less visited than its twin to the south, with only one lodge, the Grand Canyon Lodge. 2 SOUTH RIM Open all year, the South Rim is the most popular area of Grand Canyon National Park. It is 212 miles from the North Rim, and you can access it from two entrances. The closest town to the South Entrance is Tusayan, Ariz., and the closest to the…

1 CLIMB A TOWER Head to the east side and climb Desert View Watchtower. As you walk up four flights of stairs to the top of the 70-foot tower, check out the Hopi murals decorating the walls. 2 FIND SOLITUDE ON A BIKE Rent a bike at Bright Angel Bicycles and ride Hermit Road, which is closed to all traffic, except shuttles and official park vehicles, March 1-Nov. 30. 3 DINE IN STYLE Stroll to El Tovar Hotel, built in 1905, to eat an incredible breakfast in a rustic but elegant setting. Breakfast is first-come, first-served, but reservations are recommended for dinner. 4 HIKE AN ICONIC TRAIL Hike down a portion of Bright Angel Trail before it gets hot. This spectacular trail stretches 9.3 miles down the canyon, eventually reaching the Colorado River. 5 TOUR THE VILLAGE Take a…

EL TOVAR HOTEL If El Tovar Hotel’s walls could speak, they would tell stories of guests like President Teddy Roosevelt and President Clinton, as well as some of the greatest thinkers in history like Albert Einstein. Settle into one of the 78 rooms in this elegant hotel right on the rim of the Grand Canyon. BRIGHT ANGEL LODGE Located just feet from the rim of the Grand Canyon and the South Rim’s famed Bright Angel trailhead, the Bright Angel Lodge is full of character. Architect Mary Jane Colter was hired to refresh the structure to provide travelers with a more affordable alternative to El Tovar Hotel. Choose from 90 lodging units, ranging from standard rooms to historic cabins. Not many rooms have canyon views, which may be a subtle reminder to guests to…

MILE-AND-A-HALF RESTHOUSE This popular 3-mile roundtrip Bright Angel Trail hike enables you to see the inside of the Grand Canyon without committing to more intense distances. Pack a picnic and eat lunch at the halfway point, finding shade in the shelter. There are pit toilet restrooms here. Keep your eyes peeled for condors riding the thermals. You’ll catch great views of Indian Garden. THE RIM TRAIL The Rim Trail on the South Rim is a good option for novice hikers and families as the path stays fairly level as it follows the rim’s edge for about 13 miles from South Kaibab Trailhead west to Hermits Rest. Most of the trail is paved. The three-mile section from Powell Point to Monument Creek is dirt, but the Greenway Trail from Monument Creek to Hermits Rest…