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   1. Walk a little way down any inner Canyon trail. No permit is needed for a day hike. I recommend the Kaibab Trail or Bright Angel Trail. Take a bottle of water and a snack. Don't miss out on the unique perspective of being IN the Canyon. The view is different. The air changes. The birds come out of hiding. 
  
 
 

  
   2. Visit a fossil site along the rim such as this one. Passing people will wonder what you are doing. 
 
 

 
 
    3. Visit a place along the Canyon Rim where there are no people. One way to do this is from a viewpoint along the East Rim drive from Grand Canyon Village to Desert View. My favorite is Yaki Point, available only by free shuttle bus. Take a water bottle. From the parking area, walk along the rim as far as you like (from Yaki Point walk to your right-east). This is safe and legal, but a good way to escape the crowds. Remember that there will be no paved trail and no railings on the edge during your private, silent walk. On a given summer evening, there can be hundreds of people crowding each other for a sunset view at Hopi Point. But you are all alone. 
 
 
   4. See the sunset from some huge, lonely place like Shoshone Point. By the way, there is no bad sunset at Grand Canyon--your private viewpoint is great. 
  
 
   5. Eat a meal at El Tovar Hotel (928-638-2631, ext. 6432). You may need to make reservations weeks in advance for dinner, though there is often room for walk-ins at other meals. This is a really fine restaurant in a grand old western hotel (unlike most of the Canyon fare which is mass-produced for the tourists). Another nice restaurant at the Rim is the Arizona Room, where the best seats have a nice view of the Canyon--they don't take reservations at the Arizona Room, so be prepared to wait. 
  

 
   6. Drive through the Kaibab National Forest on an unpaved forest road. Easiest access is via forest roads leading from near the village of Tusayan just a mile south of the park entrance. You could see elk and many other animals and escape the crowds besides. 
  
 
 
 

 
   8. Definitely attend a ranger walk and/or campfire talk. For schedules, read The Guide, a useful little free newspaper that they will pass you at the entrance station. 
 
   9. Take the free West Rim/Hermit's Rest shuttle buses to the many exceptional viewpoints and all the way to Hermit's Rest for some ice cream or a jaunt down the unmaintained Hermit Trail. 

   10. Walk part of the Rim Trail. It is paved near the village and always beautiful, but I think my favorite is the 1/4 mile walk from Mather Point to Yavapai Point (return by free shuttle bus). 
 
 

11. Take a tour with Canyon Dave!

   Spring and fall are nicest, although winds are more likely in spring (and early summer), so my very favorite months at the South Rim are September through late October. 

   Summer at the South Rim is not really hot by Arizona standards, with average highs in the low F 80's to low 90's, rarely making it to F 100, even in July. 

   Humidity is low (bring lip balm) and rain is scarce at about 14 inches per year--May and June are driest. 

   2. Sunsets. There is no bad place to watch the sunset at Grand Canyon. Is there a best place? Opinions differ, converging on Mohave or Hopi Point, Inspiration Point (near Yavapai Point), Grandview and Lippan Points, and Desert View. All these draw crowds. I am happy seeing a Grand Canyon sunset from wherever I happen to be. 

 

   3. Photography. Be sure to shoot early or late in the day, when shadows bring out the shapes. Also, colors are most intense in morning and evening. Rain brings out the colors, and puffy clouds really enhance a photo. Try framing your shots naturally by shooting between a couple trees, or with rocks or cliffs in the foreground. The air is clearest in winter. 

   4. Driving & Parking. People originating in Phoenix or Las Vegas will drive on state route 64 for their last 50 miles. This is a two-way highway that has more than its share of accidents. Sometimes it is dangerous to pass a slow vehicle, so think of it as an opportunity to exercise patience. At night, watch carefully for deer or elk crossing the road. Once you are in the park, be sure to drive safely--the park police are serious and unsympathetic about seemingly innocuous violations like stopping in the middle of the road to watch a deer. At the entrance station, get a copy of the free newspaper, The Guide. It has useful maps of the often-confusing roads. 

   It is best to arrive at the Canyon with a nearly full tank of gasoline. Prices are steep here. Fill up in Flagstaff (coming from Phoenix) or Williams (coming from Las Vegas). Drive into town where it is cheaper. Currently there are only two Grand Canyon area gas stations, at Tusayan and Desert View. 

   5. Hotels. There are two main and separated hotel areas to choose from. One is the village of Tusayan right outside the park's south entrance. The other is the in-park hotels, all run by the park concessionaire, Xanterra, Inc. Each cluster has different advantages--mainly the closeness to the Canyon of the Xanterra hotels versus generally nicer accommodations in Tusayan. 
 
 
 

 
   The Tusayan hotels are the Grand Hotel (888-634-7263), the Best Western Squire Inn (800-622-6966), the Quality Inn (877-424-6423), the Holiday Inn Express (888-473-2269), and the Red Feather Inn (800-538-2345). These are more modern and less cabin-like than the Xanterra hotels in the park, having swimming pools, air conditioning, and other amenities. Tusayan is ten minutes from the Canyon rim. 

   The Xanterra hotels (888-297-2757) are nearer to the rim, especially the lovely, historic El Tovar, the somewhat dorm-like Thunderbird and Kachina, and the rustic Bright Angel Lodge. Maswik Lodge is a quarter-mile walk to the rim, and Yavapai Lodge a short shuttle ride or drive. These hotels (and all hotels in March through October) must be booked way ahead. 

   6. Restaurants. Again, the restaurants are either in the park or in Tusayan just outside the park entrance. Here is how they line up in my own very personnal opinion. I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that no restaurant at Grand Canyon is like New York's finest. Food and service can be spotty. 

   Fine Dining: The El Tovar Dining Room is best inside the park, with a beautiful setting and "casual elegance." Dinner reservations are difficult to obtain at last minute--try to reserve way ahead. Breakfast and lunch are easier, and you must try their hand-made hot chocolate in a silver pot. 
   In Tusayan, it is the Coronado Room in the Best Western Squire Inn. The food rivals the El Tovar, but the atmosphere doesn't compare. 

   Nice Dining: At the Rim, the Arizona Room is my favorite, with Canyon views if beside a window. In Tusayan, I love the We Cook Pizza if you are in the mood for great pizza or Italian food and if you can enjoy a pizza-parlor atmosphere on benches. Has beer, a salad bar and Carvel Ice Cream next door. I also enjoy eating at the Tusayan Cafe. 

   Fast Fill Up: In the park, cafeterias at Maswik Lodge and Yavapai Lodge have a wide selection and large portions of your average cafeteria food--great for starving hikers. The deli in the Canyon Village Marketplace has great sandwiches. In Tusayan there is a clean Wendy's fast food restaurant.