Grand Canyon NP

Just after sunset, the view from Mather Point is the Grand Canyon colored with soft pastels, including the orange sky above.  A memorable evening!

A couple of sisters shared their travel recommendations with us at Mather Point, then took a photo of us with the sunset.

Sunset light keeps the distant cliffs and the sky orange while the canyon fades into the night.

The ridges northeast of Mather Point catch the last of the sunset light as the rest of the canyon turns blue in contrast.

The North Rim shifts from orange to red while the shadowed canyon below takes on a purple haze.

The North Rim of the canyon is a pleasing orange in the sunset light.

The white rocks of Mather Point are in the shade, but the canyon beyond still has an orange glow.

Our last evening at the Grand Canyon, we revisited Mather Point to see the shadows creep up the North Rim mesas.

Every now and then, you notice a little bush that looks interesting against the background, especially the pastel shades of the Grand Canyon.

The doors of Bright Angel Lodge feature different native designs in bright colors, adding a timeless feel to the century-old lodge along the South Rim.

The most popular trail into the Grand Canyon leaves the South Rim at the Village and winds its way down and down and down to the Phantom Ranch 4000 feet below.

The view of the canyon from between trees near Hermits Rest. It sounds like the “hermit” who lived near here was a kind fellow who guided visitors down into the canyon a century ago.

The stone structure at Hermits Rest had a large open stone fireplace for warming up on cold days, including space for chairs and this blanket.

While momma grazed nearby, her calf bedded down behind some cacti and roots to wait for her to return.

Walking off the bus at Hermits Rest, we encountered this mother elk munching away and mostly ignoring the visitors who watched in awe.

Signage at Pima Point helped identify the different rock layers visible across the Grand Canyon and showed their ages. It took hundreds of millions of years for all of these layers to be deposited, but only a few million for the Colorado to carve out the canyon.

The view furthest west that we had of the canyon was from Pima Point, the last stop on the shuttle route to Hermits Rest. Can you guess where I was holding my phone when I took this shot?

Red cliffs cascade down across “The Abyss” from Mohave Point. Interesting to hear the bus driver announce the next stop as “This is The Abyss.”

Looking east into the canyon from Hopi Point, which we reached by riding the shuttle bus west from the Village toward Hermits Rest.

Elaine and I took a photo of a couple from England at Maricopa Point, so they returned the favor. 

Grandview Point on the South Rim has white cliffs that drop thousands of feet into the depths of the canyon.

A morning drive to the eastern end of the South Rim earned us this view looking west into the canyon from Navaho Point. It’s all pastels and few shadows to give you a feel for how far you are looking (about 15 miles) or how far down it goes (over 4000 feet).

The ruins of a Pueblo “kiva” along the South Rim helps visualize this structure that was used for storage, ceremonies, and festivals about 900 years ago.

900 years ago, the native residents along the South Rim built a stone structure for living and working in. We walked around the ruins that still show the rooms and some of the wooden poles they built into their home. 

Grand Canyon National Park is a “dark sky” area, and one of the best places to see millions of stars on a clear night. Here’s the best that my phone can record of what stretches from horizon to horizon – the Milky Way galaxy!