The Grand Canyon was a part of the trip that we were both particularly excited about. On route, and just 15min out of Page, we made a quick stop off at Horseshoe Bend. It was clear upon entering the carpark at the side of the highway that this was a popular spot, the carpark was jam packed with cars, RV’s and tourist buses alike. Hoping that this spot wasn’t overhyped we made our way along the short walk to the bend with the hordes of other frustratingly slow tourists. Arriving at the view point this frustration quickly faded, the view was simply incredible, and we both quickly agreed that this was one of the big highlights of the trip. We were standing right on the edge of a cliff which was thrilling, from there we took many photos, stopping to take some for others and getting some together ourselves. Amazingly enough, given the number of tourists, it was still possible to get a photo with no one else in it which only added to the experience. Horseshoe bend is definitely worth the stop and is every bit as amazing as the photos look.
Continuing on our journey to the mighty Grand Canyon, we eventually made it to the National Park ranger station, we eagerly showed our Parks Pass and on we went. We had both heard stories and seen photos of this mighty Canyon, and now was our chance to see it in the flesh. Our first sighting of the Canyon was at the Desert Watchtower, an ancient Puebloan themed visitor centre at the eastern end of the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately upon our arrival the angle of the mid afternoon sun and poor air quality was giving the Canyon a hazy appearance so it was hard to grasp the vastness. From the Desert Watchtower our campsite at the Grand Canyon Village was still another a half hour drive away. As we meandered our way down the road, we stopped at all of the lookout points along the way hoping the haze would improve, unfortunately it didn’t but the views were still incredible.
Arriving at the Grand Canyon Village we headed over to check out the Visitor Centre, only to find that it was closed. Luckily they have all the trail information on big billboards right outside, with all the information one might require, including the required amount of water for each hike. Alongside these were numerous signs warning people not to walk to the bottom of the canyon and back up in one day due to the extreme heat, and stating that people have died attempting this feat in the past. This is completely understandable since starting at the top and going downhill first, a lot of people tend to overestimate their abilities and get caught out on the return journey in the heat of the day.
With our route for the next day planned out we headed for the campsite to prepare for our early start in the morning.
TWO TRAVEL AS ONE 