2 Day Grand Canyon Itinerary: The Best Adventures at the National Park
This 2 days at the Grand Canyon itinerary packs in the best hikes, views, and adventures at the Arizona national park.
When you finally get to spend 2 days at the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona, you don’t want to leave any scenic vista or epic hike off your bucket list. The canyon is a mile deep and 277 miles long, so there is a ton to see and do here.
Miles of rim overlooks stretch along the top and trails run all the way down to the Colorado River at the canyon floor. It’s helpful to plot out a Grand Canyon in 2 days itinerary ahead of time to make sure you don’t miss the best parts.
That’s where this handy guide comes in. It’s focused on the section of the South Rim that falls within Grand Canyon National Park, the perfect spot for your first visit.
I’ve been to the Grand Canyon several times now, including visits to both the South Rim and North Rim and trips with family and solo. It’s absolutely breathtaking every time, and I always find a new vista or hike to check out.
Below, I’ve broken down the top things to do at the Grand Canyon South Rim from my experiences traveling there. Since everyone has different priorities, I want to make sure your 2 days in Grand Canyon National Park fit your needs and interests, whether that’s challenging hikes, family-friendly activities or geological history. This itinerary has a bit of all three, with ideas to level the adventure up or down.
2 Days at the Grand Canyon Itinerary
The 2 days at the Grand Canyon map below will help you to plot out your adventures. You can click on the little square to open a Google map that you can save to help with your trip planning.
Day 1 at the Grand Canyon — Grand Canyon Village and Hermit Road
The Grand Canyon Village area of the South Rim is a hub of activity. It’s the first place you’ll encounter entering from the south through Tusayan or on the Grand Canyon Railway and hosts the vast majority of the park’s amenities, from hotels and campsites to museums and visitor centers. It’s also the historic core, with some cool early 1900s buildings to check out if that interests you.
Hermit Road runs to the west of Grand Canyon Village and is full of lookout points. You can hike the whole 7 miles along the Rim Trail for an adventurous activity or ride the shuttle between a few for something more low-key. Be sure to stay out long enough to catch the sunset!
Walk the Rim Trail
The Rim Trail connects viewpoints, tourist amenities and other hiking paths along the South Rim between the South Kaibab trailhead on the east side and Hermits Rest on the west. All of the attractions for Day 1 are along this route, so you can walk as much of it as you’d like. The total length is about 13 miles, but since shuttles run the same track, you can hop on and off to walk smaller sections.
Check in at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center and See Mather Point
Stop by the Grand Canyon Visitor Center on your way in to grab maps and check out a few amenities. The site has a cafe, gift shop, bike rental counter, indoor exhibits and a 20-minute park movie. You can park your vehicle here to ride the shuttle to hiking trails or lookout points as this is a central transit hub, too.
Just beyond the visitor center is one of the first glimpses of the Grand Canyon at Mather Point. Since the ridge here juts pretty far into the canyon, the sunrise views are particularly scenic. It gets pretty crowded though, so don’t spend too long in this one spot.
Visit the Yavapai Geology Museum and Yavapai Point
The Yavapai Geology Museum is an educational hub, full of exhibits and ranger programs about how the canyon was formed. The Trail of Time tracing the geological history along the rim also starts from here, and we’ve added details about that below. The museum is about a mile from the visitor center heading toward Grand Canyon Village.
The Yavapai Point lookout is just outside the museum.
Walk the Trail of Time
One of the easiest Grand Canyon walks, the Trail of Time is a short, flat and paved path along the rim that traces the canyon’s geological history. Each meter of the 1.3 miles represents a million years of history, with rocks exhibits and plaques showing different eras of development.
The route is a section of the Rim Trail between the Yavapai Geology Museum and Grand Canyon Village. Starting at the museum will take you backward in time while a village start will move forward from the earliest rocks and carvings. There are also incredible views along the way.
Explore the Historic Grand Canyon Village
Built along the canyon edge, the historic Grand Canyon Village started popping up when the steam train arrived here in 1901.
Several buildings from that era remain, including the Railway Depot (1901) that connects routes to Williams, the Verkamp Visitor Center (1906) with its village history displays, the Hopi House (1905) designed to resemble a pueblo of the Hopi Tribe, Kolb Studio (1905) with art and photography displays, and the European-style El Tovar (1905), a National Historic Landmark still operating as a luxury lodge.
Check Out the Hermit Road Overlooks
Hermit Road runs for about 7 miles west of Grand Canyon Village, packing in nine official viewpoints. Private vehicles are only allowed down the road between December and February, so you have to use the free shuttle, ride a bike, walk the Rim Trail, or do a combo of the three.
An easy section to walk or cycle is the paved and accessible Hermit Road Greenway Trail that connects nearly 3 miles between the final three lookouts — Monument Creek Vista, Pima Point and Hermits Rest. The last one, Hermits Rest, has restrooms and a snack and gift shop housed in a 1914 stone building modeled after a miner’s cabin.
Hopi Point and Mohave Point are popular for sunrise and sunset views, as they jut far into the canyon. They can get crowded at those times, but it’s easy to find a less-busy spot by strolling between the two.
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Day 2 at the Grand Canyon — Canyon Hike and Desert View Drive
Consider waking up early to catch a Grand Canyon sunrise today. Mather Point is a stunning, but crowded, lookout and will make it easy to catch a shuttle from the visitor’s center to get an early start on hiking.
If you’re able, we recommend tackling at least part of one of the hikes below to get a better view into the Grand Canyon below the rim. The first two are steep but not as difficult as the final option. For more adventure, you could spend your whole 2 days at the Grand Canyon hiking down to the floor and back up to the top. For less adventure, substitute in a bike ride or walk along the Greenway Trail on Hermit Road today.
After hiking, take it easy with a cruise down Desert View Drive to check out some uncrowded lookouts and an old stone tower.
Hike Option 1: Bright Angel Trail
This 9.3-mile trail leads all the way to the Grand Canyon floor, BUT day hikers should stick to the first 6 miles or less of the Bright Angel Trail, depending on the season. The National Park Service recommends turning around by the Indian Garden lookout in summer for a 9-mile round trip hike or Plateau Point in milder conditions for a 12-mile hike.
Like all trails to the bottom, this one is steep and full of switchbacks. Since you’ll have to hike back up the way you came down, allow twice as long for the return to the top.
Rest stops with basic amenities are located about every 1.5 miles up to mile 6, each with water (when the pipes are functioning) and a couple with toilets. You can turn around at any point along the trail, though.
Hike Option 2: South Kaibab Trail
Like Bright Angel, the South Kaibab Trail leads to the bottom of the canyon, just on a shorter and less shaded path. If you’re staying at Phantom Ranch or camping at the canyon floor, you can combine the two routes, heading down one way and back up the other.
The whole South Kaibab Trail spans 6.8 miles but the NPS says to turn around by Skeleton Point at 3 miles (for 6 miles total) or Cedar Ridge at 1.5 miles in summer. You’ll at least want to go as far as Ooh-Aah Point at .9 miles for the first open view into the canyon.
There is a rustic toilet at Cedar Ridge, but no water is available along the trail.
Hike Option 3: Hermit Trail
Only experienced hikers should attempt a day trek on the Hermit Trail, a steep, 7-mile round trip route down to Dripping Springs, a hanging garden. It’s an out-and-back trail, so you can turn around at any point if the rocky path becomes too difficult.
Located at the far west end of the shuttle bus routes, this part of the park is a lot less busy than the area around Grand Canyon Village. Even if you don’t hike the trail, you can pop into the nearby Hermits Rest snack and gift shop, built in 1914 in the style of a miner’s cabin.
This guide is extremely detailed if you do decide to hike Hermit Trail.
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Cruise Down Desert View Drive
Desert View Drive runs from Grand Canyon Village to the East Entrance of the national park for nearly 25 miles. Most of it is beyond the free park shuttle routes, making the viewpoints along the way much less crowded than the rest of the South Rim.
Half a dozen official lookouts are along the drive. The first two, Pipe Creek Vista and Yaki Point, are just a couple of miles past the visitor center and along a shuttle route. The rest are located every few miles, with most offering stunning views of the Colorado River contrasting in shades of turquoise against the orange and red rock layers.
Explore the Tusayan Ruin
Near the end of the route, the Tusayan Ruin has a short trail around the remains of an Ancestral Puebloan village with a plaza and ceremonial chamber. A museum displays artifacts and more information about the site and the people who once lived here. The ruin and picnic area about 20 miles down the road from the visitor center.
See the Vista From Desert View Watchtower
Desert View is the most built-out area on the east end of the park, with a market, ice cream shop, gas station and campground. The gem of the site, though, is the stone Desert View Watchtower, built in 1932. From the 70-foot high observation deck, you can see miles of canyon views.
Tips for 2 days in Grand Canyon National Park
Getting to Grand Canyon National Park
The closest major airports to the Grand Canyon are in Phoenix (230 miles) and Las Vegas (280 miles), with a smaller one in Flagstaff (90 miles). I recommend renting a car and doing a road trip to the Grand Canyon, but there are plenty of tour providers that will take you there as well.
Where to Stay Near Grand Canyon National Park
Where is the best place to stay at the Grand Canyon? Grand Canyon Village has the closest hotels to the South Rim, but they are a bit pricey. There are also campgrounds at the South Rim.
Escape Campervans rents fully-equipped vehicles that come with kitchenettes and sleep up to five people. Just reserve a site at one of the national park campgrounds, park your van, and you’re good to go! There are 13 pickup locations around the country, but the closest ones to the Grand Canyon are in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles and Denver.
Click to learn more and reserve your dates.
Should I Book a Grand Canyon Tour?
Some options like this Grand Canyon daytrip from Las Vegas include transportation and a guide, while longer multi-day tours include other national parks along the Arizona-Utah border.
Another epic experience you can book is a Grand Canyon helicopter tour that lands inside the canyon!
Tickets and Passes
How do you get tickets for the Grand Canyon? You’ll have to pay a fee to enter Grand Canyon National Park, but the ticket will be good for 7 days and is valid at the North and South Rim. Check the current prices here. You can purchase admission at the South, North and Desert View entrances to the park.
If you plan to visit any other parks nearby in Utah, like Zion or Bryce Canyon, you can purchase an annual America the Beautiful Pass for all national parks. It typically pays for itself if you visit three or more parks within a year.
When Should I Visit the Grand Canyon?
The South Rim is open year-round with most amenities fully operational, though a couple of shuttle routes don’t run in winter. Summer is by far the most popular time to visit, but it can get quite busy and hot in this season. The temperature increases heading down into the canyon, which can often be above 100 in summer.
Since this is one of the most popular national parks in the U.S., spring and fall offer a nice chance to visit with fewer crowds and milder weather.
This is everything you need to know about visiting the Grand Canyon in spring.
How Many Days at the Grand Canyon?
We recommend between one to three days at the Grand Canyon, though you could stay for longer for a relaxed visit.
With only one day at the Grand Canyon, you can check out a few viewpoints, hike into the canyon or on the Rim Trail, and catch the sunset. A Grand Canyon itinerary for 2 days allows extra time for a longer hike or bike ride and more lookout points. With 3 days at the Grand Canyon, you could do the famous Rim to Rim hike or try a different shorter trail each morning with afternoons reserved for relaxed sightseeing and picnics.
This itinerary includes the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park.
What to Pack for the Grand Canyon
This Grand Canyon packing list breaks down the outfits and gear you will need at the national park for each season.
