Arizona · South Rim · Part 8 of 8 · A Sedona Series
With the Grand Canyon only about two hours from Sedona, it was an easy decision to include it in the trip. We headed out early one morning, hoping to beat the crowds. Since it was our first time visiting, we weren’t sure what to expect. When you walk up to the rim, the scale takes a moment to register. Photos help, but they don’t quite prepare you for how wide and deep the canyon actually is.
We arrived early enough that the overlooks were nearly empty for the first few hours. Just the canyon, the morning light, and the two of us taking it all in. Just inside the park entrance, an elk was grazing at the edge of the tree line, completely unbothered by the car slowing beside it.
Exploring the Grand Canyon South Rim
We spent the morning moving between Mather Point, Yavapai Point, and the Bright Angel Trail, where we hiked down to Ooh Aah Point. Each stop offers a slightly different perspective. The canyon is so vast that no single viewpoint really captures it. Mather Point had the most open view across the main canyon. Yavapai was quieter and gave us time to simply stand and look. The hike down to Ooh Aah Point brought us below the rim and into the canyon itself, where the walls begin to rise around you and the scale becomes even more apparent.
The morning light was cool and clean, and the layers in the rock stood out clearly — rust, cream, purple, and gray stacked one above another all the way down toward the Colorado River.
On the drive back to Sedona, near Flagstaff, the snow-covered San Francisco Peaks appeared against the clear sky — a sharp contrast to the red rock desert we had spent the week exploring. We pulled over for a few photos before getting back on the road to Sedona.
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