We've been up to the Grand Canyon south rim a couple of times but you never get tired of this spectacular site. We decided to enter through the east entrance and drive along the rim to the south rim which is where our campground is located. Trailer Village Campground is very convenient, full hook-ups for $48.00 per night. The campground is always full and you need to make reservations way ahead of time. We got lucky, there must have been a cancellation because I booked this last minute.
We drove up I-17 from Camp Verde to Flagstaff, I-40 east for a few miles, hwy 89 north to Cameron, then hwy 64 to the east entrance of the Grand Canyon. Took us about 2 1/2 hours to get there and another 1/2 hour to reach the south rim. This was a beautiful drive, very different from our usual approach to the Grand Canyon.
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| Desert View Watchtower |
Our first stop was Desert View, this is where the Watchtower is located. The view is excellent and we went up the stairs all the way to the observation deck at the top.
360 -degree views of the canyon through large glass paneled windows. There is also an open air balcony on the first level of the tower that is excellent for views and taking pictures.
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| Inside the watchtower looking up...see Joe? |
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| Desert View |
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| Couldn't believe how cold it was |
It was a very cold and windy day. We did some walking along the rim in the afternoon but very, very chilly!
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| Even though cold, still enjoyed the views |
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| Hermits Rest |
Hermits Rest is 7 miles from the Village.
The temperature today is not as bad as yesterday. It's still kind of cold but not as windy so pretty comfortable.
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| Inside Hermits Rest |
We got off at Hermits Rest and looked around up there. Absolutely beautiful scenery. Then we got back on the shuttle and rode back part of the way, getting off at Powell Point. Then we hiked along the rim back to the Village. I think about 3 miles, absolutely breathtaking scenery along the rim.
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| Stupid people sitting on the edge of that rock |
There's no guard rail so kind of scary in some spots. On the shuttle, the driver mentioned last year there were 29 deaths at Grand Canyon.
6 were suicides, the rest were accidents. Probably people taking selfies. We saw so many people climbing to the edge and taking chances..unbelievable.
Lunch was at Bright Angel Lodge. Bread bowls for both of us...so good. After lunch, we walked backed to our campground, another 2 miles.
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| Beautiful colors at sunset |
We went back to the rim to watch the sunset....some more hiking. Lots of people all over but such a beautiful site. We were real tired after a full day of activities. I think my fitbit logged us at hiking over 7 miles today, that might be a record.
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We leave for Las Vegas early tomorrow morning. It's going to be a long drive, probably 5-6 hours. We're kind of anxious to get there. I have my class reunion and some friends are flying in for the occasion.
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