2 days at the Grand Canyon: the perfect Grand Canyon itinerary

Two days at the Grand Canyon is enough to walk the Rim Trail, fly over the canyon, drive Desert View Drive and catch two unforgettable sunsets, if you plan it right. This is my step-by-step 2-day itinerary for the South Rim.

The Grand Canyon is so vast that planning a short visit can feel overwhelming. Which viewpoints are worth it? Should you hike into the canyon or along the rim? Where should you be at sunset?

I spent three days on the South Rim in early summer, staying at Yavapai Lodge inside the park, and this itinerary distils that trip into the two days I’d plan for a first visit. It’s built around the experiences I loved most: walking the Rim Trail, flying over the canyon with Papillon, driving out along Desert View Drive and watching the sun set from the rim. Everything is on the South Rim, which is open all year and has the most to see.

This itinerary assumes you have a car to reach the park and use the free shuttle buses once you’re there.

Before you go: at the end of August 2026, a flash flood damaged the pipeline that supplies the South Rim with water. Since then, the hotels inside the park have been closed to overnight guests and several restaurants, including Yavapai Tavern, have shut. The Xanterra-run lodges (El Tovar, Bright Angel, Kachina, Thunderbird and Maswik) are due to reopen in phases from 20 November 2026; Yavapai Lodge hasn’t given a date yet. Hotels in Tusayan, just outside the South Entrance, are unaffected. Check the National Park Service’s alerts before you travel.

Your 2-day Grand Canyon itinerary at a glance

• Day 1: Mather Point and the visitor centre, the Rim Trail west towards Hermits Rest, sunset on Hermit Road, dinner at Yavapai Tavern.
• Day 2: A morning helicopter flight from Tusayan, a short hike below the rim, Desert View Drive and sunset at the eastern viewpoints.

Grand Canyon itinerary day 1: the Rim Trail and Hermit Road

Your first day is all about getting your bearings and seeing the canyon from the rim, on foot and by shuttle.

Start at Mather Point and the visitor centre

Park at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, pick up a map and a shuttle timetable, and walk five minutes to Mather Point for your first proper look at the canyon. It’s the classic first view for a reason, and early in the morning it’s far quieter than later in the day.

From here, it’s an easy 0.7-mile stroll west along the rim to Yavapai Point and the Yavapai Geology Museum, whose big windows look straight out over the canyon.

Walk the Rim Trail west

The Rim Trail is by far my favourite walk at the Grand Canyon, and the best way to spend your first day. It runs for about 13 miles from the South Kaibab trailhead to Hermits Rest, but you can walk as much or as little of it as you like and use the shuttle for the rest.

From Yavapai Point, follow the trail west through Grand Canyon Village, past El Tovar Hotel, Hopi House and Kolb Studio, then on along Hermit Road past Maricopa Point and Powell Point. Most of the trail is paved and fairly level, but between Powell Point and Monument Creek Vista it’s a narrow dirt path very close to the edge.

Start early: the midday sun is fierce, and there’s little shade.

Ride the shuttle to Hermits Rest

When your legs have had enough, pick up the free red shuttle (Hermit Road is closed to private cars from March to November) and ride it to the end of the road at Hermits Rest, Mary Colter’s stone rest house from 1914.

Watch the sunset from Hermit Road

Stay out on Hermit Road for sunset. Mohave Point and Pima Point are two of the best spots on the South Rim, with the Colorado River visible far below, and they’re quieter than Hopi Point. Get there an hour early in summer, and check the time of the last shuttle back.

If you’d rather stay close to the village, Mather Point is just as lovely: it’s where I watched my first Grand Canyon sunset, as the sky turned orange over the canyon.

Dinner at Yavapai Tavern

End the day with a drink and a casual dinner at Yavapai Tavern, next to Yavapai Lodge, which has an outdoor patio (check it has reopened after the 2026 water outage). For something more special, book ahead at El Tovar Dining Room.

Suggested stay

I stayed at Yavapai Lodge, which is renovated, simple and the best-value option inside the park, a short walk from the rim. If the in-park lodges are full or closed, stay in Tusayan, ten minutes from the South Entrance. Check rates and availability, or see my guide to where to stay at the Grand Canyon.

Grand Canyon itinerary day 2: helicopter flight and Desert View Drive

Day two shows you the canyon from the air, from below the rim and from the quieter viewpoints to the east.

Fly over the canyon

Start the day with a helicopter flight from Grand Canyon Airport in Tusayan, just outside the South Entrance. I flew with Papillon on their North Canyon tour, which lasts around 25 to 30 minutes, and would highly recommend it: you take off over the pine forest, then the ground falls away at the rim and the scrubland transforms into a miasma of colours and shapes. You see far more of the inner canyon than you can from the rim.

Hike a little way below the rim

Back in the park, walk a short way down one of the corridor trails to see the canyon from the inside. On the South Kaibab Trail, Ooh Aah Point (0.9 miles each way, about 600 ft down) is a perfect short hike; the trailhead is reached by the orange shuttle. On the Bright Angel Trail, the 1.5 Mile Resthouse is the classic turnaround.

Whatever you choose, remember that it’s all uphill on the way back and much hotter below the rim, so go early and carry all the water you need (the taps on the trails were turned off after the August 2026 flood). Check the National Park Service’s trail alerts before you go.

Drive Desert View Drive

In the afternoon, drive east along Desert View Drive, a 23-mile road along the rim that’s open to cars all year. Stop at Grandview Point, Moran Point and the Tusayan Ruin and Museum, then carry on to Desert View, where Mary Colter’s Watchtower, finished in 1932, has murals inside and some of the widest views on the South Rim.

Watch sunset from the eastern viewpoints

I watched my second sunset out on Desert View Drive, and the eastern viewpoints are much quieter than the Hermit Road ones. Lipan Point, where I watched it, is closed for rehabilitation until 23 December 2026, but neighbouring Navajo Point and Desert View are just as good, with the river curling through the canyon below.

Have more time? Add these to your itinerary

• Hike to Cedar Ridge or Skeleton Point: continue down the South Kaibab Trail past Ooh Aah Point for bigger views, but only with an early start and plenty of water.
• Take the Grand Canyon Railway: arrive by vintage train from Williams on Route 66, a journey of about two and a quarter hours each way.
• Continue to Page: drive about two and a half hours north-east to visit Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend.

Handy tips for planning your 2 days at the Grand Canyon

Top tips

• Entry is $35 per vehicle for seven days. From 2026, visitors aged 16 and over who aren’t US residents pay an extra $100 each unless they hold an annual pass.
• Book Yavapai Lodge or the other in-park lodges as early as you can; they fill months ahead in summer.
• Arrive at viewpoints an hour before sunset in summer to get a good spot.

What to pack

• A daypack and a hydration pack holding at least 2 litres.
• Hiking poles if you’re heading below the rim.
• Comfortable shoes: my favourites are the Tropicfeel Canyons.
• A cap, sunscreen and layers for cool mornings and evenings.

Best time to visit

Spring and autumn bring mild days and smaller crowds. July and August are the busiest months, hot below the rim and prone to afternoon thunderstorms. Winter is quiet and can bring snow to the rim.

Getting around

Park once and use the free shuttles: the blue route links the village, visitor centre and Market Plaza, the orange route serves Yaki Point and the South Kaibab trailhead, and the red route runs along Hermit Road from March to November. You’ll need your own car for Desert View Drive.

Map

Read next

• The best things to do at the Grand Canyon
• Where to stay at the Grand Canyon
• The best Grand Canyon hikes
• The best places to see sunrise and sunset at the Grand Canyon
• The ultimate Arizona road trip itinerary
• 10 days in the American Southwest: the perfect road trip itinerary

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