For the second day of our Arizona/Utah road trip, we planned to see the sunrise over the Grand Canyon, drive to our hotel on Lake Powell, visit Antelope Canyon, and catch the sunset at Horseshoe Bend. This post I dedicated completely to the Grand Canyon sunrise. The Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend visit will be depicted in a separate post. The sunrise was absolutely beautiful; it was an unforgettable experience. This is one of my favorite shots. We were near Yavapai Point at the Grand Canyon South Rim. The sun just came up and changed the canyon colors drastically.
While staying in the Grand Canyon Village, the closest place to see the sunrise is either at Mather Point or Yavapai Point to the west. We chose the latter because it has more parking and according to the reviews, slightly better views. We got up very early in the morning, drove to Yavapai viewpoint where we parked our car and then walked along the rim trail seeking a perfect place to watch the sunrise.
People are already settled along the rim trail in close proximity to the parking lot. Dave and I decided to go further and find a more secluded spot.
Found it! We walked for a while until we noticed this cute spot, about a half a mile after passing the Yavapai Observation Station, which is now referred to as the Yavapai Geology Museum.
Waiting for the sunrise.
Here they are, the first sun rays showing from behind the cliff.
It was getting more beautiful every minute with the sun rising.
A cliff behind me filled up quickly with spectators enjoying the first rays of the morning sun.
It looks dramatic with the sun behind the cloud.
Catching a sunrise over the South Rim is one of the best ways to experience this magical place. It’s a memory that will last a lifetime. This is when the Grand Canyon comes alive with vivid color, great shadows and dancing light.
Sunrise brings a new look and light to the Canyon, very different but no less beautiful than sunset evening before. We were amazed how the sun painted the canyon walls in bright golden and orange colors in just minutes.
One more photo op with the sun up while walking along the rim to the Yavapai Point parking lot.
We got a chance to see this cute deer family at the Yavapai lodge parking lot. We just checked out from the hotel and were on our way out.
While driving, we would stop at some lookout points. There are over 19 points at which you can stop and take in the breathtaking scenery of the South Rim. Since we had only a few hours to spend at the Grand Canyon, we couldn’t visit all of them, but we enjoyed the ones we stopped at. Here is one of them, somewhere near Yaki Point.
Between the main, named overlooks there are some smaller unnamed turnouts that also offer some wonderful views of the canyon. One of them is the scenic Duck-on-a-Rock turnout, which is located between Yaki and Grandview Points along Desert View Drive on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.
We stopped at many overlooks, but after a while they started to look the same. 🙂 Continuing east we found Grandview Point, the most southern viewpoint on the east/west route on the South Rim. This popular viewpoint offers panoramic views of the Grand Canyon from east to west, including several bends of the Colorado River to the east. It’s also one of the highest in altitude (7,400 feet/2250 meters).
The historic Grandview Trail begins here, near the Information Stand. This trail is VERY steep! In the summer much of the trail is in full sun. In the winter ice and snow can make hiking treacherous.
We couldn’t resist to go down this trail a little, just to feel the Canyon inside.
I don’t know how this person got to this place. There was a huge gap between the rocks.
The light and shadows in the canyon were changing with each viewpoint. Here we are near Lipan Point. This sight is accessed by taking a short spur road about a mile north of the main scenic drive along the South Rim. This vantage offers almost a 360-degree panorama.
The Desert View Overlook was the last one on our way to Page, AZ and the most interesting one. To reach it, we followed the canyon rim east for 26 miles from Grand Canyon Village to Desert View, which is situated at the East Entrance to Grand Canyon National Park.
This place is surrounded by incredible vistas.
We got a decent view of the Colorado River. The Colorado River sweeps through the canyon below Desert View. The Colorado River flows along the bottom of the canyon, 5000 feet/1524 m below the rim. Because of the enormous depth of the Grand Canyon, the river is visible only from certain viewpoints.
To access the Colorado River, it is a two-day hike to the river and back from the South Rim. It is also possible to drive to the Colorado River at Lees Ferry (near Marble Canyon, Arizona), but it is about a 2.5 hour one way drive from the South Rim. Lees Ferry marks the official beginning of Grand Canyon.
Then, we walked to the Grand Canyon Desert View Watchtower. Constructed as a replica of a prehistoric Indian tower by Mary Colter way back in 1932, the tower blends in beautifully with the backdrop and provides fantastic views of the Colorado River, The San Francisco Peaks and the Painted Desert.
Standing next to the tower’s fenced wall.
This seventy-foot tower is the highest point on the South Rim and its interior walls feature murals by Hopi painter Fred Kabotie.
We had to climb the 85 narrow steps up to the observation deck for a 360 degree view. This was definitely worth it!
The panoramic view from the tower’s observation deck was incredible.
The view of the Desert View Visitor Center from the Watchtower.
More views of the Dessert View Point.
On the way back to the parking lot at the Desert View Visitor Center. Around 12:30 we left the Grand Canyon for Page, AZ, where we were looking forward to experiencing the Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend and Lake Powell.
