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We visited Grand Canyon National Park for 36 hours and enjoyed the amazing views of the canyons. This national park is one of the nation’s most pet-friendly parks, so we took Kuma with us too and walked along the South Rim Trail so she could enjoy the views with us.

If you’ve never been to Grand Canyon National Park, it’s a massive park that encompasses 277 miles of the Colorado River and adjacent uplands. The canyon’s erosions are incredible and the deposited sediments are nearly two billion years old.

There are two sides to the Grand Canyon National Park and we visited the South Rim side. At the time of our visit, the North Rim side was temporarily closed due to Magnum Fire, but we would not have had time to visit that side anyway since we were only there for the weekend. If you make a visit to the North Rim, we were told that you’ll find fewer human-made distractions (sidewalks, museums, hotels, etc.) on this side.

Kuma accompanied us and enjoyed the various drive-and-park viewpoints. It was the perfect national park for her since she doesn’t have the legs to go on strenuous hikes. Being able to drive up to the points and soak in the grand views, with little to no hiking, was exactly what we were looking for.

Here is what we explored during our 36-hour visit to Grand Canyon National Park:

DAY 1

5pm Pipe Creek Vista

We arrived at Grand Canyon around 4pm and immediately started exploring a few things after we checked in to Yavapai Lodge. We drove along Desert View Drive and stopped at any viewpoints that caught our attention. Our first stop was Pipe Creek Vista. This was our first viewing of the Grand Canyon and we were blown away with the views.

We had no idea that you could go right up to the edge, with no barriers, and look down at the canyon. We were actually a little scared and got a slight case of vertigo, so if you’re afraid of heights, definitely be careful around here. If you have children or pets, definitely keep a close eye on them.

We took some pictures, walked along the South Rim Trail and got back in our car to check out another viewpoint.

6pm Duck on a Rock Viewpoint

Yup, it’s really called “Duck on a Rock Viewpoint”. This view was rather boring, so it was a quick stop. We didn’t really see the resemblance of the duck and was a little confused, but apparently, at one point, it used to look more like a duck. Over time, the natural erosion of the rock took away some of the duck’s features.

6:30pm Grandview Point

The next stop was a quick 12-minute drive and the views were more exciting than the last stop, but we had to make this one quick since we wanted to view the sunset at Yavapai Point at 7:46pm, which was by the Visitor Center, about a 20-minute drive back.

We decided that we would come back to Grandview Point the next day, without Kuma, to explore the area a little more.

7:30pm Yavapai Point

We made it in time for the sunset and we were so glad we did. This is a popular spot, so there were already a lot of people here waiting for the sun to set. We were able to find a spot to sit down and watched the orange glow of the sun slowly disappear behind the canyons. It was such a glorious view.

DAY 2

5:20am Mather Point

Mather Point is located by the Visitor Center and the sunrise here is spectacular. We had to wake up super early to catch the sunrise and it was totally worth it. Since we were staying at the Yavapai Lodge within the park, getting here was a quick 5-minute drive.

There were more people and pups than we expected; especially at 5:30am, but Grand Canyon is known for their gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, so many visitors make the extra effort to wake up early. There are several viewpoints here, but everyone tends to go to the first lookout area they see, but if you walk around the area, you’ll find plenty of spots to view the sunrise all to yourself. We realized this afterwards when we were walking around the Rim Trail, so we decided to come back the next day to view the sunrise in a different spot.

One thing to note: if you have a dog that likes to bark, you may want to avoid sunrise because it’s a very quiet zen-like moment and the barks REALLY echo throughout the canyon. Or opt to find an area away from the main crowd. We witnessed a couple of dogs lose a little bit of control and their owners seemed pretty disappointed that they were disturbing the peace.

After viewing the sunrise at Mather Point, you can take a nice stroll along the Rim Trail and enjoy the scenery at different points. We wanted to do this with Kuma, but she was walking like a turtle, so we only walked a little bit and headed back to our car.

8am Grand Canyon National Park Sign

Mather Point is where the Grand Canyon National Park sign is located. This is an excellent time to take a photo here before the park gets too crowded. We set up a tripod and took a nice picture of the three of us.

Grand Canyon National Park sign by Mather Point

9am Breakfast and Lunch

There were a couple of places within the park where you could get breakfast to go, but if you want more options, Tusayan is the next best option. We decided to drive to Tusayan for some Starbucks coffee and pastries. The drive was an easy 12 minutes and is located right outside the park entrance.

You can also grab coffee and snacks at the coffee shop within Yavapai Lodge or the General Store right across the street. We grabbed some trail mix, sandwiches, fruit cups, and dessert for lunch at these two locations.

General Store right across the street from Yavapai Lodge

We saw a lot of people eating their to-go meals while looking out at the beautiful canyon. We opted to eat in our hotel room and rest a bit before we headed back out to drive the rest of Desert View Drive.

We ate, rested, and played with Kuma for about 3-4 hours before heading back out. We left Kuma in the hotel room for the rest of the afternoon since we wanted to explore a little further where dogs were not allowed (non-paved trails at Grandview Point).

Our breakfast and lunch from the Yavapai Lodge Coffee Shop and the General Store

2pm Navajo Point

After some food and rest, we got back on Desert View Drive to explore the rest of it. We decided to start at the very end at Navajo Point and work our way backward to Yavapai Point. Usually, Desert View Point would be the last stop, but it was closed due to COVID-19. That was a bummer, but Navajo Point was amazing.

When we looked over the ridge, the views took our breath away. This viewpoint is the highest vista on Desert View Drive and it was absolutely stunning. You’ll get to see the Colorado River from this viewpoint as well. We could not stop taking pictures here because it was so beautiful.

Rain clouds in the distance at Navajo Point

3pm Lipan Point

This viewpoint is right next to Navajo Point and just as gorgeous. You get a closer look at the Colorado River and the scenery looked like a painting. Here, the rocks of the Grand Canyon Supergroup take center stage. The rocks of the Supergroup are rare and date from 740 million to 1,200 million years old.

Gorgeous turquoise Colorado River in the distance

4pm Moran Point

This view wasn’t as great as Navajo or Lipan because the rocks and cliffs were blocking the Colorado River… but we did learn about the artist Thomas Moran here and why this viewpoint is named after him. Thomas Moran was a premier painter of American landscapes and in 1873, his geologist friend invited him to accompany him on a geologic survey of the Grand Canyon region.

He was blown away by the impressive scenery and pushed Congress toward establishment of Western national parks. In an era of black and white photographs, Moran’s vibrantly colored paintings brought the Grand Canyon to life for a nation.

5pm Grandview Point

We came back to Grandview Point again since we didn’t have enough time to explore it on the first day. This time, we wanted to hike down a little and see what else there was down below. There are some cool rocks you can climb onto and absorb the sweeping view of the Grand Canyon.

You can actually hike all the way down to the bottom via the Grandview Trail, but this hike is not for everyone. It was built in 1893 as a mining route and the trail is rocky, exposed, and strenuous, so you will need to be prepared for this hike. We overheard someone saying that it’s 13 miles. That is a serious hike!

We sat down on one of the rocks taking in the views for a while. For the most part, you can enjoy the views in complete silence, which is always a zen experience.

7pm Yavapai Point

We wanted to experience the sunset again at Yavapai Point since we thought it was breathtaking the day before. We arrived a little earlier this time to get a better viewing spot and the sunset at the Grand Canyon did not disappoint. It was another glorious show with the sun turning the rocks gorgeous colors of purple, pink and orange. We love a good sunset and Yavapai Point definitely knows how to put on a show.

Make sure to stick around for a bit even after the sun disappears. There are still gorgeous colors being displayed and it will make for some really nice pictures.

Found a great spot to sit and watch the sunset

The colors are still gorgeous after the sun sets

DAY 3

5am Mather Point

We came back to Mather Point for one last sunrise before we left Grand Canyon National Park. We arrived in the area a little earlier than the day before so that we could grab a spot on the rocks away from others. We found a fantastic place not to far from the main viewing point and watched the sunrise in silence.

A secluded spot we found away from the main area

FINAL THOUGHTS

We felt that 36 hours was just enough time to explore the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. There is another side to the South Rim on Hermit’s Road, but it’s only accessible via shuttle bus, bicycle or foot and since the shuttle buses were not running at the time of our visit in July 2020, we were not able to go. If we were able to, we probably would have stayed one more day.

We loved that this park was extremely pet friendly and we saw many other dogs accompany their owners, which was a nice sight to see. We like to take our pups with us whenever we can, so this was a real nice treat for all of us.

You have to see these views in person at the Grand Canyon National Park

TIPS

Buy your park pass online so that you can save some time when you arrive at the park. Private vehicles are $35 (as of September 2020) and the pass is good for 7 days.
There is another side to the South Rim on Hermit’s Road, but you can only visit this area via shuttle bus, bicycle or foot (with the exception of December - February). The bus stops at 9 scenic overlooks including Hopi Point and Yaki Point. During our visit in July 2020, the shuttle buses were not running due COVID-19.
Thunderstorms are quite common in the summer and luckily we only experienced light showers. We were prepared for the sudden weather changes and wore a hooded waterproof jacket from Anatomie. This came in handy several times as there were several light showers throughout the day. We didn’t mind the light showers as this actually brought down the summer temperatures to a bearable level.
Pets must be leashed in the park and for good reason as you don’t want them wandering off a cliff or stepping in sap. Kuma was leashed and happened to step in some sap that was extremely hard to remove. We had to call the vet for advice and surprisingly, their recommendation was to remove the sap with Dawn’s Liquid Dish Soap and it worked!
Pay attention to the heat advisory and if you do go hiking, carry food and plenty of water.
Do not feed the wildlife. It’s illegal.
Keep an eye out for elk while you’re driving around and make sure you are driving the speed limit. The elk seemed to be out around sunrise or sunset times.

We spotted elk numerous times during our 36-hour visit

WHERE TO STAY

We stayed at the Yavapai Lodge which is located minutes from the Grand Canyon South Rim entrance. It’s super pet friendly and they recently renovated their rooms on the west side. There is an on-site restaurant (closed at the time of our visit) and coffee shop with great snacks and drinks. There is also a General Store (a huge grocery and souvenir store), a post office and even a bank. If you want more food options, Tusayan is only 7 miles away outside of the park and has various restaurants and fast-food chains.