It really is Grand.
This was my first time seeing the Grand Canyon, and I was not prepared for the sheer extent of how large it is (you would think the name would give that away). The other thing I wasn't ready for was the landscape driving through the park. If you asked me which state this picture was taken in, Arizona would not be my first, second, or third guess. Speaking with a tour guides a couple of days later, they said the East entrance of the Southern Rim is much better than the South entrance in terms of number of people trying to get into the park at once. I had no wait at the East entrance, so I'd take their word for it. Also, the North rim of the canyon is closed in the winter, and accessible from a whole other place a few hours away, so don't confuse the two on accident.
Desert View Watchtower
Coming in the East entrance, the first view of the canyon is the Desert View Watchtower. It's a brick silo looking building (what a Midwest thing to say), and you can go in the lower level. I did not, as I wanted to see the canyon and there were a lot of people meandering about, but the building looked cool from the outside. The Desert View point was very accessible down a paved, short ramp that was a little icy. But the view really was spectacular. Eager to get some hiking done, I stayed long enough to exchange picture taking favors and headed to the trail I'd chosen.
South Kiabab Trial to Skeleton Point
There is a shuttle that runs to this trail head from the visitors center that operates until 6:30pm. I did not know this, and drove to the trail head (so did a lot of other people, so I felt less bad), but there is a decent sized lot with more cars in it than the zero that were likely supposed to be there. This hike was 5.8 miles and projected to take about 4 hours per AllTrails. I started this hike at about 3pm, knowing I'd have about 3 hours of decent daylight left before the sun set quickly. As I do when I'm driving, I see the ETA as a time to beat, so that's where my mind was at. The other thing I considered very carefully is, given this was an out and back, was how comfortable I would be hiking in the dark on my way back up if it took as long as estimated. The path was well defined, and there wasn't much to trip over. Though microspikes were needed, this wasn't something I'd be uncomfortable doing in the dark with a headlamp. But, I was prepared to turn around early if I felt I needed to given the time constraint.
This hike was absolutely gorgeous and there was so much to see! The side of the canyon with snow cascading down, the valley with the Colorado river looking like how I'd imagine different views of Mars would be, this butte towering up in the middle you eventually walk down to and around. I found myself taking the same pictures at every switchback, then again on the way back as the light had changed and it was even more beautiful. The other thing that was so incredible to experience was the still silence of the canyon itself. I passed a few people here and there, but the majority of the hike was so quiet I could hear my heart beating, which was wild.
The biggest difference between this hike and some of the other intense hikes I've done up mountains and such is this one starts going straight downhill instead of on an incline. This seems like it would be obvious, as you're hiking down into a canyon, but it really makes a huge difference on the way back. As in, I was pretty tired and talking myself back up the trail with the promise of chicken nuggets later (don't worry, I kept my word).
Ultimately, I didn't need my headlamp and got back just as the sun was setting. I stood at the top for a while and just took it in. It definitely got colder as the sun went down, but that elevation gain right at the end was serious work, so I appreciated the cool air on my face. This hike took me a little over 3 hours, and the contrast of the colors at Golden Hour was spectacular. And, I am always down for a pretty sunset, so this was a wonderful experience all around.
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