Grand Canyon Things to Do Tips by PinkFloydActuary

The first stop along the Desert View Drive (coming from the east) is Desert View. You can gas up your car here if you didn't outside the park. The Watchtower, a 70 foot high tower modeled after ancient pueblos, will be sure to catch your eye. The first floor houses a gift shop, and you can climb a staircase to an observation deck to view the canyon.

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Address: Grand Canyon East
Directions: At the end of the East Rim Drive, at the Desert View Overlook.

As you make your way east along Desert View Drive, you will have the opportunity to stop at several scenic overlooks. Most of them have ample parking, and I recommend stopping at all of them to get the various views of the canyon. The stops include Navajo Point, Lipan Point, where the Colorado River makes a large S shape, Moran Point, and Grandview Point, which also has the trailhead for Grandview Trail.

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While the shuttles are running, one of the overlooks you won't be able to get to via car is Yaki Point. Drive past the turnout for this overlook to the Mather Point area. Across from this lot is the Canyon View Information Plaza. Catch the shuttle to Yaki Point, take in the scenery, and hang out - the shuttle shows up roughly every 15 minutes. Yaki Point also has the trailhead for South Kaibab trail, which is about 7 miles down the canyon to the Colorado River.

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Hermit Road is an 8 mile road that heads from Grand Canyon Village to Hermits Rest. This road is generally closed to cars, so you can hike it or use the park bus system. This shuttle system can be a bit more frustrating that the one at Zion, because the buses show up less often (10-15 minutes), so take your time in viewing the canyon. There are eight stops along the route, so you may want to take the West Rim trail between a few of the stops. On this trail, you are literally walking on the edge of the canyon from time to time, so take extreme care.

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