Are you planning a visit to Grand Canyon National Park and want to know what to see? If you’ve ventured to Arizona to see this bucket-list worthy destination, it’s helpful to plan out what you’ll see and do during your visit so that you don’t miss anything amazing. That’s where we come in! We’ll help you plan out what you can do with your time when visiting and even give you a full 2 day Grand Canyon itinerary.
A 2 day Grand Canyon itinerary gives you the perfect amount of time to experience everything the canyon has to offer without delving into more specialized adventures, like hiking or rafting. We’ve also included itineraries for shorter trips. If you’re planning a longer trip or want to add some day excursions to your vacation, check out our list of things to do in the Grand Canyon to add to your trip.
Where to Stay
You know how they say “location, location, location”, while that is extra true when visiting the Grand Canyon. You’ll frequently see standstill traffic jams as you’re entering the park, especially late morning and early afternoon. So if you are not an early riser, we would recommend staying in the park, especially for your short 2 day Grand Canyon itinerary.
Inside the park, there are hotels and campgrounds. If you plan to stay here, you’ll definitely want to make reservations as they fill up fast. If you’re staying in the summer, making reservations at least 6 months ahead of time is advisable. You’ll pay a premium for staying at a lodge inside the park. Lodges in the park seem a bit overpriced for what you get. But you are getting a great location. However, if you’re on a budget, the campgrounds in the park are extremely reasonable and well laid out. You can book your in park accommodations here.
You can also stay in the town of Tusayan right outside of the main entrance gate. Here you’ll find campgrounds and hotels. The hotels here are more reasonably priced. However, you’ll lose time each day driving into the park, especially if you get going any later than 9 AM. If you are not an early riser, we wouldn’t suggest staying here.
Day by Day
Day 1 – Grand Canyon Itinerary
AM – Desert View Drive
Arrive in the Grand Canyon National Park in the morning via the Desert View entrance. If you wake up early enough you can even catch the sunrise over the canyon at the Desert View watchtower. Continue along Desert View Drive, stopping at the viewpoints along the way.
Once you arrive in Grand Canyon Village, park your car. If you’re staying in the park overnight, parking at your hotel or campground at this time will save you time later. You won’t need your car for the rest of the time you’re here (and in some places your car isn’t even allowed). The park has an AMAZING bus system. This system is designed to reduce traffic within the park. It also is incredibly convenient for the park goer and it’s FREE!
Have lunch at one of the lodges or take time to eat a lunch you packed. We thought that food options in the park weren’t great and the lines were long when we visited. The food isn’t bad, it’s just overpriced for average food. We’d recommend packing a cooler with lunch options and finding a picnic area to eat when you’re in the park. We caution against leaving the park to get lunch as you’ll have a hard time getting back in in a timely manner.
PM – Grand Canyon Village and Visitor Center
Take the afternoon of your 2 day Grand Canyon itinerary to explore the Grand Canyon Village. We started at the Bright Angel trailhead and then took a leisurely walk along the South Rim Trail. We stopped at all the fun shops and lodges to check out what was for sale and bought our souvenir t-shirts.
Then we hiked along the trail from the Verkamp’s Visitor Center to the Yavapai Geology Museum. This trail section is known as the Trail of Time. The hike has plaque along it explaining the geology of the area and is one of the top things to do at the Grand Canyon. Stop in the Geology Museum to learn about the creation of the Grand Canyon.
End your first day by visiting the Visitor Center and Mather Point. This is the most visited area of the park. You’ll find tons of tour buses dropping people off here so visiting it at the end of the day will avoid some crowds.
Day 2 – Grand Canyon Itinerary
AM – Hermits Rest Hike
Spend the morning hiking to Hermits Rest. Start from the Bright Angel Trailhead once again and take the 7 mile one-way hike to Hermits Rest. Along the way you’ll find plenty of beautiful lookouts. Enjoy hiking this stretch slowly and take in the scenery.
If you pack a picnic lunch, you can eat your lunch at the picnic area at hermits rest, use the restrooms and then catch the bus back to the Village.
PM – Into the Canyon
Spend the afternoon hiking into the Grand Canyon. About 6 million of people visit the Grand Canyon each year. Under 50,000 of them hike into the Grand Canyon. Be one of the few and take a half day hike into the canyon. About 250 people need to be rescued from the canyon each year. Don’t be one of these few. Take enough water and snacks, make sure to time your hike so you won’t be in high heat, and give yourself at least twice as much time to hike out of the canyon as you take to hike in.
We recommend hiking the South Kaibab trail as the views are better that the alternate Bright Angel trail. Neither of these trails are easy. While they are well marked and well trekked, the huge elevation change makes both of these trails hard. You can hike as far down as you feel comfortable but the hike to Ooh Aah point is a good 1.8 mile (round trip) hike that takes you to an amazing viewpoint. Remember that there is no water or restrooms available unless you hike all the way to the bottom of the canyon so plan accordingly.
This 2 day Grand Canyon itinerary is a great way to try a little bit of everything that the park has to offer. It also is a great way to try things without having to spend extra money on excursions. We think this is the perfect itinerary for a first time visitor.
Want to Adjust the Itinerary
If you only have a few hours
Enter the park from whatever entrance is closest to you. Then take in as many viewpoints as you can. Skip the hiking and just enjoy the impressive spread before you from as many viewpoints as you can fit into your time. If you enter via the main entrance, we’d recommend the viewpoints along Hermit Road. However, if you’re visiting from the Desert View entrance drive along Desert View Road and take in those viewpoints.
If you have a half day
Enter through the Desert View entrance and stop at the viewpoints along the way. Then you have two options: hiking or learning. Check out the Grand Canyon Visitor Center and the Yavapai Geology Museum, if you’re interested in learning more about the canyon. If you’d like a bit more adventure head to the South Kaibab Trailhead and begin a short hike into the canyon. Remember that if you are hiking into the canyon, the hike out will take about double the time.
If you have one day
We recommend doing the Hermits Rest hike and driving Desert View Drive. This will give you access to all of the viewpoint of the canyon, a little bit of hiking and all of the views you can take it.
If you have more time
We’d suggest trying one of the many excursions or tours that we’ve included on our list of things to do in the Grand Canyon. Try out a mule ride or a helicopter ride. Most of these excursions take a full or half day. You could also pack an extra day with ranger-led programs.
Another good idea would be to spend two days doing an overnight hike into the canyon and staying at Phantom Ranch in the bottom of the Grand Canyon. You will need to be fit to tackle a hike like this but it is a hike of a lifetime.
If you have two extra days, driving to the North Rim is possible as well. Two days will give you enough time to drive to the North Rim, spend an afternoon, sleep, explore in the morning and then drive back.
We hope that all of these tips and suggestions will help you to plan the best Grand Canyon vacation ever! If you have any questions about planning your trip, please leave them in the comments below and we’ll be happy to help.
