The Ultimate Grand Canyon 2-Day Itinerary for First Timers
Wondering how to best take advantage of 2 days in Grand Canyon National Park? This Grand Canyon 2-day itinerary will cover how to enjoy your time in the park to the fullest.
As a plus, it has tips for spending as little money as possible during your trip, since that’s how Lala and I travel.
It also involves a lot of hiking. Well, one day includes a big hike, while the other day is more relaxed… which is also how we like to travel! Play hard, rest harder.
This exactly what I did for my Grand Canyon 2-day itinerary!
Grand Canyon National Park Trip Planning at a Glance
Short on time? Here’s a mini-guide to fast-track your trip planning!
Here’s the website for backcountry permits (for overnight adventures).
Where to Stay:
Free camping in Kaibab National Forest.
Campgrounds: inside the park
Hotels: inside the park and The Grand Hotel
How to Get to the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon National Park is 4 hours and 15 minutes from Las Vegas and 3 hours and 30 minutes from Phoenix.
It has natural wonders and national parks around it, so the Grand Canyon is a perfect destination for a BUNCH of different road trips. My favorite road trip I’ve been on is the Grand Circle road trip, which combines the Grand Canyon with 6 other national parks and Horseshoe Bend!
If you want to fly right to the Grand Canyon, you can fly to the Grand Canyon National Park Airport, which receives limited flights from Page and Las Vegas.
Alternatively, you can fly to Flagstaff, which is 1 hour and 30 minutes from the Grand Canyon.
Getting Around the Grand Canyon
Check out a map of the shuttle lines here.
Parking and getting around the Grand Canyon can be a hassle when its crowded.
You can park at the Visitor Center or the Village. If those get full, people start parking on the side of the road wherever there’s enough space and as long as it’s not prohibited.
Pro travel tip: get there before 8 a.m. and you’ll beat the crowds to the parking spots. Leave your car there the entire time you’re at the park and get around by walking or taking the shuttle.
The Village is a 20-minute walk from the Visitor Center, but that can really add up. That’s what the shuttles are for! The blue line on the map above travels between the Village and Visitor Center, while the orange line travels between Yavapai Point, stops at the Visitor Center and goes on to the trailhead for the big hike on this Grand Canyon 2-day itinerary!
The red line goes from the Village to Hermit’s Rest on a road full of beautiful overlooks that’s closed to private vehicles most of the year (March – November).
Free Camping Near the Grand Canyon
There are lots of dispersed sites to camp for free close to the Grand Canyon in Kaibab National Forest.
We car camped at some dispersed sites just south of Tusayan. They were spacious, there were lots of options, and it was 13 minutes from the Grand Canyon Visitor Center!
But there are LOTS more places to camp for free close to the Grand Canyon!
If you’re planning any sort of trip in the Southwest, I actually made a free map with 70+ free car camping spots I found and vetted during my 2 years on the road. It’s my go-to resource whenever I’m planning where to sleep for the night.
👉 Grab the map for free below – I’ll email it to you right away!
If you’re looking hotel options for your trip to the Grand Canyon, these are the best:
- Bright Angel Lodge: this mid-range hotel is the most convenient because it’s right in the Grand Canyon Village (in the park). It’s great for families and the highest-rated hotel inside the park.
- The Grand Hotel: this is by far the highest rated hotel in Tusayan, 12 minutes from the national park. It’s fancier than most and perfect for couples.
Food at the Grand Canyon
The food at the Grand Canyon is expensive.
As a couple living in our SUV, we were always trying to make our travels as cheap as possible. So, the food situation was tough for us.
The restaurants at the Grand Canyon are expensive, and groceries at the General Store were twice the normal price. So, we tried buying groceries in Tusayan, a town 6 minutes from the car. Everything there was expensive too. Since the Grand Canyon is in the middle of nowhere, they mark up their prices because there are no other options.
That’s why I recommend buying groceries in a city before your trip.
Now, if you’re willing to spend more money on food, you have some great options!
The best restaurants inside the park are the El Tovar Dining Room and Arizona Steakhouse. There are also some great restaurants in Tusayan, like Plaza Bonita, Big-E Steakhouse & Saloon and Foodie Club.
Grand Canyon 2-Day Itinerary (DAY #1)
1. First Sighting – The Rim
My itineraries always begin with a visit to the Visitor Center, but c’mon! You’d need some serious willpower to postpone your first view of the Grand Canyon.
From the Visitor Center parking lot, it’s a quick walk to the rim, where you’ll be able to take it all in for the first time. It really is one of the most incredible views I’ve ever seen. And I don’t use the word “incredible” lightly – my brain really had trouble understanding the Grand Canyon’s size.
After a few minutes of awestruck silence, it’s time for the Visitor Center.
2. Visitor Center
The Grand Canyon Visitor Center has been by far the best one I’ve been to.
After getting your park stamp, watch the park film. Though I’ve enjoyed all the park films, this one is what got me into watching them in the first place! It’s the newest one (some of them are oooold) and explains how the Grand Canyon was formed with some amazing animations.
Definitely the best park film to date!
3. Rim Trail to the Village
The Rim Trail is an easy walk, mostly flat, and it’s an overlook the entire time. You always have the vast canyon on your side, and there’s no bad view of the Grand Canyon. Its name is fitting – GRAND.
Take your sweet time walking to the Grand Canyon Village, which is just under a 3-mile walk. On the way, I recommend stopping at Yavai Point and the Geology Museum and Lookout Studio. The view from here is a spectacular 180° view from huge windows.
Once you’re at the Village, you can explore Verkamp’s Visitor Center, Hopi House, and El Tovar Hotel. From here you can move on to part 4 of Grand Canyon 2-day itinerary (DAY #1) if you want more walking and lookouts or move on to part 5 for some relaxation.
4. Rim Trail to Hermit’s Rest
The Rim Trail continues from the Village all the way to Hermit’s Rest.
Most of the year, the only two ways to get to Hermit’s Rest are by walking or in a shuttle, and I recommend a combination of both. If you walked all the way, you’d be adding another 6.6 miles to your day, which is significant.
The most impressive part of the hike to Hermit’s Rest is from Maricopa Point to The Abyss. If you walk that part of the Rim Trail, it’s only about 2.5 miles.
To get to Maricopa Point, get on a red line shuttle from the Village Route transfer and get off at Maricopa Point. From there, walk to the Abyss with the Grand Canyon on your right. Finally, take the shuttle from the Abyss to Hermit’s Rest.
At Hermit’s Rest, there’s a gift shop, snack bar, bathrooms… and a view, of course. Other than that, there’s not much else.
Get on a shuttle back to The Village and then take another one to Market Plaza.
5. Relax at Market Plaza
I was tired after all this hiking and gazing at amazing views and Market Plaza was our place to relax while we visited the Grand Canyon.
Yavapai Lodge has a dining hall, but fortunately for us cheap skates, it also has sofas everywhere, a café, which looks rustic but is actually a Starbucks, and even free (weak) Wi-Fi! It’s a great place to relax, people watch and have a conversation with a coffee in hand.
6. Sunset from Grandview Point
From the Market Plaza, take a shuttle back to the Visitor Center and then drive to Grandview Point. To get there, drive as if you were leaving the park and turn left when you see a sign towards Desert View and Cameron. From when you turn left, it’s 14 minutes to Grandview Point, which will be on the left.
Now, there’s a hike all the way down to the river from Grandview Point. What we did, since we arrived before sunset, was start hiking down. We didn’t hike far, just got a taste of the landscape, and started heading back up while the sun set.
We got to the spot in the picture below just in time for the sun to set, where you can walk onto a rock that juts out of the canyon wall.
It was an amazing end to the first day of our Grand Canyon 2-day itinerary!
Grand Canyon 2-Day Itinerary (DAY #2)
1. Rise and Shuttle
Get an early start to get ahead of the sun and the crowds!
Aim to get to the park before 8 a.m. to avoid the crazy congestion at the park entrance, to find a good parking spot and to have less of a line at the shuttle!
It’s also a good idea to start early because it gets really hot as the day goes on. The earlier you start, the less time you hike in the afternoon sun (and you will, since this hike takes 6-7 hours).
Take the orange line shuttle to the South Kaibab Trailhead.
2. Ooh Ahh Point > Cedar Ridge > Skeleton Point
This hike is the best hike in the Grand Canyon.
That’s saying a lot in a park with so many hikes and so many amazing views. It takes the win because of the formations you see on the way and how the hike is always changing things up. Plus, I mean, it has a stop called Ooh Ahh Point. It has to be the best, right?
How to Hike the Grand Canyon to Skeleton Point
Take the orange line shuttle to the South Kaibab Trailhead. Start hiking down into the Grand Canyon. What makes this hike so tough is that the entire first half is downwards, while the end is straight up!
You’ll quickly get to a long stretch of switchbacks that may be slightly adrenaline-inducing. These steep switchbacks still had ice on them when we visited in late March, and a lot of the people hiking that day were terrified. It’s not that bad, though!
The park will have signs letting you know if you absolutely need microspikes on your shoes for the hike.
Ooh Ahh Point
After the switchbacks, it’s a beautiful slope down to Ooh Ahh Point, where you’ll join a crowd of people and say, “Ooh, Ahh.” If you decide to stop here, the total hike will be 1.8 miles round trip, with 650 feet of elevation gained.
From Ooh Ahh Point, you’ll see O’Neill Butte, a gigantic formation that rises abruptly from the same trail you’re on, just really far away. On the way to the next stop, Cedar Ridge, you’ll be walking to O’Neill ridge the entire way, and you’ll notice the crowd begins to thin.
Cedar Ridge
Cedar Ridge is a relatively flat area where there’s a public bathroom that smells terrible. It’s a great place to rest and eat a snack. If you decide to turn back here, the hike will be 3.1 miles roundtrip with 1,200 feet of elevation gained.
Not many people continue the hike from Cedar Ridge to Skeleton Point! That makes it the best part of the hike, and it’s not quite as steep as what you’ve already done.
Skeleton Point
When you get to Skeleton Point, don’t stop at the sign. Keep hiking a bit until you finally see ridiculously beautiful, expansive view of the Grand Canyon above and below you. That’s the icing on the cake!
The full hike stats to Skeleton Point and back are 5.8 miles with 2020 feet of elevation gained.
And the best part of being at Skeleton Point is you haven’t gained a single one of those 2020 feet yet. Good luck on the way up!
Hiking down to the river and then back in a day isn’t recommended unless you’re an experienced hiker. Better to hike down, spend the night at the Bright Angel Campground by the river and hike back up the next day. (You need a permit for overnight stays).
You could even hike back up another trail, like the Bright Angel Trail, to change things up!
3. Food!
We made all our food on our gas stove, but we did use the microwave at the Yavapai Lodge a lot! From stealing glances at people’s food, it looked REAL good.
So, after a long, crazy hike, I would recommend a delicious meal at the Yavapai Lodge or, even better, Arizona Steakhouse, which is in The Village.
After I hiked to Skeleton Point, I drove straight to Page, Arizona and Horseshoe Bend, because I was doing the Grand Circle road trip. We were looking for where to eat, but it got late, so we ended up eating Circle K hot dogs on the sidewalk.
Not a king’s meal after a hike like the South Kaibab Trail, but a wonderful memory nonetheless!
4. Where to next?
If you’re spending the night at the Grand Canyon, watch the sunset again!
If you’re moving on to your next destination, you have two great options. The first way is to go to Page, Arizona to see some of the world’s most mind-boggling formations, like Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend. From there, you can drive to Las Vegas or keep going on the Grand Circle road trip towards Zion, Bryce and Capitol Reef National Parks.
Your other possibility is to drive south and continue exploring Arizona, passing through Flagstaff, Sedona, Phoenix and visit Saguaro National Park and Tucson!
And just like that, you just had a hell of a good time in your first 2 days in Grand Canyon National Park!
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s not worth visiting the national park because Las Vegas is 4 and a half hours away.
However, you can visit Grand Canyon West, which is operated by the Hualapai Tribe. It’s not part of the national park, but it has incredible views and lots of fun activities. It does cost more to get in and do all those activities, though.
But a day trip from Las Vegas or even Phoenix isn’t worth your time unless you don’t mind driving a BUNCH that day. Sedona is just 2 hours from the Grand Canyon, so a day trip from Sedona might not be too bad.
Yes, especially if you go to Grand Canyon West, which isn’t part of the national park.
Grand Cayon National Park is 3 hours and 50 minutes from the Hoover Dam, which is far. Both in a day just isn’t realistic. But Grand Canyon West is only 1 hour and 41 minutes from the Hoover Dam.
Yes and no. The Grand Canyon 2-day itinerary above will give you a really good feel for the park, you’ll get amazing views from the rim, you’ll hike down into the canyon, you’ll and learn a lot.
But you’ll still be missing out on the North Rim, East and West, and won’t get down to the river. You could even raft through the Grand Canyon! I mean, there are countless things to do here.
So yes, 2 days is enough to see the Grand Canyon, but there are months’ worth of things to do at the Grand Canyon.
If it’s your first time, the South Rim is the best to visit! It’s the most accessible part of the park.
If you’re in Las Vegas and don’t have much time, Grand Canyon West is the way to go.
If you want less crowds, go for the North Rim… it’s at a higher elevation and is closed Ocotber – May 15.
Yes, more than a lot of national parks! The only places pets cannot go are below the rim (so, any hike), on the shuttles and in hotel rooms. Thankfully, though, the hotels have some pet-friendly rooms.
Final Thoughts
I hope this Grand Canyon 2-day itinerary was helpful. My goal is to make your travel planning easier based on my experiences, knowledge and mistakes! For an even more complete guide, check out my article on 7 ways to spend one day in Grand Canyon National Park.
If you have any questions at all about your trip to the Grand Canyon, please comment below and I’ll answer you myself!
*This blog post contains affiliate links, this means if you click on a link and go on to buy the product I recommend, I will get a small commission, but you will not be charged a penny more – thanks in advance!
