Travel Diary: Experiencing The Grand Canyon For The First Time

I’m pretty sure this post will be a lot less wordy than my previous USA posts, because, well, the pictures kinda speak for themselves. Apart from the fact that no picture could do such an amazing place justice.

On my second day on the TrekAmerica Western BLT, we paid a visit to the Grand Canyon. I was pretty hyped about seeing it but didn’t realise just how amazing and breathtaking it would be.

Now, the Grand Canyon is pretty darn big. 277 miles long, to be exact. So obviously, there’s a lot of it to see, and our visit took us to the Grand Canyon National Park – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We were on the South Rim side, and the views were incredible. Stepping onto the rim itself for the first time, I just kinda gawped for ages at the massive expanse ahead of me. And to the right, and to the left, and way way down.

We had a full afternoon to just take in the Grand Canyon and some of the group had taken on a trek down into it – but thanks to a fear of not being able to make it back up again (yeah, I’m that unfit) I joined a few of the girls taking a casual stroll around to take in the views. Seriously. LOOK AT THE VIEWS.

Tried the classic ‘jump’ shot. Had to crop my face out to make it look acceptable for human viewing. Hair all over the shop and a ridiculous gurn on. Standard.

The colours show almost two billion years of history – with the layers of different types of rock creating stunning colours and textures where they’ve been shaped and eroded over huge expanses of time.

We also walked through an eerie, burnt out forest type area – turns out, the fire was set on purpose to mimic natural fires and keep the ecosystem running as naturally as possible.

Eventually, we stumbled across the trail that we’d decided not to head down – which totally a good decision, as I walked down a little bit of it and definitely didn’t enjoy coming back up very much as it gave me slightly wobbly legs (although nowhere near as much as the waterfall hike at Yosemite did. That one’s coming soon…).

So instead of hiking, we found some horses and donkeys to befriend instead. Some of them were little, cute things but one was ENORMOUS. The owners turned up to feed them just as we were watching, and they basically reacted the way I do when I haven’t eaten all day and someone offers me free pizza. Then the big horse had a big wee, and it all smelt a bit bad, so we left them to their hay and started on the walk back to the Visitor Centre.

On the subject of ANIMALS, on our walk back, we came across a gang (apparently, according to Google, that’s a legit correct term!) of deer just chilling by the side of the road. They were super tame, and we could get pretty close to them without them even batting an eyelid.

After a super-exhausting day of exploring, we jumped back in the van and drove over to our nearby motel-style accommodation. Which I was stupidly enamoured with, because IT’S A MOTEL! That’s a proper American place to stay! Yeah, easily pleased over here. After a quick shower and change, we headed BACK to the Grand Canyon to witness the sun go down…

Basically, if the Canyon wasn’t already amazing enough by daylight, it just felt completely MAGICAL as the sun set on it. Perched on a rock, staring out, the group fell into a moment of silence as the sunlight gave way to darkness – and it’s a travel moment that will stay with me forever.

Dinner was definitely on the cards once we’ve watched the sun set, so we drove back to our accommodation to eat at a nearby restaurant. Now, Mexican food is one of my faves and the decor and grub at Plaza Bonita was just FABULOUS. Starting off with ridiculous amounts of tortilla chips and a spicy salsa, I then tucked into a huge, tasty burrito bowl. Oh, and some sangria, obviously.

I think the Grand Canyon was one of my favourite parts of my trip – which was a surprise, as I always consider myself a city girl at heart. It was just truly astounding, and if you ever get the chance to visit, DO IT. Seriously. Just…wow.

What amazing world sights are on your bucket list?

Read More:
How to Explore the Grand Canyon in One Day
A Beginner’s Guide to Hiking the Grand Canyon
Hiking to Skeleton Point on the Kaibab Trail

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