A Lumberjack’s Guide to the Grand Canyon 📸

When your school is less than 2 hours from nature’s wonder, you go & explore

By: Darlin Ortega

One of the many sights I was told that I needed to see as a kid was the Grand Canyon.

After seeing it in person multiple times — I agree.

If I had to describe it in 3 words it would be — beautiful, massive, and intimidating.

This “hole in the ground” is simply beautiful! The color of the rocks when the sunlight hits, the greenery growing in spots you wouldn’t have thought, and the way the canyon is cut throughout — it all seems magical.

Know Before You Go 💧☀️👖

When it comes to essentials, I 1000% recommend bringing water. If you’re going in the summer, the sun will be brutal so wear long sleeves AND bring sunscreen.

A backpack to carry snack and to hold water is helpful too — especially for me since I love my hands to be free.

I wouldn’t recommend going in jeans, you’d be surprised how many go in jeans. You’ll be doing a lot of walking, so be comfy.

My Itinerary

After the first park entrance, you’ll come across the infamous rock that everyone stands on for a picture. It will also be the first area where you can peer into the canyon with a railing.

If you’re afraid of heights, beware! I always forget there’s some sections without railings. That’s what I mean by intimidating — you can get so close to the edge. I always have a fear of falling over, so I’m careful and I hope you are too 😅

One place I like to walk to along the trail is the gift shop. You can buy souvenirs but what I like the most is seeing the map layout of the Grand Canyon.

It really put into perspective just how massive it really is.

You also, never know what you might see! On my last trip, a kind stranger had his telescope out by the gift shop. He let us look through his telescope and pointed out that near the bottom of the canyon there’s hotels/ buildings down there.

That was interesting to find out because I thought there wouldn’t be anything down there! If you’re curious, here’s more on Phantom Ranch — which you need reservations for!

Make Use of the Bus System 🚌

Another thing I would recommend is getting acquainted with the bus system. They are entirely free and they take you from one area to the next.

It comes in handy when you walked 5 miles and feel too tired to walk all the way back to the parking lot.

One thing that I learned is at the last stop before the bus goes on the red route (because the routes are color-coded), there’s an area that lets you actually hike into the canyon itself.

I went down it and it was so cool to see the layers of the rock and the arches in the canyon up close!

Be Ready for a Hike

However, be forewarned that it’s definitely a hike. With every step, I told myself ‘just a little more, you’re almost at the bottom.’

While I’m proud of myself for venturing down, I also regretted it! The walk up is sooooo steep. As I went down, I passed people with hiking sticks and gear warning me, “it’ll be a doozy getting out.”

I was definitely overconfident in myself. It’s funny thinking back to it, but I was out of breath and had to take multiple breaks before I managed to get back to the bus stop.

Despite that hiccup — it’s definitely worth going and trying!

The Grand Canyon is definitely a day trip and a day filled with walking. So bring your best walking shoes.

The nap afterward hits differently too! You’d be surprised by how tired you’ll feel afterwards.

Another cool thing to keep in mind is that on the other side of the canyon there’s a glass bridge that lets you walk over the canyon. I think that’s pretty cool and would like to do that at some point.

Best Time to Go 🍁

If I had to recommend the best time to go, it would be probably during the cooler months — October through December. I can personally vouch that the weather has literally been perfect everytime I’ve gone in November!

No matter how many times you go, there’s always a new thing to discover.Every time that I go to the Grand Canyon, I’m always in awe of how massive it is. No matter how many times you go, there’s always a new thing to discover.

I love seeing it from different angles and trying to understand how it became the way it is.

I love coming here for a good walk and I plan to bring my family and dog here too sometime soon.

Even if it’s a hole in the ground, it’s a pretty impressive one and worth checking out 😉

See you there!