This itinerary is specifically designed so you can use it any year. You’ll get access to an exclusive section of my website with major updates that may affect the itinerary. So, you can use it this year, next year or in five years’ time, and still have access to any current updates that might affect your trip.

The itineraries are designed for the length of time you plan to be in the park, but they can be adjusted.

If you think you might end up with less time, I recommend getting a longer itinerary and trimming down if needed. You can always email me at james@parkscollecting.com for suggestions on how to do that if you find yourself in this situation.

However, if you decide to stay longer and want to upgrade, just email me and for the difference in the regular price, I’ll send you the longer itinerary. So you don’t need to pay for two itineraries when you only need one!

No. All of these itineraries are for the South Rim only. The South Rim is open year-round, and is by far the most popular – and easiest – place to see and experience the canyon. There are more services, more places of interest, more accommodations, and more trails.

Yes. You can check your self-planned trip against this itinerary. You are bound to pick up some extra tips and get some extra ideas for when and where to go.

The three-day itinerary has you seeing all the major park highlights, but there are loads of extra activities, hiking trails, and options for leisurely days enjoying the park. If you have more time, I recommend doing the three-day itinerary then checking out my Parks Collecting guides for extra things to do.

I’ve included how to connect additional activities such as a river trip or an overnight hike into the canyon to the South Rim itinerary.

Yes. The South Rim is open all year. However, the Hermit Road shuttle doesn’t operate in winter, so you can drive yourself there. To do any hiking below the rim in winter, you should have microspikes or crampons over your hiking boots to give you extra traction, as it can be snowy/ icy.

This itinerary is designed for first timers to the park. If you’ve been before, you will probably pick up some new tips, but overall, it may not be the best option for you.

Yes! This itinerary has been specifically created to give you choices. There are options for those who like to be active and hit the trails but also for those who want to experience the park in a more leisurely way.

Yes. There are options for people who like to hike and alternate options to experience the same general areas of the park for those who either can’t or prefer not to hike.

Yes. The 3-Day Itinerary actually includes an option for a very long below-the-rim hike. If you want to do even more long hikes, then I recommend doing the 3-day itinerary but staying overnight in the canyon in addition.

If you have a half day, the easiest way to adjust the itinerary is to go with the longer itinerary and then trim down. You can change the order of the days and choose which day you wish to cut some time off. This is easy to do.

Alternatively, you could get the 2-day itinerary and then go back to a favorite spot for half a day on your third day.

You can see the highlights in one very full day, but I recommend three days if you can. I like to take a 1.5-week vacation and spend three days on the South Rim and add on a trip down the Colorado River. It’s such a cool trip!

That’s true, but itinerary blog posts are invariably pretty general. This itinerary is completely different from a typical blog post. It has a detailed minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour breakdown of what to do, so that you can use it to guide your whole trip. It also includes detailed driving directions, hike descriptions, information about each of the viewpoints and attractions, adjustments if you stay in different places, and all the bonus extras.

Guidebooks provide information about every place to stay and place to eat and lots of things to do. However, they don’t curate all that information into a workable itinerary. You need to do that yourself, and with so much information to try and digest, it can be hard to know exactly the best things to do / see and when.

On the other hand, they also lack really helpful information such as detailed driving directions from each point in your itinerary to the next, and detailed hike descriptions.

My itineraries have done all the heavy lifting for you. I have sifted through all the information you’d find in guidebooks (from my personal experience) to create a step-by-step schedule – and added in all the practical information you need to know when you get there.

The itinerary assumes you will stay in Tusayan, which is the main gateway town to the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, or in Grand Canyon Village. However, it includes full details on how to adjust the timing based on where you stay. If you stay somewhere else nearby, you will know exactly how to tweak the timing for where you are staying.