So Mr’s Jos and I are planning a trip to the Grand Canyon early May next year, and will be staying in Grand Canyon village arriving mid afternoon. we are trying to decide whether to stay one night or two, we are not hikers but we do want to experience the views and splendour of the area without having to go on a helicopter.

We’d be interested in hearing if anyone on the forum has done this and any recommendations you may have.

UTC.

Yes, we took a helicopter ride and it was wonderful. My wife didn’t want to do it but thoroughly enjoyed it as long as she was sat in the middle of three passengers!

OK, did it a couple of times a day if all you want is views then just stay the night . Early evening or early morning are best times to see it .
I hiked the canyon once in my younger days.

We did a jeep trip a few years ago from Vegas which was a good way of doing it to avoid too much hiking but still getting all the views. Can't remember which rim we did however. Amazing to see it.

Not much to help to you because I know you say you don't fancy a helicopter but I did it with my parents many years ago and it was honestly unbelievable. I remember that after a long, swooping flight around the canyon it descended and landed next to the Colorado River at the basin of the canyon and we had a barbecue. Great memory.

Get there early.

South Kaibab trail.

Dessert View Watchtower.

Stay safe!

We did a day trip from Vegas a couple of years ago, it was impressive to see but after an hour or two it was kind of just standing/walking around with nothing much else to do.

Agree with previous posts: 1 night's enough if you aren't going to walk in/out of it. Do they still offer mule rides in/out of the canyon?

The Grand Canyon looks very different at dusk compared to dawn. If you can do both you will be rewarded.

Jellycopter from top of the strip, over Hoover dam, land in canyon, champagne breakfast, have a couple of hours, return over the old strip, turn left at the stratosphere and back along to the top of the strip. A great experience.

Thanks everyone for the tips.

Plenty of time to plan, I was watching a you tube video of Mule trips into the canyon but I’d need to check if the animals are properly looked after before I would chose this option. Having seen the Donkeys in Santorini!

Isn't the average American's time at the GC been measured in just a handful of minutes?

IanMcL wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 27, 2025 2:03 am

Isn't the average American's time at the GC been measured in just a handful of minutes?

Could be - there's a lot of 'em.

I did it in a small plane and wished I’d opted for the helicopter as the journey wasn’t great. The views are incredible though and not something you will see again.

We went on the train from Flagstaff and stayed overnight. Wished we had stayed two nights. Very busy during the day but early morning and late evening it’s dead.

Like many others we helicoptered through it. The pilot was a native, his passion for not only the geology but connection to his people was the best bit.

My wife and I also kayaked the down Colorada river and visted the emerald cave, which gave us another perspective of the area.

I'm a keen hiker but didn't have time to get down and explore with our schedule.

Wasnt this particular trip but similar:
www.viator.com/search/26719P8

should you decide to go by helicopter - use Maverick not any of the others. Best safety record and highly regarded