Have you wanted to hike one of the seven wonders, the Grand Canyon? What about traveling there by campervan? This Grand Canyon travel guide is all about hiking this world wonder while camping in a campervan! The Grand Canyon is truly a sight you have to see to believe. Until you’ve seen it for yourself, these pictures and descriptions will not do it justice. If you are on the fence about visiting, I hope this guide solidifies your decision.
We began our journey to the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas. We chose to get sleep in the Grand Canyon by campervan and as our means of transportation because it’s something neither of us had done before! To clear up a few things, I am not a camper. However, this was by far one of the most memorable and unique trips of my life. The Grand Canyon is beautiful and magnificent and there was something special about actually spending our nights there. If I can make it three days camping in the Grand Canyon at the very end of December, you definitely can! Check out what we did below.
Disclosure: Some of these links are affiliate links, which means when you purchase one of these items, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. However, I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases.
DAY 1
CAMPERVAN RENTAL
For this travel guide to the Grand Canyon, I recommend flying to Las Vegas and spending a night there before trekking out to the Grand Canyon like we did – it just breaks it up a bit and plus, it’s Vegas! We rented a campervan through Escape Campervans which is located in Las Vegas. It’s a bout a two-hour drive to the Grand Canyon from there and I’m hoping that your travel plans are uninterrupted like ours was with a snow storm (mind you, it was the end of December). Once you arrive, park the campervan and prepare to take on the park.
Typically, you pay for entrance into the Grand Canyon. However, we arrived during a government shutdown. Remember that period of time back in late 2016 and early 2017? Yeah, I try to forget too. The government shutdown forced national parks to close parts of the park, but it meant free entrance for us.
CHECK-IN AT MATHER CAMPGROUND
We chose to rent a camping spot on Mather Campground. You can do so in advance on Recreation.gov. Finding your reserved space in the park is a simple and easy process. Past the entrance, you’ll see signs leading you to your camping location (there are plenty of other campgrounds other than Mather Point). There will be a park ranger on duty to provide a map of the park and point you in the right direction of your assigned spot. There, you can park the campervan and begin to explore the Grand Canyon.
Getting around the canyon can seem like a huge feat because it’s so massive, but the park makes it super easy with their free transportation. Busses are available to take you to different lookouts and trails all around the rim.
MATHERPOINT LOOKOUT
With so much to see there, it’s important to plan ahead. That’s why I’ve mapped out exactly which trails we did do for each day in this Grand Canyon travel guide.
The first look of the Grand Canyon was at the top of my list. I knew I didn’t want to even sneak a peak at it until I could see this world wonder in full. If you feel this way then I recommend visiting Matherpoint Lookout for your first view. It made my jaw drop. It is so hard to believe structures like this truly exist in the world. How is it so massive and unique?
SOUTH RIM TRAIL
The South Rim trail is pretty famous in the Grand Canyon and this travel guide will mention it a lot! After the lookout, walk all along the South Rim trail for some more epic views and a glance at the wildlife. I highly recommend this as you get to see so much more than just the canyon. We even had a moose sighting.
SUNSET
If you are only staying a few days, I recommend staying out on the trail as long as you can or at least come back out for sunset. This became our nightly ritual when we were there and our first sunset did not disappoint. For a view away from the crowds, head west from the Matherpoint lookout along the Rim trail.
What we soon found out on our first day at the Grand Canyon was that A LOT of people only come for one day and stay for the sunset, which is why the famous lookouts get crowded. We were able to get a view away from everyone and soak up the moment just the two of us. You will find plenty of paths that lead you to one amazing 360 degree view. Enjoy rest of the night at the campervan and soaking up the Grand Canyon sky.
DAY 2
On your second day, you’ll have a couple of hiking options. For this Grand Canyon travel guide, I recommend choosing one of the more well-known trails of the Grand Canyon, like South Kaibab trail.
If you visit during the middle or end of December as we did, be prepared to come with plenty of layers. Although it is chilly on top of the canyon, as you descend it gets much warmer and less windy.
SOUTH KAIBAB TRAIL
You can spend most of the morning hiking this trail. The South Kaibab trail is about 3 miles down with plenty of switchbacks, which means there’s plenty of opportunities to turn around if you don’t want to do the full 6 miles out and back.
We hiked the full length out to Skeleton point and I just can’t get over how pretty this place is. Along the way, there are a couple of other notable lookout points. The first being Ooh-Ahh Point, which offers the first expansive view on this trail. There’s also Cedar Ridge, which most first time hikers will turn around at this point.
Along the way, you will see mules ascending up the hill with passengers on their backs. Although I personally like to walk the distance, you can check out their mule ride trips here.
EXPLORE THE RIM TRAIL
If you’re like me and six miles of the Grand Canyon is just not enough, head out east on the South Rim Trail for the rest of the afternoon. As I said, layers were important. As the day goes on, you can shed them. Some other essentials we always had on us, were water (of course), trail mix and granola bars. Need advice on what to pack for the Grand Canyon? Check out my Grand Canyon article on what to bring.
GRAND CANYON STORE
After hiking all day, you’ll probably be beat. Head back to the campervan before heading out for another Grand Canyon sunset. After, sunset head over to the Grand Canyon store. It’s a short walk away from the Matherpoint campsite, but you can also bus there. Inside, there’s a restaurant for those who aren’t camping or choose not to make their own meals. They also have a small grocery store in case you forget anything and a retail section to which I enjoyed thoroughly. 🙂
DAY 3
On day 3 of this Grand Canyon travel guide, I’ve saved what was our most anticipated trail of the trip: Bright Angel. This trail is pretty iconic and you can even stay in a cabin over on this side of the Grand Canyon. Check out their availability here.
When I was researching this trip, I noticed Bright Angel trail came up as a must-do on nearly every recommendation. It has multiple switchbacks like the South Kaibab trail, but it also leads straight down to the Colorado River. This trail is ideal for backpackers due to the ability to camp inside the canyon at Indian Garden or Bright Angel campgrounds.
BRIGHT ANGEL TRAIL
Totaling 12 miles roundtrip, it’s not recommended to hike the whole trail in one day. We felt like we were in good enough shape so we had to do it! There are multiple water options and rest stops along the way, which made it easy to take a break when needed.
It’s very important to know your limits on this trail. It’s not just about knowing how far you can hike, it’s about the elevation. You don’t want to go up or down too quick because you risk the chance of throwing off your equilibrium and causing elevation sickness. Just be mindful when choosing whether or not to do the full hike. You’re there to enjoy the beauty, not get sick!
Since we were there in the winter, the top portion of the trail was extremely icy. As we descended down to the bottom of the trail, we had to peal layers because it was nearly a 20 degree difference. It felt like a fall day, not a winter afternoon.
As you go further down, you’ll also start to notice the different rock color indicating the age of each layer. Some of the rock in the canyon is nearly 2 BILLION years old.
PLATEAU POINT
After all of the hiking, you’ll feel so accomplished reaching Plateau point. You finally get to see the Colorado River and get a 360 degree view of the canyon. It’s so breathtaking. After reaching this point, we sat here for an hour or so, ate our lunch, and took in the incredible views.
It took us nearly the whole day to hike this trail and after finishing, we felt so accomplished and wiped out. This trail closed out our time in the Grand Canyon and I would love to visit again. It was a once in a lifetime trip that I will never forget.
TRAILS I WISH I HAD TIME FOR
I know there are plenty of other options and trails to hike, but I hope you find this Grand Canyon travel guide helpful when planning your trip especially if you choose to travel by campervan in the Grand Canyon! For tips on what to pack and what to bring, check out this post. And, if you have more time, check out the trails I wish I had time to hike.
happy travels, liz stanford
SHOP THE POST
