Introduction
The Grand Canyon is very special to me and my family. I've visited more times than I can remember and always hear stories about my parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and all their experiences with the canyon. I've even hiked it myself a few times. One of the perks of moving to Flagstaff is that you're only about an hour's drive from the south rim. For free entry day on August 4th, I decided to visit to relax and get a bit of photography practice with my α6000.
The Drive
From Flagstaff, you can either take US-180 until it meets with AZ-64 or I-40 west until it meets with AZ-64. They're both pretty scenic drives, but I prefer US-180. Watch out for deer, especially late at night.
Valle is a small town at the intersection of the 64 and 180. It's a good place to stop and get drinks or gas, as prices in Tusayan and Grand Canyon Village are steep. Even this far from the canyon, the smoke clouds from the Dragon Bravo fire on the north rim were very clear. I stopped and chatted with a German tourist who was on his way back from the canyon, and he said it was pretty surreal.
The Canyon
A big reason I decided to come is that, as devastating as the fire is, I thought it would provide a unique experience. For a free entry day during the summer, I was surprised at how relatively empty the park was. With multiple fires burning in the distance, it almost felt like you were in some sort of apocalyptic war zone. Still a great view, however.
From the south rim, you can see clearly Havasupai Gardens. This is one of two major campgrounds you can hike to within the canyon. Right now, it's the only one open due to the fire. I stayed a few times when I was younger, and it was very serene and peaceful. It's a difficult hike, for sure, but there's a small stream, library, ranger post, and lots of shade. No cell service though, so unfortunately no doomscrolling.
The fire would occasionally flare up on the other side as it spread. At this point in the canyon, I believe the north rim is some 22 miles away from the south but you could make out the orange flames and the fire line as clear as day.
Posted around were boards with information about the fire. The whole park and national forest are under a total fire ban and ashtray mandate. There were even a few fire rangers patrolling to enforce it. They're not fucking playing.
Walking further west, you get some pretty good views of switchbacks on the Bright Angel trail and arches. These haunt me from my times hiking. They felt like they would never end.
Kolb and Lookout Studio
These both have great views and some cool exhibits on the history of the canyon's exploration. I believe the Kolb studio is what inspired me to do a report on John Wesley Powell back in the fourth grade.
Once again, very picturesque but also strangely eerie with the fire and smoke in the distance. These are my two favorite shots from the trip, one of the stairs leading down to the Kolb studio and the other of the flagpole outside El Tovar.
Food
The NPS has a contract with a third party hospitality company (Xanterra I believe) to run the restaurants and lodging at the park. I decided not to eat, but in the past I have enjoyed the Arizona Steakhouse, Harvey House Cafe, and the El Tovar. These can be really busy during peak season, so I'd suggest a reservation.
I did get ice cream at the fountain in the Bright Angel Lodge. I'm not sure which brand they use, but it's really good and it's always nice to sit down and enjoy the view with some ice cream.
There's a surprisingly well-stocked grocery store in the village, but the prices are genuinely insane. How about $12 hot dogs, $8 macaroni, or some $9 orange juice? Definitely bring food with you if you're staying for a few days.
Architecture
One thing you might not expect from Grand Canyon Village is the variety of architectural styles. The village has been built and expanded over many years, and takes cues from periods throughout history. Yes, I understand the irony of pointing out man-made architecture as some sort of talking point in front of nature's great beauty, but I find it interesting nonetheless.
You have everything from the wooden chalet El Tovar hotel, craftsman Bright Angel lodge, and pueblo Hopi House...
...to the brutalist, exposed concrete UK-business-park Thunderbird and Kachina Lodge. These are quite controversial, as people believe they don't really fit with the rest of the village. Thunderbird Lodge was actually at one point slated for demolition, but the plan never went through. I'm biased, though, as I quite like the function-over-form of brutalist architecture myself.
International Tourists
The Grand Canyon attracts so many people from around the world that it almost feels like walking into LAX, Dulles, or any other major international airport.
In about four hours, on a dead Monday, I heard people speaking:
1. French
2. German
3. Spanish
4. Japanese
5. Mandarin Chinese
6. Italian
7. British English
People are super talkative and friendly. It's easy to strike up a conversation and it's always interesting to hear about peoples' trips.
Sunset
To close out the trip, I decided to grab some tea and watch the sunset outside of El Tovar.
As the sun set, the oranges of the fires on the north rim became much more vivid. It really puts into perspective how large wildfires can grow, and makes me appreciate the firefighters who battle them.
Overall, I'm glad I made the trip. Northern Arizona has a lot to explore, so even if I'm tied up with college until break I still have plenty to do on the weekends. Visiting the Grand Canyon during a historic fire on the north rim was an eerie but memorable experience.
If your GPS or cell phone supports topographic maps, I suggest turning them on. I wasn't paying much attention to it during the drive and laughed when I saw this.