The Grand Canyon

Nothing is more beautiful to take one’s breath away than the Grand Canyon. My eyes could only behold a small part of the massive 1,218,375 acre area. This summer I took a trip to the Grand Canyon, where I visited both the North Rim and the South Rim. It was one of my favorite travel experiences, and I have traveled quite a bit.

In an expanse of land this big, it might come to question as where to stay. Of course, lodges do exist within the park readily available for those who don’t want to sleep out in the open. However, camping adds to the trip. First of all, camping doesn’t cost as much as staying in a lodge – with prices ranging from $52-$322 – only a mere $5 per group per night. I prefer camping; looking out at the full moon rising above the gnarled and crooked trees, seeing a spread of stars in the wide stretch of midnight blue. Each part of the Grand Canyon is an event in itself.

I definitely preferred the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. To start off with, it was a lot greener. One of the hikes that I took wrapped down the side of the Grand Canyon in a forest populated by white birches, bright wildflowers, and huge striped stones jutting out of the canyon face. The juxtaposition of solid stone and soft colors of trees was a painting only the eye could capture. Our hike, the North Kaibab Trail, led us to the Coconino overlook, only a short ways down the canyon side; the view was absolutely stunning. The canyon stretched before my eyes, framed by a pristine blue sky. It was there that I stopped, cherishing the view that my eyes could hardly take in. Sooner or later, a family stopped by to admire the view. I overheard the language they were speaking, and noticed it was French. Since I was with my sister, who speaks French fluently, I decided to go over and say hello. They were a very nice family from a little town just outside of Paris. Little did I know that they would become familiar faces.

We decided not to hike any further than the overlook, so my sister and I advanced up the trail. It is amazing how the scenes of nature seemed to change even though we were walking the same trail that we came down. As we finished our hike, we stopped for water and to use the restroom; traveling to the car, we saw the same French family we met at the overlook. We said formalities once more and then we went on our way.           

If you happen to want to eat after a long hike, I would highly recommend the Grand Canyon Lodge Dining Room. Not only does it have a spectacular view of the canyon right outside the window, the food is delicious too. They have appetizing sandwiches that can hardly be beat! However, the best is the dessert; if you are looking for something sweet yet not over the top, I would highly recommend the berries and cream on pound cake. The berries created a bittersweet drawback against the sweet whipped cream. The pound cake brought it all together in one final masterpiece of taste. Interestingly enough, as we left the restaurant, we happened upon the French family yet again! It was pretty funny seeing them for three times throughout the day. Not only do I love seeing the beauty of the world around me through my travel experiences, I love meeting all sorts of new people!