Sunday, January 10, 2016

ARIZONA- Grand Canyon: Which Rim is the best

East Rim

grandcanyon.com
Easily accessible from Page, Arizona, this Rim is gaining attention worldwide, featuring the not-a-secret-anymore Horseshoe Bend and the Little Colorado River Tribal Park. The best thing about Horseshoe bend is, there are no entrance fees, no gates, no railings. You can get as close as you want to the edges and take crazy photos holding on to the edges. (at your own risk, of course.)


West Rim

grandcanyonwest.com
For it being the most accessible part of the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas, this Rim has long been a popular destination for tourists coming out of the Sin-City. Summon out the courage of a lion to walk the famous glass skybridge extended out high above the Canyon.
However, you need to know that this attraction is pricey, and the entrance to west rim is not included in your National Park Pass. Is it worth it? Well, it highly depend on what you are expecting to see. If you've been dreaming about flying above the canyon and helicopter tour is not an option (because it is even more expensive), you'd probably be happy experiencing the Skywalk.


South Rim

courtesy of travel.aarp.org
Almost 99% of my friends who've been to the Grand Canyon recommended me to visit the South Rim, dubbed the “true Grand Canyon”. People come here to marvel at the depth, looking all the way down into the heart of this dramatic slash through the terrain, plus there's a lot of activities to engage in, be it hiking, mule riding, biking or rafting!
courtesy of arizona.leisure
This rim is easily accessible from nearby cities like Flagstaff (a charming town) and Page, and it is reachable by historic train services "the Grand Canyon Railway". In-park hotels in Grand Canyon Village such as the Bright Angel Lodge, Maswik Lodge, Kachina and Thunderbird Lodges, Yavapai Lodge are popular especially during summer. So, book ahead of time!


North Rim (mid-May - mid-October)

courtesy of thecanyon.com
Located at a higher altitude, the view points at this rim shows the width of the canyon beautifully with plenty of greens around. This rim is perfect for those who are looking for a quite less touristy getaway. It is home to varies trees like aspen, birch, maple and oak, due to it's more accommodating temperature.
However, this is the less accessible rim of all (longest driving hours). Besides, it houses only one in-park lodge which is the Grand Canyon Lodge. If you are here in the summer, join an educational ranger-led program to find out about the flora and fauna around North Rim.

Which one did I choose:

photo credits to Matt Fonceca
East and North. I'll leave South and West for my next visit.



Thank You for Reading! 
This post is based solely on my opinion or personal experience. 
 If you have a different opinion, feel free to share your thoughts with me by commenting below!

2 comments:

Ming said...

You should not try the west rim if you have phobia. Will go week in the knees

Jackie said...

Thanks for the recommendations!