Good morning travelers! Like you, I have a certain “routine” I follow when I first get to work. My morning routine consists of looking around the various online travel forums, such as TripAdvisor, Fodors, Frommers, etc. for topics relevant to the Grand Canyon. No surprise I find a lot of them, but I’m always particularly delighted to find accounts of peoples’ Grand Canyon vacations after they’ve traveled, better known as a “Trip Report.”
Today’s Grand Canyon Trip Report (courtesy of TripAdvisor) was short but sweet as traveler ‘QOE’ described seeing a Grand Canyon sunrise from one of the best possible vantage points:
We arrived at Grand Canyon National Park at 4:00 am, having driven all night, and learned that the park opens at that time. We were trying to pick a spot to watch the sunrise and the sky was already beginning to lighten up. We were headed for the Watch Tower but it seemed to be taking forever on the twisty little roads so we opted for Lipan Point to watch the sun come up. It was a great vantage point.
Sunrise over the Grand Canyon was one of the high points of this trip. It was chilly standing on the rim. We watched huge crows (one attacked the grill of my car!) and speedy larks whizzing by like fighter jets as we waited for the sun to peek out. I can’t say enough about how special that time was for us. Who knew a big hole in the ground could be so impressive!
‘QOE’ made their morning even more special by continuing onto other viewpoints such as Grandview Point, a personal favorite of mine and where our Grand Canyon Sunset Jeep Safari goes.
They then capped off their morning in grand style by enjoying breakfast the El Tovar Hotel Dining Room. Though dinner at this Grand Canyon hotel is widely touted as being a very special experience, I too was always fond of breakfast. No reservations are required, and you can start what will no doubt be a busy day of Grand Canyon sightseeing with a hearty yet creatively prepared repast that will keep you going well into the afternoon if you need it to. That kind of helps ’cause the Grand Canyon Railway drops off hundreds of people every day at 11.30 am, most of whom glom towards the rimside restaurants for lunch. Forget about getting a table once that happens.
As for where ‘QOE’ went next, we don’t know yet – hopefully that’s the subject of another Grand Canyon trip report. But we sure enjoyed reliving the magical moment of a Grand Canyon sunrise with her – “Angry Birds” and all! 🙂
’til next time, here’s a video that talks about various dining options at the Grand Canyon, including the El Tovar Hotel.
Make your day as “grand” as you can, friend! We’ll talk to you again soon.
P.S. Hey one more thing: notice ‘QOE’s’ comment that even in June, standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon was “chilly.” That’s why here at GrandCanyon.com we always say bring at least a light jacket even if you’re traveling in summertime. We’re 7,000′ above sea level, so nights and mornings can still be on the cool side, even in June!
One Response
Thanks for the update, we have been wondering about Lipan for Sunrise for a while. We usually like Yavapai and Grandview, but so far we have liked all of the different points for a sunrise.