Visiting the Grand Canyon had been on our bucket list for decades. I had built it up so much in my mind. I was worried it wasn’t going to live up to expectations. But I was wrong.
We visited the South Rim in June 2024. After spending a week exploring its wonders, we found the Grand Canyon exceeded our expectations. During that week, we discussed visiting the North Rim. But we decided against it. The trip there and back, plus spending enough time to experience it, was going to take a minimum of 12 hours. And we didn’t know how to fit that much time into our plans.
Few places have elicited such awe, even for us as seasoned travelers, as the Grand Canyon. Approaching the rim for sunrise revealed an ever-changing palette of colors and shadow. There were orange and pink rocks, drifting mists, and the vastness of the canyon carved over millennia by the Colorado River. It’s almost indescribable—an experience that evokes joy, humility, and (for us) more than a little emotion.
Despite our week-long adventure—taking in everything from history and hiking to sunrise vistas—we felt like we had only begun to discover what Grand Canyon National Park offers.
We fully intend to return, with plans for a rim-to-river and possibly a rim-to-rim hike. But the Dragon Bravo Fire has unexpectedly shattered our medium-term plans.
At the time I’m writing this, the fire has consumed more than 141,000 acres. It is only 36% contained and has dropped well below the rim into the canyon. It seems to be a living, breathing beast that no one can tame.
The fire has already wiped out the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, as well as other historic structures on the North Rim. And it has, perhaps irreparably, changed the hiking trails to and from the North Rim.
Each trip to the Grand Canyon reveals something new. It’s not usually a once-in-a-lifetime destination but a place to return to again and again.
We will return, visiting the South Rim and the North Rim. But it’s heartbreaking to know that we didn’t make the time to carve out 12 hours in one day. And now we’ve lost the chance to see something that this time was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
I don’t plan to let that happen ever again.