When my family and I crossed the country to see the wonders out west has to provide we were shocked at how fake the Grand Canyon looked. The anticipation to see the Grand Canyon was overwhelming, I was ready to be amazed by this natural landmark, but when I looked across the canyon I was baffled at how fake it all looked. I remember saying to my brother that it looked like a green screen someone pulled up.
Even though it did look very fake to me, I did love looking out upon it. The Grand Canyon is one of those things you can look at for hours on end and still want to stare at it some more, trying to understand it. We walked along the path of the North side of the Grand Canyon for a while, and it looked so pretty and unreal when seeing the far side of the canyon. We stayed at a hotel in the Grand Canyon National Park so every time we looked out the window we were looking in amazement.
The following day we were there we had a hike planned to go down inside the canyon itself. I didn’t know what to expect because I had never done anything like this before. Hiking inside the Grand Canyon can be dangerous and difficult depending on how far down you hike. We decided to hike to the Ooh Aah Point on the South Kaibab Trail. Throughout the total South Kaibab Trail there are 3 stopping lookout points. We planned to only go to the first stop because we were unsure how we would all handle the up and down of the canyon.
Roundtrip the Ooh Aah Point is 1.8 miles long and for the most part not extremely steep. The only downside of this hike is that there is no water along the route, so you need to make sure to bring your own water. This hike is perfect for any non-hikers or families with children because it offers an amazing view of inside the canyon and it is not difficult to do.
The best way to get to the hike is by the shuttle. We decided to go as soon as it opened to make sure we weren’t hiking in the sweltering heat. We used the Kaibab/Rim Route bus because it was closet to our hotel. Right before the hike there is bathrooms, little picnic benches, and a scenic view spot. We didn’t spend anytime here before our hike because we wanted to avoid crowds and the heat so we started as soon as we got there.
The first 20 or so minutes the hike down is relatively steep and small in width. A hiking rule I always like to go by is that anyone coming upwards gets the right of way. This is really a polite way of hiking and ensures that you let the person doing more work at the moment pass by you. The beginning section was the only place we saw lots of people. Once we were past that beginning piece it was mostly just the four of us until the Ooh Aah Point.
The Ooh Aah Point has an outstanding view. It feels almost as like you zoomed into the canyon and were able to see it more up close than from the top. I loved doing this hike and seeing this view because the Grand Canyon felt real this way. Seeing it from the inside helps your mind wrap the idea of how large and insane it is, it made me see the canyon for its grandness! I think that if we did not do this hike I would not have appreciated the Grand Canyon as much as I do today.
If we had known what the hike was going to be like and planned out more time I think we would have went all the way to the end of the hike to Skeleton Point. The view down there is supposed to be even more amazing and allow you to see how deep the canyon truly goes. For anyone that wants to hike inside the canyon I think this is an amazing hike to do because of its ease and gorgeous outlooks. Next time I go back to the Grand Canyon I’ll definitely be doing this again!
