The main entrance from the Grand Canyon National Park is located 80 miles from Flagstaff and 275 miles from Las Vegas. The entrance fee for the park is $20 per car for a week or, if you walk in, $10 for a week. For us and for many visitors, the best option is to buy a National Park Pass. The pass costs $50 and gives you and your family and vehicle entrance into any national park where you need to pay an entrance fee.
The park is split in two parts, the north rim and the south rim, with the Colorado River running in the middle. We visited, like most tourists, the south rim, and all the information we have is about the south rim. When you enter the park, you receive a copy of their free guide and a nice color map. After that you need to park your car and use the shuttle buses. We parked our car at the Mather Point. Here we had our first impression of the Grand Canyon, and it was amazing. Very breathtaking. From here you can walk to the visitor center. You need to visit the visitor center. They have great information about the park, like maps and pictures, but they also provide a lot of information about the activities in the park, like the ranger programs.
From here you can go farther into the park. For this, use the free shuttle buses. There are three routes: Village (blue), Hermits Rest (red), and Kaibab Trail (green). We first took the blue line to the starting point of Hermits Rest. This route runs along the canyon to Hermits Rest, and this part of the park is closed for private vehicles. We got off at several points, and the views were spectacular and unforgettable. At the end point (Hermets Rest), we made a call home (Belgium). It was a great experience calling home with a view of the Grand Canyon.
Then we bought some souvenirs in the village and returned to our car. Because we needed to drive to Zion, we did the Kaibab Trail route by car. There are also some great stops with special views, and at these viewpoints are a lot fewer tourists. We stopped at Yaki Point, Grandview Point, and Desert View.
We loved the Grand Canyon. It has much to offer, but you need at least one day to get a good view of and feeling for this park. If you stay on the main roads, it can be crowded. We regret that we did not have one day more, but once in our lives, we will go back for more than one day. We would like to hike in the canyon to the Colorado River. I think this is the only way to experience the greatness of the canyon. One thing's for sure--we will go back to hike!!!