A breathtaking start to a Grand Canyon Journey
The journey to the Grand Canyon can be a long one, depending on the angle you approach it from. We headed straight up from Phoenix to the far-eastern point of the “southern ridge”. This is the side with the most developed infrastructure, the famous Grand Canyon Village, outfitted with all the lodging, shops, and trails you need to make your trip comfortable and fulfilling. The drive here through the rocky plains of central Arizona was also a sight to behold. We could even see an early edge of canyon!
Before undertaking the long drive to the central Village area of the grand canyon, we went to a well-known but still stunning starting point near a little city called Paige. Page is a fantastic place to stay if you are planning on taking the journey along the Grand Canyon the following day; lots of restaurants, a very relaxed half-tourist half -residential place. Horseshoe Bend is just outside Page and one of the most eastern points of the canyon, providing one of the most famous views of the canyon, as well as kayaking spots if you want to take a tour inside down below.
A quick walk (2 minutes one way) will take you down to the cliff’s edge, where you can gaze out at the Colorado River below, bisecting one of the coolest natural formations in the Grand Canyon. Sometimes the scale of the Grand Canyon can be hard to conceive of, but this view “makes sense” for lack of a better phrase.
