Grand Canyon

A mere photographic image can’t convey what it’s like to marvel at the sights of the Grand Canyon in person. Sunsets here are always magic, and the lighting is different around every canyon bend.

The entrance to the South Rim of the canyon was only a few short hours’ drive from my Arizona home, so over the years plenty of single day trips to the canyon were in order. Calling the Valley home also afforded me the time to make the much longer 8-10 hour drives to experience the true remoteness of the North Rim.

I’ve been fortunate enough to make multiple treks from the top of the canyon down to the river from both rims. I spent many quiet nights hearing only the warm canyon winds and flow of the Colorado while falling asleep under a blanket of thousands of distant stars above. There’s something rewarding about getting the sh*t kicked out of you on a trek deep into the depths of the canyon. With every trip into the vastness of the canyon, I returned to the rim with blisters, sore muscles, and photos galore, but more importantly I came back with a real sense of how much we are part of Mother Nature, and not above Her.

Within this gallery you’ll find over a billion years of geology on display. Happy canyon viewing.

Sunrise golden hour, over Toroweap Overlook, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA, remote north rim, sun rays, natural wonders of the world, camping, cliff edge, northern Arizona, off-roading, Colorado River, Lava Falls, American Southwest, canyo

Sunset golden hour, south rim overlook, lookout, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA, sun rays, natural wonders of the world, camping, cliff edge, northern Arizona, Colorado River, American Southwest, canyon layers.

Sunset golden hour, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA, south rim, clouds, sun burst, natural wonders of the world, northern Arizona, American southwest, Colorado Plateau, canyon layers.

2 backpackers descend the remote north rim Bill Hall Trail, Deer Creek Loop Trail, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA, American Southwest, backpacking, hiking, REI, camping, desert canyon, river Colorado River, north rim, remote, cliff edge, bl

2 backpackers hike at sunset through a deep desert canyon in the remote north rim Bill Hall Trail, Deer Creek Loop Trail, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA, American Southwest, backpacking, hiking, REI, camping, desert canyon, river Colorado R

River rafters paddle down Hermit Rapids on the Colorado River, Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA, south rim, backpacking, Hermit Rapids Trail, Grand Canyon National Park, sunrise, sunset, desert, wonders of the world, hiking, canyon layers, northern Arizona

Sunset golden hour, south rim overlook, lookout, light dusting of snow at the Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA, sun rays, snow, natural wonders of the world, camping, cliff edge, northern Arizona, Colorado River, American Southwest, canyon la

Sunset golden hour, a lone tree on the south rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA, clouds, natural wonders of the world, northern Arizona, American southwest, Colorado Plateau, canyon layers.

Sunset golden hour, a lone flying bird on the south rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA, Colorado River, natural wonders of the world, northern Arizona, American southwest, Colorado Plateau, canyon layers.

A stormy sunset hike in the remote north rim Bill Hall Trail, Deer Creek Loop Trail, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA, American Southwest, backpacking, hiking, REI, camping, desert canyon, river Colorado River, north rim, remote, blue sky, cl

Soft lighting in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA, north rim, backpacking, Bill Hall Trail, Thunder River Trail, Deer Creek Falls, Grand Canyon National Park, sunrise, desert, wonders of the world, hiking, Colorado River, canyon layers, northern Arizon

Soft lighting in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA, south rim, backpacking, Hermit Rapids Trail, Grand Canyon National Park, sunrise, sunset, desert, wonders of the world, hiking, Colorado River, canyon layers, northern Arizona, American Southwest.

Sunset twilight, golden hour, south rim overlook, lookout, at the Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA, sun rays, natural wonders of the world, camping, cliff edge, northern Arizona, Colorado River, American Southwest, monsoon, rain, storm clouds

Purple evening sky, twilight, stars rising over a camp site on the shores of Hermit Rapids on the Colorado River, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA, south rim, river, twinkle lights, backpacking, hiking, tent, REI, evening glow, starry night,

View of a starry night, dark skies rising from a camp site on the shores of Hermit Rapids on the Colorado River, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA, south rim, astrophotography, river, backpacking, hiking, tent, starry night, desert, natural wo

View of a shooting star and the Milky Way rising from a camp site on the shores of Hermit Rapids on the Colorado River, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA, south rim, astrophotography, river, backpacking, hiking, tent, starry night, desert, nat

Sunset golden hour, over Toroweap Overlook, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA, remote north rim, sun rays, natural wonders of the world, camping, cliff edge, northern Arizona, off-roading, Colorado River, Lava Falls, American Southwest.

Canyon landscape with steep rocky cliffs in warm sunlight, Sunset golden hour, rim overlook, lookout, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA, natural wonders of the world, hiking, cliff edge, northern Arizona, Colorado River, American southwest.

Black and white canyon photo of shadowed canyon layers of the Hermit Rapids Trail, Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA, south rim, backpacking, Hermit Rapids Trail, Grand Canyon National Park, Colorado River, desert, wonders of the world, hiking, canyon layer

Black and white canyon photo of a lone female backpacker on the Bill Hall, Thunder River, Deer Creek Falls Trail, Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA, north rim, backpacking, Grand Canyon National Park, Colorado River, desert, wonders of the world, hiking, ca

Camping tent by a river in a canyon with tall rock cliffs and greenery, REI, La Sportiva boots, Jet Boil, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA, natural wonders of the world, hiking, northern Arizona, Colorado River, American southwest, Salt River

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2 hikers hike at sunset through a deep desert canyon in the remote north rim Bill Hall Trail, Deer Creek Loop Trail, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA, American Southwest, backpacking, hiking, REI, camping, desert canyon, Colorado River.

Hiker walking on a trail in a sunlit desert landscape with mountains in the background.

Tent campsite on sandy riverbank in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA, south rim, backpacking, Hermit Rapids Trail, Grand Canyon National Park, sunrise, sunset, desert, wonders of the world, hiking, Colorado River, northern Arizona, American southwest.