Our “America the Beautiful” series continues with a video tour of the amazing Grand Canyon National Park.

“It’s about a five hour drive from Las Vegas to the north rim of the Grand Canyon National Park. This is a very scenic drive. On the way, you might see a beautiful sunset.

There are a few campgrounds in the park, with a general store, showers, and a laundromat. A good way to begin your day is with a short hike along the Transept Trail. This 1.5 mile trail is quite easy, and it has great views of the canyon below. Just be careful, because it’s a long way down. There are plenty of look out points along the trail, so bring your camera. The trail continues through the woods to another view point.

At the end of the trail, you’ll find the Grand Canyon Lodge. Inside, there’s a restaurant with stunning views from your table. You can dig into the hot buffet, sample a craft beer, or try the Navajo taco with elk chili. There’s a nice big room where you can relax on the couch and take in the view. You can also stay here in a cabin if you don’t like camping. The trail continues down to the Bright Angel Point. This is one of the best views in the whole national park, and it’s a very popular place to take pictures.

A short drive will take you to Point Imperial. At 8,803 feet, it is the highest point in the park. On our visit, we got to watch a storm roll in through the canyon. You can also visit Roosevelt Point, named after Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States. For the last stop of the day, we walked along Cape Royal, a short trail that is only one mile round trip. Down at the end of the trail, you’re rewarded with a panoramic view up, down, and across the canyon. You’ll also see interesting formations, like Wotan’s Throne and Vishnu Temple. You can also hike down to the Angel’s Window, a natural arch. Out on the edge, you can see the Colorado River off in the distance. Looking around, you’ll probably feel really small, as the canyon stretches out for miles and miles.

On the drive back, we made a pit stop to see the Walhalla Glades Pueblo ruins. About 900 years ago, people were still living here. At night, we had a campfire. You can’t leave the Grand Canyon without at least taking a short hike on the Kaibab Trail. Before going, you’d better be sure to fill up plenty of water bottles  This epic trail goes all the way down into the canyon. It’s fourteen miles to the bottom of the trail, and from there you can even walk another fourteen miles up to the South Rim. That’s right, it’s a 28-mile hike in total! If you try to do the entire hike, it’s recommended that you spend two days and sleep in one of the campgrounds at the bottom. We weren’t prepared to do the entire hike, but we did walk along the trail for a few miles and enjoy the views. Along the way, we spotted quite a few lizards sunbathing. Next time we’ll hike the whole thing! On our drive out, we saw a giant herd of buffalo, eating grass and taking a bath in the rain.”