The Canyon Less-Traveled

The Grand Canyon is one of the most beautiful and well-known National Parks in the United States (and probably the world). People flock to the southern side of the canyon, which has grown in popularity but also in how touristy it can feel. What most people don’t realize is that if you take a two or three hour detour to the northern section, you come across a desolate and wild area known as Toroweap.

With no fences or form of protection along the edge of the canyon, you need to be a bit more cautious while exploring, but with all of the boulders and possibilities,.

During our trip, most of the days were spent either exploring along the cliff sides or taking cover as the desert storms quickly rolled through. Once the sun started getting lower, we headed to the area which is most recognizable.

You walk out on the rocks and suddenly stand face-to-face with the massive canyon and the tiny Colorado River snaking through it. It was breathtaking. We sat there through the entire sunset and marveled at everything that was around us. The sky was cooperating as the sun lit up the sky with color right before dipping below the horizon.

We slept through the chilly and windy night, waking up with a thick layer of sand in our tents during pre-dawn. Since we missed the sunrise on our first morning, we headed back to the viewpoint and hopped around to a small isolated cliff. Again, we just sat there in silence and waited for the warm light to overtake the rocks around us.

I love the Grand Canyon—it’s a place near to my heart and it’ll never grow old for me. The two sides are vastly different and if you’ve never made your way over to Toroweap, I highly recommend it. You won’t be disappointed!