Great Destinations

Grand Canyon, Arizona – September 2025

We spent an afternoon and the following morning at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and visited almost all of the famous overlooks that are spread out across the length of the Canyon rim. So this slideshow is basically the result of one full day of siteseeing. We would have loved to take a hike down into the Canyon, but time did not allow it, so all the images you see here were taken from various places on the rim. We traveled west the first afternoon all the way to Hermit’s Rest and came back to view the sunset from Hopi Point, which is pretty much universally acknowledged as the best place to do so. Park staff know this, so they conveniently positioned a set of buses at Hopi Point to collect the hordes of tourists there after sunset. The following morning we went east, walking the rim from Yaki Point to Shohone Point and then visiting the eastern lookouts by car. We finished our visit at Navajo Point near the famous Watchtower.

If you look carefully, you’ll notice that some of the same stone monoliths and river bends appear in different photos. This isn’t because I was lazy, these features are massive and visible from many points along the Canyon rim. You will see them from various different perspectives as you view these slides. There is no question that the colors of the sandstone are most vivid in the morning or afternoon when the light is at lower angles. A few shots here lack the vivid colors, and you can bet they were taken at mid-day. But when the sun is right, and sometimes I was able to enjoy that, the colors and textures can be surreal.

A sweeping Hopi Point view reveals red, orange, and purple Grand Canyon layers under scattered clouds.
Multiple types of stone and colors looking across the canyon from Hopi Point – Grand Canyon, Arizona
People stand on an overlook at Mather Point with vast red and purple Grand Canyon formations stretching behind them.
Goofy poses are the norm at most Canyon overlooks. This is Mather Point Lookout near the Visitor Center and is the most popular overlook in the park – Grand Canyon, Arizona
A view east from Hopi Point shows colorful Grand Canyon layers glowing beneath a blue sky.
Looking east from Hopi Point as fading sunlight brings out colors in the sandstone – Grand Canyon, Arizona
Warm late-day light and deep shadows define rugged Grand Canyon formations viewed from Hopi Point.
Late afternoon shadows at Hopi Point – Grand Canyon, Arizona
A small moon rises over sunlit canyon walls and deep shadows at Hopi Point near sunset.
Sun lights the moon and Canyon Walls at sunset from Hopi Point – Grand Canyon, Arizona
Warm light reveals the muddy Colorado River winding beneath pale ledges and steep walls near Pima Point.
The Colorado River is a muddy bron passing through this Canyon section below Pima Point on the South Rim – Grand Canyon, Arizona
Green pines contrast with banded sandstone cliffs inside the Grand Canyon near Shoshone Point.
Individual sandstone layers are easy to distinguish on this wall near Shoshone Point – Grand Canyon, Arizona
A wide view near Shoshone Point captures red cliffs, gray ridges, and distant Grand Canyon formations.
Looking west from near Shoshone Point on the South Rim – Grand Canyon, Arizona
A sunlit stone ledge juts over the Grand Canyon with red cliffs and deep shadowed layers below.
This stone slab is cantilevered out very high above the South Rim near Mather Point. The elevation doesn’t stop daredevils from dangling legs over the abyss – Grand Canyon, Arizona
Large white clouds hang over red Grand Canyon buttes and blue sky near the South Rim at Mather Point.
Gorgeous combination of sunlight, blue sky, clouds and red stone near Mather Point – Grand Canyon, Arizona
The Bright Angel Trail zigzags down a steep wall beneath the South Rim into Grand Canyon shade.
The Bright Angel trail, probably the park’s most famous, switchbacks down from the South Rim – Grand Canyon, Arizona
Warm evening tones settle over layered mesas and distant Grand Canyon walls from Hopi Point.
Late in the day at Hopi Point – Grand Canyon, Arizona
A black and white view emphasizes eroded stone towers against deep Grand Canyon shadow near Grandview Point.
Contrasting stone at Grandview point: eroded white towers in front of deep red soft sandstone walls – Grand Canyon, Arizona
Maricopa Point reveals a vivid range of red, purple, gray, and tan Grand Canyon rock layers.
Pretty much every major sandstone color in the Canyon is represented in this view from Maricopa Point on the South Rim – Grand Canyon, Arizona
A monochrome late-afternoon view from Pima Point emphasizes layered ridges and bright cloud patterns.
Another contrasty late afternoon view from Pima Point – Grand Canyon, Arizona
Trees and shrubs along the rim frame a dry, layered Grand Canyon interior under clear blue sky.
Abundant plants at the rim contrasts sharply with the barren Canyon interior – Grand Canyon, Arizona
A South Rim overlook reveals the Bright Angel Trail descending along pale cliffs into the canyon.
Looking across the Canyon from the Studio on the South Rim. Bright Angel trail drops off a riverside cliff at left – Grand Canyon, Arizona
A large red sandstone structure stands below the rim, surrounded by pale and gray Grand Canyon strata.
Many stone structures in the Canyon have names, but this one does not so far as I can tell. It is massive and looks like a boat or an office complex to me – Grand Canyon, Arizona
The Desert View Watchtower stands against a deep blue sky with dry vegetation and canyon landscape nearby.
Desert View Watchtower at Navajo Point – Grand Canyon, Arizona
Deep blue shadows and pale ridges create a layered Grand Canyon vista beneath bright high desert light.
Westward afternoon sun providing complex shadows from Great Mojave Wall overlook -Grand Canyon, Arizona
Early sunlight illuminates layered Grand Canyon formations beyond rocky foreground ledges at Yaki Point.
Early morning light on the Canyon from Yaki Point – Grand Canyon, Arizona
A late-afternoon Hopi Point scene shows rugged cliffs, deep shadows, and warm red canyon layers.
A rugged, late afternnon view from Hopi Point – Grand Canyon, Arizona
A Navajo Point view shows contrasting red cliffs, pale ridges, and orange canyon terraces below.
Contrasting red rock walls and orange sandstone plateaus are separated by the river at Navajo Poin – Grand Canyon, Arizona
The low sun creates a bright starburst above Grand Canyon cliffs and layered formations at Hopi Point.
Hopi Point is the most popular sunset location on the South Rim, and here is an example of what can be seen there – Grand Canyon, Arizona
A panoramic view from Hopi Point shows the Colorado River winding through expansive Grand Canyon formations.
The Colorado River is visible at left and snakes across the center of this panorama looking northwest from Hopi Point – Grand Canyon, Arizona
A broad Grand Canyon view shows South Rim cliffs, layered red rock formations, and the trail descending below Yaki Point.
Yaki Point on the South Rim is at upper right, and a trail zig zags from there down to Ooh Ahh point at lower left, famous for the great view from that spot – Grand Canyon, Arizona
A narrow panorama captures the North Rim and multicolored canyon walls from Navajo Point.
A Panoramic view of the North Rim from Navajo Point at the eastern end of the park – Grand Canyon, Arizona
A pale rock wall thrusts upward from deep Grand Canyon shadows near Pima Point on the South Rim.
Another unnamed massive stone wall is thrust up from deep in the Canyon near Pima Point – Grand Canyon, Arizona
A black and white composition shows a rim tree overlooking detailed Grand Canyon formations at Maricopa Point.
Copying Ansel Adams’ stark, highly detailed landscape approach at Maricopa Point on the South Rim – Grand Canyon, Arizona
Rugged foreground ledges frame multiple canyon promontories dropping toward the unseen Colorado River far below.
Multiple promontories descend downward many thousands of feet to the canyon floor. The Colorado River is still further down – Grand Canyon, Arizona
A solitary figure stands on a cliff edge at Yaki Point with dramatic Grand Canyon ridges beyond.
An early morning daredevil photo op at Yaki Point – Grand Canyon, Arizona
A weathered tree and sunlit rock ledge frame the Grand Canyon's blue ridges near Yaki Point.
Yaki Point view – Grand Canyon, Arizona
Foreground rock pinnacles lead the eye down through shadowed cliffs toward distant depths of the Grand Canyon.
It’s tough to find a viewpoint that captures the depth of the canyon from the rim. Here are several stone monoliths progressively further down to the Colorado river more than a mile away – Canyon, Arizona
A broad overlook shows the Bright Angel Trail dropping through layered cliffs into the Grand Canyon.
The Bright Angel trail drops very rapidly in the first mile or so and is deep in the canyon from this South Rim overlook view – Grand Canyon, Arizona
The Colorado River and Hance Rapids are visible far below red walls and rocky South Rim cliffs.
Colorado River Hance Rapids, the largest on the river, look large even from this vantage point miles away – Grand Canyon, Arizona