We visited The Grand Canyon National Park, South Rim, this summer. Williams, Arizona, was an excellent base for day trips.

We are a family of five, and two of our three kids have ADHD (We deal with ADHD inattentive and ADHD predominately hyper). We chose to experience the great outdoors this summer. Nature seems to slightly calm ADHD.

Hikes help hyper kids burn off excess energy, and I’d much rather deal with ADHD breakdowns outside than in a crowded building.

Annie Eklöv

Williams is a quaint little town with beautiful restaurants and shops.

Besides being a fun town with a retro vibe, Williams boasts a rollercoaster, a zipline, and a train that runs to the Grand Canyon.

This schedule allows for hiking before the cool morning air disappears.

We visited The Grand Canyon at the end of July. The trails I suggest worked well for our 7-year-old, and our older children also enjoyed the hikes.

Grand Canyon National Park South Rim Itinerary for Families with Kids

• Eat at 6:30 am (if your hotel has breakfast early).

• 7:00 am get in the car and drive to Grand Canyon Village.

• 8:00 am park your car.

• Use the restrooms.

• Fill water if you use your water bottles in the car. (You’ll be happy for the water later!)

• Get on the shuttle to Trail View Overlook. Depending on where you park, you may need to change shuttles from the blue line to the red line. If You are in doubt, ask the shuttle drivers. They are knowledgeable people who can answer almost any question.

• Hike to the Rim Trail to the next shuttle stop at Maricopa Point. It’s only .7miles (1.1 kilometers). It’s a stroller-friendly paved trail, but some parts of the path get close to the edge. Make sure you always have a visual on your kids.

• At Maricopa point, rest, eat a snack, and stay hydrated.

• Hike to the shuttle stop at Hopi Point (You’ll walk past Powell Point) 0.4 miles (0.6 kilometers). It’s a stroller-friendly paved trail, but as I said, the edge of the grand canyon is not safe for kids who do not respect heights.

The trails do not have guard rails like the lookout points, and trails get close to the edge. The lookout points have railings, but they do not prevent kids from climbing through or around them.

• Get on the Shuttle at Hopi Point and take it to Mohave point.

• Get off and enjoy the view at Mohave point.

• Take the next shuttle to The Abyss.

• Enjoy photographing The Abyss.

• Get on the next Shuttle to Monument Creek Vista.

• Enjoy the View

• If your kids have enough energy left, stop at Prima Point. If not, take the shuttle to Hermits rest.

• At Hermits Rest, use the restrooms, fill up your water bottle, take a picture under the bell, and buy ice cream. The gift shop at Hermits Rest has the best prices on souvenirs and t-shirts. You will not find all Hermits Rest merchandise at the Grand Canyon Village gift shop.

• Take the Shuttle back to Grand Canyon Village. (Remember, the Shuttle doesn’t stop and picks up at all the stops on the way back.)

• Look around at Grand Canyon Village, and peek in the gift shop.
  • We saw an Elk walking the paved paths in Grand Canyon village.

• Drive back to Williams, Arizona

• Eat Supper at one of the downtown restaurants. Check out THIS POST to see our favorite restaurant!

• Look in the local gift shops and art galleries (Shops in Williams are open late most days).

My 15-year-old gamer wasn’t interested in doing more than our planned two hikes. My husband and I would’ve enjoyed hiking more, but our 7-year-old couldn’t manage walking farther in the heat. In the end, the two hikes we chose were a good compromise.

Want to hike more than we scheduled? Read the safety list below before packing too much into one day!

Essential considerations when hiking with children at the Grand Canyon South Rim (Arizona).

• I suggest hiking the longer trails or extra shorter trails along the Rim Trail with older kids or small children who fit in a child backpack with a sunshade.

• Take younger children (who want to walk part of the time) on paved hikes with stroller access.
  • The shuttles only allow small folding strollers.
  • You need a stroller with sun protection in spring, summer, and fall.
  • It’s essential you use a child harness and leash if your child tends to wander off.

• The summer heat takes a toll on young kids. Having dehydrated kids is a high price to pay for extra sightseeing when you’re not adequately prepared.
  • Require your kids to drink water often.
  • Give kids Gatorade or something that replaces lost fluids 3-4 times a day (we brought Gatorade powder with us).
  • Bring lots of snacks. Kids won’t be as hungry in the heat. They need to eat a little at a time and often.
    • Salty snacks (salt helps replace lost water).
    • Sweet snacks (sugars help restore the body’s balance between salt and sweet and ultimately help your body retain fluids).
    • protein bars
  • Use sunshades, sunblock shirts, sunscreen, and hats!

• All of The Grand Canyon’s South Rim Trails have some risks for kids.
  • The main trails most parents take kids on are…
    • Rim Trail
      • Most of the Rim Trail is child safe if you keep young children in a stroller, in a backpack, or on a child harness and leash.
      • The shuttle driver warned us not to take our kids on one trail between Powell Point and Monument Creek Vista.
      • The trail is unsafe for kids because you walk close to a crumbling edge, and the hike requires you to step over thin air where the trail has basically washed away. (We listened and didn’t hike this section, so this information is according to the shuttle driver.)
      • The only section of the Rim Trail that’s not stroller (or wheelchair-accessible) is between Powell Point and Monument Creek Vista.
        • Most of this section is a 3-foot-wide dirt trail.
        • It isn’t the best for strollers with small wheels.
        • This is the section of the Rim trail the shuttle driver told us not to take our kids on.
    • Bright Angel Trail
      • It’s the widest, the most traveled, the least steep, and has the most facilities of the trails headed into the canyon.
        • It does have spots with steep drop-offs.
        • It’s steep enough that you can’t be entirely out of shape and attempt this trail.
      • It’s a judgment call if it’s safe enough for kids.
        • If your children understand that they need to be careful in certain situations — like crossing a street outside your home — AND can be trusted not to take risks, then I would consider a hike down the Bright Angel Trail safe ENOUGH for most kids. 
      • The main danger on this trail is not falling off a cliff. It’s a combination of the following;
        • The Trail is sunny
        • Horribly Hot
        • Very dry
        • Steep.
        • The walk back up is always two to three times more exhausting than the hike down.
        • It’s critical to…
          • Protect yourself from the sun,
          • Carry AND drink a lot of water.
          • Turn around when you START to feel tired or sore.
      • Many hikers plan ahead and have a wonderful hike to Phantom Ranch, but other people go down with bad or no planning and have one of their worst experiences. The choice is entirely YOURS.

• General Safety
  • Stay on designated trails and walkways.
  • Always keep a safe distance of at least six feet (2 m) from the edge of the rim.
  • In areas with a railing or fence, do not let your kids climb over the barrier.
  • Keep an eye on all the people in your group, especially tiny children.
  • Make sure your travel companions have both feet firmly planted on the ground.
  • Know where the edge is. Watch foot placement and look for trip hazards.
  • Do not run, jump, or perform physical stunts near the rim.
  • Do not back up without first looking at where you are going!
    • My mom backed up once while taking a picture and stepped over the edge of a pool! Swimming is much nicer than a fall to your death!
  • Don’t feed the Wildlife!

Guide to the South Rim Trail in Grand Canyon National Park

Technically, the Rim Trail begins at the South Kaibab Trailhead east of Grand Canyon Village. Most people, however, start at Mather Point since it’s much easier to get to.

From Mather Point, the trail stretches westward for about 11 miles to Hermits Rest. This may seem like a rather long hike, especially if you don’t go on regular hikes, but most people can do it.

It’s the easiest of all Grand Canyon South Rim trails, a combination of paved and dirt trails with minimal elevation gain. Most of the Rim Trail is paved

The Rim Trail hugs the very rim of the Grand Canyon, offering extraordinary views. In my opinion, the best views are in the trail’s middle section, where several full panoramas await hikers.

You can make this a there-and-back hike, turning around wherever you want, or hike the entire trail and catch the park shuttle bus back to Grand Canyon Village. That shuttle commutes all day up and down Hermit Road and can drop you off and pick you up at various overlooks along the way. A scenic hike has never been this easy!

We hiked parts of the trail from Mather Point to Hermits Rest (Hermit’s Rest is the end of the Rim Trail and the turn-around point of the shuttle bus). We took our time enjoying the countless amazing views and snapping way too many photos. (It takes the average person about 3.5 hours to hike all the way to Hermits Rest, including stops to snap pictures.) We then hopped on the shuttle bus, which brought us back to Grand Canyon Village.

Of all the South Rim hiking trails in Grand Canyon National Park, I highly recommend you start with this one.

I can’t imagine a better introduction to the Grand Canyon than this. And if you want to hike more, you can always stay another day and hike down into the canyon on the world-class Bright Angel trail.

Points of Interest on Grand Canyon’s Famous Rim Trail (South Rim)

This is an overview of the highlights along the Rim Trail, listed in order from east to west.

Some of this information comes from the National Park Service website.        

• Mather Point
  • Nearest viewpoint to the Grand Canyon Visitor Center and the busiest one, too.
• Yavapai Point
  • Glass observation windows with information about the canyon’s geology, the last drinking water before the end of the trail.
• Park Headquarters Junction
  • Historic buildings, restrooms, drinking water, and other amenities.
• Trailview Overlook
  • Great views of the Bright Angel Trail snaking its way down the canyon wall.
• Powell Point
  • Start of unpaved section.
• Hopi Point
  • My personal favorite South Rim Trail overlook, is amazing for sunset.
• Mohave Point
  • Phenomenal views in several directions.
• Monument Creek Vista
  • The dirt trail ends and becomes a wide multi-use paved trail.
• Hermits Rest
  • End of the South Rim Trail, a small snack bar, gift shop, and water are available.

Wildlife at The Grand Canyon South Rim

During our visit to The Grand Canyon, we saw many animals.

Make a game out of trying to spot animals with your kids.

We saw the following animals;

• Birds (Many kinds)
• Lizards
• Squirrels
• Elk

Don’t feed the Animals! We saw signs that said the most dangerous animal was the squirrel!

Copyright Annie Eklöv