Sunrise at the Grand Canyon.
- Ruby Saini
- Jan 23, 2020
- 3 min read
The second day of our Grand Canyon journey (continuation from my last post about the "Night time at the Grand Canyon").
We might have missed the sunset on the previous day, but we were determined to catch the sunrise above the vast amount of canyons and hills at one of the sunrise spots at the Grand Canyon. We chose the Hopi Point, as it was the closest and the easiest to get to from the park entrances. (We did not have to pay the entrance fee again, as we paid to enter the day before, and the ticket was good for 7 days.)
We woke up an hour before the sunrise and made sure we were wearing warm clothes and had a cup of coffee/hot chocolate in hand. We chose to go to the sunrise spot (2 best spots mentioned in my previous post) super early. The sunrise in mid August of 2018 was at 5:45 am. We woke up at 4:00 am, got ready and were inside the park in the parking lot by 5:00 am. We weren't sure if we'd find a spot to sit, as the canyon had a few rocky steps to sit on that were cautioned off by metal railings along the front (see below).
We waited in the car until 5:20 am, and were pleasantly surprised by the wildlife we saw walking around in the open, around the parking lot. It was still quite dark at 5:20 am, so we took flashlights to guide us through the trail to Hopi Point. It was about a 5 minute walk from the parking lot to the view point. Again, we were pleasantly surprised that we were the first ones there. A few minutes later, around 5:30 am, other tourists and photographers quickly started coming in looking for a good spot to sit and to set up their cameras, respectively. Once every one was settled, we were all just waiting for the first beam of light to shine across the horizon.
What we saw next can not be put into words or be shown through pictures. It is definitely something you need to experience in real life.
Just bask in the minimal glory of the Grand Canyon sunrise photos below.
Imagine being there amongst the canyons , oh so grand! Surrounding you and making you feel like the size of an ant. The vast landscapes and valleys deep down below giving you a sense of terror that maybe you'd slip and fall if you got too close to the edge of the canyon. Although to get a better view, you step a tad bit closer to the edge and loosen some dirt and tiny rocks under your feet, that fall down below into the deep abyss. Not hearing the sounds of those tiny rocks hitting the bottom of the valley sends a shiver down your spine. The fear as well as the beauty is just as grand as the Grand Canyon.
It took about 20 to 30 minutes for the sun to fully show above the horizon. So, once we got our pictures, we left and decided to walk around the Grand Canyon and a take tour of the South Rim by boarding a bus at the loop, which had various stops for us to view the different sides of the canyon. (More on this in the next post!)
The grandiosity of the sunrise seriously can not be put into words. These pictures give you a glimpse of what you can expect when you see the sunrise at the Grand Canyon yourself. I definitely recommend seeing the sunrise as well as the sunset when visiting the Grand Canyon.
Message me your questions @rubysainii
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