A Traveler’s Guide on The Best Time to Visit the Grand Canyon

Do you want to know when the best time to visit Grand Canyon is? When you are traveling, it is very important for you to become prepared before anything else, and you need to make sure that you will choose the best time to visit the Grand Canyon. If this is your first time to travel there, then there is nothing for you to worry about that as this guide is the right place for you.

The Grand Canyon is known to be one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is really popular to many tourists around the world. Actually, this is being considered as one of the highly visited tourist attractions on the United States. The place is being divided with different areas and the most common being visited is the National Park.

Also, there are two main divisions of the Grand Canyon which is the North and South Rim. The South Rim is the most accessible area and already crowded, but there are still some people who will choose to visit and enjoy the North Rim. There are also a lot of things that you can do when you are in Grand Canyon which makes it more ideal for people who are up for some new adventures in their life.

But, the main question is, when is the best time to visit Grand Canyon? After this article, you’ll have a better idea on how to answer that for yourself depending on what your wants are.

A Year Round Grand Canyon

For each month there are different things that you can expect at the Grand Canyon and it’d be good to be familiar with. The best time to visit Grand Canyon could be on the months of March to May. But, as previously stated,  each season/month has different things to offer.

March to May

March to May could be the best time for you to visit. The temperature during this time is really great and the summer time is just around the corner. Many people will visit the area as soon as the summer arrives. But, since it hasn’t yet it won’t be as occupied. You should know that there are some areas in the North Rim that may not be available to most people if there’s snow.

Also, there is a differing altitude in the canyon which makes it a lot difficult to predict the weather. The temperature could go low drastically so make sure to have layers of clothes with you.

June to August

The summer is the real peak season and thousands of people all around the world are visiting the place. During these months, the temperature is really hot and you need to make sure that you will have a lot of sunscreens and cover your head with a hat (preferably). Also, it is known that the temperature could be around 40 to 85 degrees and with the color of the canyon. Temperatures around the Grand Canyon vary from area to area – shows how large it is!

Part of the Colorado River may be warm but at the North Rim it may snow. So, with that example in mind, when you are deciding on the best time to visit Grand Canyon, you should also consider the places you are planning to check.

On the month of July, there could be heavy rainstorms but it won’t last for a long period of time. This could also be a common time where most of the facilities are open and could offer the services you need. If you are planning to stay in the park, make sure to consider booking a lot earlier because the campgrounds and rooms get filled out quickly. To easily beat the crowd, it is ideal for you to go in the trail as early as 8-10 am.

September to November

The autumn season is also a time to consider as the “best time to visit Grand Canyon”. This is also a great season because the kids will be back on school and parents are on work, you can expect to see lesser tourists (unless however you’re stuck in that dilemma yourself). If you’re not really fond of beating the crowd and would want a more peaceful vacation this is the time. During these months, you can attend the Grand Canyon Celebration of Art.

The temperature is also good, but you need to sure that you have some warm clothes with you. Around September to October, the businesses could still be open, but once the snow starts to fall, you can expect that most of the establishments will also start to close.

December to February

If you want to have a very quiet and calm visit, then the best time to visit Grand Canyon is on the months of December to February. However, you need to prepare yourself because of the really cold temperature that could freeze you up. It could around for 200 inches of snow every time the winter season arrives and the whole North Rim is not accessible for anyone.

With that in mind, only the South Rim may be open but many establishments, businesses, etc. will be closed. So it may be a sight to see but not a place to be at.

What to Remember

On the other hand, to be more assured on the best time to visit Grand Canyon, there are some important things that you have to remember. This could help you to easily get around and have the best experience from your vacation. The best time to visit Grand Canyon could vary on the place you will check out for and make sure to consider the following things below:

•  If you are interested in having a full access around the park, it is important that you will visit around May and October. Most of the facilities will close as the weather becomes colder.
•  To avoid the crowd, you can consider visiting from around October and April. You can then enjoy the wildlife and other attractions around the area.
•  If you are planning to hike, then you can visit on around September to Juice. Those are the months where the areas are dry and the end of the heavy rainstorms which could be perfect for hiking.