Quick and Simple Grand Canyon RV Trip with Kids
The Grand Canyon was a huge bucket list item for us, and one of the first places we explored after becoming a full time RV family. We camped inside of the park, caught a sunrise over the canyon, and walked the south rim in stroller-friendly areas. No scaling canyon walls or hiking down and back up for us, but the slower pace as a family with toddlers was just fine for us!
Exploring Grand Canyon National Park with kids is a GREAT idea. Don’t worry about them tripping and falling over the edge of a canyon that’s nearly a mile high (just airing out one of my worst fears here).
Click to access all of the National Park’s maps of the Grand Canyon!
First thing to know about The Grand Canyon: there are two rims you can explore, the south rim being the most popular and where we stayed.
The south rim is more developed with lots of visitor centers, science centers, paved trails, and lodging/camping areas. Also, many families decide to explore Utah and Arizona National Parks, then head north to the Grand Canyon coming from the south. The south rim is open year round, and has a lot more to see and do. (Okay, technically you can see the same canyon from the other side.)
If we had more time, we would have explored the north rim, but we just didn’t get to it this trip!
When is the best time to visit?
We went to the Grand Canyon in June, and it was perfect for a variety of reasons.
First, the weather. Yes, June is a popular time for tourists, but the days were nice and warm (but not too hot), the evenings enjoyably cool, and the mornings even a bit chilly. We had lots of sunshine and thought it was truly a perfect time for visiting. We could also see May or September being ideal months for visiting if you have the flexibility of the kids not being in school but want cooler weather.
Note: if you visit the Grand Canyon during peak season (May through September), you WILL run into crowds! We did a great job capturing photos that had no people in them, but we got creative with our angles. See example below:
That Instagram worthy photo!
Reality.
Tips for Dealing with Tourists and Kids
Nothing causes us more anxiety on trips than large crowds and pushy tourists. Here are a few tips that veteran families have passed on to us that have helped!
Have them wear distinctive, bright clothing. I find hats and t-shirts easiest to spot them by, and often match their shirts as well.
Agree on a meeting spot. This works well for kids at least age 4 or 5. Have a designated family meeting area like the Visitor Center or something close by that they can see at all times. If you get lost, go there!
Hold hands, use a stroller, or use a safety harness. With our oldest, the rule is to hold onto the stroller at all times. But if we had to take them out to walk, the rule was to hold hands with us. We didn’t believe in the whole “child leash” thing… until we had a toddler that likes to disappear on us, OR take the hand of strangers and walk around with them. Yikes! Do what you have to do to keep them close.
Use ID bracelets. This can be as simple as a paper bracelet with your phone number on it. If they get lost, give someone the ability to find you!
Where We Stayed
We decided to stay inside the National Park, and we’re really glad we did because the closest RV park outside of the park was about 30 minutes from the entrance. It was a really nice little park that fit our 42-foot fifth wheel, but still felt like we were camping. The sites are NOT spacious, and a little pricey for what it is… but being 5 minutes from the rim was completely worth it.
Trailer Village RV Park
All sites are pull-thru. Apart from the cool wildlife around, we also enjoyed easy access to biking trails and the kids liked biking around the park on the pavement.
Many of the walkways have this little wall to keep anyone from falling off the edge. But note… it’s still just a little wall with a VERY large drop off on the other side. My (Melody’s) mama nerves really struggled this entire trip!
Grand Canyon 4-Day Itinerary with Kids Overview
Day 1: RV Park setup and Mather Point viewing
Day 2: Walk the south rim trail from Yavapai Point to the Visitor Center
Day 3: Explore the Village area and walk the rim trail
Day 4: Shuttle bus tour up Hermits Road
Our Grand Canyon Itinerary Details
You’ll want access to the Grand Canyon Pocket Guide for referencing out itinerary.
Day 1: We arrived and got checked into the RV park, set up, then ran to the rim!
We had to see the epic view, and it’s one of the perks of camping inside the park (being so close!). We went to Mather Point which was a short, easy walk (with some stairs) to a beautiful view.
Day 2: We walked the south rim starting at Yavapai Point and Geology Museum Park Store and ending at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center which is stroller friendly!
This was a great place to start so that everyone knew what we were looking at! The Geology Museum is really informative, and breaks down the various parts of the canyon, layers of rock, and points of interest. (See creation worldview note below.)
The trail between Yavapai Point and Mather Point is .7 miles, and about another .25 miles to the Visitor Center. So plan on 2 miles roundtrip with lots of stops to take in the views!
The Visitor Center is large and really great for kids! Here they have the Junior Ranger Program, gift shop, scientific explanations, a presentation, a water-refill station, etc. This actually had one of our favorite gift shops, too, with some really neat gift ideas.
Day 3: We explored the Village area, walking the rim trail near the Verkamp’s Visitor Center.
This area was BUSY. It took us a while to find a place to park our massive truck, but we finally found a spot and enjoyed a few hours here. If you’re concerned about parking, consider taking a shuttle bus (blue route)! Though the shuttle can have long lines, too.
The Village area has some historical walking areas with old buildings and native American history, and of course the rim trail. It even has a restaurant and ice cream.
There’s also a train depot for the Grand Canyon Railway. If you really feel like splurging, take a ride on the train!
Day 4: Hermit Road Shuttle Bus tour.
This shuttle bus tour leads to 9 neat overlooks and ends at the Hermits Rest house. Scenic Hermit Road begins on the west side of the Village Historic District. The road follows the canyon rim for 7 miles (11 km) out to Hermits Rest, and the Hermit Trailhead.
If you stay on the bus, it takes 80 minutes round trip. But of course if you pop off and go to the overlook points and wait on the next bus, it could take a lot longer. So keep this is mind when traveling with your little ones!
Separate from the rim trails, there are overlooks with paths that take you to the edge. This one made mama nervous, and I stayed back with our 2-year-old, letting the boys take the adventurous walk.
A note to parents: Don’t miss the Grand Canyon at sunrise.
Check the sunrise time, and go join the hundreds of people in enjoying the first ray of sun breaking the canyon’s edge. It will leave you speechless and so in awe of our Creator. Obviously it’s rough to do this with kids since the sunrise we caught was at 5:10 am… so we took turns. One of us would sneak out that morning, and it was such a quiet time of relaxation and beauty.
We went to Mather’s Point to view, and if the main viewpoint areas are full, it’s easy to walk the rim trail and find a spot.
Creation Worldview Note
As you should hopefully know by now, we are a Christ-following family and look at the world through our Christian lens.
As with any National Park, they focus on an evolutionary world that formed over millions of years. We like to read the history and science with the kids, but always note that their timeline is off because they excluded the divine Creator. We liked to play a little game of exclaiming “thousands!” any time we read “millions.”
Biblical education opportunity
The park acknowledges that the canyon developing from a single drip/trickle of water would take millions of years, which is a great segue to the much more probable explanation: the flood. Arches National Park acknowledges the fact that the arches could only develop from a massive flood… but of course, still denies the biblical flood. Canyons and arches of the west go scientifically hand-in-hand with biblical teaching and points to our Creator! This is a great video to reference as well as this video if you want to watch something ahead of your explorations!
The above was taken from the Creation Museum and is the evidence of the flood and the Grand Canyon. (Click to expand.)
A family-friendly trip to the Grand Canyon is absolutely doable without any hiking of perilous trails or falling off of cliff sides! The pace is slower, the walks more paved, the time diving into science as little more hurried… but the beauty of the canyon is the same and just as awesome with your littles.
Discover how to visit the Grand Canyon with kids—family-friendly tips, best activities, where to stay, what to pack, and how to plan a stress-free trip.