Grand Canyon National Park

The last time I was here I was only at the Grand Canyon for 2 nights, 2 days, but that was because I was attempting a road trip with very little time and I wanted to get a highlights tour. The Grand canyon is huge, and there are some things you should not miss out on:

- Hike down to the bottom. This is an amazing experience, and you can appreciate the canyon in an entirely new way from within it. Looking across from the view points along the Rim Trail is still amazing, but you get a very unique perspective from below. This will take 2 days to do (at a minimum) and you will have to start early both days to avoid the heat (by early, I mean just around sunrise, especially for the hike up if this is around summer). You will also see some amazing colors on the rock walls at this time of day because of the orange glow of the sun. I would opt to stay at the Phantom ranch campground (either camp, or there are cabins there), and spend the day sitting in the little river (not the big one!) to cool off.
I believe there are also some day hikes from this spot if you want to stay another night. You can also turn this into a 2-night trip by only going half way up, where there is another camp (the name escapes me, but if you look at my EveryTrail trip we go straight through it), and there is another short hike out to a great view point about half-way down the canyon.
- Other than the canyon itself, there are great walks along the trim for a while, an art gallery (Kolb Studio), and a few other hikes. There are also some nearby Indian villages with walking tours that you can check out.

I don't know what direction you are coming from/going after, but if you feel that you have had your fair share there are some other amazing places nearby like the Petrified Forest, Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon, Zion, and Capitol Reef to name a few.

Thanks Chris,

Unfortunately I was unable to get a permit to camp in the canyon. I'm going to try to get an overnight permit, but I have my doubts. It looks like I'm going to have to hump it down and then back up in one day. It's going to be an experience to say the least.

I was able to get a permit the day I arrived, they usually reserve about 1/2 of them on a first-come-first-served basis, only available 1-2 days in advance. Be careful about doing the whole thing in 1 day, there are many signs against it, as it will get VERY hot from 11-3 (maybe stay in shade during that time)

Confirming what Chris said, people die at the bottom of the Canyon in the summertime from trying to do too much. Don't attempt a one-day rim-to-rim, or even a one-day rim to river, unless you are in excellent shape. One of the unfortunate was a marathon runner who had finished 30th in the Boston Marathon. http://www.cyclingforums.com/archive/index.php/t-185768.html