Grand Canyon National Park
Arizona
A mile-deep canyon cut by the Colorado River through two billion years of rock, with the South Rim open year round and a quieter, higher North Rim open only from mid-May to mid-October. Almost everything worth standing at is a public overlook reached on foot, by the free park shuttle, or along two rim drives, so the park entrance fee (plus $100 a person for non-US residents) is the only ticket any of these challenges asks of you.
7 challenges · 37 stops
STARTERFirst Two Hours on the Rim
≈ 2,000 steps0.9 mi · about 2 hoursStarter · 3 stops · 500 credStart where you live.The walk most people take on their first morning: from the Visitor Center plaza to Mather Point, then west along the paved Rim Trail to Yavapai Point where the Trail of Time begins. About two miles on flat pavement, two hours with stops.
STARTERYaki Point Before the Crowds
≈ 3,500 steps1.6 mi · about 2 hoursStarter · 2 stops · 500 credStart where you live.Take the first Orange Route shuttle of the morning to Yaki Point, the one overlook on the east side that cars cannot reach, then walk the paved Rim Trail west to Pipe Creek Vista. Two stops, about a mile and a half of walking, two hours with the ride.
STANDARDDown to Skeleton Point and Back
≈ 6,500 steps3.0 mi · about 5.5 hoursStandard · 4 stops · 600 credOne trip earns it.The park's recommended day hike below the rim: three miles down the South Kaibab Trail to Skeleton Point and three back up, past Ooh Aah Point and Cedar Ridge. Four to six hours, no water and little shade the whole way, so start at first light and carry more than you think. Shuttle only to the trailhead.
STANDARDThe Village in Stone and Log
≈ 1,800 steps0.8 mi · about 3 hoursStandard · 5 stops · 600 credOne trip earns it.A half-day on foot through the Grand Canyon Village Historic District: five buildings from the railroad era, most of them by architect Mary Colter, all stood at from the public rim walk and the road outside. Ends at the Bright Angel Trailhead. About a mile of walking, three hours with time to look.
ADVANCEDHermit Road, End to End
≈ 10,500 steps5.1 mi · about 6 hours · + 1 stretch not routedAdvanced · 8 stops · 800 credGetting there is not the hard part.All eight overlooks of the seven-mile Hermit Road, from Trailview to Hermits Rest, riding the free Red Route shuttle between stops or walking the Rim Trail where it is short. From March through November the road is closed to cars, so the shuttle is the way. Plan a full day and stay for sunset at Hopi or Mohave.
ADVANCEDThe East Road to the Tower
≈ 2,000 steps + 14 mi by car1.1 mi on foot · about 6 hours · + 1 stretch not routedAdvanced · 6 stops · 800 credGetting there is not the hard part.A full day driving Desert View Drive east from the Village to the Watchtower, with a two-mile walk to Shoshone Point at the start and a loop through an 800-year-old pueblo near the end. Six stops over 25 miles; no shuttle runs out here, so you need a car. Lipan Point is closed for repairs until late December 2026 and is left out.
ADVANCEDThe North Rim in Its Short Season
≈ 9,000 steps + 16 mi by car4.2 mi on foot · a full dayAdvanced III · 9 stops · 800 credGetting there is not the hard part.Nine overlooks and trailheads along the Point Imperial and Cape Royal roads on the North Rim, four and a half hours' drive from the South Rim, so plan two days. Open only May 15 to October 15; in 2026 it reopened after the Dragon Bravo Fire with no lodging, no drinking water and some trails still closed, so check the park's status page and carry every drop.
Counted between stops; you'll walk more at each one.
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