Happy New Year, and thank you for reading this little newsletter. I truly appreciate you all and wish you and your family an excellent 2025. This year, you can expect more adventures, gear tips, hiking suggestions, and more.

I wrote a 2024 recap on Instagram that you can read here.

​Also, I still have calendars for sale. ​

Planning a Trip to the Grand Canyon

I spent the holidays with my parents in Northern Arizona and finally spent more than just a day at the Grand Canyon. I usually zip up, hike down to the river and back up, then leave. Seeing areas I've never been to before was an immense delight.

Below is a condensed version of my Grand Canyon Itinerary article, which you can find here. ​

How Many Days Should You Visit?

I think three days is the sweet spot for the Grand Canyon. You'll have some travel on the first/last day, giving you enough time to do a couple of hikes, see the overlooks, spot wildlife, and enjoy the area.

Where to stay?

You can stay in five to six places inside the park boundaries (not including camping), but you'll pay more to be right in the middle of things. We stayed in Yavapai Lodge, which is only a few minutes from the Visitor Center and Bright Angel Lodge. They also have a Dining Hall and General Store nearby.You can also stay in Tusayan, a mile south of the park's entrance. This has far more options and food choices. If you do opt for this, try getting into the park early. By noon, the line could stretch all the way into the town.

Top Hikes in GCNP

Easy:

• Walk out to Desert Watch Tower
• Walk the Rim Trail
• Shoshone Point

Moderate:

• Ooh Ahh Point
• 1.5-Mile House
• 3-Mile house
• Cedar Ridge

Hard:

• Havasuapi Gardens (Formerly Indian Gardens)
• Rim-to-River
• Rim-to-Rim
• Plateau Point
• Skeleton Point

Remember, when you visit the Grand Canyon, hiking down is optional. Hiking up is Mandatory.

​Find more of my top hikes here.

Is there anything else to note?

• Check out the Visitor Center. They have a nice video that will give you a good geological understanding of the park and its significance.
• In the summer, the road out to Hermit's Rest is Shuttle-Only.
• Please bring enough water. Bright Angel Trail (south rim) is the only trail that has potable water.
• South Kaibab has no water and no shade. It's also much steeper than Bright Angel.

Are you planning any trips or buying gear in 2025? If you use these links, I'll get a small commission at no cost to you!
Just click the link before you purchase, and it's done!

• ​REI.com​
• ​Backcountry.com​
• ​Amazon.com
• ​Viator.com ​
• ​Expedia.com​
• ​VRBO.com​
• ​Hotels. com​

New Youtube videos

The one thing I'm excited about this year is YouTube - and getting a chance to monetize it. (I need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours. So, currently, everything I'm doing is unpaid.) If you want to help me out, click here to subscribe! ​

​Backpacking 30 miles to High Pass in Washington​

​Eye to Eye: Flightseeing around the tallest peak in North America​

​Five-day trip to Alaska's Katmai and Lake Clark National Parks​

​-25F: My Trip to the Arctic Circle​

​All of my Adventure Videos​