Andrew Chen
- The Grand Canyon is popular, so I visited in February to avoid the busy summer months.
- Temperatures were brisk, but I still experienced the stunning views and trails of the national park.
- I loved the peaceful atmosphere, the empty roads and paths, and the offseason hotel pricing.
The Grand Canyon has always been on my travel bucket list, with its sweeping views that warp one’s sense of distance, cliff faces that tower over rugged hiking trails, and buildings steeped with history.
But Grand Canyon National Park is one of the most visited national parks in the United States, and it gets especially crowded in the summer months.
When my travel partner and I started planning a February trip to Arizona and Nevada to escape the cold northeast winter, I figured it would be the perfect time to visit the iconic landmark.
By visiting during the offseason, I was hoping to avoid crowds while still getting the Grand Canyon experience. Here’s what I found.
The South Rim is the only part of the national park that’s open during the winter months. We arrived on a Sunday and got into the park in minutes.
There were only a few cars at the entrance gate to the national park when we arrived.
Andrew Chen
We had no problem finding a parking spot. The parking areas closest to the visitor center were mostly full, but lots further away had plenty of empty spaces.
We were able to get a parking spot close to the visitor center.
Andrew Chen
There weren’t a lot of people around the visitor-center area. I imagine that this space gets very busy in the summer.
Everything at the visitor center was open, but there were no crowds or lines.
Andrew Chen
The Grand Canyon gets snow in winter, but when we visited, it hadn’t snowed for weeks. Still, I saw some areas roped off for snow storage. 
It looked like these areas were used to store snow after it got cleared from the main paths.
Andrew Chen
We took a free shuttle to the trailhead of the South Kaibab Trail. There was plenty of room on the bus.
Everyone got a seat on the shuttle bus.
Andrew Chen
The trails can get icy in the winter and there were warning signs at each trailhead. We’d brought crampons to add traction to our shoes.
We only encountered a few pieces of ice on one of the trails.
Andrew Chen
I was in awe as I caught my first glimpses of the Grand Canyon. I’d seen photos before, but the size and depth of the formations were jaw-dropping. 
The little bit of remaining snow added a nice touch to the views.
Andrew Chen
I knew daytime temperatures in the winter could drop below freezing, but we were lucky to have 55-degree Fahrenheit weather for our afternoon hike. 
It was partly cloudy during our hike.
Andrew Chen
Some parts of the trail were wet and muddy, but others were completely dry. We only encountered a little bit of ice in a shaded area.
Portions of the trail were quite wet.
Andrew Chen
We passed people going in both directions on the trail, but it didn’t feel busy at all. There were periods of up to 10 minutes where we didn’t encounter anyone at all.
We often had the trail to ourselves.
Andrew Chen
We turned around at a scenic point called Cedar Ridge, which was mostly empty, too. 
There were amazing views and very few people at Cedar Ridge.
Andrew Chen
After the hike, we tried to catch the sunset at a lookout point near the visitor center. But more clouds had rolled in, so we couldn’t see much. 
We could only see a bit of the sunset in the distance.
Andrew Chen
For dinner, we headed to Harvey House Cafe in the Grand Canyon Village and had a tasty, simple meal.
The food tasted good and was exactly what we needed after an afternoon of hiking.
Andrew Chen
We stayed the night at Kachina Lodge, one of the Grand Canyon Village hotels. It was only $150 — less than half of what the same room would cost in the summer.
I learned these rooms can get very pricey during the summer months.
Andrew Chen
The next morning, we drove down Hermit Road, an area only accessible by shuttle bus for most of the year.
Private vehicles are only allowed on Hermit Road from December to February.
Andrew Chen
In the winter months, there’s no shuttle service and the road is open to private vehicles.
Since there were no shuttle buses, the bus stops were available for use as vehicle parking.
Andrew Chen
There were very few people using the trails and lookout points in this part of the park. We had a few of the spaces completely to ourselves.
This lookout point appeared to be built to handle a lot of people.
Andrew Chen
Grand Canyon Village was sparsely populated during the day as well, and it looked like the park was using the offseason to work on construction projects.
There was some construction work on one of the paved walking paths.
Andrew Chen
Even though we left the park in the middle of the day, the roads were mostly empty.
There weren’t very many cars on the road.
Andrew Chen
Overall, we had a fantastic winter trip to the Grand Canyon. The lack of crowds gave us a peaceful atmosphere to enjoy the views, leaving me with no regrets about visiting in the low season.
Even if it had been a bit colder, I would still be happy with our decision to visit in the winter.
Andrew Chen
Read the original article on Business Insider
The post I visited the Grand Canyon during low season. The gorgeous views and lack of crowds made up for the colder weather. first appeared on The News And Times.
