I moved to Arizona in the year of our lord, 2003.

I lived for 6 months in Flagstaff. During my time there, I did a lot of exploring. I’ve seen a fair amount of the United States, including Hawaii. I can honestly say that Northern Arizona’s beauty is only rivalled by Colorado. Most people would consider the Grand Canyon to be the crown jewel of that area. Having visited the Grand Canyon National Park, I am not sure I would agree. There is so much beauty in that area, it is difficult to say what surpasses the other.

But then again, its been 19 years since I was there.

On my recent trip to Las Vegas, I discovered that there is a second park on the Western end of the Canyon. My best friend had never been to either Park, so we decided to make the drive.

We rented a car and drove two hours East.

When we arrived, we discovered that there was a stark difference between the two parks. The main Canyon entrance functioned like any other National Park. You pay a fee and you drive to the various points of interest.

Grand Canyon West requires you to pay a higher fee and take buses to the two points on the Canyon. There are a couple of options, including a helicopter tour. We paid the minimum fee ($50 each) and declined the lunch option and the Skywalk glass walkway.

The first stop was Eagle Point.

Eagle Point was beautiful, but sadly, very commercial. This is where the Skywalk was located. While I’m sure the view was spectacular, the line was over 100 people deep while we were there and I was glad we avoided it.

There were also ropes everywhere. Having seen idiots do moronic things at the main Canyon park, I understood immediately why. And yet the ropes did take something away from it all.

Eagle Point also had some exhibits outlining some of the lifestyles of the ancestors of the tribes that inhabit the area.

We got back on the bus and headed towards Guano Point. Having seen how beautiful Eagle Point was, my expectations were considerably lower for a place essentially named “Shit Point”.

I’m not sure who was in charge of naming things, but they should be immediately relieved of duty.

Guano Point was incredible.

I never saw a single Eagle at Eagle Point, but I saw several at Guano Point. I suspect the Eagles liked it better there as well. I didn’t bring any sort of telephoto lens on the trip, so this was the best I could get of them.

There were no ropes cordoning off Guano Point. There was nothing there to restrict the beauty. A friend later asked me if you could fall off one of the cliffs. Yes. There is nothing preventing your death if you aren’t careful.

Guano Point had more of a hike involved. For someone out of shape like myself, it was a little strenuous by the end. Not all that bad though. And you were rewarded for the effort.

I should probably mention that you cannot hike into the Canyon at GC West. That option is only available at the main park.

Our time at the Grand Canyon West Park was probably the highlight of that whole trip.

Of the two, you are better off going to the main park. Take four days. If you’re planning to hike the Canyon itself, take a full week. Fly into Phoenix. Rent a car. Find accommodations near to the Park so that you can get in as early as possible. Stay a day in Sedona while you’re up there and check out Prescott Valley as well.

HOWEVER. If you’re planning a trip to Vegas, that two hour drive to GC West would be well worth your time.