Grand Canyon: Northern Lights at the South Rim
Soaring beauty from the depths of the Earth and the heights of the heavens.
11-14 November, 2025
Grand Canyon National Park
"He set the earth on its foundations... the mountains rose and the valleys sank down to the place you assigned for them." — Psalm 104:5-8
Months ago, I planned for us to arrive at the Grand Canyon on Nick’s birthday. The week before heading there, I started checking the weather, and what I saw was bad news.
The forecast called for two solid days of rain, snow, and lows in the low 20s. Worst of all was the prospect that it would be raining all day both days we were there. Even if we braved the precipitation, there was a chance we wouldn’t get to see the canyon.
But the weather the three days before Nick’s birthday looked perfect: highs in the mid-60s and sunny. I looked at our itinerary and sadly had to chop off two days intended to spend near Las Vegas visiting with friends. But it was necessary to avoid the possibly snowy and icy roads, not to mention missing the canyon completely.
I shuffled our reservations around and after a soul-filling evening with the Mayes in Henderson, NV, we took off for the Grand Canyon.
Our arrival was a little rocky. This was the first time on the trip we arrived late and had to set up camp completely in the dark. It was partly due to a late start leaving Vegas, a lost hour crossing into Mountain Time, plus the need to change the truck’s three fuel filters en route, while the tank was nearly empty. Plus a fuel stop.
Setting up in the dark was not ideal, but we managed just fine and vowed this would be our last time to voluntarily do it.
The Northern Lights
That evening, we started migrating towards bed when I saw some posts on social media about the Northern Lights making their way to unusually south places. A picture of the lights from Phoenix caught my eye. We looked out the window at the campground and saw this:
Not something you see every evening in Arizona!
It was almost 10 pm, and to the kid’s astonishment, instead of telling them to get into bed, we told them to hurry up and get dressed. We drove the 20 minutes from our campground to the park’s empty south rim overlook and stood in awe of the light and star show.
Unreal colors
Pretty amazing for a phone camera! — iPhone 15 Pro on a tripod with long exposure
Sadie’s take on the light show:
“Oh. My. Lord. I just saw the Northern Lights! It looks like the sky was stabbed and didn’t get medical treatment, and the green is the infection that set in. It was so amazing, and my trip is now complete because I’ve seen everything! This was definitely one of the coolest things I’ve seen so far, and I begged my parents to take us, and it’s a good thing I did because it was supposed to be better tonight, but it’s also supposed to be cloudy tonight, so I definitely made the right call!”
Hermit’s Rest Bike Tour
The next day we loaded up our bikes and toured the road to Hermit’s rest. The nice part about this road is that it is only open to shuttle buses and bikes. The buses also have bike racks on them so you can get on and off the bus or ride your bike as you want between the stops.
It’s really amazing to see how the canyon seems to change from the viewpoints at every overlook.
Epic Colorado River Hike
Prior to getting to the Grand Canyon, Sadie had been asking Nick if she could hike down to the Colorado River. He told her that this was a serious day-hike mission and would require some additional research before setting out. They studied a hiking map and got some information from a volunteer at the visitor center about what trails and water points were open.
The next morning, I dropped Sadie and Nick off to catch the earliest available 7 am park shuttle to the South Kaibab trailhead. With the sun beginning to rise, they blazed down the trail, dropping elevation with every step, and arrived at the river (~7 miles) 2.5 hours after starting.
Sunrise from the South Rim
They crossed the river to the north side of the canyon, walked through the Phantom Ranch campground, and stopped to grab a snack at the canteen. The canteen is supplied through daily mule trains from the south rim. You can also buy postcards and stamps at the canteen – the only place where U.S. mail is still transported by mule.
The river’s beauty was rivaled only by the sky
The park service is currently doing a large water supply project to replace the failure prone Transcanyon pipeline that was built in the 60’s. Because of the associated construction, the River Trail that would normally connect to the Bright Angel trail was closed which meant that they had two choices; go back the way they came on the South Kaibab (~15 miles round trip) or take the Tonto trail to the Bright Angel trail which would be over 20 miles. Nick was on the fence and told Sadie that it was her decision.
As they stopped to rest for a few minutes, they got into a conversation with a group of hikers who had just come down the Tonto trail. The hikers said that it was their favorite trail and had beautiful panoramic views of the canyon. As Nick and Sadie walked away, Sadie said emphatically, “We’re doing that one.”
And that is how they ended up hiking 20.4 miles and 10,887’ of elevation change in 10 hours. Nick was sending me text messages of their progress throughout the day. (Side note: Verizon’s text via satellite has been an unexpected and extremely useful feature during this trip!).
As they were nearing the South Rim, Nate and I hiked down the first mile of the Bright Angel Trail and surprised them for their final mile of the hike out of the canyon. We crested the rim as a family just as the sun was setting.
Running low on both daylight and energy after 20+ miles
Desert View Watchtower
On our final day in the park we drove out to see the Desert View Watchtower. It is a 70-foot stone structure perched on the South Rim’s eastern edge.
Completed in 1932, it was designed by architect Mary Colter to resemble the ancestral Puebloan towers of the Four Corners region. The interior is decorated with intricate murals depicting Hopi mythology and prehistoric Southwestern designs.
"All along the watchtower; Princes kept the view" — Jimi Hendrix (Originally Bob Dylan)
As the highest point on the South Rim, the Watchtower offers a 180-degree view of the canyon, the Colorado River, and the distant Painted Desert.
Stunning View into the canyon from the Watchtower
Book Recommendation: A Walk in the Park
Something that greatly enhanced our trip to the Grand Canyon was the discovery of an incredible book called A Walk in the Park by Kevin Fedarko. Nick and I listened to this audiobook at the same time. Narrated by the author, the storytelling about his 750-mile thru hike of the Grand Canyon is simply incredible. Hands down, one of the best books I’ve read this year, and maybe ever. It’s a perfect read if you’re heading to the Grand Canyon or if you enjoy hiking in any capacity.
Wonders of the World
One of the things that makes the Grand Canyon so breathtaking is how unique this spectacle is within the world. Consequently, people travel from literally all over the world to behold it.
The morning I dropped Nick and Sadie off for their big hike, I brought my coffee to Mather Overlook. In the silence of dawn, I joined about a hundred other visitors in the simple act of watching the sun rise. There were easily 20 different languages represented here, all of us brought together by this ball of light rising above the canyon walls, starting our day together with coffee and selfies.
Our national parks are one of the things that make me truly proud of the country we live in. It’s unassuming moments like these, surrounded by others who understand the miracle found in a simple sunrise, that give me hope for our world.
Roberts on the Road
For those just finding us, hello! Inspired by the Year of Jubilee in Leviticus 25, our family is on a yearlong RV road trip in 2025-2026 to celebrate my husband’s retirement after 20 years in Naval Special Warfare, as well as our 24 years together during the ups and downs of it all.
With our 12-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son in tow, this trip to explore America’s national parks and beautiful places is intended to help our family reflect and reset as civilian life begins.
Sign up below to receive updates about the trip, along with stories, photos, and reflections from 24 years of military service. We look forward to keeping in touch on this epic adventure.
To join the Road Trip email list, please fill out this short form. We promise no spam and an AI-free zone. Any typos and mistakes are my own :)
For background info on who we are and where we’re traveling, we’d love for you to read the intro post. The full list of road trip blog posts can be found here. Thanks for stopping by!
