I just got back from an amazing trip to the Grand Canyon. This was my first time going there. We chose the North Rim, partly because of a magazine article we’d read recently. The North Rim has about 10 times fewer visitors than the South Rim, which suits our style very well. The views from the North are quite spectacular, too.

The most amazing thing was that we got to experience the solitude and majesty of the canyon all by ourselves. Here’s how you might be able to do it too: Drive to Point Imperial such that you arrive a half an hour before sunset. We arrived right at sunset, so we missed the best light for taking pictures. If you stay half an hour to an hour after sunset, you may find that everyone else leaves because of the lack of picture-taking opportunities. You’ll hear the wind rush through the trees, see bats and swallows flying about to catch insects, and you’ll be able to sit down on a bench quietly and just be.

And you can get some nice pictures, even after sunset: