The Grand Canyon had long been at the top of my must-visit list, and my expectations were sky-high. I arrived around 5 p.m., just as the sun was beginning to set, spreading a warm, golden light across the vast canyon. I rushed forward, desperate to see it for the first time — and the view took my breath away.

I froze for a moment, camera in hand, completely stunned by the sheer beauty unfolding before me. The colors, the shadows, the immense scale — it was mesmerizing. Slowly, I began taking shots, trying to capture even a fraction of the grandeur. And this was the first image I managed to capture — a memory I’ll carry forever.

There are numerous viewpoints along the Grand Canyon, each with its own name. The one I started shooting from was Mather Point. After spending some time there, I wandered over to a few other viewpoints, but darkness fell quickly. I packed up my gear and headed back to rest for the night.

Here are some of the photos I managed to capture before dusk — each one a glimpse of the canyon’s breathtaking beauty in the fading light.

At sunset.

I decided to stay there at night and sleep in a car, there was a great sky with Milky Way after few hours and I went back to the canyon to take  night shots of the sky.

Sunrise was at 6 a.m., so after catching just a few hours of sleep in the car, I rushed out to find a good spot. People had already started gathering by 5 a.m., and I didn’t want to miss a single moment of the canyon waking up

Here comes the sun 🙂

There were many elk roaming around the area, and this one was casually strolling among the people near the parking lot, completely unbothered by the crowd.

Overall, the park is impressively well organized. There are marked routes leading to all the main viewpoints, and you can explore them by car, bike, or shuttle bus. Some routes are only accessible by bus, which adds a sense of adventure. I decided to make a loop, stopping at several viewpoints along the way.

As I moved from one overlook to another, each view revealed something new — layers of red and gold rock, shadows stretching across the canyon walls, and the Colorado River winding far below. Even traveling between the viewpoints felt like part of the experience, with every turn offering a fresh, breathtaking perspective of this immense natural wonder.

Colorado river.

I had finished exploring the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, but that wasn’t the end — there was another place that had truly captured my imagination: the river bend known as Horseshoe Bend.

The drive there took about 1.5 hours, but I couldn’t resist stopping along the way to capture the incredible views unfolding before me. Time was tight, as I wanted to arrive by around 6 p.m., while the sunlight was still striking the canyon and river. I had to drive a bit faster than usual, and at times even shot photos from the car. Still, I made a few stops whenever the hills and rocky formations demanded it — some of the landscapes were simply too stunning to pass by without capturing.

And finally I made it to my destination the Horse Shoe !

The view of a valley.

My next destination is Zion National Park.