If we only have a few hours at the grand canyon, what is the best thing to do?

We will be in flagstaff az. Thanks!

There is a free shuttle (the red route) that runs from the lodges along the rim to the west out to Hermits Rest and back. The driver will point out things along the way and you can get on and off at the various overlooks along the route. This is a great way to see a lot of the canyon in a short period. Not counting any time you might spend at the overlooks, the ride alone is about 1.5-2 hours round trip. Hopi Point and Hermits Rest (at the end) are probably the two most interesting spots to get off and look around, but you can see the canyon from the shuttle much of the way.

After that, I would spend another hour or two around the lodges area where the canyon views are also pretty nice and there many interesting historic buildings worth visiting. Chief among these are the grand 1905 El Tovar Lodge with its fancy lobby, the nearby 1905 Hopi House Curio Shop (built to look like an indian pueblo), Lookout Studio and the old Kolb brothers photo studio (which often has free art exhibits). The area near Lookout Studio (behind Bright Angel Lodge) is a good place to spot condors too.

As long as you are going to be there, you should take a last historic oppurtunity to visit Verkamp's Curio shop (near Hopi House). This was one of the first businesses at the canyon - founded back in 1906 when Arizona was not even a state yet and ithe canyon was not yet a National Park. It has been owned and ran by the same family for over 100 years. Sadly, it will be permantly closing this summer which make this your last chance to visit a place that has been popular with tourists all the way back to the early 1900s.

And finally, Mather Point and Yavapai Point are also very nice overlooks that you can drive up to and are right near the park entrance on your way in (Yavapai Point also has a nice little geology museum). If you are going soon (before April) and get there early in the day, than you could stop for a few minutes at each on your way in. Later in the year and later in the day, parking can get really bad at these overlooks.

There is another shuttle (the blue route) that runs from the lodges out to Mather, Yavapai and Yaki points, but this is a fairly long and dull shuttle trip with relatively few rim views along the way and a lot of non-scenic stops such as the market square and campground - given your time limit, I would not bother with this shuttle.

If you are visiting soon, keep in mind that the South Rim (and Flagstaff too) are up at 7000 feet elevation and so (unlike much of Arizona) they have a real winter with snow and sub-zero temps at night, so dress warm. There should still be a lot of snow on the rim which is one of the most beautiful times to see the canyon.

Have fun!

Drink heavily and try balancing on one foot near the edge.

take south rim tour

Well, I have been there several times. The best think to do is just to a little walking around and sight seeing. You should go to the gift shop and don't forget to bring binoculars. If you only have a couple of hours you most likely won't be able to go on a horse or mule tour, but check into it. Have Fun!

Pee off it! What a sight...

The first would be to stand on the top and look down. take lots of pictures. picnic at the top looking over the view. relax and read a chapter in the book you take along to finish.

We were at the Canyon last November. Use the shuttle bus service to move you from one overlook to another. Take lots of pictures. Enjoy the sights. It is an amazing place to visit.