My wife and I would like to stop at the Grand Canyon on our way to CA. We are not nature buffs, but we would like to take the opportunity to see the Canyon. My question is: How much time should I allow for the Grand Canyon?

2 days.

The average stay, according to a ranger, is four hours. Since you are not nature buffs, just looking over the rim should do it. You'll be coming from the east, so use the East Entrance, stop at the overlook there, and then continue on the road stopping where you want to look.

These eleven pictures were taken from the south rim and within easy walking distance of the car:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...7622644716819/

Just click on the "action" box and then slide show to see them.

Bookmarking.

The average stay, according to a ranger, is four hours

A similar survey I saw said that about 3.5 hours of these four hours were spent in a vehicle traversing the roads or in the visitor center or in gift shops or restaurants, leaving 30 minutes for the 'average visitor' to actually view the canyon from overlooks.

I'm not making this up, this is actually what the survey found Most people 'do' the GC as a drive-by off of I-40. Amazing and somewhat sad.

Should have answered the original Q instead of venting ... Silver, catching one sunset and one sunrise while staying overnight either inside the GC or at nearby Tusayan would be enough for someone who is not much of a nature buff. Longer is better, but sunset/sunrise will give you a much better GC experience than a drive-by.

We are not hikers. I was a bit skeptical about how long to spend at Grand Canyon - it's just a big hole in the earth. I think 2 nights/1.5 days is perfect - you get to see sunrise and sunset that way. We arrived mid-afternoon, checked in, stayed at Bright Angel cabins, looked around, ate dinner, saw sunset. Next AM saw sunrise, then teenage son and husband did a short hike below Rim and teenage daughter and I took bus that runs along Rim, got out at various lookouts. Reconvened at lunch, took other bus to museum, other areas, had dinner at El Tovar, saw a great thunderstorm and lots of deer; left next AM.

Perfect amount of time.