While my arthritic knees prevent steep hiking, I understand that you can walk the rim between the shuttle stops and it is fairly level. If you were going to walk between a couple of stops, which ones are most worthwhile as far as great scenery that you can't see from the shuttle bus? I want to make the most of my walks! Thanks.

arthritic knees will prevent steep hiking unless you have high pain tolerance. You will do fine with the Shuttle Bus-- stop at every stop, there is nothing you will want to miss. Via the bus system the park is actually accessable to individuals who are phys. challenged.

jtp, thanks, I am planning to take the shuttle bus to each stop. I just meant I might want to walk between a couple of the stops to see more and was wondering which ones would give the most bang for the buck.

Or to clarify better, is the view better for example on the way from Stop 1 to Stop 2, or on the way from Stop 3 to Stop 4, of between two other stops?

ANY of the shuttle bus stops' walk between point 1, 2 or 3, 4 etc. are about the same. They are all pretty level.

BUT, it is just a dirt path and some parts are narrow (one person wide footpath - right on the edge). This could make anyone nervous being pretty close to the edge with no railing, especially if you are a bit unsteady on the feet. JUST DON'T LOOK DOWN !!! at the narrow parts and you'll be fine. There is usually a rock or a tree or something to sort of reach out for or hold on to as you go past a narrow spot ;-)

As I remember from a few years ago;
The shuttle people provided a map with the distances between stops, distances from road to the "overlook" areas and diagrams of the trails at the edge. (some had lots of steps, some none)
Also the shuttle driver was very helpful and would point out areas that were not recommended for people with mobility problems.
Be sure to take water with you and maybe a couple of Tylenol...
You will enjoy every minute..

You can go online and get the map of the shuttle bus stops and the distances between them.

http://www.nps.gov/grca/grandcanyon/pdf/shuttle-bus.pdf

From Mather to Bright Angel Lodge & the Hermits Rest Transfer Point will be a nice paved walk with great views.

From Hermits Rest Transfer Point to Trailview Overlook is .7 miles and this section didn't seem bad at all to me but then I have good knees. My BIL had a hard time with his bad knees. There is some elevation gain and some rock stairs. He rode the shuttle bus to the next stop.

From Trailview Overlook to Maricopa Point is .7 miles and also didn't seem bad to me.

Maricopa to Powell Point is only .5 miles. I think I would choose this short section for walking.

From Powell Point to Hopi Point says it's only .3 miles on the map, BUT it's a lot longer because they have you detour off the path and away from the rim because of radiation and other contaminants from the old Orphan Mine nearby. It has been this way for a couple of years, but none of the literature or maps tell you! This is level walking but you don't see much of the rim on the detour.

The trail from Hopi Point to Mohave Point is .8 miles and I remember it getting narrower & more of a dirt path and a little harder to follow and walk. I wouldn't recommend the path beyond Mohave Point. For one thing the lengths get longer between shuttle stops.

I would ride the Hermits Rest Shuttle bus and get off at each of the stops along the way.

Utahtea

My recollection is that the walk from the Visitors' Center to the El Tovar/Thunderboard hotels was about a half hour, flat and had great views. Reward yourself with lunch or a beer at El Tovar, or a rocking chair on their great front porch with a view of the canyon.

I walked the whole rim area served by the shuttle at South Rim. Literature in the Visitor Center stated that there aren't any real best views on the trail and I have to agree - there were many different perspectives, but there wasn't one spot which had a much more "Oh ah!" factor than the others - all vistas were incredible. I would recommend that if you want to walk between stops you do so between stops closest to the Village - the trail is paved and fairly well-maintained at that area. The trail is wheel chair accessible at this point. As you get further away the trail is no longer paved and at some points it is unclear exactly where the trail is and it is much rougher going at that point.

Thanks to all for this input. Utahtea, as usual, you give great to-the-point information (I've learned a lot from your posts on this whole area, we'll be following lots of your advice going from Sedona to Grand Canyon and back). This is a big help.

We just returned last night from a great trip to the SW including the Grand Canyon. Will write a more detailed trip report when all of the laundry is done...but I can offer some advice on this topic. We hiked the rim trail from Pima Point to Hermits Rest. I don't recommend it for anyone with a fear of heights or who is unstable. It was quite treachorous in spots and there is definitely up and down work. My family did lots of hiking on the trip (Bryce, South Kaibab at Grand Canyon, rappelling in Zion) and my son and I with the fear of heights were most fearful on this section of the Rim Trail.

Thanks for that input, ccrosner. I'm not at all afraid of heights, so that's not really a problem, although my husband is not crazy about them. Also, I'm not really unstable, just will be in pain later if I do a lot of the up and down, so I will avoid that section.