Grand Canyon Day Hike?

I would go down the bright angel trail to either as far as you feel or perhaps to the platau. That trail is shaded, have restrooms and water, and the trail head is right there by the Bright Angel Lodge...and when you come back up...get an ice cream :). Or I would do some of the Rim Trail. Again, it is shaded. I don't remember about water and restrooms though, but is an easier hike since it doesn't have the switchbacks. Or, I would do the Mule ride to the Platue and back. I WOULD NOT do the South Kibab trail (No water, no shade, and you need to take a shuttle there). DO NOT TRY TO HIKE TO THE BOTTOM AND BACK IN ONE DAY.
There are only 3 lodges at the south rim. If you are going in August, stay at which ever one has rooms. :) I have stayed at the one that is about 1/4 mile from the rim (I don't remember the name right now) 2X and it was nice.

I work for the NPS and had the pleasure of 2 weeks of training at the Grand Canyon in May. A couple of things to keep in mind during your visit.

1. Grand Canyon Village is 7,500 ft above sea level--drink 3x the amount of water you think you are thirsty for. The altitude (especially for those of us closer to sea level) dehydrates you easily--and in August it is HOT!!

2. If you haven't already booked lodging, it could be troublesome to get in this late. Same with mule trips--there are only 2 now--on the rim (to The Abyss) and an overnighter to Phantom Ranch. You might want to check for hotels in the gateway city of Tusayan.

3. The Bright Angel Trail is probably your best "into the canyon" day hike--although going down is easy, coming up not-so-much. For entertainment our class would sit at the top of the trail in the afternoons and watch people come up (some with Park Ranger assistance) exhausted, burned, and blistered. So be especially mindful of how far into the canyon you venture.

4. The Grand Canyon no longer sells bottled water. So bring a refillable bottle/Camelbak (Camelbaks are ideal) or plan to purchase one at one of the gift shops. There are water filling stations available on the Bright Angel Trail. The empty water bottles were producing entirely too much trash--remember to pack-in/pack-out.

5. The South Rim Trail is impressive as well--uphill on the way out from Grand Canyon Village and downhill on your return trip. I don't recall restrooms or water filling stations on the Rim Trail (but last year the park was still selling bottled water). One of my favorite locations that we visited was Hermit's Rest. You can take the free shuttle there if you don't want to walk the whole way--or you can hop on and off the shuttle and hike between stops.

6. Desert Tower is really interesting, but about 25 miles from Grand Canyon Village towards Williams, AZ.

7. Bring lots of sunscreen and reapply often; wear a wide-brimmed hat. Nothing ruins your trip and makes you more dehydrated like a nasty sunburn.

8. Places to see in Grand Canyon Village--Kolb Studio, Hopi House, The El Tovar (great sunset/sunrise watching on the deck), and the Bright Angel Lodge--while you're in there be sure to check out the Mary Jane Colter fireplace.

9. If you have the opportunity, breakfast at the El Tovar is wonderful. If you get up early enough, you can catch the elk grazing on the grass around the El Tovar--don't get close to them though, although they look harmless, they are dangerous and tempermental.

10. I haven't had the chance to go there myself, but most people like the North Rim better--but it's 4 hours from the South Rim.

11. For anyone not aware, the Glass Skywalk is not affliated with the National Park Service, it is privately owned & operated. It is also 250 miles from the South Rim.

Have a great trip!! It's great that you have time to spend at the Canyon, it's truly one of America's treasures.

Call me a wimp but I'd think August doing a hike in the Canyon would be verrrrrrrrrrry HOT.
LOVE the Grand Canyon. We went there on our first road trip together, we got married there (about 1000 ft in, on the north side) a few years later, and I look forward to taking our boys when they're a few years older. What I'm interested in seeing is that sky bridge, whatever it's called. We saw the plans for it, but they hadn't built it yet, last time we were there. I'd love to walk out on that and see it under my feet! We rented a cabin once (in 2003) and did a hike, but it was November. Just depends on how you feel about the heat, I think, but you wouldn't catch me hiking in summer out there! But definately worth a detour to see it regardless of what you do!!! (A photography tip: in my experience, color photos are nice because the colors are neat, but you just can't get any depth perception in color. Black and white makes the photos seem much more accurate, and you can get a much better feel for how BIG and DEEP it is.)

I second what Julie says!

But if you're up to it, you could also horse ride or hike down into the Havasupai Indian part of the Grand Canyon. It won't be just a day trip tho!

We went years ago, It was wonderful. We didnt hike, but had the best time. Our kids were 10 and 16 and loved it. Didnt need video games, movies, or wild rides,, just the scenery alone was enough for them. You wont regret it.

Look up their website.