Travel Guide
Everything you need to know — hours, tickets, tips, and how to make the most of your visit.
Overview
The most visited part of Grand Canyon National Park, open year-round, with a paved Rim Trail linking famous viewpoints such as Mather Point, Yavapai Point and Hopi Point. Hermit Road and Desert View Drive extend the views west and east, and the historic Grand Canyon Village has lodges, shops and the main visitor center.
Insider Knowledge
Park at the main visitor center lots and walk 5 minutes to Mather Point for your first view.
Nearby
grand-canyonA series of slot canyons on Navajo Nation land near Page, with sculpted, glowing sandstone walls and famous midday light beams. Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon can only be visited on guided tours led by authorized Navajo-owned operators.
grand-canyonThe South Rim's most popular hiking trail, dropping from Grand Canyon Village down a series of switchbacks below the rim. Day hikers usually turn around at the 1.5-Mile or 3-Mile Resthouse for a real taste of the inner canyon without attempting the punishing climb from the river.
grand-canyonA 70-foot stone tower designed by architect Mary Colter in 1932, standing at the eastern end of the South Rim about 25 miles from Grand Canyon Village. It offers sweeping views of the Colorado River and the Painted Desert, and its interior features murals by Hopi artist Fred Kabotie.
grand-canyonThe most visited part of Grand Canyon National Park, open year-round, with a paved Rim Trail linking famous viewpoints such as Mather Point, Yavapai Point and Hopi Point. Hermit Road and Desert View Drive extend the views west and east, and the historic Grand Canyon Village has lodges, shops and the main visitor center.
grand-canyonThe giant 726-foot concrete dam on the Colorado River, completed in 1936 on the Nevada-Arizona border about 40 minutes from Las Vegas. You can walk across the top for free, take a guided powerplant or dam tour, or look down on it from the pedestrian walkway on the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge.
grand-canyonA dramatic 270-degree meander of the Colorado River just outside Page, Arizona, seen from a sandstone rim about 1,000 feet above the water. A wide, mostly flat trail of about 1.5 miles round trip leads from the parking lot to the overlook.
Ride the free Hermit Road shuttle (March to November) to Hopi Point for one of the best sunsets in the park.
Walk the flat Rim Trail between Mather and Yavapai Point, about 0.7 miles, for constantly changing views.
Stay in the park or in Tusayan to see sunrise and sunset without a long drive.
Common Questions
Yes. The South Rim is about 4.5 hours each way by car, so leave before dawn; Grand Canyon West is closer at about 2.5 hours.
Shuttles typically start before sunrise and run until after sunset, but check current schedules on nps.gov.
An America the Beautiful pass covers entry; non-US residents may pay an additional fee, so check nps.gov for current rates.
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