Desert View

 

Aerial view looking northwest at Desert View Point, 7,360 feet / 2,243 meters, and the Desert View developed area. Automobile and RV/bus parking lots are visible left of center, with the  visitor service buildings to the right of the parking lots. The nearby peaks on the right are Escalante Butte  6,536 feet/ 1,992 meters, and Cardenas Butte 6.281 feet/ 1,914 meters.

 

Desert View

Updated July 10, 2025

The East Entrance to the park at Desert View is open 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. (Unless temporarily closed by snow)

Desert View is a small settlement on the South Rim located 23 miles/ 37 km east of Grand Canyon Village, and near the eastern edge of Grand Canyon. Arizona State Route 64, also known as Desert View Drive, is a 23 mile (37 km) scenic road that connects Desert View with Grand Canyon Village. Desert View Drive is open to all vehicles throughout the year. (Unless temporarily closed by snow)

Visitors traveling through the Navajo Nation on US 89, turn west at Cameron, Arizona onto State Route 64, then drive 25 miles (40 km) to the park's East Entrance. A stop at Desert View provides their first views of Grand Canyon. Some of the finest views of the Colorado River and canyon geology may be seen from here.

Nearby Navajo Tribal Parks are open and welcome visitors. For more information about Navajo Tribal Parks, call: 928-871-6647 or visit www.navajonationparks.org

 

Map of the Desert View developed area including parking lots, buildings and footpaths.

NPS

Visitor Services

• Desert View parking lot and RV parking lot.

• Restrooms: located between the main parking lot and the canyon.

• Cultural Demonstrations in the Watchtower (spring, summer and fall)

• Desert View Watchtower ground level (View Room)
  GCC Park Store: 8 am to 6 pm Daily
  The upper floors of the tower are open, when staffing allows, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. The last tower access is at 5:00 pm, with the stairs closed for the day at 5:30 pm. Capacity is 25 people in the tower at one time. A free ticket system admits 25 people with a 20 minute time limit. Admission is free. Details:

• Trading Post: Native American Handicrafts
  Ice Cream/Coffee: 8 am to 8 pm

• Desert View Market: 8 am to 8 pm
• Deli (inside the Market) 10 am to 5 pm

• Pay-at-the-Pump Gas Station: 24 hrs. credit/debit card only.

• Desert View Campground Open
  • Book reservations up to 6 months in advance for the 2025 season (Saturday, April 12, through Sunday, October 12, 2025) www.recreation.gov

During summer, Sunset Ranger Talks and Grand Canyon Speaks Programs take place Monday through Thursday at the Desert View Amphitheater.

 

NOTE: OVERNIGHT LODGING IS NOT AVAILABLE AT DESERT VIEW

 

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Perched on the rim of the canyon, the Watchtower reflects the architecture of the ancestral Puebloans in the Four Corners region. The View Room is open, and the upper levels of the tower can be accessed through a free onsite reservation through the Grand Canyon Conservancy. This photo shows the View Room after it was partially restored to architect Mary Colter's original design.

NPS/M. Quinn

 

View north from Desert View Point at the Colorado River.

NPS/Kristen M. Caldon

 

Duration:

6 minutes, 39 seconds

The Desert View area has been used as a gathering place for thousands of years. Visitors can see a glimpse of the ancient past at the Tusayan Pueblo site and Museum. The Desert View Watchtower is modeled after the architecture of the Ancestral Puebloan people of the Colorado Plateau. Today Desert View represents the physical and cultural gateway from Grand Canyon National Park to the Navajo and Hopi lands.