Desert View

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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 December 26, 2021

The East Entrance to the park at Desert View is open 24 hours/day, 7 days/week.

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.

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.

Note: when traveling through the Navajo Nation, wearing a mask is still mandatory in public, whether a person is vaccinated or unvaccinated.

Nearby Navajo Tribal Parks are open and welcome visitors at 50 percent capacity. For more information about Navajo Tribal Parks, call: 928-871-6647 or visit www.navajonationparks.org

NOTE: CDC guidelines and physical distancing measures are in place inside Grand Canyon National Park. Face coverings are required to enter the buildings and in all outdoors spaces where physical distancing cannot be maintained, such as narrow or busy trails and overlooks.

 

Locations and Services Open for Visitors:

• Viewpoints in the Desert View vicinity.
• Desert View parking lot and RV parking lot.
• Restrooms located between the main parking lot and the canyon rim.
• Trading Post: Native American craft shop and Ice Cream/Coffee: 9 am—5 pm
• Desert View Market: 9 am—5 pm
• Pay-at-the-Pump Gas Station: 24 hours with credit/debit card.
• Desert View Watchtower (Kiva Room)
  GCC Bookstore/retail shop is open:
  9 am—5 pm: Thursday through Monday
  10 am—4 pm: Tuesday and Wednesday
  Only the ground level retail shop is open to the public. The tower itself remains closed until further notice.

 

These Facilities Are Closed at This Time

• NOTE: OVERNIGHT LODGING IS NOT AVAILABLE HERE.
• Desert View Campground CLOSED
  Due to high demand, Desert View Campground now requires advanced reservations. Reservations can be made 6 months in advance. More >
• Information Table and Ranger Programs CLOSED
• Cultural Demonstration Program CLOSED
• Desert View Watchtower: the tower itself is CLOSED
• Desert View Camping Supply Shop at the Gas Station CLOSED
• Desert View Deli CLOSED
• Tusayan Pueblo (Ruin) and Museum CLOSED

 

 

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Campground Status Information

 

 

Perched on the rim of the canyon, the Watchtower reflects the architecture of the ancestral Puebloans in the Four Corners region. Climb the stairs for views up and down the canyon. . On a clear day, one can see well over 100 miles. (161 km) This photo shows Watchtower Kiva Room after retail shop removed, and partially restored to architect Mary Colter's original design. January 2015.

 

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 Ruin 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 reservations.