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Where is Grand Canyon?
Grand Canyon is in the northwest corner of Arizona, close to the borders of Utah and Nevada.
The Colorado River, which flows through the canyon, drains water from seven states, but the feature we know as Grand Canyon is entirely in Arizona. A large part of Grand Canyon lies within Grand Canyon National Park and is managed by the National Park Service.
The mile-deep Colorado River creates a barrier that divides the park into north and south Rims. In this illustration, the region above the North Rim is shown in yellow and the region below the South Rim is shown in blue.
Why South and North Rims?
A 277 mile long (446 km) canyon separates the park into South and North Rims.
Grand Canyon of the Colorado River is a mile-deep, (1.6 km) and creates a barrier that bisects the park.
The average distance across the canyon is only 10 miles/ 16 km, howerver, it is a five-hour drive of 220 miles/ 354 km between the park's South Rim Village and the North Rim Village.
Scenery, climate and vegetation are noticably different between north and south rims because of differences in elevation. It is almost like having two parks in one
It takes time, planning and effort to be able to visit both rims in one trip.
The South Rim of the Grand Canyon is Open All Year and is located on the "Arizona" side of the Canyon. The South Rim receives 90% of the park's visitation, so it can be very busy during spring break and summer.
The South Rim has an airport and rail service and is a 60 minute drive from Interstate 40 and the town of Williams, Arizona - and 90 minutes from Flagstaff, Arizona, also on Interstate 40.
A larger city with a major airport, Phoenix, Arizona, is also south of Grand Canyon, and is approximately a four hour drive. More >
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Grand Canyon Village has a visitor center, historic district, lodges, campground, RV campground with full hook-ups, a bank, U.S, post office, general store, and a variety of shops and museums. Learn more about the South Rim:Grand Canyon Village
The East Entrance at Desert View is open.Details >
Grand Canyon National Park & Vicinity. Scroll down for approximate driving distances between the North Rim and nearby towns and attractions. A machine-readable description is below the map.
The region shown in this map includes 1) on the left edge of the map, Las Vegas, NV and Needles, CA 2) across the bottom, Interstate 40 from Needles, CA, east, through Flagstaff, AZ, to Gallup, NM. 3) on the right edge, starting at Gallup, NM, then, north to Colorado Nat. Monument, 4) Finally, bounded across the top by Interstate 70 crossing the state of Utah until it meets the intersection with Interstate 15.
Grand Canyon National Park is located east of Las Vegas, NV.
North of Interstate 40 and the cities of Williams and Flagstaff, AZ.
East of the Navajo and Hopi Indian Reservations, and south of the Utah state line. The Colorado River is shown through the entire 277 mile transect of Grand Canyon National Park.
Public and tribal lands are show in different colors.
Tribal lands are show in purple and reservation boundaries are shown for the following tribes: Navajo, Hopi, Hualapai, Havasupai, Kaibab Paiute, Shivwits Paiute, Zuni, and Ute Mountain.
National forest lands are shown in green, and include, Coconino, Prescott, Sitgreaves, Kaibab, Dixie, Fishlake, and Manti-La Sal.
National parks are shown in vermilion, and include, Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches.
National monuments are shown in orange and include, Wupatki, Sunset Crater, Walnut Canyon, Tuzigoot, Montezuma Castle, Canyon De Chelly, Navajo, Grand Canyon Parashant, Vermilion Cliffs, Grand Staircase Escalante, Pipe Springs, Rainbow Bridge, Cedar Breaks, Natural Bridges, Hovenweep, Canyon of the Ancients, and Colorado.
National Recreation Areas are shown in yellow and include, Lake Mead, and Glen Canyon.
The North Rim of the park is more remote, and harder to get to. It has a short season.
Lodging, restaurants and shops are usually open from May 15th through October 15 each year.
The North Rim receives only 10% of the park's visitation.
How to Get There: The North Rim is located on the "Utah" side of Grand Canyon and the entrance station is 30 miles south of Jacob Lake on Highway 67. (The actual rim of the Grand Canyon with visitor services is an additional 14 miles south of the entrance station.) There is no airport or rail service to the park. (that means that the North Rim village may only be reached by road). Driving directions to the North Rim >
North Rim Visitor Center: 36°11'51"N --- 112°03'09"W
In "More Than A View," Park Ranger Stephanie Sutton invites us to go beyond the rim and explore all that Grand Canyon National Park has to offer; diverse life zones, landforms, and cultural history.
"Traveling Green"
is a great way to help Grand Canyon and other areas you visit reduce carbon emissions, divert and reduce what goes into the waste stream, and to generally help the environment. Go to the Traveling Green page for helpful tips on planning your next green adventure.
Thanks for doing what you can to help protect our environment!
On the South Rim, the Village Route (Blue Route) bus provides transportation between the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, hotels, restaurants, and campgrounds. Canyon views are a short walk from some of the bus stops Quick links to information about:
