Things To Do

 

Public health measures and seasonal closures?
Visit this webpage (updated daily) for a list of what's open, and the hours of operation.

 

Touring Desert View Drive, the only South Rim scenic road that is open to private vehicles all year.

Ways to Experience the Canyon

Check the Park's Digital Calendar

for a list of today's scheduled programs and activities.

• Signs outdoors and displays at information desks describe the programs and special events being presented during your visit.

• Download the NPS Mobile App >

Your Destination?

• South Rim

• North Rim (Day use only this fall)

 

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South Rim (Open All Year)

 

Grand Canyon Visitor Center on the South Rim.

NPS/M. Quinn

Visitor Centers

Grand Canyon Visitor Center (South Rim Village)
Open daily from 10 am to 4 pm -- CLOSED Christmas and New Year's Day

• Ranger Programs are presented daily >

• Additional Visitor Contact Locations on the South Rim >

• Village Bookstores and Gift Shops >

 

The film shows daily on the hour and half-hour.

Visitor Center Theater

The park film, Grand Canyon: A Journey Of Wonder, is shown on the hour and half-hour. (Admission free - the film is 20 minutes long).

• Showings: Daily between 10 am and 3:30 pm. - CLOSED Christmas and New Year's Day

The film takes visitors on a rim to river, and dawn to dusk journey through the park, and provides an introduction to the human and natural history of the region.

Grand Canyon is a place of inspiration. Learn about the efforts to preserve and protect this special place as a sanctuary for plants, animals, and humans.

 

Walking or Hiking

The Canyon Rim Trail

For a nice introduction to the park, walk part of the well defined, and mostly level Canyon Rim Trail. Start from the Visitor Center/Mather Point, or from any viewpoint in the village.

West of the village, the Canyon Rim Trail continues alongside Hermit Road, a 7 mile scenic road with 9 exceptional overlooks. Details >

• Day Hiking in and around the canyon.

• Backpacking Overnight below the rim requires a Backcountry Permit.

 

Walk the Trail of Time

Between Yavapai Museum of Geology and Verkamps Visitor Center 1.2 miles (2 km) along the canyon rim. View photos here.

The path contains information about the canyon's geologic history, as well as samples from each rock layer within Grand Canyon. More >

Learn about Grand Canyon Geology >

 

Activities for Kids

• Learn how youth can become Grand Canyon's Junior Rangers >

• 4th graders and their families can see America's natural wonders and historic sites for free this school year, through the Every Kid Outdoors Program >

• Teachers, learn about bringing your class on a Ranger-led Field Trip at Grand Canyon, or how to arrange for a Distance Learning session with our Education Rangers.

• Take a Grand Canyon Virtual Tour >

 

Hermit Road

(Formerly known as West Rim Drive)

• From March 1, through November 30, Hermit Road is closed to private vehicles.

• The free Hermit Road (Red Route) shuttle bus provides motorized access.

• The road itself, and it's designated greenway section is also open to travel by foot or bicycle. There are 9 designated overlooks with fantastic views. More about touring Hermit Road >

• During winter months, Hermit Road may be closed by snowfall.

 

Did You Bring Your Bicycle?

Learn about bicycling on the South Rim

Also available are bicycle rentals & guided bicycle tours, weather permitting. Bright Angel Bicycles is located by the Visitor Center.

Bright Angel Bicycles also operate a coffee bar/café with a "grab & go" menu targeted towards bicyclists and pedestrians.

 

Capture Grand Canyon in Photos

Taking photos is a great way to make your Grand Canyon trip last. Whether you share them on social media or compile them in a scrapbook, having great photos of your adventure is the best souvenir.

Visit the links below for some suggestions about the best times of day to shoot and, insider information about popular photo hot spots.

Capture Grand Canyon in Photos

How to View and Photograph Wildlife

 

Desert View Drive

Visitors traveling to Grand Canyon National Park can enter and exit the park through the East Entrance at Desert View.

(State Route 64 - also known as the East Rim Drive) This 23 mile (37 km) road, leaves Grand Canyon Village, then travels east to Desert View. and the East Entrance Station.

This is the only scenic road on the South Rim that is open to private vehicles all year. More about touring Desert View Drive in your vehicle.

Desert View visitor services >

 

Desert View

Visitors traveling to Grand Canyon National Park can enter/exit the park through the East Entrance at Desert View for wide, expansive views of Grand Canyon and the Colorado River. (Desert View is 23 miles/37 km) from the South Rim Village.

The Desert View Watchtower Shop (View Room) is open daily 9 am to 5 pm:

• The upper floors of the tower are open, when staffing allows, from 9:30 am to 4 pm. Capacity is 25 people in the tower at one time. At ticket system admits 25 people with a 20 minute time limit.

Desert View visitor services include: Market/Deli, Trading Post with coffee/ice cream, seasonal campground, and a pay-at-the-pump gas station. Details >

 

Tusayan Pueblo and Museum

CLOSED FOR THE WINTER

Tusayan Pueblo is the remains of a small Ancestral Puebloan village is located 3 miles (5 km) west of Desert View. The archaeological site has a self-guiding trail that encircles the pueblo.

Tusayan Pueblo Museum is closed.

More about visiting Desert View >

 

Guided Learning Adventures

Grand Canyon Conservancy's Field Institute

• Schedule of Classes and Guided Hikes for 2023/2024 >

The institute provides immersive and educational adventures at Grand Canyon—all officially designed and developed in partnership with Grand Canyon National Park.

• A wide variety of Grand Canyon Maps, Trail Guides and Field Guides are available online from the park's non-profit partner, Grand Canyon Conservancy.

Learn about additional Guided Tour options on the South Rim

 

Mule Trips

are offered year round on the South Rim.

The Canyon Vistas Ride is a 3 hour trip that travels along the canyon rim.

Overnight Rides go to the bottom of the canyon and stay at Phantom Ranch.

More about South Rim Mule Trips >

 

Raft Trips on the Colorado River

Half-day and all-day smooth water trips from Glen Canyon Dam to Lees Ferry may be arranged by any lodge within the park.

Transportation from the lodges to the dam is included.

Whitewater trips through Grand Canyon last from 3 days to 21 days and require reservations made well in advance, or a noncommercial permit obtained by entering a weighted lottery.

 

Ride Grand Canyon Railway

From Williams, Arizona (along Interstate 40) the Grand Canyon Railway carries more than 230,000 people by rail to Grand Canyon National Park each year.

As an alternative, to driving, it is possible to park in Williams, AZ, 60 miles south of the park, (on Interstate 40), take Grand Canyon Railway, and not have to deal with busy summer traffic and finding a parking place.

During the seaso, the train departs Williams daily at 9:30 am, arrives in Grand Canyon Village at 11:45 am, then departs the village at 3:30 pm, and arrives back in Williams at 5:45 pm.

 

North Rim - Day Use Only

Grand Canyon Lodge, food/beverage, overnight lodging, retail stores, and the North Rim Campground closed on October 16, 2023.

 

North Rim Visitor Center

• The Visitor Center and the Grand Canyon Conservancy Park Store are CLOSED FOR THE WINTER

• Restrooms are located on the back side of the building.

• The North Rim 2024 Season will be from May 15, through October 1, 2024.

 

North Rim Ranger Programs

CLOSED for the Winter
Interpretive programs are free and are offered daily during the season.

• When you arrive on the North Rim, between May 15 and October 15, 2024, check bulletin boards or ask at the information kiosk about programs and events being offered during your visit. View the current schedule >

• Learn how youth can become Grand Canyon Junior Rangers

 

North Rim Day Hiking

Take a day hike through this beautiful scenery, open during the fall day use period.

• Experience the wild and remote feeling of the North Rim.

• Solitude can be found hiking the trails, and enjoying an awe-inspiring view. Watch mule deer and turkeys feeding in mountain meadows.

• Enjoy, discover, and celebrate the unique world of the North Rim.

 

North Rim Scenic Drives

Cape Royal and Point Imperial Roads are open to the public. (Day use only)

Point Imperial and Cape Royal are reached via winding scenic drives you can tour in your vehicle. The roads are open during the fall day use period.

• Driving to both points, with short walks, and several stops at pullouts along the way, can take 4 to 5 hours. (View photos)

• Note: RVs over 22 feet long, and vehicle-trailer combinations with a total length over 22 feet, are not permitted on the Scenic Drive due to narrow, windy roads with blind corners.

• Point Imperial is 11 miles/ 18km - 20 min. one way.

• Cape Royal is 23 miles/ 37km - 45 min. one way.

 

North Rim Trail Rides

Mule trips are closed for the winter. They will be offered May 15, through October 15, 2024.

• One Hour Ride through the forest along the rim of the canyon.

• 1/2 Day Trip to Uncle Jim Point on the Ken Patrick Trail

• Information and Reservations >

 

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"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!