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.

 
Two cars are parked at a pullout for a scenic overlook. Four sightseers are standing behind a stone guard wall and viewing a vast and colorful canyon landscape in the distance.
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.

Your Destination?

 

South Rim (Open All Year)

 
 
People sitting in rows of theater seats facing the screen that says, "Movie Begins in 2 Minutes."
The film shows daily on the hour and half-hour.

Visitor Center Theater

When the visitor center is open, the park's movie, Grand Canyon: A Journey Of Wonder, is shown on the hour and half-hour. (Admission free - the film is 20 minutes long).


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.

 
a family with several children are climbing a steep section of trail made of stone steps

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 >

 
Logo within a circle, Centered text, Trail of Time, with text around circumference reading: Rock Captures Time, Time Carves Canyon, Canyon Reveals Rock.

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 >

 
a park ranger behind an information desk is swearing in a Junior Ranger

Activities for Kids

  • 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 >
 
Three bicyclists riding on a paved road along the edge of a forested area.

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.
 
Bright Angel Bicycle Logo shows silhouettes of canyon cliffs within a circle of bicycle wheel spokes.

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.

 
A person wearing a floppy sun hat is photographing outdoors with canyon walls in the background.

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

 
a tree-covered plateau in the foreground, on the right a two-lane highway through the forest and along the canyon's rim. The view opens up into a view of canyon peaks and formations, with the Colorado River below steep cliffs in the distance.

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.

Most Desert View services are open at this time.

 
On the edge of a cliff, a circular stone tower 70 feet tall.

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 Gift Shop (Kiva Room) is open daily 9 am to 6 pm: Only the ground level View Room, with large picture windows, is open to the public. The tower itself is closed until further notice. Details >

Services include: Market/Deli, Trading Post with Coffee/Ice Cream, seasonal campground, and a pay-at-the-pump gas station. Details >

 
partial rock walls outline several rooms of a prehistoric pueblo.

Tusayan Pueblo and Museum

CLOSED

Tusayan Pueblo is the remains of a small Ancestral Puebloan village is located 3 miles (5 km) west of Desert View. The archaeological site and self-guiding trail are CLOSED for the season.


Detailed information about visiting Desert View >

 
Two hikers, wearing summer clothes, are descending an unpaved trail into a vast canyon.

Guided Learning Adventures

Grand Canyon Conservancy's Field Institute

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

Learn about additional Guided Tour options on the South Rim

 
A string of 6 mules in single file on a backcountry trail cut into a cliff face.

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 >

 
two people wearing life jackets are rowing a yellow inflatable raft on calm river water. a second blue raft is following them.

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.

 
diesel locomotive with red and yellow trim is pulling a passenger train around a curved section of track.

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.

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.

 

Visit this webpage (updated daily) for the South Rim list of what is open and closed, hours of operation, and COVID-19 updates.

North Rim to Reopen June 2 with Limited Services Available

  • There is a trail closure in effect on the North Kaibab Trail through at least June 15, 2023. The closure area is from north of Manzanita Rest Area to the North Kaibab Trailhead. No hikers will be allowed to pass through this area under any circumstances. Following June 15, the North Kaibab Trail will reopen with intermittent trail closures in effect to clear remaining rockfall areas. Additional trail updates >
 
main entrance to a rustic wood building with the roof being supported by massive limestone columns. 12 steps with handrailings rise from street level up to the entrance doors.

North Rim Visitor Center

CLOSED
The Visitor Center is located adjacent to the parking lot on Bright Angel Peninsula. The building is scheduled to be open from June 2, through October 15, 2023.

  • During the season the Visitor Center Store is open daily from 8 am to 6 pm.
  • Restrooms are located on the back side of the building.
 
looking down through pine and aspen trees at a park ranger leading a group of people down an unpaved trail through a dense forested area

North Rim Ranger Programs

CLOSED

Interpretive programs are free and are offered daily between during the season.

  • When you arrive on the North Rim, between June 2, and October 15, check bulletin boards or ask at the information kiosk about programs being offered during your visit.
 
Several day hikers on the paved footpath with ascending and descending slopes to Bright Angel Point. A view of peaks within Grand Canyon are visible in the distance on the right.

North Rim Day Hiking

CLOSED - Reopens on June 2, 2023

When the North Rim is open, take a day hike through this beautiful scenery.

  • 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.

 
a limestone pillar on the left, and in the distance a pointed peak with sheer sides with a background of colorful rock layers

North Rim Scenic Drives

CLOSED

Beginning June 15, Cape Royal and Point Imperial Roads will reopen to the public. Snow removal, damage assessment, and road repairs necessitate the closure of these roads until this date to ensure visitor and worker safety.

When open, Point Imperial and Cape Royal are reached via winding scenic drives you can tour in your vehicle.

  • Driving to both points, with short walks, and several stops at pullouts along the way, can take 4 to 5 hours.
  • Point Imperial is 11 miles/ 18km - 20 min. one way.
  • Cape Royal is 23 miles/ 37km - 45 min. one way.
 
It is raining. A nicely dressed wrangler in western clothes is leading several visitors on a mule trip. In the background, a sheer cliff wall.

North Rim Trail Rides

CLOSED

Mule trips will be offered June 2, through October 15, this season. Until the North Kaibab Trail reopens, only the rides along the rim of the canyon will be offered:

  • 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
  • As a result of substantial winter rockfall and landslides, trail repair work on the North Kaibab Trail continues. There is a trail closure in effect on the North Kaibab Trail until at least June 15, 2023.
 

 
family of 4 with 2 girls in between parents, grand canyon in background

"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!

Last updated: May 24, 2023

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Contact Info

Mailing Address:

PO Box 129
Grand Canyon, AZ 86023

Phone:

928-638-7888

Contact Us