Last updated: September 28, 2025
Place
Walhalla Overlook
NPS Photo
Quick Facts
Location:
North Rim - Cape Royal Road
Significance:
Scenic Overlook
Amenities
3 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Scenic View/Photo Spot, Wheelchair Accessible
The North Rim developed area, including the lodge, visitor center and campground, are CLOSED until further notice because of extensive damage from the Dragon Bravo Wildfire.
A splendid view, filled with history
From here, you can see Echo Cliffs and the Painted Desert in the distance. The Little Colorado River Gorge can also be seen to the southeast.
In the canyon below you are the Unkar Delta and Colorado River, home to multiple archaeological sites and a significant location for native people previously living in the area.
The drainages in the immediate vicinity below this overlook all feed into Unkar Creek, which drains into the Colorado River.
Across the road from here, take the short walk to Walhalla Glades Pueblo, an Ancestral Puebloan dwelling that is about 1000 years old.
History
In 1949, archeological student Douglas W. Schwartz visited Grand Canyon for the first time. Over 30 years of field work later, his surveys and excavations in the Unkar Delta, Walhalla Plateau and Bright Angel Pueblo areas revealed significant evidence of the Ancestral Puebloan people who lived on the Delta and along Unkar Creek. He also uncovered Walhalla Glades Pueblo, located a short walk from here on the path across the road.