Grand Canyon Tours and Grand Canyon Hotels
Choose Your Grand Canyon Destination:
South Rim | North Rim | West Rim | East Rim | Havasupai Waterfalls | Grand Canyon Skywalk
The Grand Canyon Arizona online planning tool for Grand Canyon Hotels and lodging, Grand Canyon tours, river rafting companies, hiking and camping, and mule trips. Be sure to view our library of photo's of this natural wonder. For your best planning, take a look at our Grand Canyon travel information and maps page for driving directions while navigating this vast area. To choose the best Rim to enjoy Grand Canyon, please visit the "Which Rim" page.
Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona averages 4.7 million visitors annually. Over 3 million will visit the South Rim. Nearly 750,000 will enjoy the North Rim. And 500,000 will visit the newly discovered West Rim. Also, 500,000 will fly over magnificent Grand Canyon on an Air Tour from Las Vegas. The Grand Canyon is more than a great chasm carved over millennia through the rocks of the Colorado Plateau. It is more than an awe-inspiring view. It is more than a pleasuring ground for those who take Grand Canyon helicopter tours, explore the roads, fly over it, hike the trails, or float the turbulent current with our Smooth Water Colorado River Rafting Trip.
Welcome to Grand Canyon Arizona
The Grand Canyon is more than a great chasm carved over millennia through the rocks of the Colorado Plateau. It is more than an awe-inspiring view. It is more than a pleasuring ground for those that explore the roads, hike the trails, or float the currents of the turbulent Colorado River.
This canyon is a gift that transcends what we experience. Its beauty and size humbles us. Its timelessness provokes a comparison to our short existence. In its vast spaces we may find solace from our hectic lives.
The Grand Canyon we visit today is a gift from past generations. Take time to enjoy this gift. Sit and watch the changing play of light and shadows. Wander along a trail and feel the sunshine and wind on your face. Attend a ranger program. Follow the antics of ravens and California Condors soaring above the rim. Listen for the roar of the rapids far below. Savor a sunrise or sunset.
As the shadows lengthen across the spires and buttes, time passing into the depths of the canyon, understand what this great chasm passes to us - a sense of humility born in the interconnections of all that is and a willingness to care for this land. We have the responsibility to ensure that future generations have the opportunity to form their own connections with Grand Canyon National Park.
Exploring the Grand Canyon
How to See the South Rim
Canyon View Information Plaza is the park's visitor facility. Here you will find the visitor center (Canyon View Center), a large bookstore, and ample restrooms, all within a short walk of Mather Point. Because this facility was designed as the terminus for a mass transit system that is not yet operating, you cannot drive to it. Park your car and ride the free shuttle or walk the short trail from Mather Point.
There are many overlooks accessible by car that offer spectacular views of the canyon. Desert View Drive (Highway 64) follows the canyon rim for 26 miles/42 km east of Grand Canyon Village to Desert View - the east entrance to the park. Desert View Drive is open to private vehicles throughout the year. Hermit Road follows the rim for 8 miles/13 km west from Grand Canyon Village to Hermits Rest. Hermit Road is closed to private vehicles much of the year, but the park runs a free shuttle bus to provide transportation to overlooks.
A hiking trail, known as the Rim Trail, follows the rim from Pipe Creek Vista to Hermits Rest. The section of the Rim Trail between Pipe Creek Vista and Maricopa Point is paved, and mostly wheelchair accessible. Unpaved portions of the trail, between Maricopa Point and Hermits Rest, are narrow and close to the edge. Bicycles are not permitted on the Rim Trail.
Yavapai Observation Station at Yavapai Point offers panoramic views of the canyon, including the Colorado River and Phantom Ranch. The Yavapai Observation Station is located in close proximity to the Grand Canyon lodging on the rim.
For viewing and photographing the canyon, the best light is early or late in the day. Mid-day sun tends to flatten the view and soften the colors. Remember that days are short in the winter and long in the summer. If you plan to see the canyon at sunrise or sunset, it is recommended that you be on the rim at least an hour before.
The Colorado River flows along the bottom of the canyon, 5000 feet/1524 m below the rim. Because of the enormous depth of Grand Canyon, the river is visible only from certain viewpoints. It is a two-day hike to the river and back from the South Rim. It's a longer trip from the North Rim. It is possible to drive to the Colorado River at Lees Ferry (near Marble Canyon, Arizona), a 2.5 hour drive (one way) from the South Rim. Lees Ferry marks the official beginning of Grand Canyon.
How to See the North Rim
The three developed viewpoints on the North Rim offer a sense of looking across the expanse of the canyon, rather than into its depths. Views of the Colorado River are rare and distant. These descriptions may help you to plan your visit.
Point Imperial and Cape Royal are reached via a winding scenic drive. The trip to both points, with short walks at each and several stops at pullouts along the way, can easily take half a day.
Point Imperial, the highest point on the North Rim at 8,803 feet, overlooks the Painted Desert and the eastern end of Grand Canyon Park. Here the canyon transforms as the narrow walls of Marble Canyon, visible only as a winding gash, open dramatically to become “grand.” Layers of red and black Precambrian rocks, not visible at Bright Angel Point, add contrast and color. Part of the viewpoint is accessible.
Cape Royal provides a panorama up, down, and across the canyon. With seemingly unlimited vistas to the east and west, it is popular for both sunrise and sunset. The sweeping turn of the Colorado River at Unkar Delta is framed through the natural arch of Angels Window. Look for the Desert View Watchtower across the canyon on the South Rim. This popular viewpoint is accessible via a paved, level trail.
It takes a bit of effort, and four-wheel drive, to reach Point Sublime, the western-most of the North Rim viewpoints. The rough, two-hour (one-way) trip to this remote point is rewarded by a view that lives up to its name. Inquire about road conditions and possible closures before heading out.
Most visitors make a stop at Bright Angel Point, at the southern end of the entrance road. From the parking area it is a short, easy walk to Grand Canyon Lodge and a classic view of the canyon. This facility is wheelchair accessible. A paved, half-mile (round-trip) trail leads from the lodge, out the spine of the ridge, to the point. This trail is steep in places, with drop-offs and stairs, but provides dramatic views into Roaring Springs and Bright Angel Canyons.
How to See Grand Canyon West
Grand Canyon West is a Native American Tribal Park owned and operated by the Hualapai Indian Nation. Open year-round, it garnered sudden international fame with the opening of its star attraction in 2007: the Grand Canyon Skywalk. In addition to the Skywalk, Grand Canyon West also has an airport, café, Western town, Indian Village, and an amphitheatre where visitors can watch Native American dances or cultural performances. Several Grand Canyon helicopter tour companies operate bases at Grand Canyon West offering flights to the bottom of the canyon for smooth water pontoon boat rides on the Colorado River. Helicopters can also fly directly from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon West and land at the bottom of the canyon.
At the present time, Grand Canyon West is most easily accessible from Las Vegas on a package tour by Motorcoach, airplane or helicopter. It is possible to get there by car, however, it takes 3 hours each way from Las Vegas, and the last 15 miles of the main access road are unpaved. Though regularly graded, the unpaved section of the road it is still very bumpy and deeply rutted in some areas, and prone to washing out in heavy rain or snowstorms. Visitors are strongly discouraged from driving rental cars down this road as doing so constitutes “off-road driving,” which would void your insurance policy, thus leaving you personally liable for any damage you might sustain.
Grand Canyon West has two primary viewpoints, from which the depth of the Grand Canyon is very pronounced and the Colorado River more easily visible. At 4,000’ above sea level, Grand Canyon West is a true desert landscape. Grand Canyon West is very pleasant in early spring and late fall, and bearable in wintertime. Late spring and summer days at Grand Canyon West are very hot.
There is no lodging in the immediate area of Grand Canyon West save for a handful of rustic cabins. The nearest hotel lodging is in Kingman, Arizona, 90 minutes’ drive away; Laughlin, Nevada, 2 hours away; or Las Vegas, 3 hours away.
Grand Canyon West is a good choice for Las Vegas visitors with limited time for a Grand Canyon experience. It is also an excellent option for those who want to get to the bottom of the Grand Canyon without hiking or taking a mule ride. Families traveling with very young children, extreme seniors, or anyone in less than robust health should carefully consider visiting to Grand Canyon West due to its dry desert climate and present lack of infrastructure.
How to See the Little Colorado River Gorge or "Grand Canyon East"
The far eastern portion of the Grand Canyon along both the Colorado River and Little Colorado River falls within the borders of the Navajo Nation, the largest Native American reservation. Though “Grand Canyon East” is not yet formally known as a Grand Canyon park, many Grand Canyon visitors do end up passing and stopping for a view of the Little Colorado River Gorge.
Upon exiting Grand Canyon South Rim from the East, you’ll soon come upon one such place: the Little Colorado River Gorge Overlook. A tributary of the Colorado River, the Little Colorado River (also referred to as The LCR) has carved a canyon of its own that, like the many canyons within the Grand Canyon, is a world of beauty and contrast unto itself. During the summer months, its mineral content transforms its waters into a brilliant ribbon of robin’s egg blue; during other times of the year, it displays an almost blood-red color. Here, visitors can also browse kiosks, small shops or bead stands operated by the Native Americans, and shop for mementos of their visit.
Further east of this overlook is the town of Cameron, Arizona where Highway 64, leaving Grand Canyon National Park to the east, and Highway 89 connect. In 1911, a modest suspension bridge was constructed across the Little Colorado River Gorge. In 1915, traders Hubert and C.D. Richardson opened a trading post, and Cameron soon established itself as integral commerce center for the Native American people who lived nearby, who came to barter their hand-made goods for food staples. A visit to Cameron is more than just a routine stop on your Grand Canyon tour. It is a cultural experience; an opportunity to learn about the Native people of the Southwest through their arts and crafts. Still a vital part of the local economy, the Cameron Trading Post sells hand-crafted jewelry of silver and turquoise, colorful rugs painstakingly crafted on wooden looms handed down through generations, as well as pottery, baskets and paintings representing many different tribes. In the gallery, you’ll find one of Northern Arizona’s most comprehensive collections of Native made crafts. In addition to its retail store, the Cameron Trading Post also has a hotel, RV Park, convenience store, gas station, and a restaurant that has earned a cult-like following among people from all over the area, who gladly drive hundreds of miles to enjoy the house specialty, the Navajo Taco.
How to See the waterfalls of the Havasupai in Grand Canyon
The Havasupai Indian Reservation is in a large tributary canyon on the south side of the Colorado River. This land lies outside the boundary and jurisdiction of the National Park Service and is administered by the Havasupai Indian Tribe. Visit Havasu Falls on our helicopter tour, the Havasupai Heli-Hiking Tour. The village of Supai is otherwise accessible only by foot (an 8-mile hike) or horseback. Hiking is by tribal permit only. Inquiries should be directed to Havasupai Tourist Enterprises, P.O. Box 160, Supai, AZ 86435. (928) 448-2121 or (928) 448-2141 for the tourist office, (928) 448-2111 for lodging.
