Everything you need to know about Grand Canyon National Park

Why you should visit the Grand Canyon

“Leave it as it is,” declared U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt after a 1903 sojourn at the Grand Canyon. “You cannot improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it.” 

More than a century later, Arizona's "Big Ditch" continues to awe first-time visitors and those who've already been there a dozen times. Not so much from sheer size — although the dimensions are truly astounding — but an incredible combination of colors, shapes, weather, and wildlife.

How grand is it? The massive gash in the Earth’s surface stretches 277 miles from east to west, measures 18 miles across at its widest point, and plunges around one mile from the rim to the Colorado River. As the elevation descends, the park transitions from pristine evergreen forest to stark desert landscapes with 1.8 billion years of geology. 

Native Americans have lived in and around the canyon for at least 12,000 years and Spanish explorers laid eyes upon the rift in the 16th century. But it wasn't until 1869 when John Wesley Powell and his team navigated the Colorado River through the canyon that it began to earn worldwide fame. 

Fast forward to today when more than six million people a year visit Grand Canyon National Park to experience its incredible vistas, hiking trails, historic hotels, and more. 

(Related: Who mapped the Grand Canyon? This forgotten female mountaineer.)

Grand Canyon fast facts

Location: Arizona
Established: 1919
Size: 1.2 million acres 
Annual visitors: 4.7 million (2023)
Visitor centers: South Rim, Verkamp’s, Desert View, North Rim
Entrance fee: vehicles $35, motorcycles $30, and individuals $20 
Website: nps.gov/grca/

Where to find the best views in the park

Grand Canyon aficionados debate which overlooks along the South Rim is best: Mather Point near the main visitor center, rustic Hermits Rest, the aptly named Grandview Point, or Moran Point with its view of Hance Rapids and Lipan Point, where you can gaze down on that big bend in the Colorado River. 

Inspired by the building style of the Ancestral Puebloan people, legendary architect Mary Colter designed Desert View Watchtower in 1932 as a perch for an even higher view down into the canyon. Eighty-five steps lead to an observation deck that sits more than 5,000 feet above the canyon floor, past murals of ancient Native American life rendered by Hopi artist Fred Kabotie.

The North Rim’s most spectacular viewpoint is Toroweap Overlook in the super-remote Tuweep area. Not for the faint of heart, it’s around 3,000 feet straight down from the clifftop to the Colorado River. Just getting to the overlook is a challenge; the road is unpaved and studded with rocks that require a high-clearance vehicle.

(Related: This new park gives different views of the Grand Canyon—with no crowds.)

Where to find the park’s best trails

Far and away the park’s most popular hike is the Rim Trail, which meanders along the canyon edge between the South Kaibab Trailhead near Yaki Point and Hermits Rest. Nearly all of this trail is paved, there's not a lot of elevation gain, and there are lots of stops en route including the main visitor center, the Yavapai Geology Museum, Hopi House, the El Tovar Hotel, and Kolb Studio. 

During the summer and weekends, the Rim Trail is often wall-to-wall with people. Those who prefer a short, easy hike with solitude should try Shoshone Point. The turnout doesn’t overlook the canyon—most cars whiz past it on their way to the money shot—but the 2.2-mile trail from the parking lot to the edge is one of the least crowded along the South Rim. 

Trails on the North Rim are also less crowded. Trailheads near the village usher hikers onto the Uncle Jim Loop (4.7 miles), the Widforss Trail (9.6 miles) to a secluded overlook, and Ken Patrick Trail (9.8 miles) to Point Imperial, the highest point on the North Rim, with views into the canyon’s remote and seldom-visited northeast corner.

Hiking below the rim appeals to very few visitors—less than 5 percent venture away from the top. But several spots lend themselves to a quick dip into the canyon including the South Kaibab Trail. For those who don’t want to trek the six-plus miles to the canyon floor, Ooh-Aah Point about a third of the way down offers spectacular views.

Bright Angel Trail from the South Rim is the safest and best-maintained route into the canyon and includes shade structures, emergency phones, toilets, and taps for refilling water bottles. With a trailhead just west of the South Rim Village, the Bright Angel dives quickly via a series of switchbacks to Indian Garden (4.8 miles) and a suspension bridge over the Colorado River to Bright Angel Campground (9.5 miles) and nearby Phantom Ranch. 

The only path into the canyon from the North Rim is the North Kaibab Trail, a 14-mile hoof down to Phantom Ranch and the river. Several trails run lengthwise through the canyon including the rugged, multi-day Tonto Trail, which wanders 70 miles from east to west below the South Rim.

The best spots for seeing wildlife

Elk are frequently seen along more secluded parts of the South Rim Trail and Desert View Road. Even more common is the tassel-eared Abert's squirrel, which can be spotted just about anywhere along the rim. 

The Grand Canyon harbors a healthy population of bighorn sheep, but they are most likely seen while hiking deep into the canyon or running the Colorado River. Mule deer and javelina wild pigs inhabit the ponderosa pine and pinyon-juniper forests behind the rims and are sometimes seen around the campsites or beside roads.  

One of the nation’s largest unfenced bison herds roams the Kaibab Plateau behind the North Rim. Overpopulation has led to reduction efforts and the transfer of more than 300 bison to Native American lands in four prairie states since 2018.  

As a Globally Important Bird Area, the park is home to 447 known bird species, ranging from the endangered California condor and Mexican spotted owl) to frequently spotted creatures like ravens and Steller jays. Every canyon viewpoint offers an excellent platform for scanning the sky for birds with a pair of binoculars. 

How to visit the park like a National Geographic Explorer

Paleobotanist Paul K. Strother has visited the Grand Canyon numerous times over the past 30 years on a quest for fossil spores that might reveal the early evolution of life on land. Probing the Tonto Group on his first expedition in the mid-1990s, he came across rocks in sediment similar to what he had already studied in Pennsylvania that contained early land plant spores. 

“I took those samples back and processed them and found they had microfossils in them,” Strother explains. “These microfossils had never been reported from those sequences in the Grand Canyon. They’re pretty old, around half a billion years. And very small—they can only be seen in a microscope." Strother hopes his research leads to a better understanding of the transition from water-dwelling algae to the Earth's first land plants.

Strother normally spent a week or two with a small team gathering specimens in the canyon. Just like everyone else, he needed backcountry permits to camp overnight. But unlike hikers, he also needed permission from the Park Service to remove rocks, something that’s normally forbidden. Their biggest challenge to surviving multiple days in the canyon was water. “We had to send someone running down to Phantom Creek every day to collect water.”    

The expeditions often took Strother off-trail into parts of the Grand Canyon rarely, if ever, visited by other humans. “I’m most impressed with the idea of walking around in the desert and thinking that no one's ever been there before. Because there's no reason, even for the Anasazi or other original inhabitants. Philosophically, you think about being alone and it being so quiet.”

Top experiences in the Grand Canyon 

With its exhibits on the park’s natural and human history, the Grand Canyon Visitor Center on the South Rim is an excellent starting point. Visitors can leave their vehicles there and walk, bike, or take a shuttle bus to other landmarks along the South Rim. Right behind the visitor center are Mather Point and the 13-mile Rim Trail to other stunning viewpoints like Yaki Point to the east and Yavapai Point to the west, where a geology museum illuminates nearly two billion years of canyon history.

Beyond Yavapai Point (1.3 miles) is Grand Canyon Village and the eclectic architecture of its national historic landmark district. Many of the buildings were designed by pioneering female architect Mary Colter, including the distinctive Hopi House (1905), an homage to the indigenous architecture of the Southwest that now houses the park’s largest souvenir store and a Native American art gallery. Verkamp’s Visitor Center (1906) features a bookstore, information desk, and exhibits on the canyon’s pioneer history. Among other noteworthy structures are the Kolb Studio (1904) and Lookout Studio (1914), vintage photo studios that now blend shopping and exhibit space.

During the slower winter months, visitors can drive to Hermits Rest. But during the busy peak season (March 1 to November 30), Hermit Road is closed to private vehicles west of the village. That leaves hiking, biking, and the shuttle bus as the three ways to explore this awesome seven-mile stretch of the South Rim. “Must see” stops include the Abyss with its 3,000-foot vertical drop-off and Pima Point, where you can see a slice of the milk-chocolate-colored Colorado River far below. At the end of the road, Hermits Rest is a faux frontier cabin (host to a gift shop and snack bar) fashioned by Colter in 1914.

Tucked between viewpoints on Desert View Road is the small but interesting Tusayan Museum with exhibits on local Native American culture. Behind the museum, a short self-guided trail leads to the Tusayan Ruin, the remains of a 12th-century Puebloan village and one of 4,300 archaeological sites so far identified inside the national park. Nearby Desert View Watchtower, another Colter masterpiece, compliments its astonishing views with a trading post, grocery store, deli, gas station, and campground.  

(Related: How to take amazing photos of the Grand Canyon.)

From Desert View Watchtower, the drive to the Grand Canyon’s North Rim is nearly 200 miles via the Navajo Nation. But it’s a journey into a different world. For starters, the North Rim averages a thousand feet higher than its southern counterpart. That extra elevation makes a huge difference in climate, vegetation, and even the animals you come across. The North Rim is slightly cooler in the summer and often inaccessible during winter because of snowstorms. Tourist facilities are usually open only from May 15 to October 15.

Grand Canyon Lodge (1937) balances on the very edge of the chasm, and its back patio offers perhaps the best place in the entire park to sit, stare, and contemplate the geological wonder that spreads out before you. For an even more vertiginous view, hike the short (0.5-mile) trail to Bright Angel Point.

Given the absence of roads, there are only three ways to explore the Grand Canyon below the rims: hiking, mule trips, and river flat trips. Around 40,000 people a year backpack into the canyon for overnight stays that can vary from one night to several weeks. Far more people are day hikers who venture a short distance down one of three main trails for a taste of what it’s like to stare up at the imposing canyon walls.

Whether on a multi-day trek or an hour-long hike, walkers should always check out trail and weather conditions before plunging down the path. The most timely and accurate information is available from the national park visitor centers or the Backcountry Information Center on the South Rim.

Mule trips into the canyon kick off from both rims. The South Rim features day trips and multi-day pack trips with overnights at Phantom Ranch; the North Rim offers only day rides into the canyon.

Sixteen companies own concessions from the Park Service to run float trips down the Colorado River between Lees Ferry and Diamond Creek. A full list of river rafts is posted here.

Located on Native American lands, two spots along the western edge of the south rim offer vastly different Grande Canyon Adventures. Renowned for its waterfalls and aquamarine swimming holes, Havasu Canyon offers year-round camping and lodging inside the Havasupai Indian Reservation. The Skywalk at Eagle Point offers the ultimate vertigo experience—a horseshoe-shaped glass walkway on the Hualapai Indian Reservation that hangs 4,000 feet above the canyon.

Best things to do for families

If your kids are into action, rent a muscle-powered cycle or e-bike from Bright Angel Bicycles near the main visitor center and take off along the eastern part of the Rim Trail, the road to Hermits Rest, or the 13-mile Greenway Trail between Grand Canyon Village and Tusayan town. 

Scramble to the top of Desert View Watchtower for a bird’s-eye-view of the canyon or walk a short distance of the Bright Angel or South Kaibab trails, far enough into the chasm to admire the colossal walls from below.   

Children nine years of age and older can undertake mule trips down to Phantom Ranch and the Colorado River. The minimum age for whitewater rafting through the canyon varies between eight and 12 depending on the length and difficulty of the river trip. 

The park offers a wide range of family-friendly ranger programs that range from fossil walks and astronomy nights to Diné (Navajo) cultural encounters and an “Endangered Ranger” talk. 

The Grand Canyon Railway from Williams, Arizona features singing cowboys and a mock train robbery with thieves on horseback riding up beside the passenger cars. 

Even before traveling to the park, kids can learn more about the Grand Canyon through a series of three short Sesame Street videos featuring Elmo and Murray. 

Where to stay 

Grand Canyon boasts some of the most iconic (and historic) hotel architecture in the entire National Park System. South Rim reservations are made through 888-297-2757 or grandcanyonlodges.com; North Rim reservations via 877-386-4383 or grandcanyonforever.com.

El Tovar: Historic national park lodge opened in 1905 by the Fred Harvey Company; air conditioning, restaurant, bar. 

Bright Angel Lodge: Modern rooms and rustic cabins on the edge of the canyon, designed by Mary Colter in 1935; restaurant, saloon, soda fountain. 

Phantom Ranch: Very basic cabins and dorm rooms, and shared baths. It is the only indoor lodging at the bottom of the canyon; air-conditioning, and restaurant; reserve up to 13 months ahead.

Grand Canyon Lodge: Cozy cabins and motel-style rooms on the North Rim; restaurants, bar; open mid-May to mid-October.

Camping: The national park boasts 6009 developed campsites between the two rims including the year-round Mather Campground and Trailer Village on the South Rim; seasonal Desert View and Tusayan-Montane campgrounds on the South Rim (April or May to September or October); and seasonal North Rim Campground (May 15 to October 15). Campground reservations are available at 877-444-6777 or Recreation.gov.

(Related: Four remarkable wild stays in U.S. national parks, from a traditional log cabin to sky domes.)

Here’s what else you need to know 

Fees: $35, motorcycles $30, individuals $20  

Access: There are only three ways to drive into Grand Canyon National Park. Grand Canyon Village is 59 miles north of Williams, Arizona on State Highway 64, while Desert View Watchtower is 82 miles from Flagstaff via U.S. Highway 89 and State Highway 64. The North Rim is 42.5 miles south of the Jacob Lake junction with U.S. Highway 89A. 

Grand Canyon Village Train Station (1910) is the terminus for the historic Grand Canyon Railway, a scenic passenger line that runs 64 miles through the pine forest and meadows of the Coconino Plateau between the South Rim and Williams. Passengers can ride the train as a return day trip or combine it with overnight stays at South Rim lodging.

When to go: Even though it’s the hottest time of year, the Grand Canyon high season is flanked by Memorial Day in May and Labor Day in September. Expect temperatures in the 80s on both rims and triple digits inside the canyon, especially along the Colorado River. 

The shoulder season in April/May and September/October means cooler temperatures and the possibility of fewer visitors, although the spring and fall have become increasingly popular in recent years.

Winter is the best time for those who want to avoid crowds or see the canyon mantled in snow. At around 7,000 feet above sea level, South Rim temperatures often drop below freezing at night, although days can be moderately warm and sunny. However, there is no vehicle access to the North Rim between November and mid-May, and all North Rim visitor facilities (other than a walk-in campground) are offline between October 15 and May 15. 

Getting around: A free shuttle bus connects the village, visitor center, hotels, campgrounds, and viewpoints along the South Rim. Depending on the season, there are three to five routes.  

Hiker Express Shuttles to the South Kaibab Trailhead near Yaki Point operate year-round on the South Rim. 

Privately operated Trans-Canyon Shuttle runs buses between the South and North rims between May 15 and October 31; the drive costs $120 per person and takes around 4.5 hours.

Are pets allowed?

Like most national parks, pets must be always leashed and under control. Other than genuine service animals, pets are not allowed on park shuttle buses, below the rim, or in most lodging or accommodations. It's also forbidden to leave pets inside closed vehicles or tied to vehicles.  

How accessible is the Grand Canyon? 

Given their steep and rugged footing, canyon trails are generally not accessible to people with disabilities. However, many viewpoints and trails on the two rims are accessible, including the Rim Trail on either side of Grand Canyon Village.

All lodging inside the park features accessible rooms, while Mather and North Rim campgrounds have accessible campsites. All food service facilities, most shops, all shuttle buses, and many ranger programs are wheelchair accessible.

The park offers a comprehensive online Accessibility Guide listing all accessible services and locations.