- Located in southern Arizona, the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River is 277 miles long, as much as 18 miles wide, and occasionally a mile deep. It is one of the most visually stunning places on earth, with steep walls of sedimentary rock that the river cut through over millennia. Managed by the U.S. National Park Service, Grand Canyon National Park includes the canyon itself and much of the surrounding area, from Marble Canyon to the northeast, to Pearce Ferry to the southwest.
- The North and South Rims of the canyon are only separated by about 10 miles by air, but it takes a good 5 hours to drive from one to the other. Both rims have amenities for visitors, but only those at the South Rim are open all year. The facilities at North Rim close from about mid-October through mid-May because of weather. The North Rim is some 1,300 feet higher in elevation than the South Rim, so the weather there is markedly different.
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Adjacent to the South Rim Entrance, Grand Canyon Village is the most developed area at the Grand Canyon. There visitors will find campgrounds for tents and trailers, a shrine where religious services and musical events are held, an amphitheater that hosts programs in the evenings, a community building, a post office, a store, a bank, a medical office, showers, and a laundry. For those who don't want to camp, hotels include El Tovar, Kachina Lodge, Thunderbird Lodge, Bright Angel Lodge, and Maswik Lodge. The railroad still runs from some U.S. departure points into Grand Canyon Village.
The South Rim has three visitors centers: the Canyon View Information Plaza at the northeast edge of the village; one in the building that once housed Verkamps Curios; and a third one specializing in information about the backcountry near the ranger office. If you plan to camp in the backcountry, you'll need to get a permit.
Several museums and interpretative centers on the South Rim acquaint visitors with the natural and social history of the canyon. Kolb Studio hosts art exhibits and Yavapai Observation Station offers an exhibit of geological materials. Both facilities have bookstores. Tusayan Ruin and Museum features exhibitions about the Pueblo Indians who lived in the area prior to contact with Europeans.
Rangers give interpretative programs on a variety of subjects at the South Rim. You can get a schedule at one of the visitors centers or download one from the National Park Service website. You can also arrange to take mule trips, horseback rides, wagon rides, bus tours, helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft tours, or river rafting trips down the Colorado River.
From the South Rim, hikers can start their journey down into the canyon or the backcountry at Bright Angel Trailhead, at the very end of Rim Trail on the extreme west end of the village area. -
Compared to Grand Canyon Village, the facilities on the North Rim may seem downright primitive. You can only get to the North Rim by driving around the canyon, or by hiking across it, which takes about three days.
If you opt to drive along the North Rim, you will come across several scenic viewpoints where you can look across and down into the canyon. From west to east, these include Point Imperial and Cape Royal; Unkar Delta; Point Sublime; and Bright Angel Point. To reach some of these outlooks, you will have drive a four-wheel drive vehicle on very rough roads, so be sure to talk to the rangers about your plans before you attempt the trip.
When they arrive at De Motte Park, visitors will find a restaurant, campgrounds, and a store. Grand Canyon Lodge and the North Rim Visitors Center are farther east, along the main road. Once there, you can camp, take guided tours similar to those offered at the South Rim, enjoy an interpretative ranger program, or raft down the river.
Campgrounds at both the North and South Rim tend to book up fast and early, so you should make a reservation. Since there are fewer campgrounds on the North Rim, it's particularly important that you make arrangements ahead of your arrival if you plan to stay there.
