Grand Canyon National Park

The Grand Canyon is the work of one river given an enormous amount of time. The Colorado River began cutting its current path roughly five to six million years ago, and drop by drop, flood by flood, it sawed down through the flat tableland of the Colorado Plateau. The oldest rock now exposed at the very bottom, the dark Vishnu schist, formed about 1.8 billion years ago; the youngest layers up at the rim are a mere 270 million years old. Read from bottom to top, the walls are a stone diary of ancient seas, deserts, and swamps, which is why geologists from all over the world come here to teach.

The canyon has two very different rims, and most visitors only ever see one. The South Rim is open all year, sits at about 7,000 feet, and takes in around ninety percent of the park's guests. It has the most developed village, the widest choice of trails, and the classic overlooks that most people picture. The North Rim sits a thousand feet higher, at roughly 8,200 feet, cloaked in spruce and aspen forest, cooler and greener and far quieter. Because of that altitude the North Rim road closes under snow every winter, so it is only open from about mid-May to mid-October. The two rims stand only ten miles apart across the gorge, but the drive between them is about 220 miles.

Between the rims lies the canyon proper, a wilderness of side canyons, buttes, and hidden springs where the temperature climbs the deeper you go. A hike from rim to river passes through seven distinct life zones, the same range of climates you would cross driving from the Sonoran Desert of Mexico all the way to the boreal forests of Canada. Ravens ride the updrafts, condors soar on nine-foot wings, and at the very bottom the Colorado runs green and cold through some of the oldest exposed rock on the continent.

• The South Rim South Entrance, off US-180 and AZ-64 through the gateway town of Tusayan, is open year-round and is the main way in for most visitors. It leads straight to Grand Canyon Village, the visitor center, and Mather Point.
• The South Rim East Entrance at Desert View, off AZ-64 from Cameron, is also open year-round and is the scenic back way in, passing the Desert View Watchtower and a string of eastern overlooks on the drive to the village.
• The North Rim Entrance, off AZ-67 south from Jacob Lake, is seasonal and snow-dependent, generally open only from about mid-May to mid-October and closed through the winter.
• From Flagstaff and Interstate 40, the South Rim is about 80 miles north via US-180, or take AZ-64 up through Williams. The North Rim is reached from US-89A to Jacob Lake, then 44 miles south on AZ-67, and it is a long, remote drive, so fuel up before you turn off.

• South Rim: one mile deep, up to 18 miles wide, and 277 miles long, the canyon here lays bare two billion years of geology in banded color. The South Rim is open year-round and takes in about ninety percent of the park's visitors, with the most developed services and the widest range of trails and overlooks.
• North Rim: sitting a thousand feet higher than the South Rim and drawing only about a tenth of the crowds, the North Rim rewards the extra drive with arguably the most dramatic views in the park, from Cape Royal and Point Imperial. Its dense Kaibab Plateau forest and cooler air make it feel like a completely different canyon.

• The Bright Angel Trail is the classic descent below the rim, following an ancient Havasupai route all the way down to the Colorado River, about 9.5 miles one way. For a manageable day, turn around at Havasupai Gardens, about three miles down, and remember the climb back out is the hard part.
• The South Kaibab Trail drops fast to Skeleton Point, about three miles down, with wide-open canyon views the whole way, but there is no water and almost no shade, so it demands respect in the heat.
• The Desert View Watchtower, 25 miles east of the village, is Mary Colter's 1932 stone tower at the canyon's eastern edge, with sweeping views out over the Painted Desert.
• The Hermit Road runs seven paved miles west to Hermit's Rest, closed to private cars for much of the year and reached by shuttle or bicycle, with nine overlooks along the way.
• The Cape Royal Road on the North Rim is a 23-mile drive to Cape Royal and Point Imperial, at 8,803 feet the highest overlook on either rim.
• The Bright Angel Point Trail is a half-mile paved walk from the North Rim Lodge out onto a narrow promontory, with the canyon dropping away in three directions.
• The North Kaibab Trail is the only maintained path into the canyon from the north side, a serious 14-mile route down to the Colorado River.
• Point Imperial is a short one-mile round-trip walk to the canyon's highest overlook, gazing out toward Marble Canyon and the Painted Desert.

People have lived in and around the canyon for thousands of years, and eleven tribes hold the canyon as ancestral homeland to this day, among them the Havasupai, the Hopi, the Navajo, the Hualapai, the Zuni, and the Southern Paiute. The Havasupai, whose name means 'people of the blue-green water,' still live in the side canyon of Havasu Creek within the canyon walls, as their ancestors did. For the Hopi the canyon is the sipapu, the sacred place of emergence where their people first came into this world. Ancient granaries, dwellings, and split-twig figurines tucked into caves show how long and how deeply this place has been home. The canyon is not just scenery here; it is living heritage.

Spanish soldiers reached the South Rim in 1540 and turned back, and for centuries the canyon was known to outsiders mostly as an obstacle. That changed in 1869, when the one-armed Civil War veteran John Wesley Powell led the first documented boat expedition down the Colorado River through the canyon, a harrowing journey that filled in one of the last blank spots on the map of the American West. Prospectors, tourists, and photographers followed, and by 1905 the grand El Tovar Hotel had opened on the rim, brought in by the Santa Fe Railway and the Fred Harvey Company to draw wealthy travelers west.

Protection came in stages. The canyon was set aside as a forest reserve in 1893 and made a national monument in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt, who had stood on the rim and urged the country to leave it as it was, saying that man could only mar it. Roosevelt's push carried the day even as mining and business interests fought it. On February 26, 1919, three years after the National Park Service was created, Congress made Grand Canyon a full national park.

Through the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps built trails, walls, and buildings across both rims, much of which still stands. The architect Mary Colter designed some of the canyon's most beloved landmarks in these years, drawing on Ancestral Puebloan and regional forms rather than importing an eastern style. Today the park works with its associated tribes on how their history and sacred sites are shared, so that the canyon's oldest story is told by the people who have always known it best.

• The canyon walls expose nearly two billion years of the Earth's history, roughly half the age of the planet, yet the canyon itself is young, carved by the Colorado River in only the last five to six million years.
• The river is still cutting down, though slowly now, at a rate of about a millimeter per century.
• Near the bottom of the walls is the Great Unconformity, a single stone surface where more than a billion years of rock is simply missing, eroded away before new layers were laid down. Time itself seems to skip a beat.
• A hike from rim to river passes through seven life zones, the ecological equivalent of driving from the deserts of Mexico to the forests of Canada.
• The North Rim sits a thousand feet higher than the South Rim, which is why it is cooler, greener, snowed in for half the year, and visited by only about a tenth as many people.
• The two rims are only about ten miles apart across the gorge, but the drive between them is roughly 220 miles.
• The Havasupai people still live inside the canyon at Supai, one of the most remote communities in the country, where mail is famously delivered by mule train.
• The endangered California condor, North America's largest land bird with a wingspan near nine feet, was reintroduced here and can often be spotted riding the thermals above the rim.

• An entrance fee applies (per vehicle, good for seven days), and interagency annual passes are accepted; check the park website for current rates.
• The South Rim runs a free shuttle year-round on the Village Route, with the Hermit Road and Kaibab Trail shuttles running seasonally; parts of the corridor are car-free at busy times.
• Grand Canyon Village and Mather Point hold the main visitor center, lodging, restaurants, and a general store, all on the South Rim.
• Tusayan, just outside the south entrance, has additional lodging, an IMAX theater, and a small airport.
• The North Rim is open only from about mid-May through mid-October, since its road closes under winter snow.
• The North Rim Lodge offers lodging, dining, and a spectacular canyon-edge deck, and it books up far in advance.
• Jacob Lake, about 44 miles north of the North Rim, has gas, food, and lodging, and is the last services before the rim, so fill up there.

The South Rim is open year-round, sits at about 7,000 feet, and has the most services, trails, and overlooks, which is why around ninety percent of visitors go there. The North Rim is a thousand feet higher, cooler and forested, and draws only about a tenth of the crowd, with arguably more dramatic views. The two rims are only ten miles apart across the canyon but roughly 220 miles apart by road, so most people choose one or the other for a given trip.

No. The North Rim is seasonal because of its high elevation and heavy snow. Its road and services are generally open only from about mid-May to mid-October, then close for the winter. If you want to see the North Rim, plan for summer or early fall, and always check the park website before you set out.

The main park entrances do not require a reservation to enter, but timed-entry or reservation systems may apply to certain popular corridors or shuttle areas during peak season, and this can change year to year. Some in-canyon options, like backcountry permits and overnight stays at Phantom Ranch, require permits or a lottery well in advance. Check the National Park Service website for current rules before your trip.

Yes. Grand Canyon charges a per-vehicle entrance fee that is good for seven days, and interagency annual passes are accepted. The same pass covers both the South Rim and the North Rim. Check the park website for the current rate before you go.

You can take in the main South Rim overlooks and ride the shuttle in a half day, but a full day lets you walk part of the Rim Trail, drive out to Desert View, and catch both sunrise and sunset light, which are unforgettable. If you plan to hike below the rim or visit both rims, give it two or more days.

Spring and fall bring milder temperatures and thinner crowds and are ideal for hiking below the rim. Summer is the busiest season and can be dangerously hot inside the canyon, though the South Rim itself stays more comfortable. The North Rim is only open roughly mid-May through mid-October. Winter on the South Rim is quiet and often snow-dusted, and it can be beautiful if you come prepared.

Hiking into the canyon can be very rewarding, but it is serious and demands respect. The trails go down first and up last, so the hard climb comes when you are already tired, and summer temperatures at the bottom can soar well past 100 degrees. Many people underestimate it. Carry plenty of water and food, start early, turn around with energy to spare, and never try to reach the river and return in a single day. When in doubt, hike less than you think you can.

The National Park Service strongly advises against hiking from the rim to the Colorado River and back in a single day. The distance and the more than 4,000 feet of climbing, combined with extreme heat, cause serious trouble every year. If you want to reach the river, plan an overnight at Phantom Ranch or a campground with the proper permits, and give your body time to rest before climbing out.

Leashed pets are welcome on the paved Rim Trail and in developed areas on the South Rim, but they are not allowed below the rim on any trail into the canyon, or on North Rim trails. Bring water for your pet, never leave one in a hot vehicle, and check the park website for the current pet rules and kennel options.

There are lodges and campgrounds right on both rims inside the park, including the historic El Tovar Hotel and the North Rim Lodge, and they book up months in advance. Just outside the south entrance, the town of Tusayan offers more rooms, and Jacob Lake serves the North Rim road. Williams and Flagstaff, farther south, make good bases too, including handpicked Boutels in the area.