Exploring the Area

One of the most pleasurable things to do at the canyon is also one of the simplest: Find a quiet place on the rim or off a trail and just sit for an hour or so. Feel the air rise, watch the shadows and light play across the monuments, and listen to the timeless hush. No matter how fast you drive or how far you walk, no matter how many photos you take or angles you see the canyon from, you'll never completely "do" the canyon. So relax and enjoy it.

Exploring the Park without a Car

The best time to be carless at the park is from March 1 to November 30, when all of the park's free shuttle routes are operating. Departing regularly from 1 hour before dawn until 1 hour after sunset, the shuttle buses serve all of Grand Canyon Village, Canyon View Information Plaza, Mather Point, Yavapai Point, Yaki Point, and Hermit Road. Because the buses run every 15 to 30 minutes (depending on the route and time of day), you seldom have to wait too long at a stop. The shuttles operate seasonally on Hermit Road, and year-round between Grand Canyon Village and Yaki Point. Consult the park's free publication, The Guide, for detailed information about shuttle stops and schedules.

When the shuttles aren't running, take advantage of the park's 24-hour taxi service (tel. 928/638-2822). These taxis do not have meters, as their fares vary according to distance and the number of passengers. For example, a trip between Bright Angel Lodge and Market Plaza costs $5 for the first person, plus $2 for each additional adult. The trip from Grand Canyon Village to Tusayan costs $10 for one or two adult passengers, plus $5 for each additional adult. Open Road Tours (tel. 800/766-7117) provides bus service between Flagstaff and Grand Canyon National Park for $33 one-way, $60 round-trip (prices include entry fee). The company also offers 3 1/2-hour tours of the Grand Canyon for $89, departing from Flagstaff at 9:30am and returning at 5:30pm.

Towns & Outposts Near the North Rim

The area surrounding Grand Canyon north of the Colorado River is one of the most sparsely populated -- and scenic -- in the continental U.S. Highway 89A crosses the Colorado River at the Grand Canyon's northeastern tip -- just 5 miles downstream of Lees Ferry, where most canyon river trips begin. Continuing west from the bridge on Highway 89A, you'll pass three lonely lodges -- Marble Canyon Lodge, Lees Ferry Lodge, and Cliff Dwellers Lodge -- each separated by a few miles, at the base of the aptly named Vermilion Cliffs.

This eerie desert landscape, featuring balancing rocks and other striking landforms, gives way to forest when you begin the 4,800-foot vertical climb from the Marble Platform to the Kaibab Plateau. Because the area surrounding the park's North Rim is largely national forest, you may have to travel some distance if you fail to find a room inside the park. The closest lodging to the park's northern entrance is at Kaibab Lodge, 18 miles north of the North Rim on Highway 67, and at Jacob Lake Inn, 44 miles north of the North Rim. If those two lodges are full, you may have to travel as far north as Fredonia, Arizona, or Kanab, Utah, to find a room.

A View from the Bridge -- The old Navajo Bridge, completed in 1928, now serves as a footbridge over Marble Canyon. When traveling on Highway 89A near Lees Ferry, park your car in one of the lots on either side of the gorge, then walk across the old bridge. More than 800 feet across, it affords stomach-churning views 467 feet straight down to the Colorado River, and several miles to the south down Marble Canyon (the Grand Canyon's northeastern tip). There's also a visitor and interpretive center where you can learn more about the area's history.