Visitor Information

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.

Access & Entry Points

The park has three gated entrances -- two on the South Rim and one on the North Rim. The one that's most convenient from Flagstaff, Williams, and Phoenix is the park's South Entrance Gate, 1 mile north of Tusayan on Highway 64. Traffic occasionally backs up here during peak hours in high season (May to Sept). Many travelers from Flagstaff, as well as those from points east, prefer entering the South Rim area through its East Entrance Gate, near Desert View, 28 1/2 miles west of Cameron on Highway 64. From Flagstaff, the drive to the East Entrance is about 8 miles longer than to the South Entrance. There are seldom lines here.

The gate to the North Rim (210 hwy. miles away from the South Rim) isn't convenient to anywhere, except perhaps the small store, motel, and gas station at Jacob Lake, which is 30 miles north on Highway 67. The North Rim itself is 14 miles south of the gate. The closest real town is Fredonia, 71 miles north on Highway 89A. Visitors can also access parts of the park via Forest Service dirt roads.

Information Centers

Canyon View Information Plaza -- Completed in the fall of 2000, Canyon View Information Plaza, near Mather Point, has become the first stop for visitors to the South Rim. The Grand Canyon Visitor Center is here, and the whole complex has the streamlined appearance of a modern mass-transit hub. Various kiosks provide basic information about tours, trails, overlooks, cycling, weather, ranger-guided programs and other topics. A parking lot accommodating up to 600 vehicles opened in Fall 2009. Free shuttles connect the Information Plaza with Grand Canyon Village and the Kaibab Trail.

Grand Canyon Visitor Center sits inside a long, glass-fronted building. Here, you'll find displays about the canyon and the Colorado Plateau, an area for ranger presentations, a large bookstore run by the Grand Canyon Association, an information desk, and restrooms. To get here, you can take a free shuttle, walk, bicycle, or park. The Visitor Center is open daily 8am to 6pm in summer, 8am to 5pm during the rest of the year.

Yavapai Observation Station -- Located a half-mile west of Canyon View Information Plaza on Yavapai Point, this historic station has an observation room from which you can identify many of the central canyon's monuments. Rangers frequently lead interpretive programs here, and exhibits explain the region's geology, including how the canyon was formed. It's open daily from 8am to 8pm in summer, and from 8am to 6pm the rest of the year.

Desert View Bookstore & Park Information -- At this small station 26 miles east of Grand Canyon Village, you can buy books and get information about the canyon. It's just inside the park's East Entrance, 29 miles west of Cameron on Highway 64. Open daily from 9am to 5pm.

Tusayan Museum -- This museum, 3 miles west of Desert View, has an information desk staffed by rangers, plus displays about the area's indigenous people including pottery, arrowheads, jewelry, and figurines. Open daily from 9am to 5pm (closed Tues-Wed in winter).

Kolb Studio -- On the rim at the west end of Grand Canyon Village, Kolb Studio houses a small bookstore and an art gallery with free exhibits. Open daily from 8am to 7pm in summer, and from 8am to 6pm the rest of the year.

Verkamp's Visitor Center -- The park's newest visitor center lies within the century-old Vercamp's Curios building. It features displays depicting the canyon's history as well as a bookstore. Open daily 8am to 7pm.

North Rim Visitor Center -- This visitor center near Grand Canyon Lodge has a ranger desk with maps, trail information including water availability and weather conditions, and schedules for ranger programs, as well as a Grand Canyon Association bookstore. It's open daily 8am to 6pm through the season the North Rim is open (mid-May to mid-Oct).

Entrance Fees

Admission to Grand Canyon National Park costs $25 per private vehicle (includes all passengers) and $16 for adults (age 17 and older) on foot, bicycle, or motorcycle. The receipt is good for a week and includes both rims. Adults who enter the park in organized groups or on commercial tours usually pay about $8 each, though rates vary some.

Special Discounts & Passes -- Frequent visitors to National Park Service or other fee-charging federal sites will benefit from the America the Beautiful-National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass ($80). Valid for one year from the date of purchase, the pass can be purchased at park entrance stations, Grand Canyon Association bookstores, the IMAX theater in Tusayan, or online at www.recreation.gov.

Also available from the National Park Service is a lifetime Senior Pass ($10) for U.S. citizens 62 and over, which admits the holder, free of charge, at all NPS sites. Another card, the Access Pass, is available for U.S. citizens with permanent disabilities. It's free, but must be obtained in person at the entrance gate or IMAX theater in Tusayan. Those who already have a Golden Age or Golden Access pass do not need to obtain these new passes.

Camping Fees

A site at Mather Campground, the South Rim's largest campground, costs $18 per night in high season (spaces are available for hikers without vehicles for $12). Desert View Campground, open mid-May to mid-October, costs $12 per site per night. And sites at North Rim Campground, also open mid-May to mid-October, cost $18 to $25 per night. At all three campgrounds, no more than two vehicles and six people can share a site. Trailer Village, an RV park on the South Rim, charges $25 per hookup for two people per night, plus $2 for each additional adult.