Fast Facts

Area Codes -- 928 is the area code in the Grand Canyon area.

Automobile Organizations -- Motor clubs will supply maps, suggested routes, guidebooks, accident and bail-bond insurance, and emergency road service. The American Automobile Association (AAA) is the major auto club in the United States. If you belong to a motor club in your home country, inquire about AAA reciprocity before you leave. You may be able to join AAA even if you're not a member of a reciprocal club; to inquire, call AAA (tel. 800/222-4357; www.aaa.com). AAA has a nationwide emergency road service telephone number (tel. 800/AAA-HELP).

Drinking Laws -- The legal age for purchase and consumption of alcoholic beverages is 21; proof of age is required and often requested at bars, nightclubs, and restaurants, so it's always a good idea to bring ID when you go out.

Electricity -- Like Canada, the United States uses 110 to 120 volts AC (60 cycles), compared to 220 to 240 volts AC (50 cycles) in most of Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Downward converters that change 220-240 volts to 110-120 volts are difficult to find in the United States, so bring one with you.

Emergencies -- Dial tel. 911 (or 9-911 from a hotel phone) for police or medical assistance.

Gasoline (Petrol) -- Gas prices have been volatile in recent years, but have hovered around $3 per gallon at press time. Gas prices are more expensive within the National Park and in Tusayan when compared with the gateway towns. Taxes are already included in the printed price. One U.S. gallon equals 3.8 liters or .85 imperial gallons.

There is only one gas station inside the park on the South Rim. Desert View Chevron, on Highway 64, 25 miles east of Grand Canyon Village, is open 24 hours daily. If you're entering the park from the south, make sure to get gas in Tusayan, 1 mile south of the park's south entrance. On the North Rim on the access road to the North Rim Campground, the Sinclair Service Station is open daily 7am to 7pm (24-hr. pumps with credit card) when the North Rim is open (mid-May to mid-Oct) You can also get gas at the general store across from Kaibab Lodge, 18 miles north of the North Rim on Highway 67.

Hospitals -- On the South Rim, the North Country Grand Canyon Clinic (tel. 928/638-2551) sits on Clinic Road, off Center Road between Grand Canyon Village and the South Rim entrance road. The clinic is open weekdays from 9am to 5pm in winter, and daily from 8am to 6pm in summer. The nearest pharmacies are in Williams, Arizona. Health services are nonexistent. If you have a non-emergency medical situation on the North Rim, you'll need to drive all the way (72 miles) to Kane County Hospital in Kanab, Utah. North Rim emergency medical services are provided by EMT-certified rangers trained in paramedic skills.

Insurance -- For information on traveler's insurance, trip cancellation insurance, and medical insurance while traveling, visit www.frommers.com/planning.

Laundromats -- Laundromats can be found inside the park on both rims. Open 6am to 11pm daily in summer (shorter hours in winter), the South Rim laundromat is in the Camper Services building near Mather Campground. The North Rim laundromat, near the North Rim Campground, is open 7am to 10pm daily.

Lost & Found -- For items lost in or near the park's South Rim lodges or restaurants, call tel. 928/638-2631. For items lost elsewhere on the South Rim, call tel. 928/638-7798 Tuesday to Friday 8am to 5pm. Found items can be returned to Canyon View Information Plaza's visitor center. On the North Rim, report lost-and-found items in person at the North Rim Visitor Center (tel. 928/638-7864) or at the Grand Canyon Lodge's front desk (tel. 928/638-2611).

Mail -- On the South Rim, the post office (tel. 928/638-2512) in Market Plaza maintains window hours from 9am to 4:30pm on weekdays and from 11am to 1pm Saturdays. On the North Rim, a tiny post office at Grand Canyon Lodge is open Monday through Friday from 8am to noon and 1 to 5pm. At press time, domestic postage rates were 28¢ for a postcard and 44¢ for a letter. For international mail, a first-class letter of up to 1 ounce costs 98¢ (75¢ to Canada and 79¢ to Mexico); a first-class postcard costs the same as a letter. For more information go to www.usps.com.

If you aren't sure what your address will be in the United States, mail can be sent to you, in your name, c/o General Delivery at the main post office of the city or region where you expect to be. (Call tel. 800/275-8777 for information on the nearest post office.) The addressee must pick up mail in person and must produce proof of identity (driver's license, passport, and so on). Most post offices will hold your mail for up to 1 month, and are open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm, and Saturday from 9am to 3pm.

Always include zip codes when mailing items in the U.S. If you don't know your zip code, visit www.usps.com/zip4.

Newspapers & Magazines -- The National Park Service publishes The Guide, with news and information about the Grand Canyon's North and South Rims (there are separate newspapers for each rim). A copy of The Guide is handed to you with your entrance pass at the park entrances. You can also download a copy by visiting www.nps.org/grca.

Passports -- See www.frommers.com/planning for information on how to obtain a passport.

Smoking -- Smoking is not allowed in any park lodges, restaurants, or public facilities.

Taxes -- The United States has no value-added tax (VAT) or other indirect tax at the national level. Every state, county, and city may levy its own local tax on all purchases, including hotel and restaurant checks and airline tickets. These taxes will not appear on price tags.

Time -- The Grand Canyon is on Mountain Standard Time (MST). The continental United States is divided into four time zones: Eastern Standard Time (EST), Central Standard Time (CST), Mountain Standard Time (MST), and Pacific Standard Time (PST). Alaska and Hawaii have their own zones. For example, when it's 9am in Los Angeles (PST), it's 7am in Honolulu (HST), 10am in Denver (MST), 11am in Chicago (CST), noon in New York City (EST), 5pm in London (GMT), and 2am the next day in Sydney.

Daylight saving time is in effect from 1am on the second Sunday in March to 1am on the first Sunday in November, except in Arizona, Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Daylight saving time moves the clock 1 hour ahead of standard time.

Tipping -- In hotels, tip bellhops at least $1 per bag ($2-$3 if you have a lot of luggage) and tip the chamber staff $1 to $2 per day (more if you've left a disaster area for him or her to clean up). Tip the doorman or concierge only if he or she has provided you with some specific service (for example, calling a cab for you or obtaining difficult-to-get theater tickets). Tip the valet-parking attendant $1 every time you get your car.

In restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, tip service staff and bartenders 15% to 20% of the check, tip checkroom attendants $1 per garment, and tip valet-parking attendants $1 per vehicle.

As for other service personnel, tip cab drivers 15% of the fare; tip skycaps at airports at least $1 per bag ($2-$3 if you have a lot of luggage); and tip hairdressers and barbers 15% to 20%.

Toilets -- Public restrooms are available throughout Grand Canyon National Park. You won't find public toilets or restrooms on the streets in most U.S. cities, but they can be found in hotel lobbies, bars, restaurants, museums, department stores, railway and bus stations, and service stations. Large hotels and fast-food restaurants are often the best bets for clean facilities. Restaurants and bars in resorts or heavily visited areas may reserve their restrooms for patrons.

Visas -- For information about U.S. visas, go to http://travel.state.gov and click on "Visas."

Visitor Information -- Grand Canyon National Park distributes a free trip planner that should answer most of your questions. To get a copy and find out more information, call tel. 928/638-7888 or visit the park's website at www.nps.gov/grca.