The steep, rocky trails below the rim pose problems for travelers with disabilities. People with limited vision or mobility may be able to walk the Bright Angel or North Kaibab trails, which are the least rocky in the canyon. If you need to take a service animal on trails below the South Rim, check in at the Backcountry Information Office. On the North Rim, check in at the Backcountry Reservations Trailer. For details about the accessibility of park buildings and facilities, pick up the park's free Accessibility Guide at the park's information centers.
On the rims themselves, many attractions are accessible to everyone. On the South Rim, the Desert View Drive is an excellent activity. Four of its overlooks -- Yaki, Grandview, Moran, and Desert View -- are wheelchair accessible, as are Tusayan Museum and Pueblo. (Ask for assistance at the information desk.) At Desert View, the bookstore and grocery store are accessible, but no designated seating is available in the snack bar. Along this drive, restrooms for the mobility impaired can be found at Yavapai Point, Tusayan Museum, Desert View (just east of Desert View General Store), and Desert View Campground. (The campground has no designated sites.)
Hermit Road poses more problems. For starters, most of the shuttles serving it are not wheelchair accessible. It's easier for people in wheelchairs to drive themselves. Although the drive is closed to most private cars when the shuttles are running, people with disabilities can obtain accessibility permits for their vehicles at the entrance gates, the Visitor Center at Canyon View Information Plaza, Yavapai Observation Center, Kolb Studio, El Tovar Concierge Desk, and the Bright Angel Lodge, Yavapai Lodge, and Maswik Lodge transportation desks. On the drive itself, Hopi Point, Pima Point, and Powell Memorial are all wheelchair accessible. The road also affords a number of nice "windshield views" from pullouts where one need not leave the car to see the canyon. To reach the gift shop at Hermits Rest, you'll have to negotiate two 5-inch steps and a route that slopes gently sideways. Near Hermits Rest is a wheelchair-accessible chemical toilet. Despite having many historic buildings, most of Grand Canyon Village is wheelchair accessible. The notable exceptions are Kolb Studio and Lookout Studio. Hopi House is accessible only through a 29-inch-wide door on the canyon side of the building. Also, some hallways in Yavapai Lodge are too narrow for wheelchairs. Wheelchair-accessible restrooms are found at the Canyon View Information Plaza, Canyon Village Marketplace, Yavapai Observation Station, the El Tovar Hotel, Bright Angel Lodge, Mather Campground, and Maswik Lodge. Mather Campground has six sites for people with disabilities.
The South Rim's Visitor Center at Canyon View Information Plaza has been tailored to people with disabilities. Walkways and doorways are gradual and open. People with disabilities can drive to nearby Mather Point, which is wheelchair accessible, and reach the plaza via a paved walkway.
Those who have difficulty walking can usually negotiate the 1.5-mile-long rim trail between Bright Angel Lodge and Yavapai Point (except when icy). If they desire, they can continue an additional .5 mile to Mather Point on a stretch of the Park's new greenway. Wide and smooth, the greenway has moderate grades and offers stunning canyon views.
On the North Rim, the gas station and grocery pose problems for people in wheelchairs, but most other buildings are wheelchair accessible. The two most popular North Rim overlooks -- Point Imperial and Cape Royal -- are each accessible, although neither has a designated parking space. Grand Canyon Lodge is accessible via both a lift and a ramp, and the North Rim Campground has two accessible sites. Wheelchair-accessible restrooms are located at the Backcountry Office (assistance required), Grand Canyon Lodge (assistance may be required), the North Rim Campground, and behind the visitor center.
The canyon's mule-trip concessionaires accommodate people with certain disabilities, as do many river companies. Also, Fred Harvey (tel. 928/638-2822) can sometimes arrange for buses with lifts for its bus tours if it's informed in advance. Western River Expeditions (tel. 800/453-7450), Arizona Raft Adventures (tel. 800/786-7238), Grand Canyon Expeditions (tel. 800/544-2691), and Canyon Explorations, Inc. (tel. 800/654-0723) are good rafting companies for people with certain disabilities.
