Grand Canyon National Park takes in 278 miles of the Colorado River, but most visits happen on a short stretch of the South Rim around Grand Canyon Village, open all year and served by free shuttles. Sunrise from Mather Point or Yaki Point is covered on the USA page; this page adds the rest: short hikes below the rim, the shuttle road to the western viewpoints, the drive east to the Desert View Watchtower, a mule ride, a helicopter flight, the river and the old train from Williams.
Late 2026 is an unusual moment. A flash flood on 29 August 2026 closed Phantom Ranch, the bridges over the Colorado and the trails below the upper rest stops, and from 31 August the park stopped overnight stays in its hotels while it restores the water supply. The rim, its restaurants and its shuttles stay open for day visits, and the North Rim is still recovering from the 2025 Dragon Bravo Fire.
Hike the Bright Angel Trail to the Mile-and-a-Half Resthouse
Bright Angel Trailhead, Grand Canyon Village
2 to 4 hoursNo booking needed
Zigzag down the canyon cliffs through two rock tunnels on the Bright Angel Trail to the Mile-and-a-Half Resthouse.
What it is
The Bright Angel Trail starts in Grand Canyon Village, across from the mule corral by Bright Angel Lodge, and zigzags down the cliffs through two rock tunnels. After the flash flood of 29 August 2026 it is open down to the River Resthouse, but the river bridges and Phantom Ranch stay closed. The Mile-and-a-Half Resthouse is 3 miles round trip, 2 to 4 hours and 1,120 feet of descent; the Second Tunnel, 1.8 miles round trip, is a shorter goal.
How to do it
Ride the Village (Blue) shuttle to the Hermit Road Interchange and walk up, or park in Lot D by Maswik Lodge, 0.4 miles away. Allow twice as long to climb out as to walk down, and step to the uphill side for mule trains.
Good to know
The resthouse water is off, so carry all you need. In summer avoid the hours from 10 am to 4 pm.
Walk the South Kaibab ridgeline to Ooh Aah Point or Cedar Ridge
South Kaibab Trailhead, near Yaki Point
1 to 4 hoursNo booking needed
Walk down a ridgeline where the canyon views open from the first switchbacks, to Ooh Aah Point or Cedar Ridge.
What it is
The South Kaibab Trail drops down a ridgeline, so the views open from the first switchbacks; the price is almost no shade and no water on the whole trail. Ooh Aah Point is 1.8 miles round trip, 1 to 2 hours and 790 feet down. Cedar Ridge, a flat spot facing O'Neill Butte, is 3 miles round trip and 2 to 4 hours. Skeleton Point, 6 miles round trip, is the limit for a day hike.
How to do it
There is no trailhead parking: leave the car at the Visitor Center and ride the Kaibab Rim (Orange) shuttle, 9 minutes, or take the Hikers' Express from Bright Angel Lodge at 6, 7 or 8 am.
Good to know
The trail is open down to the Black Bridge, but the bridge and Phantom Ranch beyond it have been closed since the August 2026 flood. In winter, bring traction devices for the icy top.
Walk the Rim Trail and the Trail of Time from Mather Point
Rim Trail, Mather Point to Grand Canyon Village
45 minutes to 2 hoursNo booking needed
Walk the rim back through 1.8 billion years of rock, one metre per million years, on a paved and accessible path.
What it is
The Rim Trail follows the South Rim for about 13 miles, and the best stretch for a first visit is the 2.5 paved miles from Mather Point to the historic Village. After 0.7 miles you reach the Yavapai Geology Museum, with a view down to Phantom Ranch and a glimpse of the Colorado. From there the Trail of Time turns the 1.3 miles to the Village into a geological timeline: each metre stands for a million years, marked in bronze beside rock samples, so walking west takes you back to the canyon's 1.8-billion-year-old basement rocks.
How to do it
Allow 45 minutes to 2 hours, mostly downhill heading west. It is fully accessible. Ride the Village (Blue) shuttle back.
Good to know
Carry water in summer, when this stretch is hot and sunny.
Ride the Hermit Road shuttle to sunset at Hopi or Mohave Point
Hermit Road, Grand Canyon Village to Hermits Rest
80 minutes on the bus, plus stopsNo booking needed
A free shuttle along nine viewpoints to sunset at Hopi or Mohave Point, where the river shows deep in the canyon.
What it is
Hermit Road runs 7 miles west from the Village to Hermits Rest past nine viewpoints, and from 1 March to 30 November it is closed to private cars. For sunset, pick Hopi or Mohave Point, where the river shows deep in the canyon.
How to do it
The free Hermits Rest (Red) shuttle starts at the Hermit Road Interchange near the Bright Angel Trailhead; in autumn 2026 it runs every 12 minutes from 8 am, and the loop takes 80 minutes if you stay on. Outbound buses stop at every viewpoint, but on the way back only at Hermits Rest, Pima, Mohave and Powell points. After dark, special buses collect people from the large loop just east of the Hopi Point stop, and the last one sweeps the road an hour after sunset.
Good to know
In busy seasons expect to wait for two or three buses.
Drive Desert View Drive and climb Mary Colter's Watchtower
Desert View, 23 miles east of Grand Canyon Village
Half a day with the driveNo booking needed
Climb Mary Colter's 1932 Watchtower to see the Colorado turn out of Marble Canyon, after six viewpoints on the drive east.
What it is
Desert View Drive, Highway 64, runs 23 miles east from the Village to Desert View past six developed viewpoints. The Watchtower, which Mary Colter built in 1932 on the model of Ancestral Puebloan towers, has a kiva-shaped View Room that hosts demonstrations by tribal artists in spring, summer and autumn. From the top, the Colorado turns out of Marble Canyon.
How to do it
The drive is open to cars all year; no shuttle goes there. Stop at Lipan Point for the river far below, and at Tusayan Pueblo, an ancestral Puebloan village site, open Thursday to Monday until 31 October in 2026; check its winter days before going. A quarter-mile walk from the Desert View car park leads to the Watchtower.
Good to know
The upper floors open when staffing allows: free tickets, given out in person, admit 25 people for 20 minutes, and the last go at 3:40 pm.
Walk the historic Grand Canyon Village from the depot to Hopi House
Grand Canyon Village Historic District
1 to 2 hoursNo booking needed
Walk from one of the country's oldest wooden depots past Hopi House and El Tovar to studios hanging over the rim.
What it is
The Village grew after the first steam train reached the rim on 17 September 1901, and its historic buildings stand within half a mile of each other on the Rim Trail: the wooden depot, one of the oldest still standing in the country; Verkamp's, a 1906 curio shop now run as a visitor centre; Hopi House, Mary Colter's 1905 gallery of Native American art modelled on a Hopi dwelling; and El Tovar, the hotel built for Santa Fe Railway passengers. On the rim, Colter's Lookout Studio and the Kolb brothers' photo studio hang over the edge.
How to do it
The free audio tour Full Steam Ahead, in the NPS app, links nine stops in 1 to 2 hours, starting at the depot. Hopi House is open daily from 9 am to 6 pm.
Good to know
El Tovar's dining room requires booking for dinner, up to 60 days ahead.
Ride a mule along the rim on the Canyon Vistas trip
Yaki Barn, east of Grand Canyon Village
3 hours, 2 in the saddleTimed entry
Ride a mule 4 miles along the East Rim Trail, with wranglers explaining the geology, history and fire ecology at each stop.
What it is
With Phantom Ranch closed and its overnight mule trips cancelled through February 2027, the ride to book is Canyon Vistas, run by Xanterra, the park's lodge operator. It covers 4 miles in about three hours, two in the saddle, on the East Rim Trail, with at least six stops where the wranglers explain the geology, history and fire ecology.
How to do it
A bus takes riders from the Village to the Yaki Barn and back. From March to November rides leave at 8 am and noon, and from December to February at 10 am, with up to 20 riders; in 2026 it cost $192.96. Book up to 15 months ahead, and check in at Bright Angel Lodge the day before.
Good to know
Riders must be 9 or older, at least 4 feet 9 inches tall, under 225 pounds dressed and able to understand English.
Cross the canyon by helicopter through the Dragon Corridor towards the North Rim and back in 25 to 30 minutes.
What it is
All scenic air tours of the Grand Canyon are based outside the national park, and on the South Rim side they leave from Grand Canyon Airport in Tusayan, just south of the South Entrance. Since the late 1980s federal rules have kept much of the park's airspace free of flights and confined sightseeing to set corridors. The classic helicopter flight crosses the canyon through the Dragon Corridor towards the North Rim: Papillon's North Canyon tour takes 25 to 30 minutes round trip, and its Grand Kingdom flight, 40 to 50 minutes, adds the eastern canyon.
How to do it
Several operators fly helicopters and small planes from Tusayan on fixed routes. Book ahead in spring and summer.
Good to know
Flights from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon West, on Hualapai land, are a different trip, covered on the Las Vegas page.
Raft the Colorado River on a guided trip from Lees Ferry
Colorado River, from Lees Ferry
Half a day to 18 daysBook ahead
Run the Colorado through the Grand Canyon over days, from Lees Ferry to Diamond Creek, 226 river miles downstream.
What it is
Running the Colorado through the Grand Canyon is an expedition, not an afternoon. Trips launch at Lees Ferry and take out at Diamond Creek, 226 river miles downstream, and the park's licensed outfitters run them over 3 to 18 days in motor rafts, oar rafts, paddle rafts or wooden dories. For a taste without whitewater, Wilderness River Adventures runs smooth-water trips from Page: a bus to Lees Ferry, then 10 miles upriver by motor raft to Petroglyph Beach and Horseshoe Bend, and back.
How to do it
Motor trips need at least seven days; shorter versions mean hiking in or out at Phantom Ranch. Guided trips are often booked a year or two ahead, and a private trip needs a permit from the park's weighted lottery.
Good to know
Hiking in or out at Phantom Ranch depends on the inner canyon reopening after the August 2026 flood.
Ride the Grand Canyon Railway from Williams to the rim
Williams Depot to Grand Canyon Village
A full day from WilliamsBook ahead
Ride the line that brought the first train to the South Rim in 1901, through high desert, prairie and pine.
What it is
The line that brought the first train to the South Rim in 1901 now carries day visitors every day except 25 December, from the 1908 depot in Williams to the historic depot in Grand Canyon Village, over 65 miles of high desert, prairie and pine. A Wild West shootout at the Williams depot comes before departure, and western singers and characters work the cars. Classes run from Coach to the Luxury Parlor.
How to do it
The Williams depot is half a mile south of Interstate 40 at exit 163. Trains leave at 9:30 am and take 2 hours 15 minutes, and are back in Williams at 5:45 pm; in November and December everything runs an hour earlier. That leaves about three hours at the rim, enough for the Village and part of the Rim Trail.
Drive to Point Imperial and Cape Royal on the North Rim
North Rim, Point Imperial and Cape Royal
Half a day to a day for the scenic driveNo booking needed
Drive the higher, cooler, quieter rim to sunrise at Point Imperial and sunset at Cape Royal's Angels Window.
What it is
At about 8,000 feet, the North Rim is higher, cooler and quieter than the South Rim, but it lies 212 miles away by road and opens only from mid-May. The reason to come is the scenic drive: Point Imperial, the North Rim's highest point at 8,803 feet, is 11 miles from the entrance and best at sunrise; Cape Royal, 29 miles in, has a paved 0.8-mile trail to Angels Window and the best sunset.
How to do it
The drive is for vehicles up to 22 feet. The 2025 Dragon Bravo Fire destroyed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, its cabins and the visitor centre, so there is no lodging in this part of the park; the nearest rooms are at Kaibab Lodge, 4 miles north of the entrance, and Jacob Lake.
Good to know
In 2026 the rim had no drinking water and stayed open until 30 November or the first major snowstorm. Trails and roads still close for repairs: check the status page.
Look through telescopes at the Grand Canyon Star Party
Grand Canyon Visitor Center, South Rim
An eveningNo booking needed
On a moonless night in an International Dark Sky Park, look through dozens of amateur telescopes set up behind the Visitor Center.
What it is
Grand Canyon is an International Dark Sky Park, and on a moonless night the sky over the rim is reason enough to stay late. The big event is the Grand Canyon Star Party, eight nights every June on the South Rim: amateur astronomers set up dozens of telescopes behind the Visitor Center after an 8 pm talk on the plaza, and green-laser constellation tours run at 9, 9:30 and 10 pm.
How to do it
In 2026 it ran from 6 to 13 June, and the 2027 dates are 29 May to 5 June. It is free with park entry and needs no sign-up. The rest of the year rangers run free programs: in autumn 2026 a daily rim walk at 10 am from the Bright Angel Trailhead, and astronomy evenings when scheduled.
Good to know
Storms cancel outdoor programs, so check the park calendar.
Watch the canyon's colours change fastest in the first half hour of light, from busy Mather Point or quieter Yaki Point.
What it is
Sunrise here comes down to picking the point and getting there in the dark. Mather Point, a short walk from the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, is the easy choice and the busiest; Yaki Point is quieter.
How to do it
Yaki Point's road is closed to private cars: park at the visitor center and reach it on the orange Kaibab Rim shuttle, on foot or by bike. The fall shuttle schedule, which runs to 30 November 2026, starts at 6 am, and from late spring the sun is up before that, so compare the timetable with the sunrise time for your date.
Good to know
Rim mornings are cold, so bring a warm layer. Since January 2026, non-US residents aged 16 and over pay a $100 surcharge here on top of the entrance fee, unless they hold the $250 nonresident annual pass.
The South Rim is the side to visit: open all year, about 90 minutes by car from Flagstaff, an hour from Williams on Interstate 40, roughly four hours from Phoenix and 278 miles from Las Vegas via Kingman and Williams. Without a car, Groome Transportation runs shuttles from Flagstaff to the Village, and the Grand Canyon Railway brings day visitors from Williams. Entry costs $35 per private vehicle for seven days, by card only, plus $100 per non-US resident aged 16 and over unless you hold the $250 nonresident annual pass. No reservation or timed entry is needed.
Getting around
Park once and use the free shuttles, included in the entrance fee. From 12 September to 30 November 2026, the Village (Blue) route runs from 7 am to 9 pm between the Visitor Center, the lodges and Market Plaza; the Kaibab Rim (Orange) route runs from 6 am to an hour after sunset to Mather Point, Yaki Point and the South Kaibab Trailhead; and the Hermits Rest (Red) route covers Hermit Road, closed to private cars from 1 March to 30 November. Desert View, 23 miles east, has no shuttle, so drive or join a bus tour.
How many days
In must30's view, two full days on the South Rim make the right first visit: one for the Rim Trail, the historic Village and Hermit Road at sunset, and one for a morning hike below the rim and the drive to Desert View. Add a day for the train from Williams or a helicopter flight. The North Rim is a separate trip, 212 miles and about four and a half hours around by road. A day trip from Las Vegas or Phoenix leaves only a few hours at the rim.
When to go
Spring and autumn suit most visits: the rim is busy but the trails below it are not yet, or no longer, dangerously hot. In summer, shade temperatures inside the canyon often pass 100°F (38°C), the park asks hikers to stay off the trails from 10 am to 4 pm, and from July to September monsoon storms bring lightning to the rim. Winter brings snow, icy upper trails and quieter viewpoints, and Hermit Road opens to cars from December to February. The North Rim is closed to traffic from 1 December to 14 May.
Where to base yourself
In a normal year the best base is a lodge in Grand Canyon Village, such as El Tovar, Bright Angel Lodge or Maswik Lodge, but since 31 August 2026 the park has halted overnight stays in every in-park hotel while it restores its water supply. In September it estimated that water would flow again around Thanksgiving, with services for overnight guests returning in phases, so check before you book. Tusayan, 7 miles south of the Village, has hotels outside the park that are not affected. Williams (60 miles) and Flagstaff (80 miles) have more choice and lower prices.
Questions travellers ask
Do you need a reservation to visit the Grand Canyon in 2026?
No. The park has no timed entry or entry reservation; you pay $35 per vehicle for seven days, by card only. Non-US residents aged 16 and over pay an extra $100 each unless they hold the $250 nonresident annual pass. Mule rides, helicopter flights and river trips do need booking.
Is Phantom Ranch open?
No. The flash flood of 29 August 2026 closed Phantom Ranch with its cabins and canteen, Bright Angel Campground and the two bridges over the Colorado, and the park has given no reopening date. Xanterra has cancelled its Phantom Ranch mule trips through February 2027. Day hikes from the South Rim still run on the upper Bright Angel and South Kaibab trails.
Can you visit the Grand Canyon as a day trip from Las Vegas?
Only as a long day: the South Rim is 278 miles from Las Vegas by road, so a day tour spends most of its time on the highway. Grand Canyon West, home of the Skywalk, is closer but sits on Hualapai tribal land outside the national park and is a separate trip. In must30's view, sleep at least one night near the South Rim.
Is the North Rim open in 2026?
It reopened on 15 May 2026 and stays open until 30 November or the first big snowstorm, with very few services: the 2025 Dragon Bravo Fire destroyed the Grand Canyon Lodge, so there is no lodging in that part of the park, and the store and campground closed on 15 October. The Cape Royal and Point Imperial roads are closed for repairs from 15 October to 3 November 2026. The campground's tentative reopening is 15 May 2027.
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