Grand Canyon

Most visitors' first viewpoint, five minutes' walk from the main South Rim visitor centre, on a rocky spur where the canyon opens about 16 km wide, a favourite spot for sunrise.

💡 Park in the large visitor centre car park, walk to the viewpoint, then continue west along the Rim Trail to Yavapai Point, 1.3 km away, to escape the crowds. Price: included in park entry, $35 per vehicle for 7 days, about €30, plus $100, about €86, per non-resident visitor aged 16 and over.

A 21 km path along the South Rim, paved through its central section, passing the Trail of Time geology walk and the historic buildings of Grand Canyon Village, with free shuttles serving every stretch.

💡 The section between Mather Point and Bright Angel Lodge, 5 km on the flat, sums up the park in two hours. In the evening, walk west to Hopi Point and take the shuttle back after sunset. Price: included in park entry.

The canyon's busiest trail, a former Havasupai route that switchbacks down a great fault, with day hikes turning back at the Mile-and-a-Half Resthouse, about 345 metres below the rim.

💡 Allow twice as long to climb back up as to go down, and turn back once a third of your water is gone. The top of the trail is often icy in winter and early spring, so take lightweight crampons. Floods regularly close sections of the trail: check the Key Hiking Messages page on nps.gov the day before. Price: included in park entry.

An 11 km rim road west of the village with nine viewpoints, including Hopi Point for sunset, ending at Mary Colter's Hermits Rest and served by a free shuttle from March to November.

💡 Take the shuttle on the way out, as it stops at every viewpoint, and come back on foot along a stretch of the Rim Trail or by bike, hired near the visitor centre. For sunset at Hopi Point, board a bus an hour beforehand, as the queues grow long. Price: included in park entry, free shuttle.

The South Rim's ridgeline trail, with open views from the first switchbacks, Ooh Aah Point for a short outing and Cedar Ridge as a morning goal, but with no water or shade.

💡 There is neither water nor shade on this trail: set off at sunrise with three litres per person, and do not go beyond Cedar Ridge in summer. The Hikers' Express leaves Bright Angel Lodge early in the morning for the trailhead. Price: included in park entry.

The canyon's other side, 346 km away by road on the forested Kaibab Plateau at 2,500 metres, with Point Imperial and Cape Royal, open from mid-May until the first snows.

💡 The Grand Canyon Lodge and some of the North Rim facilities burned down in the Dragon Bravo fire in July 2025, and accommodation in the park is no longer available there: sleep in Jacob Lake, 70 km away, or in Kanab, and check the North Rim Status page on nps.gov before setting off, as roads and trails are reopening in stages. Price: included in park entry, the same ticket is valid for both rims.

Mary Colter's 21-metre stone tower of 1932 at the end of Desert View Drive, painted inside by the Hopi artist Fred Kabotie and looking out over the bend of the Colorado.

💡 Access to the upper floors is by free ticket handed out at the foot of the tower, in groups of 25 people for 20 minutes, during the day. Combine it with the east entrance if you are continuing to Page or Monument Valley. Price: included in park entry.

A historic train running from Williams, on Route 66, to the heart of Grand Canyon Village in 2 hours 15 minutes, with musicians on board and about three hours at the rim.

💡 The Pullman class, without air conditioning and running from March to October, is the cheapest, about $70 per adult, or €60, more for the higher classes. The park entry fee is added to the ticket when booking: $20 for a single adult, $35 for 2 to 9 adults, or about €17 and €30, plus $100, about €86, per non-resident aged 16 and over, unless you give the number of an annual pass. Three hours at the canyon are enough for the Rim Trail between Bright Angel Lodge and Mather Point.