The Ultimate Grand Canyon Trip-Planning Guide

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For the past few months I’ve been living and working at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, explaining activities, hikes, and transportation options to the guests that pour in every day from all over the world. I’ve got to say, I think I have the best job in the entire park. The guests that come to my desk are typically adventurers in some capacity or another, including backpackers, mule riders, rafters, badass retirees, kids no taller than five feet who can hike 17 miles (do you think you could have done Phantom Ranch and back as a kid? I know I couldn’t have). The questions range from the mundane (where’s the restroom?) to the highly specific (is there water at Manzanita?), and over time I’ve come to understand the most important elements that go into planning a trip to the Grand Canyon South Rim depending on what type of traveler you are. Families, hikers, and day trippers all have different concerns, and I hope to round them up for you all here in my Grand Canyon trip planning guide.

This is a companion piece to my Ultimate Grand Canyon Hiking Guide, which goes in depth on day hiking and overnight backpacking routes. For the current post, I am focusing on activities, museums, accommodations, transportation, and parking.

Orienting Yourself

When you’re talking about booking activities or taking shuttles on the South Rim, you’ll often hear the terms “East Rim” and “West Rim” thrown around. East Rim is easy – that’s just Desert View Drive, and is usually mentioned in reference to the Desert View Watchtower or the Canyon Vista mule ride that treks daily from Yaki Point. West Rim in this context is usually not referring to the actual West Rim of the Havasupai or Hualapai territories. When people on the South Rim say “west rim”, they’re probably referring to Hermit Road. Hermit Road is the farthest western section of the South Rim, and there’s a shuttle that will bring you to all the viewpoints along this route. 

The North Rim is a four hour drive from the South Rim. It is only fully open with full services from May 15th to October 15th and open for day use through November (although in 2023 they didn’t open until June 2nd because of excessive snow, which is very unusual). They are 1000 feet higher in elevation and still have snow on the ground later in the season, whereas the South Rim is open year-around. To get from one rim to the other in the summer, you can take the Trans-Canyon Shuttle for $90 one-way. Hikers doing a Rim to Rim hike often take this shuttle. 

Other drive times from the South Rim:

Tusayan: 20 minutes
Williams: 1 hour
Flagstaff: 1.5 hours
Sedona: 2 hours
Phoenix: 4 hours
Las Vegas: 4.5 hours

Geographical Distances:

Length of Canyon: 277 river miles
Width of Canyon: 10 miles on average, but as much as 18 miles
Depth of Canyon: 1 mile deep

Getting Into The Park

If you’re not taking a guided day trip with transportation included, there are three main ways to get into the park: driving, taking the train, and shuttling.

Driving and Parking

South Entrance

There is a southern entrance to the park, which drivers are more likely to enter through if they are coming from Phoenix, Flagstaff, Sedona, or western states like California or Nevada (we get a lot of people from Vegas). Those drivers will usually have to go through the town of Williams an hour south of the South Rim (I say “usually” because there is a shortcut from Flagstaff to Valle that skips Williams. In the winter time I hate this shortcut because it goes right through Snowbowl, a higher elevation ski area near Flagstaff where blizzards are common), then Valle (where the famous Flintstones motel is located, but not much else), and lastly the gateway town of Tusayan just 20 minutes south of the national park entrance.

East Entrance

There is also an eastern entrance to the park, often referred to as the Desert View entrance. Drivers coming from Utah, Colorado, or other eastern states often opt for this entrance. The town of Cameron is the last stop before entering the park. If you go this way, make sure to stop by the Cameron Trading Post! It’s a huge Native gift shop with a restaurant in the back that sells authentic Navajo Tacos, and a gallery (more like museum) with an impressive collection of indigenous artifacts. 

Unless you already have an annual Park Pass, when you come through either entrance to the national park you’ll need to pay a $35 entrance fee to the National Park Service. This provides you with 7 days of entry. If you arrive after hours when no ranger is at the gate, you pay at a self-service automated kiosk.

Grand Canyon South Rim Parking

If you’re driving, be aware that parking is first-come first-serve and in short supply. You’re technically allowed to park anywhere in the village that isn’t marked handicapped or employees only. Popular options to make sure you’re centrally located would be in the Bright Angel Lodge parking lot, Maswik Lodge, the Backcountry Information Center, or Verkamps Visitor Center by El Tovar. You can also parallel park on Village Loop Drive.

Of these options, the Bright Angel parking lot is going to be the most centrally located to all the historical buildings and activities you want to do in the village, but that’s also the most difficult place to luck out and find a spot. Your best option is Parking Lot D at the Backcountry Information Center, as their lot is much bigger and just a 15 minute walk from the village.

Another popular option is parking at the main Visitor Center (not to be confused with the Verkamps Visitor Center) where there is tons of space, including larger spaces for RVs, but the caveat with that is you’d need to take the shuttle or walk the Rim Trail about three miles to get to the village from there. You also can’t leave your car there overnight like you can at the above-mentioned locations. Hikers should note that you cannot park at the South Kaibab Trailhead (more on that below under “Hiker’s Express”).

Railroad

The historic Grand Canyon Railway was built in the late 1800s after much prodding from the legendary Buckey O’Neill (whose cabin is still the oldest building standing on the South Rim today. You can stay in it!). He wanted to transport goods from his mines on the South Rim to the town of Williams, but also saw the potential for tourism. It was completed in 1901, which was after his death fighting for Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders.

Today the train comes into the park every day at 11:30am and 12:30pm, and departs again at 3:30pm and 4:30pm. Many day trippers come in on the train in the morning, explore the village or do a bus tour, then leave in the afternoon. These train tickets are booked with the Grand Canyon Railway & Hotel or TripAdvisor. If you’d like to experience the train ride but plan to return to the park, you’d have to take one of the afternoon outbounds, stay the night in Williams, then return on one of the morning inbounds. For this reason, Xanterra offers the “Railroad Express”, which is a shuttle service departing from the South Rim to the town of Williams early in the morning so that you can catch the train ride back into the park. This saves you having to stay overnight and is something you need to reserve in advance with the Bright Angel Transportation Desk.

This ride is mainly a form of transportation, as it’s not particularly scenic. You go through the desert and the Kaibab National Forest, but you don’t get canyon views. It’s more about the experience of taking the historic train ride. Before boarding you can watch a Wild West show, and then once you’re on the train a cowboy singer will walk through the train cars to play music and you’ll learn a bit of history from the steward/stewardess. 

Shuttle

Grand Canyon South Rim Shuttle from Phoenix, Flagstaff, or Sedona

Groome Transportation is a private shuttle service that will drive guests into the park from as far as Flagstaff, Sedona, and Phoenix. Make reservations in advance here.

Grand Canyon South Rim Shuttle from Las Vegas

I’ve learned there is now a one-way bus transfer available from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon, this is great news! Previously I would have really advised people against visiting the Grand Canyon South Rim from Vegas because of transportation issues.

Grand Canyon South Rim Shuttle from Tusayan

Many people book hotels in the town of Tusayan just outside the southern entrance to the park instead of opting into lodging on the rim. You could always just drive from your Tusayan hotel into the park, but because of the difficult parking situation, it’s a smart idea to take the Purple Shuttle from Tusayan into the park. It’s free, runs every 20 minutes, and drops you off at the Visitor Center where you can hop on one of the other shuttle lines to get you to the village or other points of interest. Note that the Purple Route doesn’t operate year-around; it begins in March and ends in September. The first one picks up at 8am at the National Geographic Visitor Center in Tusayan, and the last one departs the Grand Canyon Visitor Center inside the park at 9:30pm. Always double check seasonal shuttle schedules to be sure. 

Grand Canyon South Rim Shuttle from Cameron

There is no shuttle into the eastern entrance from Cameron. 

Common Questions About Transportation to the Grand Canyon

Getting Around The Park

Because of the shuttle system on the South Rim, you can get almost anywhere you need to without a car. The three main shuttle routes are the Blue/Village Route, the Red/Hermit’s Route, and the Orange/Kaibab Route. All three are free and run every 15 minutes, and you don’t need to flash any kind of pass to get on – just hop-on/hop-off. 

Blue/Village Route

Round-trip without getting off: 60 min

This line will take you around all the main hotels, restaurants, and historical buildings in the village. To explore Bright Angel Lodge, El Tovar, Hopi House, Lookout Studio, Kolb Studio, or Verkamps Visitor Center, you can get off at the Train Depot stop or the Bright Angel stop. Maswik Lodge and Backcountry Information Center are also blue route stops, as well as Market Plaza (where there’s a full grocery store and camp store, post office, bank, and Yavapai Lodge) and the main Visitor Center (where you can see ranger chats, a short movie about the park, some exhibits on local flora/fauna, rent a bike at Bright Angel Bicycles, or check out the gorgeous canyon viewpoint in their backyard called Mather Point). The Visitor Center is where you can transfer to the orange or purple routes.

Orange/Kaibab Route

Round-trip without getting off: 20 minutes for westbound; 20 minutes for eastbound

From the Visitor Center, you can take the westbound orange bus to the Geology Museum, or the eastbound orange bus to Pipe Creek Vista, Yaki Point (cannot park at this viewpoint), or everyone’s favorite: South Kaibab Trailhead (cannot park here). More on that in a bit.

Red/Hermit’s Route

Round-trip without getting off: 80 minutes

You could walk to the first red route pickup stop from the main village pretty quickly, as it’s only about a 5-8 minute walk from Bright Angel Lodge, or if you’re on the blue bus you get off at Hermit Transfer stop and get on the red from there. Private cars are not allowed to drive on Hermit Road during busy season (March 1 – November 30), so your only options for seeing the beautiful viewpoints on Hermit Road are to take this free shuttle or walk the Rim Trail. From the start of Hermit Road all the way to the end, where you’ll find a historic Mary Colter building called Hermit’s Rest, is 7 miles, so it’s quite a walk. Some of the most famous viewpoints are along the red route, including Hopi Point and Mohave Point.

Hiker’s Express

Round-trip without getting off: 30 minutes.

If you plan on taking South Kaibab Trail into the canyon for a hike, unfortunately you cannot park at the trailhead. If you’re only doing a day hike, you could park at the Visitor Center and take the orange shuttle two stops to the trailhead, but if you’re doing an overnight hike, you’re not allowed to leave your car overnight at the Visitor Center. For most people who are staying in one of the main lodges, like Bright Angel, El Tovar, or Maswik, the best option is to leave the car at their lodge (this is allowed overnight) and take the Hiker’s Express shuttle. It picks up at Bright Angel Lodge every morning at 5am, 6am, and 7am, or at the Backcountry Office at 5:05am, 6:05am, and 7:05am. In the summer these times will be even earlier, since hikers want to get on the trail well before the afternoon sun.

For hikers coming from outside of the park, I usually advise them to plan on picking this shuttle up at the Backcountry Office because it will be easier to park the car there at Parking Lot D. Since most hikers ascend Bright Angel Trail coming back up, it would be nice if your car is just waiting for you right at the Bright Angel Trailhead, but if that’s not possible then walking another 10 minutes to get the car from Backcountry isn’t so bad.

The Hiker’s Express shuttle will get you to the South Kaibab Trailhead in about 30 minutes. If you miss the Express times, you can still take the regular shuttle system by hopping the blue line to the Visitor Center, then getting off and transferring to the orange eastbound bus for two more stops, but that would take about an hour. During spring season, though, some people are ok with doing this because the regular shuttles begin as early as 4:30am. If you want to get on the trail really early, that would be your option, or you could call a taxi. If you’re staying at Yavapai Lodge, taking the blue to the Visitor Center is only a couple stops, and the Hiker’s Express doesn’t pick up anywhere near you, so you might as well take the regular blue shuttle and do the transfer to the orange. 

Taxi Service

You can call a taxi 24/7 as-needed, but you can’t reserve a taxi ride in advance. Just call when you’re ready for them to come get you. They usually only take about 10 minutes to show up. It’s cash only. The number is 928-638-2631.

Places Only Accessible By Car

The shuttles only go as far east at Yaki Point. Past that, Desert View Drive continues to stretch on for 26 miles and features viewpoints like Navajo Point, Lipan Point, and Grandview, plus the Tusayan Ruins Museum and my favorite spot, the Desert View Watchtower, another historical Mary Colter building. Besides driving yourself, to get there you could call a taxi or pay for one of Xanterra’s narrated bus tours. There is no walking trail connecting these points. 

South Rim Activities (Good for Families)

There are so many fun things to do at the Grand Canyon for all ages! If you’re wondering what families can do at the Grand Canyon, especially if you have younger children or older seniors in your family and aren’t sure if everyone will be up for hiking, they might enjoy the following ideas and activities.

Bus Tours

Xanterra offers four interpretive, narrated bus tours you can take along the east and west sides of the South Rim. Your driver will tell you about the history of the canyon, the flora and fauna, and stop at three or four points of interest to let everyone off the bus for 15-20 minutes to take pictures. Even though three of the bus tours hit locations you can get to on the free shuttle, the narration really is invaluable. I’d been to Hopi Point by myself a dozen times, but when I took the Hermit’s Rest Bus Tour, my driver pointed out some billion-year-old fossils in a rock that’s just sitting out in the open that I’d never noticed before. He also pointed out where the condor cave was, and not five minutes later two condors flew overhead! They were high enough above us that if I had been alone, I’d probably think they were ravens. Because he was there and knew the difference, I recognized the significance of the moment. 

All four bus tours depart from either Bright Angel Lodge or Maswik Lodge. Whichever pickup spot you use is your choice. The departure times I’ve listed below change by the week or the month based on the path of the sun in the sky, so make sure to double check seasonal departure times.

Desert View Tour: east rim, 3.5 – 4 hours, $65, free for kids 16 and under, departs around 9am.
The Desert View Watchtower is a Mary Colter building erected with the help of local Native cultures, so inside you’ll find Native artifacts, pottery, and artwork. It’s 70 feet tall and the tallest point on the South Rim, and once you’re on the top floor you’ll have 360 degree views of not just the canyon, but also the Vermillion Cliffs, the Painted Desert, and Humphreys Peak. There’s also a gas station, general store, deli, and ice cream shop here. No free shuttles reach this landmark, so you need to either drive your own car, take a taxi, or take this paid bus tour. 

*Note: if you purchase the Desert View tour, you can add any west rim tour for only $15 instead of their usual price. 

Mule Rides

There are two mule rides that take place on the South Rim (a different company does North Rim rides). One is an overnight trip that goes to the bottom of the canyon, and one is a short day trip that stays on the rim. Lots of folks ask if there’s still a day trip that goes down into the canyon, because years ago we had one that went to Plateau Point. There isn’t.

Canyon Vista Mule Ride, $142.83
The day trip is a three hour trip that goes every day at 8am or at 12pm (those are current seasonal times, but there is only one trip a day during winter, at 9am). You meet at the mule barn in the village, get shuttled over to the other mule barn at Yaki Point where you do a safety orientation and get in the saddle, then you ride for about four miles, or two hours. Afterwards you’re shuttled back to the village. On average you’re about 8 feet from the edge, but you do come as close at 3 feet at some points. The mule trail is a special trail that no hikers or drivers have access to.

Requirements: at least 9 years old, 4 foot 9 inches tall, under 225 pounds, not afraid of heights or large animals, not pregnant, able to speak English. 

Phantom Ranch Mule Ride, $640
The overnight ride is a package that includes your mule ride down Bright Angel Trail, your cabin accommodations at Phantom Ranch (the lodging at the bottom of the canyon), all your meals including a steak dinner and a big breakfast spread, and your mule ride back up the second day on South Kaibab Trail. It is booked 15 months in advance via a lottery system at PhantomRanchLottery.com. You apply in the beginning of the month for the dates you want 15 months in the future, then they do a random drawing and alert you as to whether you won the dates or not. If you did, at that time you can pay and make requests about what meals you want. If not, you try again the next month and the next until you win.

12 to 2 months out from the date you want to ride, you can try calling Central Reservations to see if you can grab any dates that potentially didn’t book up in the lottery, or perhaps someone who won ended up cancelling and you can re-purchase their spot. The day before the ride, you can get on a waitlist at Bright Angel Transportation Desk in case any riders cancel extremely last minute, but this is very rare. 

Requirements: at least 9 years old, 4 foot 9 inches tall, under 200 pounds, not afraid of heights or large animals, not pregnant, able to speak English.

*Note: we use mules because they are sure-footed. They are a cross between a female horse and a male donkey, and are therefore stronger than both animals, have more heat tolerance, and because their eyes are further back on their head they can see both their back feet and front feet. In 100 years the mules have a perfect record. We have not had a guest fall into the canyon while riding a mule. Hikers are another story, because they take selfies and make fatal mistakes. The book “Death in the Grand Canyon” chronicles a lot of them. 

Rafting Trips

Whitewater rafting trips are done via third party companies outside of Xanterra. You’ll need to do your own research and booking for this (start here), but most of them depart from Page, Arizona and last anywhere between 3- to 18-days. I’ve heard of a 21-day trip too. 

The package we offer to help you book at the Bright Angel Transportation Desk is done through Grand Canyon Scenic Airlines. It’s a full day trip where you either shuttle or take a scenic air flight from the Grand Canyon Airport in Tusayan up to Page, Arizona. There you’ll do a walking tour through Antelope Canyon with Navajo Tours, then join a smooth water rafting trip with Wilderness River Adventures for three hours from Glen Canyon Dam down to Lee’s Ferry. You actually sail around Horseshoe Bend which is pretty cool, since most people just see it from the top, and you’ll dock at one island to check out ancient petroglyphs. The water is extremely calm and you don’t get wet. Then you’ll be bussed back to the South Rim, with a stop at the Cameron Trading Post.

All together both packages (shuttle vs. airplane) are a whole day. You’ll start just before 7am and get back to the national park by 5pm or 6pm. The shuttle to Page option is called the Smooth Water Rafting Trip, and is $219 per person. If you take the scenic airline flight to Page, it’s called the Canyon River Adventure and is $439.

Helicopters

There are two companies we recommend for helicopter tours starting from the South Rim: Maverick and Papillon. I’ve done the Maverick tour and absolutely adored it. They have a short route that goes over the North Rim and the west side of the South Rim near Hermit Trail (see above for “Orienting Yourself”), or a longer route for only $30 more that also goes over the east rim. Seven people can fit in the Maverick helicopters. They’re all forward-facing seats, and everyone gets a headset to chat with each other and the pilot. You can even get a DVD of the views from your exact flight afterwards. As of this writing, Maverick has a perfect safety record.

Both companies fly from the Grand Canyon Airport in Tusayan, but you can get picked up from inside the park if you don’t have a car. 

Note that the helicopters on the South Rim are not allowed to land down inside the canyon itself below rim. These are simply flyover tours. This is for environmental and noise pollution reasons, and also because of plane crashes that took place over the canyon in 1956 and 1986.

Note that if you are taking a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon starting from Vegas instead of Tusayan, it likely is not going to the National Park at all. Those fly over the Native Reservation on the West Rim (in their promotional materials you may see this referred to as “Grand Canyon West”). These are allowed to land in the canyon, however. Just don’t expect to see any of the other sights discussed here in my Grand Canyon trip planning guide. Instead, you would see different things like the Sky Walk.

Helicopter tours from Las Vegas and of the West Rim are available here. Helicopter of Grand Canyon National Park from Tusayan are available here. A couple tours that aren’t sorted correctly might be listed in each category; double check which rim your tour actually goes to before you purchase.

Jeep Tours

Jeep and hummer tours are all run by third party companies based in the town of Tusayan. The most popular are Pink Jeep Tours and Buckwild. I’ve never done these because I believe they hit many of the same viewpoints I’ve seen on our internal bus tours, but it does seem fun to ride in the jeeps with a smaller group! I believe they might also combine both east and west rim viewpoints, whereas our bus tours only go on west rim or east rim. 

iMax Movie

Many people think the iMax movie is within the national park, but it’s actually just outside in the town of Tusayan at the National Geographic Visitor Center. It shows every hour on the half hour between 8:30am and 8:30pm (check for seasonal showtime changes). It’s about a 40 minute movie and includes cool drone perspectives of the canyon, plus they recreated different moments throughout history like John Wesley Powell’s rafting expedition of the length of the Colorado River. 

Railroad Express

See above for information on the railway day trip.

Horseback Rides

There are no horseback rides that take place in the park. Just outside the park in Tusayan, you can book horse rides in the Kaibab National Forest with Apache Stables. In peak seasons they’re open 7 days a week, 9am-5pm. 

Ranger Talks

There are free ranger talks usually three times a day, though there are seasonal changes to the timing and topics:

At 10:00am is the one-hour Guided Rim Walk, a very gentle and paved stroll where a ranger will talk about flora, fauna, history, artists and writers inspired by the canyon, Indigenous Peoples, or other topics. Meet at Verkamps in the village.

At Noon at the Visitor Center is “Ranger’s Choice;” it could be the critter chat about the condors, elk, and other wildlife, or maybe a talk about Grand Canyon history, astronomy, or hiking trails. You can get here by driving and parking at the Visitor Center or taking the blue shuttle bus.

At 2:00pm or 2:30pm (varies seasonally) at the Geology Museum is the geology chat. You can get here by driving and parking at the museum, taking the orange shuttle bus, or walking the Rim Trail.

Occasionally there are free ranger walks as well, down South Kaibab or Hermit Trail. In the summertime there are usually even more ranger chats, particularly the sunset evening chat and some star parties.

At 1:30pm at Tusayan Ruins Museum there used to be a walk through the Ancestral Puebloan Ruins, but this museum is temporarily closed. For reference when they reopen – you could do this as a self-guided walk too, but the ranger explains historical facts. The only way to get here is by car or taxi.

Trekking and Guided Hikes in the Grand Canyon

Xanterra and the National Park Service do not offer licensed wilderness guides to take you down the trails in the canyon. You can just get out there and start hiking yourself without paying any kind of fee or alerting anyone to your plans, technically (unless you’re camping below rim overnight, in which case you apply for a permit). If you’re interested in a guided hike in the Grand Canyon, there are a number of third party companies that will take you. The most popular are Wildland Trekking, Four Season, and the Grand Canyon Conservancy. 

Common Questions About Visiting the Grand Canyon

Historical Buildings and Restaurants

Within the village, you can explore a handful of legendary buildings without having to walk too far. In close proximity are:

El Tovar: Originally built as the luxury lodging option in 1905, it was designed by Charles Whittlesey to appeal to European tastes that were popular among the elite at the time. There is a gourmet restaurant that requires reservations for dinner. At the nearby cocktail lounge they serve drinks, boozy coffees, desserts, and appetizers. No reservation is needed for the lounge and it’s open later.

Bright Angel Lodge: Designed in 1935 by Mary Colter to resonate a rustic charm. There is a History Room here where you can learn about the Fred Harvey company, Colter, and the Harvey Girls. That’s where you’ll also find Colter’s “geologic” fireplace, featuring all the rock layers of the canyon. Outside the main lodge are also cabin accommodations, one of which is the Buckey O’Neill cabin. There are two restaurants at Bright Angel: the Harvey House Cafe, which is the more casual dining option that has wraps, sandwiches, and burgers, and the Arizona Room, which is technically a steakhouse but features foods local to Arizona, like Elk Burger, locally crafted beer, and a protein bowl with squash and corn. Reservations are not required at either restaurant, but they are recommended for the Arizona Room. Also in the Bright Angel Lodge you’ll find a bar, as well as a grab-and-go food spot called The Fountain where you can get hot dogs, ice cream, and pastries and coffee in the morning. The Bright Angel Transportation Desk is located in the lobby of Bright Angel Lodge, right next to the front desk. You can buy bus tour and mule ride tickets here and at the Maswik Transportation Desk.

Hopi House: Built by Mary Colter with the help of local indigenous groups. Here you’ll find Native pottery, weaving, jewelry, and artwork for sale. Sometimes they have cultural demonstrations where the artists discuss or practice their craft. Some artists of the Hopi tribe actually lived here at one time.

Lookout Studio: A gift shop and cool viewpoint overlooking the canyon, centrally located in the village.

Kolb Studio: This is the home of the Kolb Brothers, who were some of the first people to photograph the canyon back in the early 1900s. They were adventurers who also built their own boat to sail the Colorado. On the bottom floor of the building is a mini museum where their boat and photographs are on display. You can get your national park passport stamped here.

Verkamps Visitor Center: Besides Fred Harvey, the Verkamps were one of the earliest families to get into the tourism game at the Grand Canyon. This is mainly a gift shop, and you can get your national park passport stamped here.

Kachina Lodge: Cheaper rim lodging option located in between El Tovar and Bright Angel.

Thunderbird Lodge: Cheaper rim lodging option located in between El Tovar and Bright Angel.

Other Lodges and Restaurants in the Park

Maswik Lodge: Maswik is about a 12 minute walk from Bright Angel Lodge. It’s not located right on the rim like the lodges listed above, but it’s newly renovated, has more parking, has its own blue shuttle stop, and features a big food court cafeteria. This is a good dining option for families where everyone has different tastes. There’s an Italian food section, a Mexican food section, deli subs, homestyle cooking, etc. They’re also usually open much earlier than the other restaurants, so if you have to be up early for a tour you could eat here first. They have a separate pizza pub which serves pizza, wings, and beer. Maswik also has a Transportation Desk where you can buy bus tour and mule ride tickets, just like at Bright Angel, but their hours are more limited (at the time of this writing it was 8am – 6pm, vs 6am – 8pm at Bright Angel). 

Yavapai Lodge: This lodge is operated by Delaware North, not Xanterra, so I’m not as familiar with it. It’s located at the Market Plaza stop on the blue shuttle, by the grocery store and post office. This is not walking distance from the rim, but it’s a short shuttle ride. They have their own restaurant too. 

Mather Campground: Some parts of the year spots are first-come first-serve, but other times I believe you have to reserve in advance. Double check seasonal regulations online. Mather Campground is located near Market Plaza and Yavapai Lodge. This is not walking distance from the rim, but it’s a short shuttle ride.

You could also try Trailer Village RV Park. 

*Note – there is plenty of lodging just 15 minutes outside the park as well, in the town of Tusayan. From those hotels you could take the Purple Shuttle into the park, or drive. Options include Grand Hotel, Best Western, Red Feather Lodge, Grand Canyon Plaza Hotel, Camper Village, etc. 

🏨 Are all the in-park hotels already booked out? Search budget hostels near the Grand Canyon and standard hotels in Tusayan.
🏕️ Find free or paid campsites near the Grand Canyon via The Dyrt.
✈️ Coming to Arizona from further afield? Use an Airalo eSIM for affordable international cell data and don’t forget to protect your investment with travel insurance.

Little-Known Tips About Visiting the Grand Canyon South Rim

There are a few things I explain to guests every day that constantly surprise them, and I’m always surprised myself that nobody disperses this information. Here I hope to clarify some details for you in advance so you won’t be caught off guard:

• Cell Service is Terrible
  There is one cell tower that services the park, and that is Verizon. If you have Verizon you’ll probably get signal on the rim, otherwise you’re out of luck. Don’t plan on having cell service.

• Wifi is Terrible
  You will see a “Xanterra WiFi” option on your phone, and by all means give it a shot. It will be painfully slow. I turn it off and just use my cell data instead, because I have Verizon.

• Refillable Bottles Only!
  We are green! We don’t sell plastic water bottles. We have water refill stations all throughout the park in various lodges and trailheads, so you can keep hydrated with your refillable thermos.

• Bright Angel or Bright Angel?
  There are a lot of locations called “Bright Angel” throughout the park. There’s Bright Angel Lodge, Bright Angel Trail, Bright Angel Campground, and Bright Angel Bicycles (not affiliated with Bright Angel Lodge). There are also geological features like Bright Angel Creek, Bright Angel Fault, and the Bright Angel Shale. Don’t get confused and end up in the wrong place!

• How to Pronounce Stuff
  Kaibab is like “Ky-Bab”, not “Kay-Bob”. 
  Hopi is like “Hope-y”, not “Hoppy”.
  Havasupai is “Have-uh-sue-pie”
  Hualapai is “Wall-uh-pie”
  Yavapai is “Yeah-vuh-pie”

• Pets
  Pets can hang out on the rim and go in the lodges and gift shops if they’re leashed, but not the restaurants, and they cannot hike with you down into the canyon. There is a kennel onsite for pets. You can bring your own horses to the park and even take them on the trails. If you do an overnight trip with horses you need a permit. 

• ADA
  There are wheelchair ramps all around, and you can get a wheelchair from the front desk at the lodges. The train depot offers a complimentary shuttle to bring disabled guests to and from their train. You can request an ADA bus be used if you book one of our four Xanterra bus tours (Sunrise, Sunset, Desert View, and Hermit’s Rest) so that there’s more room in front for a wheelchair, but you need to ask in advance.

I hope this guide will get you started with planning your trip to Grand Canyon National Park, my favorite place in the whole world! Keep in mind that exact prices change over time and you’ll want to double check current conditions as well as transportation and event schedules in advance of your trip. The Park Service posts the latest alerts and conditions here. If you have other questions about activities, accommodation, or transportation in the Grand Canyon, let me know in the comments!

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