Visitor Information - (928) 638-7888
Operating Hours - South Rim
Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
including accommodations, camping and
restaurants. Reservations suggested
during summer months.
Operating Hours - North Rim
All park services are available 24/ 7
from Mid May to Mid October.
Reservations during the entire open season
are suggested for camping or lodging.
A
free shuttle bus system operates in the
Grand Canyon Village area. Make your visit
easier by parking your car and using the
shuttle to get around. Make sure you stop at
the park's visitor center at Canyon View
Information Plaza, which are reached only by
shuttle.
The Grand Canyon offers much but, first I
wish to summarize the two areas of the park,
the south Rim and the North Rim areas.
The South Rim is where 90% of all tourist
visit at the Grand Canyon. Three
different shuttle bus tours are available
for the South Rim part of the park.
The Blue Village Route Shuttle (maps of the
bus tour routes are available at the
NPS.Gov website) covers the majority
and main parts of the South Rim, which
include the lodges, campgrounds, restaurants
and shops. So, the Blue Village Route
Shuttle is not intended to be a site seeing
tour. The site seeing bus tours are
the Kaibab Trail Route and the Hermit Rest
Route. The Kaibab Trail Route runs
along Canyon View Information Plaza, South
Kaibab Trailhead, Yaki Point and Pipe Creek
Vista. The Hermit Rest Route runs
along the :Scenic and Historic Hermit Road,
which is off limits to private vehicles.
The route starts at the Village Route
Transfer Station and ends at the Hermits
Rest and nine stops are scheduled in between
for scenic tours. A shuttle bus run
from the Tusayan community for those who
decide to stay there for the Grand Canyon
vacation and the Hikers' Express shuttle bus
takes hikers from the Bright Angel Lodge to
the South Kaibab Trailhead.
The North Rim of the Grand Canyon does not
offer tour guides and buses per say although
park personnel, lodging and campgrounds
exist. Programs are offered by park
personal and are seasonal. Visit the
NPS.Gov for program details.
To get to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon
is either a long 21 mile hike or a 220 mile
drive from the South Rim. Points of
interest are the Bright Angel Point where an
open view of the entire Canyon is offered
plus roaring springs as walkers kike down a
short 1/2 mile paved path. Point
Imperial and Cape Royal can be reached via a
car but, with the stops and lookouts can
easily take 1/2 a day. The over look
of the Marble Canyon is only visible from
Winding Gash along this tour.
Tuweep Overlook is 3000 feet straight up
above the Colorado river and the overlook
does involve a hike but, is much worth the
time. The North Rim is a good choice
for a more natural and wild visit to the
Grand Canyon.
Two campgrounds are offered by reservations,
Mather Campground located on the South Rim
and the North Rim Campground. The
Grand Canyon National Park offers much more
that include mule trips, backcountry Hiking,
art exhibits and guided tours. The
mule trips are about three hours in length
and over night trips are available and the
lodging is at the Phantom Ranch, which is
western style ranch near the Colorado river.
So much to do as with many of the National
Parks but, the Grand Canyon National Park
does offer the most stunning views of all
the National Parks.
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