Canyons & deserts

Grand Canyon National Park

Tusayan, AZ · Grand Canyon$$35 per vehicle, good for 7 days; non-U.S. residents 16 and up add $100 each unless they hold an annual pass; cards only

About

The Grand Canyon's South Rim, 81 miles from Flagstaff, Arizona, is open 24 hours a day all year. The North Rim, 215 miles away by road, lost its lodge to the Dragon Bravo Fire in 2025 and closes for winter. From Yavapai Geology Museum, the paved Trail of Time runs 2.83 miles toward Grand Canyon Village, one meter for every million years, past rock up to about 1.8 billion years old. The canyon itself was cut in only the last five or six million years. Private cars stay off Hermit Road from March through November, when the shuttle runs it. Don't try the river and back in one day: the park makes more than 300 rescues a year, and the South Kaibab Trail has no water and little shade.

Highlights

Mather Point by the visitor centerHermit Road shuttle, March to NovemberHiking the Bright Angel Trail below the rimThe Rim Trail and Trail of Time geology walkMary Colter's Desert View WatchtowerSouth Rim mule trips, year round

Getting there

Grand Canyon Visitor Center, S Entrance Rd, Grand Canyon Village, AZ 86023

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