The Grand Canyon's Rims

Most visitors to the Grand Canyon plan their vacations for the summer months, usually from June to mid-September, when the weather is warm and the views are clear. They usually come to South Rim where most of the Park's amenities are located in the Grand Canyon Village. The Park's lodges are located in this area, as well as the shuttle buses that take visitors from one end of the Park to the other. Here you can find all that you need to make your Grand Canyon stay comfortable, even a bank and a post office. Also in this area, visitors can book a variety of Park tours, such as hiking and rafting excursions, led by Grand Canyon Park staff.

The North Rim is closed during the winter season, mid-October until mid-May. It is the quieter, more remote part of Grand Canyon National Park without the general store, post office, restaurants and other services offered by the South Rim area. Here you will enjoy the Grand Canyon National Park in its most natural state. There is only one lodging at the North Rim and a campground.

Both the North and the South Rims have a number of hiking trails for you to enjoy. Trying to hike from the rim of the Canyon to the bottom and back in one day is strongly discouraged by the Park Service. Backcountry hiking and camping must receive a permit available at the Backcountry Information Center.

The West Rim is another developed area of the Grand Canyon, but it is not located within the Grand Canyon National Park grounds. This area is part of the Hualapai Native American Reservation. It is the most convenient part of the Grand Canyon to get to from Las Vegas. Here you can book helicopter trips to the Canyon floor. Here also is the famous glass-bottomed Grand Canyon Skywalk, a horse-shaped structure that juts out 70 feet from the edge of the Canyon, 4000 feet above the Canyon floor. There is also a café and gift shop. The price to go onto the Skywalk is around $90 per person, including the short bus trip to the walkway. Because the West Rim area is not part of the grounds, unescorted hiking is not allowed.

The East Rim of the Grand Canyon consists of a 23 mile drive to Desert View area of the Park, where you can view some of the grandest vistas in the Park. Here, at Grandview Point, one of the highest points on the South Rim at 7406 feet. Here also is the trailhead to Grandview Trail which descends to the bottom of the Canyon. In 1895, a miner named Pete Berry built one of the first tourist facilities in the area, the Grandview Hotel. Because of its altitude, this points receives more rainfall and supports more vegetation than other points along the South Rim.