Destination: Grand Canyon National Park
About Grand Canyon National Park
Location: Grand Canyon Village, Arizona
Our Park Chasing List: #58 – April 22, 2018
Famous For: An unmatched wonder of the world – UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of the most visited parks in the National Park Service
Destination Quick Guide
Where to Stay
During both of our visits to Grand Canyon National Park, we stayed at Mather Campground – a large, front-country campground with plenty of amenity options. The South Rim of Grand Canyon also has an RV Park and several classic national park lodge experiences (check out the El Tovar Hotel and the Bright Angel Lodge).
Gateway towns for the South Rim include Tusayan (the closest town only 7 miles from the South Rim), Williams (starting point for the Grand Canyon Railroad), Kingman (in the heart of historic Route 66), Flagstaff (historic downtown, Amtrack station, and nearest REI store), and Page (near Lake Powell and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area).
When to Visit
Grand Canyon National Park is open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year. It’s a phenomenal destination at any time of the year. There’s no bad time to visit the Grand Canyon!
That being said, certain areas of the park experience measurable snow and road closures during the winter months. Popular hiking destinations like Phantom Ranch and the North Rim also have seasonal operation hours and may not be open year-round.
Our favorite times to visit Grand Canyon have been in April and September — outside of the busiest travel months in the United States but still when much of the park is open for visiting.
Nearby National Park Units
The area around Grand Canyon National Park has some of the most popular public lands in the United States. We highly recommend combining your trip to Grand Canyon with a visit to another of these park destinations:
The Best of Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon has something to offer EVERYONE in your travel group. Some of the most rugged trails in the park service, gorgeous sunsets, and a chance to spot elk and other wildlife. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Hiking the Bright Angel Trail to Phantom Ranch (multi-day, strenuous trail)
- Sunsets at Mather Point
- Camping in the Mather Campground
- Exploring Grand Canyon Village & the historic hotels
Our Grand Canyon National Park Guides:
The Best Grand Canyon Trip Planning Resources:
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Indigenous Connections to Grand Canyon National Park
As part of our commitment to a more Diverse NPS, Park Chasers wants to acknowledge that the lands we now enjoy were once the home of many different indigenous communities.
According to the National Park Service (nps.gov):
“The Grand Canyon region has been home to humans for more than 13,000 years. The Ancestral Puebloan people have lived in and around the canyon for several thousand years, leaving behind dwellings, garden sites, food storage areas, and artifacts.
Modern tribes still consider Grand Canyon their homeland.
Eleven contemporary tribes have cultural links to the area, and their oral histories are rich with references to the creation of that great chasm and torrential river.”
There are eleven current tribes that have historic connections to the lands and resources now found within Grand Canyon National Park.
- Havasupai Tribe – AZ
- Hopi Tribe – AZ
- Hualapai Tribe – AZ
- Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians – AZ
- Las Vegas Band of Paiute Indians – NV
- Moapa Band of Paiute Indians – NV
- Navajo Nation – AZ
- Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah – UT
- San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe – AZ
- The Pueblo of Zuni – NM
- Yavapai-Apache Nation – A
