Driving is the most popular way to visit the Grand Canyon, with around 3 million people arriving by car each year. Rail, bus, and air transport are available for a limited number of access points, and require you to join a tour.
The Grand Canyon is a huge feature on the landscape with no place to cross anywhere along its path. A loop around the Grand Canyon via the shortest route possible is approximately 900 miles long (farther than a trip across Texas!). About half this distance is made up of curvy, two-lane roads, so leave plenty of time for a leisurely driving pace.
There are four paved road entrances to the Grand Canyon. Two of these lead to the South Rim of the Canyon approaching from Highway 89A between Flagstaff and Page, Arizona, or from Highway 64, which can be picked up at Flagstaff or Williams, Arizona. The third access point is called Grand Canyon West, still on the southern side of the Grand Canyon, which is a remote destination on the Hualapai Reservation that is accessed from Kingman, Arizona. The North Rim of Grand Canyon is reached by Highway 67 from the extreme northern portion of Arizona and from southern Utah.
Most people visit the South Rim. It is easy to reach from Phoenix, Albuquerque and Los Angeles, and has plenty of hiking trails, scenic vistas, campgrounds, restaurants, and other services. A scenic drive connects Grand Canyon National Park’s South entrance with the Park’s east entrance via the incredibly scenic East Rim Drive, which ends between Flagstaff and Page, Arizona.
Grand Canyon West, is home to the famous glass-floored Sky Walk. The road from Kingman is long and narrow, and not suitable for RVs. The Tribe requires a permit and tour package to be purchased, so this is a more expensive and somewhat restrictive way to see the Canyon, but it is closer to Las Vegas than the Canyon’s other access points.
The North Rim is accessible by only one paved road, and it takes a while to get there, but visitors seeking a quiet, more laid back National Park experience will find it worth the drive. The entrance fee for Grand Canyon National Park (North or South Rim) is $25.
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