Grand Canyon South Rim Travel Guide

The Grand Canyon Village area can be extremely congested, especially in summer. If possible, you may want to use one of the transportation options below to avoid the park's traffic jams and parking problems. To give you an idea, in summer you can expect at least a 20- to 30-minute wait at the South Rim entrance gate just to get into the park. You can cut the waiting time here by acquiring an America the Beautiful-National Parks & Federal Recreational Lands Pass, before arriving. These passes are available as an Annual Pass ($80), a lifetime Senior Pass (available to U.S. citizens and permanent residents 62 or older for $10), and a lifetime Access Pass (available free to U.S. citizens and permanent residents with permanent disabilities). With pass in hand, you can use the express lane.

By Bus -- Free shuttle buses operate on four routes within the park. The Village Route bus circles through Grand Canyon Village throughout the day with frequent stops at the Canyon View Information Plaza, Market Plaza (site of a general store, bank, laundry, and showers), hotels, campgrounds, restaurants, and other facilities. The Hermit's Rest Route bus takes visitors to eight canyon overlooks west of Bright Angel Lodge (this bus does not operate Dec-Feb.). The Kaibab Trail Route bus stops at the Canyon View Information Plaza, Pipe Creek Vista, the South Kaibab trail head, and Yaki Point. This latter stop is the trail head for the South Kaibab Trail to the bottom of the canyon. The Canyon View/Mather Point Route is specifically for visitors who need mobility assistance and shuttles between the Mather Point parking lot and the Canyon View Information Center. There's also a Hikers' Express bus to Yaki Point. This bus stops at Bright Angel Lodge and the Back Country Information Office. Hikers needing transportation to or from Yaki Point when the bus is not running can use a taxi (tel. 928/638-2822 or 928/638-2631, ext. 6563).

Between mid-May and mid-October, Trans Canyon (tel. 928/638-2820) offers shuttle-bus service between the South Rim and the North Rim. The vans leave the South Rim at 1:30pm and arrive at the North Rim at 6pm. The return trip leaves the North Rim at 7am, arriving back at the South Rim at 11:30am. The fare is $70 one-way and $130 round-trip; reservations are required.

By Car -- Service stations are outside the south entrance to the park in Tusayan, at Desert View near the east entrance (this station is seasonal), and east of the park at Cameron. Because of the long distances within the park and to towns outside the park, fill up before setting out on a drive. Gas at the canyon is very expensive.

By Taxi -- Taxi service is available to and from the airport, trail heads, and other destinations (tel. 928/638-2822 or 928/638-2631, ext. 6563). The fare from the airport to Grand Canyon Village is $10 for up to two adults ($5 for each additional person).