Grand Canyon National Park

Spring and autumn are the best times to visit, with the most clement temperatures and rainfall is lowest. If you’re heading to the South Rim, you can also avoid the worst of the tourist hoards.

Summer (June to August) throngs with visitors – especially the South Rim – and can get blisteringly hot.

In winter, (December-February) heavy snowfall in winter can shut down parts of the park and ground helicopters. The North Rim is closed from December to mid-May each year. The South and West Rims are open all year round.

Temperatures can vary dramatically in the Park throughout the year, from 40°C to 80 °C, and below freezing in winter, so always take warm clothing, especially outside of summer.

The closest international airports are Phoenix and Las Vegas, each around 3-4 hours’ drive. You can also fly to Grand Canyon Airport in the nearby town of Tusayan from North Las Vegas, Boulder City, and Henderson, NV airports. From there, get a taxi to the Grand Canyon Village (about $15).

If you’re driving, the Park’s southern entrance is accessed from the Arizona State Route 64 near Tusayan.

Many visitors join organised tours from Las Vegas. It’s a long 4-5 hour drive from Las Vegas to the South Rim; most therefore head to the West Rim (only 3 hours away), making it a feasible, if long, day trip.

There are also many organised tours within the park itself – bus, helicopter, and white-water raft. Organised tours offer the great benefit of hassle-free visits, and informative tour guides.

You can’t self-drive in the Grand Canyon (apart from one scenic stretch – see experiences). Your options are organised tours, or to use the shuttle buses.

Getting around the South Rim is straightforward. The free and reliable hop-on hop-off shuttle buses run a network of four routes that connect the main sights. They run all year round. There’s a downloadable map of them on the NPS website.

There’s also a reliable and frequent shuttle bus service around the West Rim, run by the local Hualapai, that helps you easily see all the different sites there too.

Bus, boat, helicopter, and airplane tours are available from the South Rim. Bus, boat, helicopter, airplane, and white-water rafting tours are available from the West Rim.

Ideally, you want to stay within the park itself. There are numerous accommodation options, though none especially luxurious. You’re not coming here for a luxury stay.

Most accommodation is at the South Rim, with the 3-star El Tovar Hotel the pick of the bunch. You can also stay at the nearby town of Tusayan.

Most people go to the West Rim for day tours, but the Hualapai Indians operate the Hualapai Ranch, which offers simple accommodation in a mock cowboy ranch, with cowboy-themed entertainment, wagon rides, and horseback riding.

At the North Rim, the only option is the legendary Grand Canyon Lodge.