Grand Canyon National Park Transportation

Planning a Trip

Most people spend just a short amount of time at Grand Canyon National Park, often as part of a drive through the region. At the other end of the spectrum, there are people who spend a lifetime exploring the canyon, logging hundreds of miles on its hiking trails or weeks at a time on its river. How much time you should allow depends on how well you'd like to know the canyon.

I recommend spending at least a full day and night inside the park. This will give you a chance to watch a sunset and, better yet, a sunrise. It will also give you enough time to find a quiet place on the rim for writing postcards or listening to the canyon. If you spend 2 full days, you can hike 1 day and take a scenic drive the next.

Getting Started: Information & Reservations

Grand Canyon National Park distributes a free trip planner that should answer most of your questions. To get a copy, call tel. 928/638-7888 or visit the park's website at www.nps.gov/grca.

Planning Tip

For every season but winter, book campsites, backcountry permits, train trips and lodging as early as possible. Rafting reservations and mule trips to Phantom Ranch are in particularly high demand, especially in September and October, so reserve well in advance. This doesn't mean, though, that the canyon's activities are always booked solid. Some vacancies arise due to last-minute cancellations, and certain periods are surprisingly slow every year, like the weeks before and after Labor Day.

Maps

The best driving map of the Southwest's Native American reservations and the Four Corners region -- where Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico intersect -- is AAA's Guide to Indian Country ($5), which depicts many remote roads. Trails Illustrated publishes an excellent large-scale (1:63,360) topographical map of the central Grand Canyon ($10). Waterproof and tear-proof, it shows both rims and all the canyon trails from Nankoweap Creek to west of Thunder River. The eastern canyon is on one side of the map; the western canyon is on the other side. These maps, as well as more than 200 titles about the canyon, are available from the Grand Canyon Association, P.O. Box 399, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023 (tel. 800/858-2808; www.grandcanyon.org).

Detailed topographical maps of the canyon are helpful for hiking the canyon's wilderness trails. You can order U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) maps, which cover roughly a 7*7-square-mile area, by calling the USGS directly (tel. 888/ASK-USGS) or by visiting its website (www.usgs.gov). Cost is $7 per map plus a $5 handling fee (you can also download the maps for free). Once ordered, products are delivered within 3 weeks. The Backcountry Information Center (tel. 928/638-7875; www.nps.gov/grca), located across the train tracks near Maswik Lodge on the South Rim, can tell you which USGS maps show particular areas of the canyon. The maps are also usually available at The Canyon Village Marketplace (tel. 928/638-2262) on the South Rim, open daily 7am to 8pm (hours vary seasonally). The nearest North Rim outlet is at Willow Canyon Outdoor in Kanab, Utah (tel. 435/644-8884), also subject to seasonal hours. However, these stores, unlike the USGS, won't always have the exact map you need.

If you're planning to travel through Kaibab National Forest to a remote campsite or trail head, a map can be a lifesaver. The Kaibab National Forest Tusayan, Williams, and Chalender Ranger Districts map ($10) covers the Forest Service land along the South Rim. To buy one, stop by the Kaibab National Forest Tusayan Ranger District Office (tel. 928/638-2443) outside the park's south entrance. It's open Monday through Friday from 8am to 4:30pm. The Kaibab National Forest North Kaibab Ranger District map ($9) covers the North Kaibab National Forest, including the Forest Service land along the North Rim. Get one from the Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center (tel. 928/643-7298) at Jacob Lake.

Packing Tips

A wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen are standard canyon equipment no matter the season. If you're planning to hike in cool weather, you'll be most comfortable in a water-resistant, breathable shell and several layers of insulating clothing, preferably made of polypropylene, polar fleece, or other fabrics that remain warm when wet. The shell-and-layers technique works especially well during spring and fall, when extreme temperature swings occur regularly. Even in summer, you'll want a shell and at least one insulating layer for cold nights or storms, especially on the North Rim.

Getting There

Las Vegas and Phoenix are the closest major cities to the North and South rims, respectively. You can save money by flying into these cities, but they're too far from the canyon to stay. Flagstaff, Williams, and Tusayan (all in Arizona) and Kanab (in Utah) are better choices for lodging near the Grand Canyon.

By Plane

Many travelers fly into Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (tel. 602/273-3300), 220 miles from the South Rim, or McCarran International Airport (tel. 702/261-5211), in Las Vegas, 263 miles from the North Rim. Most major airlines serve both airports.

To land closer to the canyon, U.S. Airways (tel. 800/428-4322; www.usairways.com) has daily jet service ($220 and up for a round-trip) from Phoenix to Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (tel. 928/556-1234), roughly 80 miles from the park. Closer still is Grand Canyon National Park Airport (tel. 928/638-2446) in Tusayan, 5 miles from the park's south entrance.

Scenic Airlines (tel. 800/634-6801; www.scenic.com), Air Vegas (tel. 800/940-2550; www.airvegas.com), and Grand Canyon Airlines (tel. 866/235-9422; www.grandcanyonairlines.com) offer daily service between Grand Canyon National Park Airport and Boulder City, Nevada (30 min. south of Las Vegas). The cost for these flights, which often include air tours of the canyon, is about $325 round-trip. Vision Air (tel. 800/256-8767; www.visionholidays.com) serves Canyon National Park Airport from North Las Vegas Airport (tel. 702/261-3806).

By Car

Renting a Car -- Major rental-car companies with offices in Arizona and Las Vegas include Avis (tel. 800/331-1212; www.avis.com), Budget (tel. 800/527-0700; www.budget.com), Dollar (tel. 800/232-3301; www.dollar.com), Hertz (tel. 800/654-3131; www.hertz.com), National (tel. 800/227-7368; www.nationalcar.com), and Thrifty (tel. 800/367-2277; www.thrifty.com).

Driving Tip -- Many of the Forest Service roads leading to remote areas on the rims are impassable in wet weather. During monsoon season, these roads can become too muddy or slippery to negotiate. In winter, there's no snow removal. People using these roads should be aware that they could be stranded indefinitely by heavy snowfall, rain, or other factors.

Renting an RV

Cruise America (tel. 800/327-7799; www.cruiseamerica.com) rents RVs nationwide and has offices in Phoenix, Flagstaff, and Las Vegas. Daily rates range from $100 to $150 (depending on season) for a 25-foot, C-class motor home, which gets 8 to 10 miles per gallon on a 40-gallon tank. Thirty-foot motor homes go for $15 to $20 more per night. There is a 3-day rental minimum, plus a charge of 32¢ per mile. When making reservations at a campground, make sure that your RV meets its regulations; some sites don't allow larger RVs.

By Train

Amtrak (tel. 800/872-7245 or 928/774-8679 for station information only; www.amtrak.com) regularly stops in downtown Flagstaff, where lodging, rental cars, and connecting bus service are available. You can take the train from Albuquerque to Flagstaff for $105 one-way (unreserved coach fare). The one-way fare from L.A. to Flagstaff is $90. Amtrak also serves Williams, where connecting rail service (on the historic, lively Grand Canyon Railway) is available. The one-way fare from L.A. to Williams is also $90.

By Bus

Open Road Tours (tel. 800/766-7117; www.openroadtours.com) offers bus service from Flagstaff and Williams to Grand Canyon National Park. The fare between Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon is $27 each way ($19 for children 11 and under), not including the park entrance fee; the fare between Flagstaff and Williams is $17 each way ($12 for children under 12).

Daily shuttle service between the North and South rims is available from mid-May to mid-October on the Trans-Canyon Shuttle (tel. 928/638-2820). This is the only way to travel between the two rims besides hiking or driving, and the trip takes 4 1/2 hours. The fare is $70 one-way, $130 round-trip, for all ages. Reservations required.

Parking & Getting Around

When heading to the South Rim, it is easiest to park at a designated parking spot and then take a free shuttle in. Grand Canyon Village has a number of lots; refer to the park's free newspaper, The Guide, available at all park entrances, for a map of parking locations. Three shuttle routes serve Grand Canyon Village, Canyon View Information Plaza, Mather Point, Yavapai Point, Yaki Point, and Hermit Road. Shuttles run year-round in Grand Canyon Village and from March to November on Hermit Road. When shuttles are in service, Hermit Road and Yaki Point (including the South Kaibab trail head) are closed to private vehicles.