Size:
1,217,403
acres
Location: Grand Canyon National Park is
located in northern Arizona. Grand Canyon Village (South Rim) is 60 miles north of I-40 at Williams via AZ 64, and 80 miles northwest of Flagstaff via US 180. Only ten miles from rim to rim as the crow flies, the North Rim is 215 miles (about 4 1/2 hours) from the South Rim by car. The North Rim is 44 miles south of Jacob Lake, Arizona, via AZ 67.
The South Rim
of Grand Canyon averages 7000 feet above sea level; the North Rim is over 8000
feet above sea level.
Description:
The park, focusing on the world-famous Grand Canyon of the Colorado River, encompasses 277 miles of the river with adjacent uplands, from the southern terminus of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area to the eastern boundary of Lake Mead National Recreation. The forces of erosion have exposed an immense variety of formations which illustrate vast periods of geological history.
|
Grand Canyon National Park
courtesy of the National Park Service |
Activities:
Camping, hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, fishing, whitewater rafting, auto touring, cross-country skiing, interpretive programs, guided tours.
Lodging
- Grand Canyon Lodge is the only lodging inside the national park on the North
Rim. A variety of lodging facilities are available at the South Rim, including
Bright Angel, El Tovar Hotel, Kachina Lodge, and Thunderbird Lodge (all located
on the rim) as well as Maswik Lodge and Yavapai Lodge.
Lodging
is booked well in advance at both the North and South rims of Grand Canyon, so
make reservations as far ahead as possible. Reservations are handled by Xanterra
Parks & Resorts. Call (303) 297-2757 or toll free (888) 297-2757, fax (303)
297-3175, or write Xanterra Parks & Resorts, 14001 E. Illiff, Ste. 600,
Aurora, CO 80014. You can also make reservations on-line at www.grandcanyonnorthrim.com
(north rim) or www.grandcanyonlodges.com
(south rim).
Operating
Hours: The South Rim is open 24 hours a day,
365 days a year. Services are available and facilities are open year round.
Visitor services and facilities inside the national park on the North Rim are
only open from mid-May to mid-October. Weather permitting, the North Rim is open
for day use only following the close of facilities in mid-October. During this
time there are no services or overnight facilities available inside the park.
The road from Jacob Lake to the North Rim (Highway 67) is subject to closure
with little or no notice during this interval and then remains closed until
mid-May.
Canyon View
Information Plaza - located at Mather Point (South Rim) and open daily
year-round, 8am to 5pm, additional open hours vary seasonally.
Desert View
Information Center - located at the park's east entrance on the South Rim.
Open daily 9am to 6pm, except during the winter months when open as staffing
permits.
North Rim
Visitor Center - located adjacent to the parking lot on Bright Angel
Peninsula. Open mid May to mid October, from 8am to 6pm, daily. Interpretive
programs offered seasonally.
History: Grand Canyon Forest Reserve proclaimed on February 20, 1893; Grand Canyon Game Preserve proclaimed on November 28, 1906; Grand Canyon National Monument proclaimed on January 11, 1908; national park established on February 26, 1919. A separate Grand Canyon National Monument proclaimed on December 22, 1932. Marble Canyon National Monument proclaimed on January 20, 1969. All three units and portions of Glen Canyon and Lake Mead national recreation areas combined with additional lands as national park on January 3, 1975. Designated a World Heritage Site on October 24, 1979.
Other useful
information resources:
Grand Canyon Chamber of Commerce
Williams Chamber of Commerce
Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce
Arizona Office of Tourism
The Grand
Canyon Association bookstore has a wide variety of publications that can be
purchased online. They include trail guides, maps, videos, and packages that
will help you plan your trip to Grand Canyon. For educational tours at Grand
Canyon consider GCA's field seminar program the Grand
Canyon Field Institute. GCA is a private, non-profit organization that
operates bookstores in Grand Canyon National Park and has provided financial and
programmatic support to the park service at Grand Canyon National Park since
1932.
See other National Parks
See other Arizona National Parks