Grand Canyon Parks and Outdoors Travel Guide

Grand Canyon Parks and Outdoors Travel Guide

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Parks and Outdoors Destinations Near Grand Canyon

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Aerial view of the Grand Canyon, Arizona
Grand Canyon, Arizona (John Wang/Photodisc/Getty)

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Grand Canyon Parks and Outdoors Travel Tips

By Travel Expert: Kim Lipker

  • For many, the Grand Canyon views alone are worth the price of admission. But adventurers shouldn't be satisfied with mere looking. Hiking down below the rim, float through the Colorado River's alternating series of hair-raising rapids and cathedral-still quiet water, or marvel at the touch of two-billion-year-old rock under your fingers.
  • The North Rim features a 23-mile scenic drive to Cape Royal featuring one of the best views in the canyon, especially at sunset. Be sure to stop at Angel's Window, where you will have a view of the Colorado River. Near the Walhalla overlook are the ruins of an Ancestral Puebloan structure.
  • Inside the park on the South Rim are two campgrounds. Mather Campground in Grand Canyon Village has more than 300 campsites. Desert View Campground is 26 miles east of Grand Canyon Village; there are 50 sites available. The North Rim Campground is located north of Grand Canyon Lodge and has 75 campsites. More camping options are located just outside the park.
  • The Hualapai Tribe offers a Native American perspective to a Grand Canyon trip that you will not find on other commercial tours. The Hualapai require a permit to travel on tribal lands, but if you and your group are on a tour, there is no need for the permit. Also run by the Hualapai tribe, the West Rim now includes the Skywalk, a horseshoe-shaped glass bridge suspended 4,000 feet over the Colorado River and canyon.
  • Near Vermillion Cliffs west from the town of Marble Canyon, you may catch a glimpse of the California condor, an endangered species that was reintroduced to the area in the winter of 1996-1997. Peregrine falcons nest in the canyons along the cliffs as well.

Grand Canyon Overview

The Grand Canyon has been touted as the Eighth Wonder of the World ever since John Wesley Powell braved the raging whitewater in its depths in 1869. It's inarguably the most overexposed icon of the American landscape—every year, approximately five million people come to gawk into the abyss, and you have to wonder if the millions of rolls of film shot here through the generations might come close to filling the canyon from river to rim. Read More

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Hotels

El Tovar

Xanterra South Rim, L.L.C., PO Box 699
Grand Canyon, AZ 86023 Map

Distance: 0.0 mi.
(from destination center)

Hotel Class: Not Yet Rated
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Grand Canyon Lodge

Bright Angel Point
Grand Canyon North Rim, AZ Map

Distance: 0.0 mi.
(from destination center)

Hotel Class: Not Yet Rated
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Expert Rated & Recommended
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Phantom Ranch

Canyon Floor at Bright Angel and Kaibab Trail intersection
Grand Canyon, AZ 86023 Map

Distance: 0.0 mi.
(from destination center)

Hotel Class: Not Yet Rated
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Expert Rated & Recommended
5.0
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Attractions

Junior Ranger Program

expert favorite attraction
Visitor Center: Six miles north of the South Entrance
Grand Canyon, Arizona 86023

Distance: 0.0 mi. (from destination center)

Description: In less than a day kids will learn about nature, help preserve a National Park, and earn their... Read More
Expert Rated & Recommended
5_0
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Grand Canyon Field Institute

expert favorite attraction
4 Tonto St.
Grand Canyon, Arizona 86023

Distance: 1.8 mi. (from destination center)

Description: You can always go it alone, but GCFI's knowledgeable instructors leave no fossil unturned, spilling... Read More
Expert Rated & Recommended
5_0
5_0

Cape Royal Scenic Drive

expert favorite attraction
Grand Canyon North Rim
Grand Canyon National Park, P.O. Box 129
Grand Canyon, Arizona 86023

Distance: 11.2 mi. (from destination center)

Description: On this drive you'll see some of the North Rim's most spectacular scenery and attain the highest... Read More
Expert Rated & Recommended
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Airports

Major Airports near Grand Canyon

Distance (mi.)
Las Vegas Mccarran International Airport 170.2 map Flight Deals to LAS
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport 181.3 map Flight Deals to PHX
Tucson International Airport 280.5 map Flight Deals to TUS

Other Smaller Airports near Grand Canyon

Distance (mi.)
Grand Canyon National Park Airport 7.4 map
Grand Canyon Pulliam Field 68.4 map
Saint George Municipal Airport 108.6 map

Flight Deals to Grand Canyon

Originating From
Long Beach (LGB) to Las Vegas (LAS) $124
Salt Lake City (SLC) to Las Vegas (LAS) $148
Ontario (ONT) to Las Vegas (LAS) $167
San Francisco (SFO) to Las Vegas (LAS) $177
Denver (DEN) to Las Vegas (LAS) $186

Feature Articles

More Grand Canyon Parks and Outdoors Feature Articles (18) »
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