South Rim Grand Canyon, arizona
Attractions Guide

The South Rim of the Grand Canyon is the main tourist destination within the massive Grand Canyon National Park. This area is very well-developed and features over 20 miles (32 km) of easily accessible viewpoints along the rim, each one offering a different perspective. It's highly recommended to see as many of the viewpoints within the park as possible, especially the ones accessible by vehicle.

Upon reaching the rim after entering the park from the west via Highway 64 you'll reach Grand Canyon Village, a small town located along the rim with hotels, camping, restaurants, and the visitor center. Here you'll find the two most visited viewpoints overlooking the Grand Canyon, Mather Point and nearby Yavapai Point.

Also in Grand Canyon Village is the Native arts Lookout Studio, which sits on the rim providing another view over the canyon.

Very-close by the Lookout Studio of Grand Canyon Village is the trailhead for the park's most popular long-distance hike along Bright Angel Trail. Technically this trail can be followed all the way to the bottom of the canyon and up to the other side, but be aware that even reaching the bottom of this vast canyon and the Colorado River is a multiple day hike.

The best option is to hike the 6 mile (9.7 km) round-trip trail to the Three Mile Resthouse, which is literally located 3 miles (4.8 km) into the descent down the canyon, with a total elevation gain of approximately 2,100 feet (640 m).

West of Grand Canyon Village along Hermit Road are several viewpoints overlooking the canyon, the most notable being Hopi Point, Mohave Point, and Pima Point (in order from east to west). The most popular among these are Hopi Point and Pima Point, which are also great places to watch the sunset from.

During the winter you can drive to all of these viewpoints, however from March-November you can only access them via free shuttle, which starts from Grand Canyon Village. All of these points are also connected via the Rim Trail which follows along the rim to the South Kaibab Trailhead near Yaki Point.

Just east of Grand Canyon Village is another extremely popular trail that descends into the canyon, the South Kaibab Trail, which starts near the neighboring Yaki Viewpoint. It's highly recommended to hike part of this trail as the views it provides over and into the canyon are incredible.

You can hike this trail down to Ooh Aah Point (1.8 miles/2.9 km round-trip and 700 feet/200 meters of elevation gain), Cedar Ridge (3.1 miles/5 km round-trip and 1,200 feet/370 meters of elevation gain), or to Skeleton Point (5.6 miles/9 km round-trip and 2,000 feet/600 meters of elevation gain).

After enjoying the views in Grand Canyon Village and the western rim, be sure to visit the amazing viewpoints spread far apart along Highway 64 (Desert View Drive) to the east, as they offer very different perspectives over different parts of this behemoth canyon.

Approximately 10 miles east of the Visitor Center is the first major viewpoint, Grandview Point, which is one of the most popular and stunning overlooks in the park. Continue along to another excellent viewpoint down the road, Moran Point. These two breathtaking viewpoints are located far apart from each other and are both very highly recommended.

Afterwards you might like to stop at two more viewpoints overlooking the Grand Canyon, Lipan Point and nearby Navajo Point, which both offer slightly different perspectives.

Lastly before leaving the park, be sure to visit the Desert View Watchtower, which is located just before the exit near Navajo Point. This tower is an impressive stone structure with its interior decorated with petroglyph-like murals and art. You can take in gorgeous views from the tower's windows, as well as from the overlook outside.