Directions

The mile deep Grand Canyon is divided by the Colorado River, The primary tourist visit area is the North Rim and the South Rim. The width of the Canyon is 10 miles. Hiking to the Colorado River from either North or South Rim could easily take 5 to 8 hours, all day.
The climate is desert and very dry. A drive between the North and South Rim around the canyon is approximately 5 hours without stopping to view the beauty of the Canyon and 215 miles. Plan accordingly. Scenery, climate, and vegetation are noticeably different between the North and South Rims due to elevation and geography. Generally, most visitors will visit either the North or South Rims in one vacation. The entire Canyon is a huge area that would take years to explore.
The South Rim of the Canyon is in Arizona and is open all year. The entrance is near Interstate 40 and is 60 miles North of Williams, 80 miles Northwest of Flagstaff, 231 miles North of Phoenix, Arizona. 119 miles from Sedona, AZ, 278 miles Las Vegas, 494 miles Los Angeles, CA, 510 miles Salt Lake City, UT, 859 miles Denver, CO, 412 miles Albuquerque, NM. Commercial Airlines serve Phoenix, Flagstaff, and Las Vegas. There is limited air service to Grand Canyon Airport from Las Vegas and other locations. Greyhound provides bus service to Flagstaff. Open Road Tours (800) 766-7177 and Flagstaff Express Shuttle Services (800) 563-1980 offer shuttle services between Phoenix, Flagstaff, and Grand Canyon Village. Amtrak provides rail service to Flagstaff with connecting bus to the Grand Canyon. Grand Canyon Railway offers train service from Williams 1-(800) The-Train.