John Cletheroe's
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Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona - South Rim, Including The East Rim Drive/Desert View Drive And West Rim Drive/Hermits Rest Road
Names
Over the years the National Park Service has used various names for some of the roads and places on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. This can be rather confusing for anyone who last visited the park some years ago and is familiar with the old names.
| Old Name |
New Name |
Description |
| East Rim Drive |
Desert View Drive |
The road along the south rim running east from the Grand Canyon Village towards Cameron |
| West Rim Drive |
Hermits Rest Road |
The dead-end road along the south rim running west from the Grand Canyon Village to Hermits Rest |
| West Rim Interchange |
Hermits Rest Transfer |
The place where you can transfer from the Village shuttle bus to the West Rim Drive/Hermits Rest Road shuttle bus |
In each case this web page uses both names, for example East Rim Drive/Desert View Drive.
Location
See the Grand Canyon - General page.
What to See and Do
The South Rim of the Grand Canyon forms the Coconino Plateau. The elevation above sea level of the South Rim ranges from 5000 feet to almost 7000 feet, making it about 1200 feet lower in elevation than the North Rim. The Colorado River lies about a mile below the rim.
Don't be put off the Grand Canyon by your first impressions gained from
seeing the collection of tacky businesses and so-called "attractions" in the town of Tusayan just south of the South Rim entrance, or the highly congested and somewhat commercialised Grand Canyon Village area inside the park itself on the South Rim. If you ignore these areas as much as possible then this national park has a great deal to offer.
Parking
Parking is nearly always a problem at the south rim. The best solution is to arrive early in the day, park anywhere you can that is on a shuttle bus route, leave the car there all day and ride the buses to get around. Be sure to remember exactly where you parked your car.
At the South Rim there are three free shuttle bus routes. As at other national parks which provide shuttle buses you can hop on and off the buses at the official stops as many times as you wish.
Village Shuttle Bus Route
The Village shuttle bus route runs year-round and passes the various hotels, lodges, shops and restaurants in the Grand Canyon Village area.
Route (correct at spring 2001 but very liable to minor alterations from time to time): West Rim Interchange/Hermits Rest Transfer (for transfer to the West Rim Drive/Hermits Road shuttle bus), Marwik Lodge, Backcountry Information Centre, Center Road, Village East, Shrine Of The Ages Eastbound, Campground, Trailer Village, Market Plaza Eastbound, Yavapai Rooms Eastbound, Canyon View Information Plaza (for transfer to the Kaibab Trail shuttle bus), Yavapai Rooms Westbound, Market Plaza Westbound, Shrine Of The Ages Westbound, Train Depot, Bright Angel Lodge, West Rim Interchange/Hermits Rest Transfer.
Buses take about fifty minutes to complete this loop.
West Rim Drive/Hermits Rest Road Shuttle Bus Route
On the West Rim Drive/Hermits Rest Road there are much better views of the canyon than at the Grand Canyon Village. For example, you can clearly see the Colorado River from many of these overlooks, which isn't possible in the Village area. There are also far fewer crowds than in the Village area. Photograph (38KB).
During the spring, summer and autumn (from 1-Mar to 30-Nov) the West Rim Drive/Hermits Rest Road is closed to private vehicles and a free shuttle bus service is provided. During the winter (1-Dec to 28-Feb) the road is open to private vehicles and there is no shuttle bus service along this road.
At the West Rim Interchange/Hermits Rest Transfer you can change buses from the Village shuttle bus route to the West Rim Drive/Hermits Rest Road shuttle bus route. There are two separate bus stops for the two services with a short walk between them.
You can get off the West Rim Drive/Hermits Rest Road shuttle bus at any stop, have a wander round, perhaps walk to the next stop at the next overlook (the distances between adjacent overlooks vary considerably), and then pick up another bus - there'll be one along within a few minutes. Photograph (29KB). We very highly recommend taking the West Rim Drive/Hermits Rest Road shuttle bus, but do allow the best part of a day for this.
A very important word of warning: if you decide to walk between shuttle bus stops on the West Rim Drive/Hermits Rest Road, stay on the road rather than use the extremely dangerous unguarded trail near the edge, especially if you have children. However, when walking along the road beware of the occasional passing shuttle bus.
Route (as at spring 2001 but possibly liable to minor alterations from time to time): West Rim Interchange/Hermits Rest Transfer, Trailview Overlook, Maricopa Point, Powell Point, Hopi Point Westbound, Mohave Point Westbound, The Abyss, Pima Point, Hermit's Rest, Mohave Point Eastbound, Hopi Point Eastbound, West Rim Interchange/Hermits Rest Transfer.
Note that while westbound shuttle buses stop at every stop, eastbound buses only stop at the Mohave Point and Hopi intermediate stops.
Buses take about ninety minutes to complete this loop.
Kaibab Trail Shuttle Bus Route
The Kaibab Trail shuttle bus route (also called the Yaki Point/South Kaibab route) runs year-round from the Canyon View Information Plaza to Yaki Point, the south Kaibab Trailhead and Yavapai Observation Station.
There are separate bus stops for the Village route and the Kaibab Trail route on opposite sides of the Canyon View Information Plaza.
Route (correct at spring 2001 but liable to alterations from time to time): Canyon View Information Plaza, South Kaibab Trailhead, Yaki Point, Mather Point, Yavapai Observation Station, Canyon View Information Plaza.
This shuttle bus route previously ran through the Village to the West Rim Interchange/Hermits Rest Transfer but this is no longer the case.
Buses take about thirty minutes to complete this loop.
Canyon View Information Plaza
This new facility, now open, effectively replaces the old Visitor Centre. The terminus of the light railway system will be located near to the Information Plaza. The Information Plaza consists of two main buildings which form arcs on opposite sides of a circular open area. One building forms the new visitor centre while the other building is a bookshop. There are also a number of outdoor information boards. The Information Plaza can only be reached by shuttle bus or by walking, not by car. The Village shuttle bus stop is on the west side of the Information Plaza and the Kaibab Trail shuttle bus stop is on the east side. If you don't stop to look round the buildings it takes maybe five or ten minutes to walk between the two bus stops. You can easily walk from the Information Plaza to Mather Point for an excellent view of the Grand Canyon - the flat path takes maybe five or ten minutes each way.
East Rim Drive/Desert View Drive
The East Rim Drive/Desert View Drive is open to private vehicles all year round. It offers yet more places to stop and admire the views.
No private vehicles are allowed on the spur road to Yaki Point from 1-Mar to 30-Nov.
Walking Trails
All the walking trails into the canyon are very steep. In summer the heat makes hiking these trails exhausting and dangerous. The temperature rises rapidly as you descend from the rim. Most visitors either stay on the rim or only descend a very short distance below it.
However, the roads and walking trails on the rim are virtually level.
Winter Access
The South Rim of the Grand Canyon is open year round.
Some Ideas for Places to Stay
- Accommodation within the park is relatively expensive and often fully booked months in advance.
- The highly commercialised area called Tusayan, located just outside the park entrance on US180, is not to our liking at all, although is conveniently close by of course. Again, accommodation here is likely to be booked up months in advance.
- Flagstaff offers a wide range of accommodation options and lodging is likely to be less expensive and more readily available than at the Grand Canyon. From Flagstaff you could drive up to the Canyon on US180, explore the park, and then drive back to Flagstaff via the East Rim Drive/Desert View Drive, the small town of Cameron on Arizona 64 and finally US89, making for an excellent day trip that combines the Grand Canyon, desert, an Indian Reservation and mountain scenery. The distance from Flagstaff to the South Rim via US180 is about 80 miles; via Arizona 64 and US89 it is about 110 miles.
- Williams is also well worth considering.
Plan to Ban Private Vehicles
The following news story appeared in InfoBeat News 26-Nov-97: "The Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona will close major sites to private vehicles by the year 2000 and transport visitors by electric rail and alternative-fuel buses, the park said Tuesday. A park spokesman said the Departments of Transportation and Interior agreed to work jointly to improve public transportation at national parks and to cut vehicle noise and pollution. A six-mile light rail system will carry visitors from a central hub into the park, where a fleet of buses will shuttle them to major sites, spokesman Rod Torrez said."
The following news story appeared in the Daily Brief 26-Nov-97: "Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt announced plans yesterday to ban most automobile traffic from Grand Canyon, Yosemite and Zion national parks by 2000. The measure was reportedly prompted by the overcrowding and polluting of the parks."
According to the summer 2000 edition of the official park newspaper, the light rail system is now scheduled to commence operation in late 2003. All day-use visitors to the South Rim will then park in Tusayan and take the six-mile light rail trip to the Canyon View Information Plaza near Mather Point. From there, shuttle buses powered by natural gas or electricity will provide transport around the south rim.
This plan strikes us as being highly desirable.
In the Area
External Links
Grand Canyon - General
Grand Canyon - North Rim
Arizona
Colorado Plateau
Desert Southwest
Grand Circle
National Parks
Home | States/Provinces | Subjects
As with all the other pages on this personal web site, all the information on this page is solely the opinion of the author, who has no connection whatsoever with any of the companies and organisations mentioned other than as an actual or potential customer.
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Most recently modified 26-May-01