Grand Canyon National Park South Rim

Easily accessible, well developed and open year-round, the South Rim offers iconic canyon views, almost two dozen official overlooks, historic buildings, multiple trails, museums and ranger talks. Though its accessibility means sharing your experience with many others, particularly in summer, there are all kinds of ways to commune with the canyon and its wildlife, and enjoy its sublime beauty, one on one. Escaping the crowds can be as easy as tramping a hundred yards from an official scenic overlook. And in the evening, when day-trippers have left, you don't have to wander far at all to feel completely alone on the canyon edge.

Infrastructure is abundant: you'll find several lodgings, restaurants, cafeterias, bookstores, libraries and a supermarket. Shuttles ply one of the park's two scenic drives, and the flat and often paved 13-mile Rim Trail allows the mobility-impaired and stroller-pushers to take in the dramatic, sweeping canyon views.

Explore Grand Canyon National Park South Rim

Kolb Studio
In 1905 Ellsworth and Emery Kolb built a small photography studio on the edge of the rim, which has since been expanded and now holds a bookstore and a…
Desert View Watchtower
The marvelously worn winding staircase of Mary Colter's 70ft stone tower, built in 1932, leads to one of the highest spots on the rim. From here, slats in…
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Shoshone Point
Walk about 1 mile along the mostly level and shaded dirt road to marvelously uncrowded Shoshone Point, a rocky promontory with some of the canyon’s best…
T
Trail of Time
This outdoor interpretative display traces the history of the canyon's formation – each meter equals one million years of geologic history, for a total of…
Hermits Rest
Commissioned by the Fred Harvey Company and designed by Mary Colter in 1913, this low-flung stone building is the South Rim's westernmost scenic overlook …
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Grandview Point
A 1-mile spur off Desert View Dr leads to a spectacular national park highlight. Here, in 1897, pioneer miner Pete Berry built the Grandview Hotel;…
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Lipan Point
Lipan Point offers expansive panoramas and views of both the Colorado River and the Unkar Delta, the seasonal home of the Ancestral Puebloan people from…
H
Hopi Point
Spectacular Hopi Point juts further into the canyon than any other South Rim overlook, offering magnificent east–west views, making it an excellent choice…
M
Moran Point
With river views and an excellent panorama of the canyon's geologic history, this is one of the park's most striking and dramatic overlooks. A placard on…

Kolb Studio
In 1905 Ellsworth and Emery Kolb built a small photography studio on the edge of the rim, which has since been expanded and now holds a bookstore and a…
Desert View Watchtower
The marvelously worn winding staircase of Mary Colter's 70ft stone tower, built in 1932, leads to one of the highest spots on the rim. From here, slats in…
S
Shoshone Point
Walk about 1 mile along the mostly level and shaded dirt road to marvelously uncrowded Shoshone Point, a rocky promontory with some of the canyon’s best…
T
Trail of Time
This outdoor interpretative display traces the history of the canyon's formation – each meter equals one million years of geologic history, for a total of…
Hermits Rest
Commissioned by the Fred Harvey Company and designed by Mary Colter in 1913, this low-flung stone building is the South Rim's westernmost scenic overlook …
G
Grandview Point
A 1-mile spur off Desert View Dr leads to a spectacular national park highlight. Here, in 1897, pioneer miner Pete Berry built the Grandview Hotel;…
L
Lipan Point
Lipan Point offers expansive panoramas and views of both the Colorado River and the Unkar Delta, the seasonal home of the Ancestral Puebloan people from…
H
Hopi Point
Spectacular Hopi Point juts further into the canyon than any other South Rim overlook, offering magnificent east–west views, making it an excellent choice…
M
Moran Point
With river views and an excellent panorama of the canyon's geologic history, this is one of the park's most striking and dramatic overlooks. A placard on…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Grand Canyon National Park South Rim.

See
Kolb Studio
In 1905 Ellsworth and Emery Kolb built a small photography studio on the edge of the rim, which has since been expanded and now holds a bookstore and a…
See
Desert View Watchtower
The marvelously worn winding staircase of Mary Colter's 70ft stone tower, built in 1932, leads to one of the highest spots on the rim. From here, slats in…
See
Shoshone Point
Walk about 1 mile along the mostly level and shaded dirt road to marvelously uncrowded Shoshone Point, a rocky promontory with some of the canyon’s best…
See
Trail of Time
This outdoor interpretative display traces the history of the canyon's formation – each meter equals one million years of geologic history, for a total of…
See
Hermits Rest
Commissioned by the Fred Harvey Company and designed by Mary Colter in 1913, this low-flung stone building is the South Rim's westernmost scenic overlook …
See
Grandview Point
A 1-mile spur off Desert View Dr leads to a spectacular national park highlight. Here, in 1897, pioneer miner Pete Berry built the Grandview Hotel;…
See
Lipan Point
Lipan Point offers expansive panoramas and views of both the Colorado River and the Unkar Delta, the seasonal home of the Ancestral Puebloan people from…
See
Hopi Point
Spectacular Hopi Point juts further into the canyon than any other South Rim overlook, offering magnificent east–west views, making it an excellent choice…
See
Moran Point
With river views and an excellent panorama of the canyon's geologic history, this is one of the park's most striking and dramatic overlooks. A placard on…

Guidebooks

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