A look at what's here, how big it is, and what it gets known for.
The South Rim is open year-round and holds most of the lodging, the shuttle system, and the classic first look over the edge. The North Rim sits a thousand feet higher, closes with the snow from roughly mid-October to mid-May, and sees a fraction of the crowds. Between them is a mile of vertical desert that runs far hotter than the rim.
If you are hiking below the rim, start early and carry more water than feels reasonable. The rim campgrounds and the in-canyon sites are among the hardest reservations in the system, so set a watch early.
Entirely within the state of Arizona, the park encompasses 278 miles (447 km) of the Colorado River and adjacent uplands. Located on the ancestral homelands of 11 present day Tribal Communities, Grand Canyon is one of the most spectacular examples of erosion anywhere in the world—a mile deep canyon unmatched in the incomparable vistas it offers visitors from both north and south rims.
