Grand Canyon, Arizona – North Rim or South Rim?
Grand Canyon is an amazing national park in Arizona. But where should you go there; North Rim or South Rim? Read our tips from here.
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Grand Canyon is one of the most visited natural wonders and national parks in the U.S. And who hasn’t heard about the Grand Canyon or doesn’t know what it is?!
On our numerous road trips from California to Arizona and Utah, we have stopped at different areas of Grand Canyon multiple times to do hiking and see the views.
Grand Canyon is located in Arizona, right by the border of Arizona and Utah. The canyon was formed while the Colorado River shaped the rocks for millions of years and by the movement of the teutonic plateaus. It is total of 277 miles (446 km) long and the deepest spot of Grand Canyon is 6,000 feet.
About 5 million people visit the canyon every year. And since it is so big, it is good to plan your visit beforehand and decide what you want to see and do there. There are three different areas to choose from and they are all different and far away from each other.
Here is some information and our experiences to help you decide where in Grand Canyon you should go.
GRAND CANYON – NORTH RIM OR SOUTH RIM?
North Rim
Few years ago we were in Utah and decided to drive over to Arizona to visit Grand Canyon’s North Rim. That is the best place to see Grand Canyon from the northern side of it.
The other option is to visit the Grand Canyon Parashant National Monument which is very remote and has no services at all. North Rim on the other hand is part of the Grand Canyon National Park and offers a lot for the visitors.
Only about 10% of Grand Canyons’ 5 million visitors go to North Rim so if you like more quieter and peaceful trails then this might be your place. There were no queues or wait times to anything when we were there.
They have a big Visitor Center, a restaurant, a hotel and a camping area there. Behind the parking lot you can already see the amazing canyon, and there are many fenced viewing areas if you walk further.
You should at least climb up to the Bright Angel Point were you will get a great view to far in canyon. And then you can head to one of the many hiking trails in the area.
Always check the conditions from NPS website before heading over. The road to North Rim might close due to storms or snow, and this side of the park is usually closed during the winter months. While we were there the whole canyon was filled by smoke from a near by wild fire.
There are hardly any services on the road heading to North Rim so make sure to fill out the gas tank. We saw few cars driving by but other than that, it was just some deer and bisons.
The closest town to North Rim is Kanab in Utah where we stayed the night. It is actually a great spot if you want to target different hiking trails or parks. For example the Toadstool Hoodoos along the way are amazing!
South Rim
Unlike the North Rim, the southern side of Grand Canyon is open all around the year, and it also belongs to national parks. It is a wider area, and there are many more viewing points and hiking trails.
Our first stop there was at Desert Watchtower since we arrived from the eastern entrance of the park. Watchtower was built to resemble the old watchtowers by the pueblo indians, and it sure offered a great view to the canyon. On the first floor they had a little gift shop and a ranger to answer peoples’ question.
Right next to the Watchtower they had a big restaurant building, market and restrooms.
From the Watchtower we continued our drive and kept stopping at the viewpoints. Our final destination was the Grand Canyon Village where they have big parking lots, Visitor Center, restaurants, souvenir shops and a camping area. Also the shuttle buses depart from the village to all over the park.
In April the park was not so busy and we were able to drive everywhere with our own car, but I’m sure at the summer months the shuttle buses are in full use.
At South Rim you will find many hiking trails from easy to demanding levels, and so many beautiful photo spots that one day visit is only going to give you a glimpse of the park.
There are two entrances to South Rim and we exited from the other entrance than what we used to come in. We still had to drive over to Williams to our hotel that night.
I recommend booking the accommodations as early as possible because the hotels in the park and near by cities are often full.
The best spot is obviously inside the park in Grand Canyon Village or in Tusayan but the rooms there are quite pricey. We have also stayed both in Williams and Flagstaff which are both along the famous Route 66, and close by.
West Rim
Among the North and South Rims, Grand Canyon does have one more place to visit. That is the Hualapai Indian Reservation at the West Rim. Their biggest attraction is the famous Skywalk where you can walk on a glass floor in the air above the canyon.
It is a popular place since it is closest to Las Vegas, and therefore easy to access even for a day visit. The drive from Vegas in only about two hours.
West Rim has some restaurants, cafes, a market and an exhibition about native Americans. You can also choose some activities like zip-lining or a helicopter ride.
There are many ready tours to West Rim from Las Vegas:
Best time to visit GRAND CANYON
You can visit Grand Canyon at any time of the year but the weather and conditions there might vary based on the season. As mentioned earlier, for example at North Rim the roads can be closed all the way from November to May.
But during the winter months both South Rim and West Rim will still remain open. Make sure to bring some warm clothes with you and some rain gear because it is the rainiest time of the year. You might also see some small amounts of snow.
One of the best times to visit Grand Canyon is definitely spring. The nature is just waking up and some spring flowers are blooming. The winter rains are gone and it is not too hot either. Just try to avoid the school holidays such as Spring Break because it usually gets crowded.
Summer is very popular time to visit Grand Canyon. It is also the busiest and the hottest time of the year in the park. Grand Canyon can be slightly bit cooler than elsewhere in Arizona but you will still need a lot of water, a sun hat and some sunscreen.
Fall is also a great time for a visit and good time for hiking since it is not so hot anymore. Especially September and October are nice, and less crowded as well.
The weather at Grand Canyon can go from one extreme to another quickly. They sometimes experience dangerous thunder storms with flash floods, or they might get snow or heavy fogs.
It is good to be prepared and check the weather updates before heading there. Having a flexible schedule will also help.
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Some people might also say, that the gorgeous Horseshoe Bend is part of Grand Canyon. And maybe geologically it does but it is hard to determine where the Grand Canyon really ends. Horseshoe Bend is located on the east side on Grand Canyon and is officially part of Glen Canyon Recretional Area.
If you are heading to Horseshoe Bend then don’t forget to visit also the Antelope Canyon! It is one the most amazing places we have ever been to.
Grand Canyon is also close to many other interesting sites such as Meteor Crater, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and Wupatki National Monument. Also Walnut Canyon National Monument will be along the way if you drive through Flagstaff.
Many people also combine Grand Canyon visit to a trip to Sedona.
All of our visits to Grand Canyon have been unique and it is hard to compare them. For a first timer though, I recommend the national park sites and especially South Rim. There you will see Grand Canyon in its natural state and get more out of your visit.
You definitely need a whole day, preferably couple days to explore Grand Canyon. There are so many great trails, beautiful spots and fun things to do.
For kids they have a Junior Ranger program and they can earn a junior ranger badge. Grand Canyon has something for all ages. Here you can find our tips for hiking with kids.
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I didn’t know about the North Rim or the South Rim, and it was great to know so next time I might consider it. I would love to take two trips for both directions as both of them have some unique to offer. Never knew that canyon has so many things to offer, and rainbow at the end is just what you would need to see at the end of the day.
Grand Canyon truly is so huge that there is many spots to see and things to do.
Grand Canyon is always on everybody’s wishlist but I never about its North Rim and South Rim. It is great to read about the differentiation of both directions. It makes me easier now to decide from where I start my journey to this beautiful place. It is great that your most memorable places are Toadstool Hoodoos, Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend. As northern Rim is not very much crowded by tourists, so it would be a great to start from that end.
I agree, North Rim was such a great way for us to start exploring Grand Canyon since it was less crowded. I can totally recommend it.
I had no idea that each section of the canyon offered something different, or that only one part is open all year long! The Grand Canyon is so vast that it is honestly daunting! Even though you caught some rain, I think the double rainbow was a great prize at the end!
Double rainbow definitely made up some of the disappointment caused by the rain.
That double rainbow over the GC is stunning! I’ve only seen it from an airplane, but it does look amazing! I had never really given thought about where to see it from- Northern or Southern. I like the idea of visiting the Northern and enjoying fewer people. The wildlife looks amazing!
It was really amazing! I can imaging that Grand Canyon from an airplane looks magnificent.
I think Grand Canyon will become your friend when you visit in early June. Still not too many people (for GC standard) and the weather is nice. You even need a jacket for early morning or late afternoon. I take note on North Rim because we will eventually make a visit there. That double rainbow is so pretty!
Thank you Umiko! Maybe someday we will be there at that time. However, it is difficult time for us to travel since our older daughter is still in school in early June. I can imagine though that it can be the best time to visit as weather wise.
3000+km in a week??? Wow! That’s one amazing, extensive road trip. Ofcourse I can understand that you want to head home.
Good to know that though there is a large visitors’ centre, hotel and more in Northern rim, its still not too crowded. That’s the kind of place I’d want to go.
Haha.. That board that says ‘fill your bottles for free’, is amusing and funny! Love the creativity behind it.
Yes, it was a loooong drive. 😆But we fully enjoyed it. And especially after seeing all these cool places on this road trip.
I have never been to the Grand Canyon but that’s a dream. I didn’t even know there were different rim and even wildlife. That makes me want to visit even more to see these bisons. How incredible!!
There is actually few different rims you can visit. You should read about them all and then decide which one is the right one for you. South Rim is the most popular one.
I was glad to see this blog post talking about the North Rim. We had the most stunning views when we visited. And we really recommend people make sure to go to the North Rim. We intentionally missed the West Rim on our visit to avoid the Vegas crowds. But we were very sorry that we missed the Skywalk. Even if it is expensive. So sorry you did not get great weather on your visits.
Same here. We didn’t want to be at West Rim with all those people and honestly, we preferred seeing the nature, not the Skywalk. North Rim was perfect for that.