Grand Canyon National Park is a national park in the United States located in northwestern Arizona. It is the 15th place to be named a national park. The park's main feature is the Grand Canyon, a deep gorge formed by the Colorado River, which is often called one of the Wonders of the World. The park covers 1,217,262 acres (1,901.972 square miles; 4,926.08 square kilometers) of land in Coconino and Mohave counties that is not part of any city. In 2024, the park welcomed more than 4.9 million visitors for recreation. The Grand Canyon was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979. The park marked its 100th anniversary on February 26, 2019.

History

The Grand Canyon became well known to Americans in the 1880s after railroads were built and pioneers developed infrastructure and early tourism. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt visited the site and said,

Although Roosevelt supported protecting land for public use, the Grand Canyon was not immediately made a national park. The first bill to create Grand Canyon National Park was introduced in 1882 by Senator Benjamin Harrison, who wanted it to be the third national park in the United States, after Yellowstone and Mackinac. Harrison tried again in 1883 and 1886, but his bills failed. After becoming president, Harrison created the Grand Canyon Forest Reserve in 1893. Roosevelt later established the Grand Canyon Game Preserve in 1906 and the Grand Canyon National Monument in 1908. More Senate bills to make the area a national park were introduced in 1910 and 1911 but failed. Finally, the Grand Canyon National Park Act was signed by President Woodrow Wilson on February 26, 1919. The National Park Service, created in 1916, began managing the park.

The creation of the park was an early success of the conservation movement. Its national park status may have stopped plans to build a dam on the Colorado River within its area. Later, the Glen Canyon Dam was built farther upstream. A second Grand Canyon National Monument was created in 1932. In 1975, that monument and Marble Canyon National Monument, established in 1969 and located along the Colorado River from the Grand Canyon to Lees Ferry, were added to Grand Canyon National Park. In 1979, UNESCO named the park a World Heritage Site. In 1987, a law found that airplane noise over the park harmed the natural quiet and raised safety concerns for visitors.

In 2010, Grand Canyon National Park was honored with its own coin in the America the Beautiful Quarters program. On February 26, 2019, the park celebrated 100 years since becoming a national park.

The Grand Canyon was part of the National Park Service’s Intermountain Region until 2018. Now, it is part of Region 8, also called the Lower Colorado Basin.

On July 9, 2025, the Dragon Bravo Fire destroyed several buildings on the North Rim, including the Grand Canyon Lodge. The fire burned for more than a week using controlled and contained strategies before firefighters worked more aggressively to stop it. The fire happened at the same time as another fire, the White Sage Fire.

• 1882 First attempt to create Grand Canyon National Park failed
• 1893 President Benjamin Harrison declared the area a "forest reserve" (Presidential Proclamation #45)
• 1908 President Theodore Roosevelt established the Grand Canyon National Monument (Presidential Proclamation #794)
• 1919 Congress passed the law to create Grand Canyon National Park on February 26 (40 Stat 1175)
• 1975 Congress passed the Grand Canyon National Park Enlargement Act on January 3 (88 Stat 2089) (Pub. L. 93–620)
• 1979 The park was named a World Heritage Site on October 26

• William Harrison Peters (acting): August 1919 – September 1920
• Dewitt L. Raeburn: October 1920 – December 1921
• John Roberts White (acting): December 1921 – February 1922
• Walter Wilson Crosby: February 1922 – January 1924
• George C. Bolton (acting): January 1923 – June 1923
• John Ross Eakin: January 1924 – April 1927
• Miner Raymond Tillotson: April 1927 – December 1938
• James V. Lloyd (acting): December 1938 – February 1939
• Harold Child Bryant (acting): February 1939 – January 1940
• James V. Lloyd (acting): January 1940 – August 1940
• Frank Alvah Kittredge: August 1940 – July 1941
• Harold Child Bryant: August 1941 – March 1954
• Preston P. Patraw: May 1954 – July 1955
• John Sherman McLaughlin: August 1955 – March 1964
• Howard B. Stricklin: March 1964 – February 1969
• Robert R. Lovegren: April 1969 – July 1972
• Merle E. Stitt: August 1972 – January 1980
• Bruce W. Shaw (acting): January 1980 – May 1980
• Richard W. Marks: May 1980 – December 1988
• John C. Reed (acting): December 1988 – January 1989
• John H. Davis: January 1989 – August 1991
• Robert Chandler: October 1991 – October 1993
• Boyd Evison (acting): January 1994 – July 1994
• Robert L. Arnberger: July 1994 – October 2000
• Dave Uberauga: 2011 – May 2016
• Christine Lehnertz: August 2016 – March 2019
• Ed Keable: April 2020 – present

Geography

The Grand Canyon, along with its many smaller canyons, is known for its large size, deep depth, and layers of colorful rocks that formed long ago, during the Precambrian period. The canyon was created when the Colorado River and its smaller rivers carved through the land after the Colorado Plateau rose. This movement caused the Colorado River to follow its current path.

The main public areas of the park are the South and North Rims, as well as parts of the canyon itself. The rest of the park is very rough and hard to reach, though some areas can be accessed by hiking trails or backcountry roads. The South Rim is easier to reach than the North Rim and is visited by about 90% of all park visitors.

The park's headquarters are located in Grand Canyon Village, near the South Entrance to the park, close to one of the most popular viewpoints. Most visitors arrive at the South Rim via Arizona State Route 64. This highway enters the park near Tusayan, Arizona, and exits through the East Entrance. Interstate 40 connects the area from the south, while U.S. Route 89 links the North Rim to the South Rim from the north. Approximately 30 miles of the South Rim are accessible by road.

Grand Canyon Village is the main area in the park where visitors can find services such as lodging, food, fuel, shops, a hospital, churches, and access to trails and guided tours. Several lodging options are available along the South Rim, including hotels like El Tovar, Bright Angel Lodge, Kachina Lodge, Thunderbird Lodge, and Maswik Lodge, all located in Grand Canyon Village. Phantom Ranch is another lodging option located on the canyon floor. An RV Park called Trailer Village is also available. These facilities are managed by Xanterra Parks & Resorts, while Yavapai Lodge is managed by Delaware North.

El Tovar Hotel was built in 1905 as a luxury hotel for the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway. It was designed by Charles Whittlesley, a railway architect. The hotel’s style combines elements of Swiss chalets and Norwegian villas with local materials for a rustic look. It has four floors and includes a gift shop and restaurant.

Bright Angel Lodge was built in 1935 using logs and stone. Mary Colter designed the lodge, and it was built by the Fred Harvey Company. Inside the lodge is a small museum honoring Fred Harvey, who helped promote the Grand Canyon. A stone fireplace in the History Room matches the layers of rock found in the canyon.

• Buckey O'Neill Cabin was built in the 1890s by William Owen "Buckey" O'Neill. He constructed the cabin near a copper deposit and had many jobs, including miner, judge, politician, author, and tour guide. The cabin is the oldest continuously standing structure on the South Rim and is now used as a guest house. Reservations are required far in advance.
• Kolb Studio was built in 1904 by brothers Ellsworth and Emery Kolb, who were photographers. They sold photos of visitors hiking the Bright Angel Trail and later filmed their journey down the Green and Colorado Rivers. Emery Kolb showed the film in his studio until his death in 1976. Today, the building is an art gallery.
• Hopi House was built in 1905 by Mary Jane Colter. It was inspired by ancient Hopi structures in Old Oraibi, Arizona. The building was a home for Hopi people who sold crafts to visitors.
• Verkamp's Curios, built in 1905 by John Verkamp, sold crafts and souvenirs. It was run by his family until 2008, when it became a visitor center.

• Grand Canyon Railway Depot was completed in 1910 and has two levels. It is one of only three log-cabin-style train stations still standing in the United States. The depot is the northern end of the Grand Canyon Railway, which starts in Williams, Arizona.
• Lookout Studio, designed by Mary Colter in 1914, sells photography, artwork, books, and rock and fossil samples. It offers a view of the Bright Angel Trail.
• Desert View Watchtower, one of Mary Colter’s most famous works, was built in 1932. Located 27 miles from Grand Canyon Village, the 70-foot tower is the highest point on the South Rim and provides a full view of the canyon and Colorado River. It was modeled after Ancestral Puebloan watchtowers but is much taller.
• Hermit's Rest (1914), designed by Mary Jane Colter.

The North Rim area of the park is located on the Kaibab and Walhalla plateaus, across the Grand Canyon from the main visitor areas on the South Rim. The North Rim’s main visitor areas are near Bright Angel Point. The North Rim is higher in elevation, over 8,000 feet, and is closed from December 1 to May 15 each year due to heavy snowfall. Services are limited after October 15. A 4.5-hour drive covers the 220-mile route from the South Rim to the North Rim.

A popular destination on the North Rim was the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, along with nearby Grand Canyon Inn and Campground. The main building of the Grand Canyon Lodge was destroyed by fire twice—once in 1932 and again in July 2025 due to the Dragon Bravo Fire.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Grand Canyon National Park has five climate zones: Cold Semi-Arid (BSk), Humid Continental Dry Cool Summer (Dsb), Humid Continental Dry Warm Summer (Dsa), Warm Summer Mediterranean (Csb), and Hot Summer Mediterranean (Csa). The plant hardiness zone at Grand Canyon Visitor Center is 7a, with an average annual extreme minimum temperature of 3.3 °F (−15.9 °C).

Activities

The North Rim has few roads, but there are several places where vehicles can drive to see the view, such as Point Imperial, Roosevelt Point, and Cape Royal. Visitors can also take mule rides to various locations, including paths that go thousands of feet down into the canyon.

Many visitors enjoy hiking on trails like the Widforss Trail, Uncle Jim's Trail, the Transept Trail, and the North Kaibab Trail. The North Kaibab Trail continues all the way down to the Colorado River, where it connects to the South Kaibab Trail and the Bright Angel Trail, which lead up to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

The Toroweap Overlook is located on the western part of the North Rim. To reach it, visitors travel on unpaved roads that branch off Route 389, west of Fredonia, Arizona. These roads pass through the Grand Canyon–Parashant National Monument and end at the overlook.

The South Rim offers many activities for visitors. A driving tour along the South Rim is 35 miles (56 km) long and has two parts. The western drive to Hermit's Point is 8 miles (13 km) and includes overlooks like Mohave Point, Hopi Point, and the Powell Memorial. From March to December, the Hermit's Rest area is only open to visitors who take a free shuttle provided by the Park Service. The eastern drive to Desert View is 25 miles (40 km) and is open to private vehicles all year.

Walking tours include the Rim Trail, which starts at the Pipe Creek viewpoint and runs west for about 8 miles (13 km) on a paved road. It then continues for 7 miles (11 km) on an unpaved path to Hermit's Rest. Hikers can begin their journey at any point along the trail, and a shuttle can take them back to where they started. Mather Point, which is the first view most visitors see when entering the park from the south, is a common starting point for hikes.

Private canyon tours by helicopter or small airplane are available from Las Vegas, Phoenix, and the Grand Canyon National Park Airport. Because of a crash in the 1990s, scenic flights are no longer allowed to fly within 1,500 feet (460 meters) of the canyon’s rim inside the park.

Grand Canyon Conservancy

The Grand Canyon Association (GCA) is the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service. It collects money from private sources to help Grand Canyon National Park by running stores and visitor centers inside the park. It also teaches visitors about the natural and cultural history of the area. The GCA's goals are:

• Helping to create cultural sites that involve different Native American tribes
• Protecting the night sky from too much light pollution
• Helping visitors learn about and explore the park
• Building and keeping trails safe and usable