GCNP Announces Tips

Visitors to Grand Canyon National Park (GCNP) this spring break can expect long lines and full parking lots. As a result of increased visitation, traffic regularly backs up at all entrance stations, with the longest wait times between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Parking lots, especially near the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, start reaching capacity by 12 p.m. and shuttle bus lines will be long.

Please follow these tips as you prepare to visit the South Rim:

• Arrive early (before 9 a.m.) or later in the day (after 5 p.m.)

• Monitor the South Entrance Station Webcam to help time your arrival

• Buy your park pass online at Your Pass Now or in Tusayan at one of the following businesses – IMAX Theater, Canyon Plaza Resort, Red Feather Lodge, and Westwind Air Service

• Hermit Road, providing canyon views from the west rim, is best experienced early in the morning and will be crowded by mid-day

• Consider taking the train from Williams, Ariz.

• If arriving from the east on Interstate 40 or from Phoenix on Interstate 17, consider taking US 89 from Flagstaff north to Cameron, Ariz. and then west on State Route 64, where you can enjoy first views of the Grand Canyon from Desert View.

• Park campgrounds and lodging fill months in advance. Check availability and make reservations before you arrive.

Key Shuttle Bus Updates

There will be three shuttle bus routes in operation on the South Rim this spring. Masks are required in line and on all park shuttle buses. Shuttle buses are also operating at reduced capacity. Visitors should expect prolonged wait times of 30-45 minutes to board a bus during busier times of the day.

Starting March 1, 2022, the Kaibab Rim Route (Orange Route) servicing the Grand Canyon Visitor Center east to Yaki Point, the Village Route (Blue Route) servicing primary visitor facilities, and the Hermits Rest Route (Red Route) providing service from the Village along the west rim to Hermits Rest will be in operation. All routes will start at 4:30 a.m. The Kaibab Rim and Hermits Rest routes will run until one hour after sunset. The Village Route will run until 10 p.m.

The Hikers' Express Bus, which transports backpackers to the South Kaibab Trailhead, will leave Bright Angel Lodge at the following times:

• March - 7, 8, and 9 a.m.

• April - 6, 7, and 8 a.m.

• May - 5, 6, and 7 a.m.

The Hikers' Express Bus also stops at the Backcountry Information Center and Grand Canyon Visitor Center on its way to the South Kaibab Trailhead.

The Tusayan Route, providing service from the Town of Tusayan to the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, will not operate in the spring. It is scheduled to run May 28 through Sept 9, 2022.

For more information on Grand Canyon's shuttle bus system, please visit the park's shuttle bus webpage. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, public health measures are in place including capacity limits, temporary closures, and modified operations. For a list of what is open and what is closed in Grand Canyon National Park, please visit the park website here.

For more information on visiting the South Rim during busy periods, please visit -www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/sr-tips.htm.

A World Heritage Site

Grand Canyon National Park, located in northern Arizona, encompasses 278 miles (447 km) of the Colorado River and adjacent uplands. One of the most spectacular examples of erosion anywhere in the world, Grand Canyon is unmatched in the incomparable vistas it offers visitors on the rim. Grand Canyon National Park is a World Heritage Site. The National Park Service cares for the special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage.