Hipfig travel channel offers DIY travel video guides for more than 25 cities in
Asia, US, and Canada. If you like this video then subscribe, give us a thumbs up
or a comment Welcome to Hipfig's Beautiful America
Travel Guide series. This Hipfig Travel Guide series is for people interested in
national parks and the famous natural wonders in North America. This episode
features Grand Canyon National Park, one of the seven natural wonders of the
world. It's a mile deep, 277 River miles along the Colorado River, and 18 miles
wide. In this Grand Canyon National Park travel guide we'll share our experiences
visiting the popular South Rim area of the Grand Canyon and travel tips for
first-time visitors to this magnificent example of nature's creation. Did you
know that the hike across the Grand Canyon from the South Rim to the North
Rim is 21 miles or 34 kilometers however by car the distance from the
South Rim to the North Rim is 220 miles and will take five or six hours? Grand
Grand Canyon National Park is located in northern Arizona in the United States. It
has two main entrances: the North and South Rim. The North Rim is usually closed
to cars between December 1st and May 15th. The most popular entrance is a
South Rim since it's open all year round and more accessible by car from cities
with commercial airports like Flagstaff Arizona, Las Vegas Nevada, and Phoenix
Arizona. The Grand Canyon National Park South Rim entrance is located 75 miles
north of the town of Flagstaff Arizona, 275 miles from Las Vegas Nevada, and 225
miles from Phoenix Arizona. By car it'll take about an hour and a half from
Flagstaff, four hours from Las Vegas, and three and a half hours from Phoenix. If
you're driving please use your GPS for the best routes for your location
if you don't have a car there are many tour companies which run tours to the
South Rim from cities like Flagstaff, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and other surrounding
cities. These guided tours are convenient, easy, and provide carefree
transportation to the Grand Canyon to the South Rim. Ifyou would like to go on your own
from Flagstaff you can take Arizona Shuttle or Grand Canyon Shuttle service
between Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon. Village Grand Canyon Railway also offers
train service from Williams Arizona to the Grand Canyon (village) contact these companies
directly or go to their website for prices and schedules. We had a rental car
and drove from Phoenix which takes about three and a half hours if you drive
directly. We decided to stop in Flagstaff Arizona as we wanted to visit the
observatory. After a nice overnight stay in Flagstaff we drove to the Grand
Canyon around 7:00 a.m. in the morning we took the historic route 66 West to
the US highway 180 going west from US180. We merged on to Arizona64 going
north. We followed the signs to the Grand Canyon South Rim entrance. We arrived at
the Grand Canyon South Rim entrance around 8:30 a.m. and the lines to get
into the park were ready long as it was in the summer which is peak season to
visit the Grand Canyon National Park. Peak season is usually from May to
September. There is a national park fee of $35 per car up to four adult
passengers or $20.00 per person 16 or older walking in, riding on a shuttle,
or with a tour group. Money saving tip: if you have four people 16 or older in your
group it may be worth it for you to buy the $70 Annual Pass for the Grand Canyon
or the $80 America beautiful pass which is good for a year for all national
parks and monuments in the United States. Once we got to the entrance gate we had
an America beautiful annual pass to enter the park which we showed to the park
ranger. The Ranger will usually give you a newsletter and a map of the park. Make
sure to pick up a map if you don't plan to stop at the Visitor Center
If you're planning to drive into the Grand Canyon National Park especially
during the peak season of May to August try to arrive no later than 9:00 a.m.. If
you come later than this you'll have a hard time finding a parking spot by the
Visitor Center. If you plan to arrive later, a good option is to take the free
Grand Canyon National Park shuttle bus from Tusayan which is the small town
outside the South Rim entrance. Take the free Tusayan route shuttle bus from the
park and ride which has free parking. This 20-minute shuttle to the Visitor
Center runs every 20 minutes between 8 a.m. and 9:30 p.m.. You'll have to pay
the Grand Canyon National fee of $20 per person before getting onto the shuttle
or show your annual pass. You can pay for your entrance fee at one of the
following locations in Tusayan: the National Geographic visitor center, the
Grand Canyon South Rim Chamber of Commerce, RP stage stop, Red Feather Lodge,
or the Canyon Plaza Resort. If you're driving into Grand Canyon National Park
make sure your gas tank is full if not Tusayan is a good place to fill up your
gas tank. From the National Park entrance we followed the signs for the Grand Canyon
South Rim visitor center which we highly recommend. We arrived around 9:30 ish and
the parking lots were full but we got lucky. There are four parking areas near
the visitor center if the Lots by the Visitor Center are
full there are more parking lots at Lots a through D in Market Plaza and the
village historic district. The Grand Canyon South Rim visitor center is open
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. At the visitor center you can find Rangers
inside the air-conditioned Visitor Center but the lines to talk to them can
be sometimes very long. What we found most helpful were the written
recommendations that the Park Service has prepared for visitors based on the
amount of time in the Grand Canyon for example there are itineraries for
one to two hours and half day. There is also information on where to go for the
best sunsets and sunrises and information on the free Grand Canyon
shuttle service At the visitor center you can find
information at the outside posters which provide information about park
activities and attractions, hiking, the free shuttle bus system, and the park
ranger programs. While we were in the visitor center
we watched the 20-minute movie called the Grand Canyon a journey of wonder. The
movie starts every 30 minutes. We also explored the exhibits. Make sure to check
out the large video enabled relief map For your information you can also rent a
bike or take a guided bicycle tour from the Visitor Center and there's a food
truck to buy food and drinks as well as restrooms and water fountain. Save the
environment, gas, and frustration to find parking
catch the free Grand Canyon shuttles to points of interest in the Grand Canyon
National Park. There are 5 Grand Canyon shuttle routes in the South Rim the
village route the Kaibab rim route, Hermit road route, Tusayan Park and Ride,
and the hiker Express shuttle. The shuttle buses usually run 1/2 hour
before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset. The most popular routes for visitors are
the Kaibab and Hermit road routes which have stops along the way to canyon
overlook points. See the maps at the visitor center for exact stops. You can
catch these shuttles by the Visitor Center to points of interest like
Mather point, Yavapai geology museum, South Kaibab trail head, yaki point, pipe
creek Vista , and many more. The rim trail is 13 miles or 21 kilometers and from
the visitor center you can walk on the Rim Trail East all the way to South
Kaibab trail head or west to Hermits rest. The rim trail is mostly paved, flat,
and accessible, The rim trail can be accessed from many of the shuttle bus
stops. The views are spectacular and you can get very close to the edge at some
points so be very careful. Here's a tip: if you would like a less crowded area to
view sunset take the Hermit rest shuttle route to Mojave or Pima Point or
drive to desert view drive. If you would like to hike down to the
Grand Canyon take the Bright Angel Trail from Kolb studio. There's so much to do
at the Grand Canyon National Park besides hiking you could take guided
tours by bus, car, helicopter, mules, horses, wagons, or rafts for an extra fee You can
also take the TransCanyon Shuttle which runs a service between the North
and South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park. After our visit to the
Visitor Center we walked the Rim Trail to nearby Mather point and then to
Yavapai geology museum and took the shuttle back to the visitor center. we
wanted to visit the desert view watchtower and surrounding areas so we
took our car. We recommend at least one full day and more to see the natural
wonders of the Grand Canyon. If you have time visit the watchtower at Desert View
you climb 85 steps for a 360-degree view from this 70-foot tower. From here you
can see the Colorado River turning north and the Painted Desert extending towards
the Navajo and Hopi Indian lands. If you would like lodging inside the park then
you need to book well in advance especially during the summer months. be
sure to make reservations as far ahead as possible. Reservations are made
through Delaware North and Xanterra Parks and Resorts for more information
or to make a reservation go to Xanterra Parks and Resorts website or the
Delaware North company's Parks & Resorts website. Please make sure to bring plenty
of water and food, wear good walking/ hiking shoes and sunscreen or a hat, and
stay on the trails for a grand time at the Grand Canyon National Park! Happy
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