10 Best Sights in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Grand Canyon Skywalk

Fodor's choice

This cantilevered glass terrace is suspended nearly 4,000 feet above the Colorado River and extends 70 feet from the edge of the Grand Canyon. Approximately 10 feet wide, the bridge's deck, made of tempered glass several inches thick, has 5-foot glass railings on each side creating an unobstructed open-air platform. Admission to the skywalk is an add-on to the basic Grand Canyon West admission. Visitors must store personal items, including cameras, cell phones, and video cameras, in lockers before entering. A professional photographer takes photographs of visitors, which can be purchased from the gift shop.

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Havasu Falls

Fodor's choice

Havasu Canyon has five major waterfalls. The first three—Fifty Foot Falls, Little Navajo Falls, and Havasu Falls—sit between the village of Supai and the Havasu Falls Campground; Mooney Falls and Beaver Falls are past the campground on the way to the confluence of the Colorado River. Often overlooked because it’s a short trek off Hualapai Trail, Fifty Foot Falls typically has fewer crowds than Little Navajo Falls, roughly 30 feet farther down Havasu Creek. The large turquoise pools of Havasu Falls make a great place to cool off with a swim. Getting to the waterfalls past the campground becomes a little more challenging. Water spray from Mooney Falls, a ½ mile from the campground, makes the descent to its base slick, especially on the rock stairs near the end. But the effort rewards with awe-inspiring views of the water plunging 190 feet into a colorful pool. Beaver Falls is another 2 miles farther down the trail and offers multiple swimming holes. Visitors often bring inflatable water tubes to float in the pools, in addition to extra towels and plenty of sunscreen. Water shoes for walking on slippery travertine are highly recommended.

Hualapai Trail

Fodor's choice

The trail in and out of Havasu Canyon begins at Hualapai Hilltop, 90 minutes from Peach Springs, and drops about 1,800 feet in the first 2 miles, followed by 1½ miles of switchbacks. The remaining 4½ miles to the tiny village of Supai (a total of 8 miles from the trailhead parking lot) is relatively flat. From Supai, the trail begins to parallel Havasu Creek and passes the first three major waterfalls: Fifty Foot Falls, Little Navajo Falls, and Havasu Falls. Havasu Falls Campground sits 10 miles from the trailhead (2 miles from Supai), but the trail continues. Just a ½ mile from the campground is Mooney Falls, which requires navigating rocks slick with water spray to get to its base. Two miles past that, Beaver Falls is the last major waterfall on the trail, but hikers can continue all the way to the confluence of the Colorado River on the Hualapai Trail, an additional 4 miles. In total, the Hualapai Trail is 12 miles each way from Hualapai Hilltop to Beaver Falls (16 miles to the Colorado River). You must have a permit to enter Havasu Canyon or you will be turned away. Hualapai Trail is not a day hike; you must have reservations either at Havasupai Lodge or the campground before you go. Because there is no available drinking water on the trail, you will have to bring your own. Packing mules can be arranged in advance to carry your gear in and out of the canyon (give them the right of way on the trail) through the Havasupai Tribe Tourism, and helicopter rides are available for $85 on a first-come, first-served basis for visitors who don't feel they can hike back out.

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Eagle Point

The heart of Grand Canyon West, this scenic overlook is where you'll find the Skywalk, the Sky View Restaurant, a café, replicas of Native American structures, and a shop where you can purchase authentic Native American crafts. Hualapai musicians and dancers perform Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10 am to 3 pm at the outdoor amphitheater here.

Grand Canyon West

Grand Canyon West, run by the Hualapai tribe, offers a basic admission ticket ($80 per person, including taxes and fees), which includes a Hualapai visitation permit and hop-on, hop-off shuttle transportation to three sites. The shuttle will take you to Eagle Point, where you can tour authentic dwellings at the Indian Village and view educational displays on the culture of five different Native American tribes (Havasupai, Plains, Hopi, Hualapai, and Navajo). Intertribal dance performances entertain visitors at the nearby amphitheater. The shuttle also goes to Hualapai Ranch, site of ziplining, horseback rides, and the only lodging on the West Rim, and Guano Point, where the "High Point Hike" offers panoramic views of the Colorado River. At all three areas, local Hualapai guides add a Native American perspective.

For extra fees, you can add meals (there are cafés at each of the three stops), overnight lodging at Hualapai Ranch, a helicopter trip into the canyon, ziplining, a rafting trip on the Colorado, a horseback ride along the canyon rim, or a walk on the Grand Canyon Skywalk.

Guano Point

Named for the nitrogen-rich bat droppings (guano) that were mined from a cave across the canyon, Guano Point boasts the most spectacular landscapes at the West Rim. You'll have to make a short hike from the shuttle drop-off to get to the no-longer-functioning aerial tramway at the point, but once there, you'll be rewarded with nearly 360-degree views of the canyon and the river below. Guano Point Cafe serves BBQ and curried vegetables.

Havasu Canyon

South of the middle part of the Grand Canyon National Park's South Rim and away from the crowds, Havasu Canyon is the home of the Havasupai, a tribe that has lived in this isolated area for centuries. You'll discover why they are known as the "people of the blue-green waters" when you see the canyon's waterfalls—Fifty Foot Falls, Little Navajo Falls, Havasu Falls, Beaver Falls, and Mooney Falls. Accumulated travertine formations in some of the most popular pools were washed out in massive flooding decades ago and again in 2008 and 2010, but it's still a magical place.

The village of Supai, which currently has about 200 tribal residents, is accessed by the 8-mile-long Hualapai Trail, which drops 2,000 feet from the canyon rim to the tiny town.

To reach Havasu's waterfalls, you must hike downstream from the village of Supai. Pack adequate food and supplies. There is a café and a trading post in the village, but prices for food and sundries are more than double what they would be outside the reservation. The tribe does not allow alcohol, drugs, pets, drones, or weapons. Reservations are necessary for camping or staying at Havasupai Lodge.

Highpoint Hike

This easy, ¼-mile hike from the shuttle drop-off to the scenic overlook at Guano Point ends at a disabled aerial tramway at the rim. The tramway, which once spanned 7,500 feet across the canyon to a cave filled with nitrogen-rich bat droppings (guano), stands as a tribute to mining efforts in the canyon. Keep tabs on young hikers, and don't venture too close to the edge---there are no railings on the groomed trail.
Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA

Hualapai Point

Formerly Hualapai Ranch, this shuttle stop now celebrates the culture of the Hualapai people. Artisans demonstrate their skills Sunday through Tuesday at Walapai Trading Post, and the Hualapai Bird Singers share their songs on the weekends. Gwe Ma'jo, the restaurant here, serves traditional dishes like pinion stew and fry bread. Hualapai Point is also where you'll find zip lines and the Cabins at Grand Canyon West.

Route 66

Navigating the longest continuous stretch of drivable Route 66 is the only way to get to Havasu Canyon. While not a particularly scenic drive, diners serving burgers and shakes, roadside attractions like Grand Canyon Caverns, and Burma Shave signs with catchy sayings make it a worthwhile, nostalgic trip. From Interstate 40, take Exit 123 at Seligman or Exit 53 in Kingman. The 87-mile drive connects the two communities, with Peach Springs and Indian Route 18, the road to Hualapai Hilltop and Havasu Canyon roughly at the midway point. Before you exit the interstate, fill up your tank; there are few gas stations between Seligman and Kingman.