Visitor Information

Park Contact Information

Grand Canyon National Park. Before you go, get the complimentary Trip Planner, updated regularly, from the Grand Canyon National Park. 928/638-7888. www.nps.gov/grca.

Visitor Centers

South Rim

Desert View Information Center. Near the watchtower, at Desert View Point, the nonprofit Grand Canyon Association store and information center has a nice selection of books, park pamphlets, gifts, and educational materials. All sales from the Association stores go to support the park programs. East entrance, Grand Canyon National Park, AZ, 86023. 800/858-2808 or 928/638-7888. Daily 9-5; hrs vary in winter.

Grand Canyon Visitor Center. The park's main orientation center, known formerly as Canyon View Information Plaza, near Mather Point, provides pamphlets and resources to help plan your sightseeing as well as engaging interpretive exhibits on the park. Rangers are on hand to answer questions and aid in planning canyon excursions. A bookstore is stocked with books covering all topics on the Grand Canyon, and a daily schedule of ranger-led hikes and evening lectures is posted on a bulletin board inside. A 20-minute film about the history, geology, and wildlife of the canyon plays every 30 minutes in the theater. There's ample parking by the information center, though it is also accessible via a short walk from Mather Point, a short ride on the shuttle bus Village Route, or a leisurely 1-mile walk on the Greenway Trail—a paved pathway that meanders through the forest. East side of Grand Canyon Village, 450 State Rte. 64, Grand Canyon, AZ, 86023. 928/638-7888. www.explorethecanyon.com. Daily 8-5, outdoor exhibits may be viewed anytime.

Grand Canyon Verkamp's Visitor Center. After 102 years of selling memorabilia and knickknacks on the South Rim across from El Tovar Hotel, Verkamp's Curios moved into the park's newest visitor center in 2008. The building now serves as a bookstore, ranger station, and museum with exhibits on the Verkamp family and the pioneer history of the region. Desert View Dr. across from El Tovar Hotel, Grand Canyon Village, AZ, 86023. 928/638-7146. Daily 8-7; ranger station 8-5.

North Rim

North Rim Visitor Center. View exhibits, peruse the bookstore, and pick up useful maps and brochures at this visitor center. Interpretive programs are often scheduled in summer. If you're craving coffee, it's a short walk from here to the Roughrider Saloon at the Grand Canyon Lodge. Near the parking lot on Bright Angel Peninsula, Grand Canyon National Park, AZ, 86052. 928/638-7864. www.nps.gov/grca. Mid-May-mid-Oct., daily 8-6; mid-Oct.-Nov., daily 9-4.