6 Best Sights in What's Near the Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon National Park

A 1-mile round-trip self-guided walk takes visitors past homestead buildings and an orchard left by early Mormon missionaries.

Falconers Troy Morris and Ron Brown purchased this former Flintstones-themed attraction in 2019 and today offer raptor encounters, flight demonstrations, and educational programs, including falconry classes. Visitors can interact with the more than 50 birds here, walk through Bedrock City, and pose with concrete Flintstone characters. The property is still being renovated—it recently added a pizza and chicken joint, Fred's Diner—but it is definitely worth the $8 to stretch your legs and let the kids blow off steam.

Located in a converted rest area, this small museum is packed with Native American artifacts found in the area and items early settlers left behind; you can also tour a collection of historic cabins and buildings. Usually, a docent or the owner himself is there to give a guided tour. Bring cash; the museum is free but relies on donations to keep going.

The route north from Cameron Trading Post on U.S. 89 offers a stunning view of the Painted Desert. The desert, which covers thousands of square miles stretching to the south and east, is a vision of subtle, almost harsh beauty, with windswept plains and mesas, isolated buttes, and barren valleys in pastel patterns. About 30 miles north of Cameron Trading Post, the Painted Desert country gives way to sandstone cliffs that run for miles. Brilliantly hued and ranging in color from light pink to deep orange, the Echo Cliffs rise to more than 1,000 feet in many places. They are essentially devoid of vegetation, but in a few high places, thick patches of tall cottonwood and poplar trees, nurtured by springs and water seepage from the rock escarpment, manage to thrive.

At Bitter Springs, 60 miles north of Cameron, U.S. 89A branches off from U.S. 89, running north and providing views of Marble Canyon, the geographical beginning of the Grand Canyon. Like the Grand Canyon, Marble Canyon was formed by the Colorado River. Traversing a gorge nearly 500 feet deep is Navajo Bridge, a narrow steel span built in 1929 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Formerly used for car traffic, it now functions only as a pedestrian overpass.

West of the town of Marble Canyon are these spectacular cliffs, more than 3,000 feet high in many places. A four-wheel-drive vehicle is required here, as there are no paved roads and the sand is deep. Keep an eye out for condors; the giant endangered birds were reintroduced into the area in 1996. Reports suggest that the birds, once in captivity, are surviving well in the wilderness.