Getting to the Grand Canyon South Rim

7 min read Updated November 2026 Compare all tours

Grand Canyon Village, the centre of the South Rim, sits at about 7,000 feet (2,134 m) in northern Arizona. Two roads lead in. Highway 64 runs north from Williams through Tusayan to the South Entrance, and from Cameron in the Navajo Nation it runs west to the East Entrance at Desert View. Both entrances are open around the clock all year, although the East Entrance can close for a while after snow.

Driving from Flagstaff, Williams and Sedona

From Williams, Highway 64 goes straight north to the South Entrance; the National Park Service puts the drive at about 60 minutes from Interstate 40. From Flagstaff it is about 81 miles (130 km) and 90 minutes. The NPS names three ways from Flagstaff: Interstate 40 west to Williams and then Highway 64; Highway 180 to Valle and then Highway 64; or Highway 89 north to Cameron and Highway 64 west to Desert View. The third route puts the eastern viewpoints first and, according to the NPS, can save you the queue at the South Entrance.

Sedona is 119 miles (192 km) away by the NPS count; the Sedona tourist office gives 114 miles and about two hours, measured from town. The road climbs through Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff and continues by one of the routes above. Several day tours from Sedona follow the eastern route past the Cameron Trading Post to Desert View.

Driving from Phoenix and Las Vegas

From Phoenix, take Interstate 17 north to Flagstaff, Interstate 40 west to Williams and Highway 64 north. That is 231 miles (372 km), and the NPS calls it a drive of about four hours. An older NPS release, from 2019, suggested the East Entrance via Cameron to visitors from Phoenix for shorter waits.

From Las Vegas the NPS route follows Highway 93 south to Kingman, Interstate 40 east to Williams and Highway 64 north, 278 miles (447 km) in all. The NPS does not give a driving time for it. Leaving Las Vegas, Highway 93 crosses the Colorado on the bypass bridge next to Hoover Dam, so the dam itself is a detour. Las Vegas observes daylight saving time and Arizona does not: from the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday in March the South Rim is one hour ahead of Las Vegas, and in summer both show the same time.

The time zone also matters on the eastern approach. The Navajo Nation, Cameron included, uses daylight saving time, while the national park stays on Arizona time all year. In summer your phone may jump back an hour as you enter at Desert View.

At the entrances

The South Entrance lies on Highway 64 just north of Tusayan, about 55 miles north of Williams. Its NPS page warns of a wait for most of the year, with queues of up to two hours between 9:30 am and 4 pm. The fee page advises arriving before 10 am or after 2 pm, and weekdays rather than weekends. The East Entrance at Desert View is 25 miles (40 km) west of Cameron and 74 miles from Flagstaff; from there it is another 23 miles (37 km) along Desert View Drive to Grand Canyon Village.

Entry is paid by card only, and visitors who are not US residents pay an extra fee from the age of 16. Our page on entrance fees and passes has the figures. Around the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, car parks 1 to 4 are often full by late morning in busy periods; the NPS says that if you arrive by 10 am you can usually find a space. Further car parks are at Market Plaza and in the Village, and getting around explains them along with the free shuttles.

Fuel and supplies

There is no service station in Grand Canyon Village. The only one inside the park on the South Rim is at Desert View, open 24 hours with card payment at the pump; its small store has closed for the winter. The nearest fuel outside the park is in Tusayan. The NPS advice is to keep the tank full, because the next station may be a long way down the road. Tusayan also has restaurants and a general store.

By train from Williams

The Grand Canyon Railway runs daily from the depot in Williams to the historic depot in Grand Canyon Village, 65 miles in about two and a quarter hours each way. From January to October the train leaves Williams at 9:30 am and leaves the canyon at 3:30 pm. From 1 November to 31 December, except 25 December, everything runs an hour earlier, with departure at 8:30 am and return to Williams at 4:45 pm. That gives more than three hours at the rim, and you do not have to find a parking space.

Shuttle, Amtrak and day tours

Groome Transportation runs a shuttle between Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon three times a day in each direction, stopping at the Flagstaff Amtrak station, the IMAX in Tusayan and Maswik Lodge in the Village. All stops are by reservation only, and the company states that schedules can change without notice. Groome says its fares include a park entry fee; whether that covers the non-resident fee is not stated, so ask when you book. There is no direct Groome service from Phoenix; you change in Flagstaff. The Amtrak Southwest Chief, between Chicago and Los Angeles, stops daily in Flagstaff at 1 East Route 66.

Without a car, day tours are the other option. From Phoenix they usually combine the rim with Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon and take about 12 hours; reviewers note that the time at the canyon itself can be close to two hours. Our pages on tours from Phoenix and Scottsdale and tours from Las Vegas compare them.

Flying in

According to the NPS, scheduled airlines serve Las Vegas, Phoenix and Flagstaff. In Las Vegas that is Harry Reid International, in Phoenix Sky Harbor International. Flagstaff Pulliam Airport lists American Airlines flights to Phoenix, Dallas–Fort Worth and Los Angeles; the Flagstaff tourist office names only the first two, so check the current timetable.

Grand Canyon National Park Airport (GCN) lies in Tusayan, about 7 miles (11 km) south of the park, and has been run by the Arizona Department of Transportation since 1974. The NPS notes limited connections from Las Vegas. The airport has three helicopter terminals, and according to ADOT close to 325,000 passengers flew with sightseeing operators there in 2016. All scenic air tours start outside the park; see airplane tours and helicopter tours.