Grand Canyon National Park is a national park in the United States located in northwestern Arizona. It is the 15th national park to be established. The park’s most famous feature is the Grand Canyon, a deep canyon formed by the Colorado River, often called one of the Wonders of the World. The park covers 1,217,262 acres (1,901.972 sq mi; 4,926.08 km²) of land in Coconino and Mohave counties that is not part of any city. In 2024, more than 4.9 million people visited the park for recreation. The Grand Canyon was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979. The park celebrated its 100th anniversary on February 26, 2019.

History

The Grand Canyon became famous in the United States in the 1880s after railroads were built and people developed roads and early tourism. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt visited the Grand Canyon and expressed strong support for protecting the land for public use.

Although Roosevelt wanted to preserve the area, the Grand Canyon was not immediately made a national park. In 1882, Senator Benjamin Harrison introduced the first bill to create Grand Canyon National Park, which would have made it the third national park in the United States, after Yellowstone and Mackinac. Harrison tried again in 1883 and 1886, but his bills failed. After becoming president, Harrison created the Grand Canyon Forest Reserve in 1893. In 1906, Roosevelt established the Grand Canyon Game Preserve, and in 1908, he created the Grand Canyon National Monument. Later, Senate bills to make the area a national park were introduced in 1910 and 1911 but failed. Finally, in 1919, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Grand Canyon National Park Act, officially making it a national park. The National Park Service, created in 1916, began managing the park.

The creation of the park was an early success for the conservation movement. Its status as a national park may have stopped plans to build a dam on the Colorado River inside its boundaries. Later, the Glen Canyon Dam was built farther upstream. In 1932, a second Grand Canyon National Monument was created to the west. In 1975, this monument and the Marble Canyon National Monument, established in 1969, were added to Grand Canyon National Park. In 1979, the park was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 1987, a law called the National Parks Overflights Act stated that airplane noise at the park was harming the natural quiet and raising safety concerns for visitors.

In 2010, Grand Canyon National Park was honored with its own coin as part of the America the Beautiful Quarters program. On February 26, 2019, the park celebrated 100 years since it became a national park.

The Grand Canyon was part of the National Park Service’s Intermountain Region until 2018. Now, it is part of Region 8, also called the Lower Colorado Basin.

On July 9, 2025, the Dragon Bravo Fire damaged several buildings on the North Rim, including the Grand Canyon Lodge. The fire burned for over a week while firefighters used strategies to contain it. The fire happened at the same time as another fire, the White Sage Fire.

Key events in the park’s history:
• 1882: First attempt to create Grand Canyon National Park failed.
• 1893: President Benjamin Harrison created the Grand Canyon Forest Reserve (Presidential Proclamation #45).
• 1908: President Theodore Roosevelt established the Grand Canyon National Monument (Presidential Proclamation #794).
• 1919: Congress made Grand Canyon National Park official on February 26 (40 Stat 1175).
• 1975: Congress expanded the park with the Grand Canyon National Park Enlargement Act on January 3 (88 Stat 2089) (Pub. L. 93–620).
• 1979: The park was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site on October 26.

List of park superintendents:
• William Harrison Peters (acting): August 1919 – September 1920
• Dewitt L. Raeburn: October 1920 – December 1921
• John Roberts White (acting): December 1921 – February 1922
• Walter Wilson Crosby: February 1922 – January 1924
• George C. Bolton (acting): January 1923 – June 1923
• John Ross Eakin: January 1924 – April 1927
• Miner Raymond Tillotson: April 1927 – December 1938
• James V. Lloyd (acting): December 1938 – February 1939
• Harold Child Bryant (acting): February 1939 – January 1940
• James V. Lloyd (acting): January 1940 – August 1940
• Frank Alvah Kittredge: August 1940 – July 1941
• Harold Child Bryant: August 1941 – March 1954
• Preston P. Patraw: May 1954 – July 1955
• John Sherman McLaughlin: August 1955 – March 1964
• Howard B. Stricklin: March 1964 – February 1969
• Robert R. Lovegren: April 1969 – July 1972
• Merle E. Stitt: August 1972 – January 1980
• Bruce W. Shaw (acting): January 1980 – May 1980
• Richard W. Marks: May 1980 – December 1988
• John C. Reed (acting): December 1988 – January 1989
• John H. Davis: January 1989 – August 1991
• Robert Chandler: October 1991 – October 1993
• Boyd Evison (acting): January 1994 – July 1994
• Robert L. Arnberger: July 1994 – October 2000
• Dave Uberauga: 2011 – May 2016
• Christine Lehnertz: August 2016 – March 2019
• Ed Keable: April 2020 – present

Geography

The Grand Canyon, along with its many smaller canyons, is known for its large size, deep depth, and colorful rock layers that are very old, from the Precambrian period. The canyon was formed by the cutting action of the Colorado River and its smaller rivers after the Colorado Plateau was raised, which caused the river system to follow its current path.

The main public areas of the park are the South and North Rims and parts of the canyon itself. The rest of the park is rough and hard to reach, though some areas can be reached by hiking trails or backcountry roads. The South Rim is easier to access than the North Rim and is visited by about 90% of all park visitors.

The park headquarters are located in Grand Canyon Village, near the South Entrance of the park, close to one of the most popular viewpoints. Most visitors arrive at the South Rim via Arizona State Route 64. This highway enters the park near Tusayan, Arizona, and continues eastward, leaving the park through the East Entrance. Interstate 40 connects the area from the south, while U.S. Route 89 links the North Rim and nearby states to the South Rim. About 30 miles of the South Rim are accessible by road.

Grand Canyon Village is the main area for visitor services in the park. It offers lodging, fuel, food, souvenirs, a hospital, churches, and access to trails and guided walks. Several lodging options are available along the South Rim, including El Tovar, Bright Angel Lodge, Kachina Lodge, Thunderbird Lodge, Maswik Lodge, and Phantom Ranch on the canyon floor. An RV park called Trailer Village is also available. These facilities are managed by Xanterra Parks & Resorts, while Yavapai Lodge is managed by Delaware North.

El Tovar Hotel was built in 1905 as a luxury hotel for the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway. It was designed by Charles Whittlesley, a railway architect. The hotel has a rustic look, resembling a Swiss chalet or Norwegian villa, and is called "National Park Service rustic." It has four floors, with a gift shop and restaurant inside.

Bright Angel Lodge was built in 1935 using logs and stone. Mary Colter designed the lodge, and it was built by the Fred Harvey Company. A small museum inside honors Fred Harvey, who helped popularize the Grand Canyon. The History Room includes a stone fireplace that matches the layers of rock in the canyon.

• Buckey O'Neill Cabin was built in the 1890s by William Owen "Buckey" O'Neill near a copper deposit. He worked as a miner, judge, politician, author, and tour guide. The cabin is the oldest continuously standing structure on the South Rim and is now a guest house requiring early reservations.
• Kolb Studio was built in 1904 by photographers Ellsworth and Emery Kolb. They sold photos of visitors hiking the Bright Angel Trail. In 1911, they filmed their river journey, which Emery Kolb showed in his studio until his death in 1976. The building now hosts art exhibits.
• Hopi House was built in 1905 by Mary Jane Colter, inspired by Hopi homes in Old Oraibi, Arizona. It housed Hopi artists who sold crafts to visitors.
• Verkamp's Curios, built in 1905 by John Verkamp, sold crafts and souvenirs. It later became a visitor center focusing on Grand Canyon Village history.
• Grand Canyon Railway Depot, completed in 1910, is one of only three log-cabin-style train stations still standing in the U.S. It is the northern end of the Grand Canyon Railway from Williams, Arizona.
• Lookout Studio, designed by Mary Colter in 1914, sells art, books, and souvenirs. It offers views of the Bright Angel Trail.
• Desert View Watchtower, built in 1932 by Mary Colter, is 70 feet tall and located 27 miles from Grand Canyon Village. It mimics Ancestral Puebloan watchtowers and offers views of the canyon and Colorado River.
• Hermit's Rest, built in 1914 by Mary Jane Colter, is a historic site.

The North Rim is on the Kaibab and Walhalla Plateaus, directly across the canyon from the

Climate

The Köppen climate classification system shows that Grand Canyon National Park has five different climate zones: Cold Semi-Arid (BSk), Humid Continental Dry Cool Summer (Dsb), Humid Continental Dry Warm Summer (Dsa), Warm Summer Mediterranean (Csb), and Hot Summer Mediterranean (Csa). The plant hardiness zone at Grand Canyon Visitor Center is 7a, and the lowest temperature that happens on average each year is 3.3 degrees Fahrenheit (−15.9 degrees Celsius).

Activities

The North Rim has few roads, but there are several places where vehicles can travel to enjoy views, such as Point Imperial, Roosevelt Point, and Cape Royal. Mule rides are also available and take visitors to various locations, including areas more than a thousand feet below the canyon’s edge.

Many visitors to the North Rim hike on trails like the Widforss Trail, Uncle Jim's Trail, the Transept Trail, and the North Kaibab Trail. The North Kaibab Trail continues down to the Colorado River, where it connects to the South Kaibab Trail and the Bright Angel Trail, which lead to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

The Toroweap Overlook is located on the western part of the North Rim. It can be reached by unpaved roads that branch off Route 389 near Fredonia, Arizona. These roads pass through the Grand Canyon–Parashant National Monument before reaching the overlook.

The South Rim offers many activities for visitors. A driving tour along the South Rim is 35 miles (56 km) long and is divided into two parts. The western drive to Hermit's Point is 8 miles (13 km) and includes overlooks like Mohave Point, Hopi Point, and the Powell Memorial. From March to December, access to Hermit's Rest is limited to a free shuttle operated by the Park Service. The eastern drive to Desert View is 25 miles (40 km) and is open to private vehicles all year.

Walking tours include the Rim Trail, which starts at the Pipe Creek viewpoint and travels about 8 miles (13 km) on a paved road, then continues 7 miles (11 km) on an unpaved path to Hermit's Rest. Hikers can begin walking from any point along this trail, and a shuttle can return them to where they started. Mather Point, the first view most visitors see when entering the park from the south, is a common starting point for hikes.

Private flights over the canyon are offered by helicopters and small planes from Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Grand Canyon National Park Airport. After a crash in the 1990s, scenic flights are no longer allowed to fly within 1,500 feet (460 m) of the canyon’s rim inside Grand Canyon National Park.

Grand Canyon Conservancy

The Grand Canyon Association (GCA) is the National Park Service's official nonprofit partner. It collects money from private sources to help Grand Canyon National Park by running retail stores and visitor centers inside the park, and by offering educational programs about the area's natural and cultural history. The GCA's goals are:

• Creating cultural sites that involve multiple Native American tribes
• Preserving dark skies
• Helping visitors learn about and explore the park
• Building and protecting trails