The Grand Canyon is located entirely in Northern Arizona. It is up to 1 mile (1.6 km) deep, 4-18 miles (6-29 km) wide, and more than 200 miles (320 km) long. Plateaus to the north and south rise 1,520 to 2,740 m (5,000 to 9,000 ft) above sea level, partly as a result of regional uplift, which left the North Rim more than 305m (1,000 ft) higher than the South Rim in places.

Travel a century-old railway line to the heart of Grand Canyon National Park. The railway uses historic equipment, and trains stop just steps from the south rim. Enjoy the flavor of the Old West and modern luxuries during your trip to one of the most beautiful places in the world. Lodging available in historic Williams, Arizona and Grand Canyon National Park.

Grand Canyon National Park hosts as many as five million visitors a year. With this amount of visitation, it is wise to plan ahead for any trip to the Canyon.

Park Headquarters and many tourist facilities are located in Grand Canyon Village. Facilities include six hotels, several restaurants, a general store that sells food and equipment, laundry and shower facilities, a bank with an ATM and a garage for automobile repair. The nearest gas station is in Tusayan, six miles to the south. Tusayan has restaurants, hotels and stores as well.

The Park Service is undergoing a complete renovation in how visitors will enter and experience the canyon. The changes are expected to be finished by 2007.

The first step was the construction of the Canyon View Information Plaza (CVIP), the new visitor's center, in 2000. CVIP offers brochures, maps and other information about the park, as well as a non-profit bookstore and gift shop.

The Village has a number of parking areas, but summer days and weekends still see crowded conditions and automobiles competing for spaces. Park Rangers advise visitors to park and ride the park's free shuttle buses. There are three routes including the Village Loop, the Hermit Road Loop and the Kaibab Trail Loop. Another popular option is to start your visit from Williams (an hour south of the Canyon). The Grand Canyon Railway carries passengers from Williams to the canyon for a 3.5-hour visit, then back to Williams.

Xanterra South Rim, L.L.C operates seven hotels within the park, including Phantom Ranch, the only non-camping lodging at the bottom of the canyon. Reservations can be booked months in advance for the busy seasons. Due to cancellations, however, it is sometimes possible to call for same-day reservations. Additional lodging is available six miles south of the Park in Tusayan, 30 minutes south in Valle, one hour south in Williams, one hour east in Cameron and 90 minutes away in Flagstaff. It is quite feasible to use these cities as a base for exploring the canyon.

Tent and RV camping are available inside the park, and two developed campgrounds lie just south of the park in and near Tusayan. Dispersed camping is spread throughout the National Forest surrounding the park. Camping below the rim requires a permit from the Backcountry Information Center.

Tourists can enjoy the canyon in a number of ways: by foot, air, river, mule, train and IMAX.

Hikes range from flat, easy rim hikes to rigorous multi-day backpack trips. Permits are required only for staying overnight below the rim.

Helicopter and airplane tours operate out of Grand Canyon Airport in designated air space so as not to conflict with other users of the park.

River-rafting trips typically take 6 to 8 days on motorized trips and 10 to 14 days on oar-powered trips. (Longer trips are also available.) Canyon trips typically start at Lees Ferry near Page. Shorter trips lasting 4 to 9 days, in the upper and lower portions of the canyon are available, exchanging midway at Phantom Ranch. Such split trips require hiking out of the canyon after the upper half or into the canyon to start the lower half. One-day trips are offered in the western Grand Canyon on the Hualapai Reservation and half-day trips operate from the base of the Glen Canyon Dam at Page.

Mules carry riders to Plateau Point on 12-mile day trips or down to Phantom Ranch for overnight stays. Pets are not allowed below the rim and must be kept on a leash above the rim. GCNP does not switch to Daylight Savings Time.

Due to its high elevation, the North Rim receives heavy snow during winter months, and is open only from mid- May to mid-October. During summer months, it has a campground, general store, camper facilities and a historic lodge. Being remote, it does not see the crowds that the South Rim does, and is an excellent way to enjoy the solitude of the canyon. Additional lodging and supplies are available in Jacob Lake, 45 miles north.

Grand Canyon Railway can be found on line at http://www.thetrain.com
1-800-THE TRAIN.