Grand Canyon in Winter 2026-27: What's Open, Snow, Shuttles and Lodging

The South Rim of the Grand Canyon stays open all winter, with the South and East entrances open 24 hours a day, every day. The North Rim does not: it closes to all vehicles from December 1, 2026 to May 14, 2027. This winter also comes after the August 29, 2026 flood, which cut the South Rim's water supply. In-park hotels have taken no overnight guests since August 31, and as of early November the National Park Service had given only a tentative, around-Thanksgiving date for a phased return. Hermit Road opens to private cars in December, January and February, and on December 20 the sun rises at 7:35 a.m. and sets at 5:17 p.m.

Quick facts (checked November 6, 2026)

• Open: South Rim, all year. South Entrance and East Entrance (Desert View) open 24/7, unless snow closes a road for a while.
• Closed: North Rim and State Route 67 to all vehicles, December 1 to May 14.
• Entry: $35 per private vehicle, $30 per motorcycle, $20 per person on foot or bike, all valid 7 days. Card only, no cash. Non-US residents aged 16 and over also pay $100 unless they hold an annual pass.
• Lodging in the park: halted since August 31, 2026. Tusayan hotels, 7 miles south, are open.
• Water: Stage 4 restrictions. Bring your own drinking water.
• Roads: call 928-638-7496 for park road closures, or 511 / az511.gov for state highways.

What is open on the South Rim this winter

The rim itself, the viewpoints and the paved Rim Trail are open. On November 4 the park listed the South Rim Visitor Center as open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Yavapai Geology Museum, Verkamps Visitor Center and Kolb Studio were open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Canyon Village Market and General Store at Market Plaza was open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. There is no reservation system and no timed entry.

Food is limited. On that list, the El Tovar dining room, lounge and patio were closed, along with the Maswik Lodge food court and all of Yavapai Lodge. Bright Angel Lodge was still serving breakfast and lunch in its café and dinner in its steakhouse from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Pack lunch and snacks for long days.

Grand Canyon Village and the canyon rim under fresh snow. Image: Grand Canyon National Park, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Out east, the Trading Post and the Market and Deli at Desert View closed for the winter on October 19. The gas pumps there take cards 24 hours a day, and the Desert View Watchtower is still open. The upper floors open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. when staffing allows. Entry is with a free ticket for 25 people at a time, with a 20-minute limit; the last tickets go out at 3:40 p.m. and the stairs close at 4:30 p.m. Desert View Drive is 23 miles each way and normally stays open all year unless snow and ice close it for a time.

Where to sleep: in-park lodging after the floods

On August 29, 2026 a flash flood in Bright Angel Canyon destroyed the water intake pump and damaged about 40% of the old Transcanyon Waterline between the Phantom Ranch area and the North Rim. From August 31, every concessioner in the park stopped taking overnight guests. That covered El Tovar, Bright Angel Lodge, Maswik Lodge and Phantom Ranch (Xanterra), and Yavapai Lodge and Trailer Village (Delaware North).

On September 19 the park published a tentative timetable: water pumping from Bright Angel Creek by November 16, and distribution to residents by Thanksgiving, "allowing concessionaires to begin a phased approach to providing services to overnight guests at that time." The park added that it takes about 45 days to fill the storage tanks once pumping starts, and that all dates could change. On November 4, the park's operations list still showed Yavapai Lodge "closed due to Stage 4 water restrictions" and Phantom Ranch closed until further notice. On November 3, 2026, Grand Canyon Lodges (Xanterra) extended its closure through November 19 and said it plans to reopen its South Rim lodges on November 20; Phantom Ranch stays closed through at least January 31, 2027. Treat November 20 as a plan, not a promise, and check before booking.

El Tovar Hotel on the South Rim after a December snowfall. Image: Grand Canyon National Park, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

For a December or January trip, book somewhere you can rely on. The park's lodging page lists five hotels in Tusayan as open, 7 miles south of Grand Canyon Village on Highway 64. It also names Valle (30 miles), Williams (60 miles) and Flagstaff (80 miles). If you already hold an in-park booking, check it with the concessioner, because the park says the return will be phased.

Camping is limited too. Mather Campground is open all year but dry camping only, with all outdoor wood fires banned. The park sells 15 first-come sites at the campground office at 8 a.m. daily and recommends booking during the December holidays. Trailer Village and the Camper Services showers and laundry are closed until further notice, and Desert View Campground reopens on April 10, 2027.

The North Rim is closed from December 1

The North Rim is open for limited day use only through November 30, 2026, or until the first major snowstorm, whichever comes first. There has been no water or food there since October 16. From December 1 to May 14, the North Rim and State Route 67 are closed to all vehicles, as they are every winter. This winter, the park says, the developed area, the North Kaibab Trail and all North Rim roads will stay fully closed, under both the normal winter closure and the closures from the 2025 Dragon Bravo Fire. The North Rim campground is tentatively due to reopen on May 15, 2027.

Shuttles and Hermit Road from December 1

The park's fall shuttle timetable runs September 12 to November 30, 2026. On that timetable the Village (Blue) route runs from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and the Kaibab Rim (Orange) route from 6 a.m. to one hour after sunset. The Hermits Rest (Red) route runs from 8 a.m. to one hour after sunset. The park says free shuttles keep running in winter, but as of November 6 it had not posted the times from December 1. Check the shuttle page or ask at the visitor center when you arrive. The Tusayan (Purple) route runs only in summer.

The big change is on Hermit Road. From March 1 to November 30 it is closed to private vehicles. In December, January and February it opens to private vehicles under 22 feet long, unless snow closes it, and there is no shuttle on it in winter. The road runs 7 miles west from the Village Historic District to Hermits Rest, with nine viewpoints. The Rim Trail runs beside it for 7.8 miles, so you can drive one way and walk short stretches between overlooks. The 24-hour taxi (928-638-2631) does not serve Hermit Road.

The canyon from Hermit Road after snow, with the rim forest dusted white. Image: A125125125, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Snow and ice on the rim and on the trails

The South Rim sits at about 7,000 feet. NOAA's 1991-2020 normals for Grand Canyon Airport give average highs of 44 °F in December and January and 47 °F in February. Average lows are 14 °F in December, 16 °F in January and 17 °F in February. The same station records about 225 nights a year at or below freezing.

The park road crew spreads rock cinders rather than salt or snowmelt, and road salt is not permitted in the park. Chains are generally not required but may be used. Roads can close for a while during storms while snow is cleared. The park suggests a winter kit: shovel, scraper, blankets, food and water, a flashlight, and sand or cat litter for traction.

On foot, the park warns that trails have "snow-packed, icy & muddy places" and recommends slip-on traction devices and trekking poles. Shops in Grand Canyon Village sell them if you arrive without. The Rim Trail near Mather Point and in the village also ices over after storms, and the park asks everyone to stay at least 6 feet from the edge. Rockfall is more common during freeze-thaw spells.

Hikers with poles on a snow-covered stretch of the upper Bright Angel Trail. Image: Grand Canyon National Park, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Inner-canyon hiking in winter 2026-27

Below the rim, the flood still shapes what you can do. As of the park's October 27 trail update, these were open:

• The Bright Angel Trail from the trailhead to the River Resthouse, and the Plateau Point Trail.
• The South Kaibab Trail from the trailhead to the Black Bridge.
• The River Trail between the River Resthouse and the South Kaibab Trail, and the Tonto Trail from the Tip-Off to Havasupai Gardens.

The Black and Silver bridges, all of Phantom Ranch including Bright Angel Campground, and the whole North Kaibab Trail are closed, with no reopening date on the trail page. Crossing the river and hiking rim to rim are not possible this winter. Water is turned off at Mile-and-a-Half Resthouse, Three-Mile Resthouse and Havasupai Gardens. The only drinking water on the corridor trails is in tanks at the Bright Angel and South Kaibab trailheads. Carry all the water you need, plus a way to treat water.

Winter days are short: the park's table gives under 10 hours of daylight from late November to mid-January. Rangers recommend traction, poles, a headlamp, extra food and layers. Overnight camping below the rim needs a backcountry permit.

Sunrise and sunset viewpoints

Arizona does not change its clocks, so the park runs on Mountain Standard Time all winter. These times are from the park's sunrise and sunset table:

For sunrise, the park suggests Mather Point or Yaki Point. Yaki Point looks east to Vishnu Temple and Wotans Throne against the dawn sky. The park lists the Kaibab Rim (Orange) shuttle as the only way to reach it, so check the winter timetable before planning a dawn visit. Arrive about 30 minutes before the sun clears the horizon.

The view from Yaki Point on Christmas Day 2014. Image: Grand Canyon National Park, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

For sunset, Hopi Point on Hermit Road is the classic choice. In winter you can drive there yourself, and the park notes that Mohave and Pima Points, also on Hermit Road, are quieter and show the Colorado River. On Desert View Drive, try Navajo Point, Lipan Point (closed for rehabilitation until December 23, 2026) and Desert View itself, where the Watchtower stands against the evening sky. The park advises arriving up to 90 minutes before sunset and staying at least 10 minutes after. The sky may light up red or orange after the sun has gone.

Cloud filling the canyon below Lipan Point during a winter inversion. Image: Grand Canyon National Park, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The full moon falls on December 23, 2026. In June 2019 the park was certified as an International Dark Sky Park, so moonless nights earlier in December are better for stars.

The Polar Express from Williams

The park lists daily Grand Canyon Railway trips among its winter services. The railway, based in Williams, also runs The Polar Express, a holiday ride based on Chris Van Allsburg's children's book, in which the train goes to see Santa at the "North Pole". The railway says it runs on "select dates from early November through late December". 2026 dates are on sale, and bookings made on or after August 10, 2026 can be fully refunded up to 14 days before departure. Exact dates and prices are on the railway's booking calendar (1-888-848-3511).

A Grand Canyon Railway locomotive in falling snow. Image: Mark Levisay, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Practical notes

• Getting there: Grand Canyon Village is about 60 miles north of Williams on Highway 64, and 80 miles from Flagstaff on Highways 180 and 64. From US 89 at Cameron, State Route 64 runs 25 miles west to the East Entrance at Desert View.
• Paying: entrance stations take cards only. The park's fee page lists a few businesses in Tusayan that sell passes for cash.
• Crowds: the park says January and February, after the December holidays, are when "visitors find paths less traveled." The December holiday period is busier, and Mather Campground recommends reservations then.
• Wildlife: in winter you may see mule deer, elk, ravens, Abert's squirrels, bald eagles and California condors. Stay at least 25 yards from large animals.
• Before you set out: check the park's operations page, which is updated most days, the roads line on 928-638-7496 and az511.gov.

Opening hours, prices and closures here are as the National Park Service and the operators published them on November 6, 2026. The lodging and shuttle situation is likely to change during the winter.