Grand Canyon & Kaibab Plateau

Grand Canyon National Park's two rims, the Route 66 town of Williams to the south, the Kaibab Plateau to the north and the Havasupai village of Supai deep in Havasu Canyon.

The Grand Canyon is a mile deep, 277 miles long and on average only about 10 miles across, but the National Park Service puts the drive between Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim and the North Rim village at about 212 miles and four and a half hours. That gap shapes every trip to this region. About 90 percent of the park's visitors go to the South Rim, which is open all year and sits at an average of 7,000 feet. The North Rim is higher, quieter and open only part of the year: State Route 67 and the North Rim are closed to vehicles every winter from December 1 to May 14. South of the canyon, Williams grew up where the Santa Fe Railway's branch line to the South Rim left the main line, and its downtown is a six-block run of Route 66 history. North of the canyon, the Kaibab Plateau rises to about 8,000 feet under ponderosa pine, with the crossroads of Jacob Lake as its main stop for fuel and supplies. West of the park, the Havasupai Tribe's village of Supai lies on the floor of Havasu Canyon, reached only on foot, by mule or by helicopter, and only with a tribal permit. As of November 2026, this is a region in recovery. The Dragon Bravo Fire, started by lightning on July 4, 2025, destroyed the Grand Canyon Lodge and the North Rim Visitor Center. On August 29, 2026, a flash flood in Bright Angel Canyon wrecked the pipeline that brings water to the South Rim, closed Phantom Ranch and the North Kaibab Trail, and led the park to halt all in-park overnight lodging from August 31. A second flood followed in mid-September. The park stayed open for day use throughout, and NPS has projected a phased return of overnight guests from around Thanksgiving, without a firm date. NPS says visitation is highest during spring break (March and April), from Memorial Day to Labor Day and in holiday weeks, and that November through February is the least crowded time. Non-US residents aged 16 and over pay a $100 fee on top of the entrance fee at Grand Canyon, the only park in Arizona with that surcharge.