Grand Canyon National Park - South Rim (Chapter)

This is the South Rim  chapter from Lonely Planet’s Grand Canyon National Park guidebook.

Step up to a South Rim overlook and, as the maw dramatically opens out before you, expect to feel very small. The breeze carries a high-desert hints of piñon and sage, and a California condor soars overhead. Hiking down a short way reveals fossils embedded in sandstone, rock art left by ancient Native Americans. Desert wildflowers bloom out of rock in the springtime, autumn leaves light up the landscape in the fall, and the canyon’s spires and temples are breathtaking when frosted with snow.

• Soak up stories and natural history on a 9am ranger-led hike down the South Kaibab Trail, lingering under the stars for an evening talk
• Feel the burn on the steep Grandview Trail and experience rugged solitude 
• maps
• Watch the changing shadow and light of another spectacular sunrise at Lipan Point
• transport
• Reward yourself après-hike with a deservedly decadent dinner at El Tovar
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Overlooks, Driving, Day Hikes, Backcountry Hikes, Eating & Drinking, Information, Getting Around, Beyond The South Rim, Kaibab National Forest (South, Rim), Tusayan, Valle, Williams, Havasupai Reservation, Hualapai Reservation &, Skywalk, Flagstaff, Sedona, Cameron, Lake Mead & Hoover Dam and Las Vegas.