Grand Canyon South Rim - Tours and Helicopter Rides from Las Vegas, Williams, Sedona

South Rim

The South Rim is most accessible and therefore the most popular destination at Grand Canyon, attracting 5 million visitors each year. The South Rim is where you'll find visitor's centers, historical buildings, and over two dozen viewpoints and trailheads. Because of its popularity, visitors should expect crowds and vehicle congestion, particularly in the busiest seasons - spring, summer and fall.

In general, 1 - 2 days at the Grand Canyon is ample time to spend, unless you're backpacking down into the canyon and camping overnight at the bottom. If you're like most, you'll drive yourself to the South Rim and spend a full day walking the rim trail, taking the shuttles to various viewpoints, visiting the visitor's center, listening to ranger-led talks, and taking photos. Use half-a-day to take a helicopter tour over the Grand Canyon from the nearby airport. An alternative is to book a van, Jeep or Railway tour to ride up to Grand Canyon Village and have several hours to do the aforementioned activities at the rim, then take a ride back to the tour's origin in the late afternoon..More...

The South Rim is open year round, including holidays, and while wintertime is a beautiful and less crowded time here, the South Rim's 7,000 foot elevation and high plateau climate make for snowy conditions November through April; weather should be a consideration when planning your visit.

Most Grand Canyon visitors come to the South Rim because gateway cities like Williams, Tusayan and Flagstaff are great places stay when lodging inside Grand Canyon National Park are fully booked often a year in advance. Once at the South Rim, explore Grand Canyon Village, where you'll enjoy a free shuttle that goes to the Canyon View Information Plaza - home to a bookstore, museum, food, gift shopping and restroom facilities - as well as several picture-perfect viewpoints.

Grand Canyon helicopter tours, the Grand Canyon Railway and van and bus tours are great ways to get different views the Grand Canyon. South Rim tours most commonly depart from gateway cities like Williams, Sedona, and Las Vegas. Regardless of your Grand Canyon tour's origin or mode of transport, you won't leave the world's most-famous chasm without a deeper understanding of what makes it so special.

There are several Grand Canyon South Rim hiking trails to choose from, but the most popular is the day hike along Bright Angel Trail. This hike is relatively easy and there are many hikers along this path, but hikers should follow all precautions and carry at least a gallon of water per person. For those who are not spending the night or are not able to hike all the way down to the river at the Canyon floor, this path offers visitors the opportunity to see ancient hieroglyphics and rare wildlife. Another visitor-friendly way to see the Grand Canyon is the Rim Trail. This path goes along the rim of the South Rim and is paved between Pipe Creek Vista and Hermits Rest, but is unpaved between Maricopa Point and Hermits Rest. Want to hike to the bottom and back? It is not recommended to attempt the hike in one day. A hike down to the Colorado River takes several hours to get down to the river and twice as long to get back.

Tours by Rim

South Rim