Mather Point, Grand Canyon National Park

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Mather Point is one of the popular destinations in the South Rim area of the Grand Canyon. It is extremely crowded, and you may have to wait a while to get to the location you want to get to in order to see over the Canyon Rim.

However, once you do get to the edge of the Canyon, you will be standing on rock formations that really do put you right on the edge of the Canyon wall.

Getting to some of these locations requires negotiating steep, narrow staircases. The paths are irregular in a lot of locations due to the stone that forms the walkway. Be very careful of where you put your feet, as it is a long way down if you trip on something!

Mather Point also features a book store, rest rooms, and is the home of one of the large Grand Canyon Visitor's Centers.

Needless to say, here, near the Grand Canyon Village the Canyon viewpoints are always buzzing. Amazing to think that only a mile down - 6.5 miles via the South Kaibab trail or 8 with the Bright Angel - a wilderness of epic proportions exists. When you are down there you know none of this.

Grand Canyon Village is the touristic Epicenter for the South Rim. The old tourist hotels built in railroading times - El Tovar Hotel and Bright Angel Lodge are here. Campgrounds, trailer parks, park headquarters, gas stations, visitors center, shops where you can find those posters or t-shirts are all here. Nearby is always the Rim.

It's only a very short walk to mather point from the canyon view information Plaza. This should be your first view on the canyon.