Overlooks and Points, Grand Canyon National Park

4 more images

Our group on this trip included my husband, my children and my children's friend Charlie. We took a jeep tour of the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas. Most of the pictures I have are of us posing in front of the Canyon or pretending to fall or climb up. There was a ledge below where we were that we were standing on, of course. Most of the photos were taken by my husband.

4 more images

While there isn't much at this location except a wide spot in the road and a stone wall, it does mark the beginning of the paved section of the Rim Trail.

There are no restrooms here.

Shuttle buses stop at this location only going westbound.

While the view from here of the Canyon is impressive, it's also about the same as just about any other location on the south rim of the canyon.

As with many locations, you will find that there are signs indicating the names of the various significant canyon features.

From here you can see the South Kaibob Trail headed down the side of the canyon near Yaki Point, and the various rock formations on Yaki Point. You have to look closely though and somewhat know what you are looking for. There are some places where the trail blends in with the side of the canyon fairly well.

One of the problems with this location is that it is located at the edge of the canyon on a recessed spot rather than on one of the points that sticks out into the canyon. This means that a lot of a potentially spectacular view is blocked by Mather Point to the west and Yaki Point to the east.

4 more images

One of the few enclosed platforms overlooking the canyon is located at Yavapi Point, and it is also the location of a small museum with a number of exhibits giving a very brief glimpse of the history of the area and what is known about the Canyon.

To the east of the overlook, there is a walkway down to a rough overlook that is outdoors.

Restroom facilities and a small bookstore are also located at this facility.

Parking is extremely limited here, so I would suggest either taking the shuttle bus to get here, or walking along the rim trail from Mather Point or from the Park Headquarters area.

4 more images

The furthest east you can go on the Canyon South Rim and still be within easy shuttle bus reach of the main center of activity at Grand Canyon Village and the rest of the crowded attractions is Yaki Point.

There are no trail heads here, and the only two ways to access the spot are by walking in (I did along the road) and the shuttle bus system (I used that to get back to the Grand Canyon Railway station).

As you would expect, there is an overlook here, with a sign indicating the various major named features of the Canyon within view of Yaki Point.

One great thing about this spot is that because you must either take the shuttle bus to it or walk in, there are fewer people here than at some of the other locations. The bad news is that it is still a very busy view point. I happened to get very lucky and there were only three other people around - but that was a Sunday in early November, and the next shuttle bus brought a substantial crowd of people.

While the maps show there is a restroom here, it does not have running water. It is a simple pit toilet. There are also several picnic tables near the toilet.

3 more images

This used to be the first place to be developed for tourists back in 1895, and even then had a hotel. The overlook is one mile down a road, and is the highest point on the South Rim at 7,399 feet. The horseshoe shaped mesa sticking out with scrub trees and shrubs is between two creeks that feed into the Colorado, which is 4 miles away form the viewing point.

1 more image

This is one of the more far reaching views along the east end of the south rim; like in you can see about 15 miles in panorama. The point is named after landscape painter, Thomas Moran, who first came here is 1873, and led to the more famed beauty of the canyon. The Coronado Butte is the white limestone rock in the front ridge ,and it covers some of the view area with its impressive eroded formations. The canyon below is called Red Canyon because of the deep red/orange layers of rick in the tributary are seen at the bottom.

1 more image

It is the first view of the canyon coming form the east, and 4 miles from the park entrance. This is a different scene that some other overlooks along the way. It is more of the desert scene, and called painted desert. A good portion of the panorama is on a Painted Desert view on the east side. The Desert View area has a gas station, bookstore, shop, restaurant, campground, and ranger station, all close to the Watchtower monument.

Most visitors to the Grand Canyon will spend a mere few hours in the National Park and will be content to view the massive chasm from one of the scenic viewpoints provided. If your time is short, the park has made it possible to get not only a great view of the canyon, but many of them. You can do a scenic drive along the South Rim and take in as many as you have time for. Which is best? You'll have to decide that for yourself. The truth is, they are all great and to really appreciate all of them in the best light would take a few days in itself. The key is to be there very early morning or evening to see the canyon when it turns fiery hues of red. Plan on coming mid-day for just an hour or so en route to some place else? Don't. You'll be cheating yourself out of a beautiful sight.

4 more images

Yavapai Point is the closest viewpoint to the tourist center on the South Rim in the village. This point provides perhaps the best panorama of the three points on this part of the South Rim as it is the most northerly, and the closest to the Colorado River, allowing for unobstructed views up and down the gorge. Come and visit Yavapai for sunrise and or sunset. Gorgeous views up and down the canyon.

There's the Yavapai Observation Station nearby. The station was renovated recently. It features updated and new exhibits about the fossil record, the geology, and history of the canyon. The station also sells books and postcards. Visitors can catch a panorama view of the canyon through large windows.

We stayed in a nearby Yavapai Lodge. Yavapai Point is very close to the lodge, only a 5 minute shuttle ride. Or you can walk to Yavapai Point from the Lodge. Definitely a must visit point if you're staying in Yavapai Lodge. There are also sunrise and sunset tours from the Lodge. Bring your cameras!

1 more image

Being such a vast area its impossible to see all of the National Park as private vehicles are restricted to certain areas only but if you drive to any one of the main carparks in the Park you can then pick up a free shuttle bus which will take you to the prohibited viewpoints.

This network of buses runs on a colour route and we ended up taking the blue route which covered the West Rim. The bus was a bit of a bone shaker but not all of them are old , we were just unlucky. They stop at various viewpoints just to let people on and off as they run every ten minutes, so you can hop off take some photos then catch the next one along.

The scenery is out of this world and just watch the wildlife appear when the bus stops. squirrels, ravens , little chipmonks all scatter around your feet looking for dropped food.

This is definitely the best way to see the Rims, and the driver of your party gets a chance to see it too!