Visiting the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas: tickets, prices, opening hours

Are you visiting Arizona, the emblem of the Wild West? Here’s how to make the most of your stay by discovering the majestic Grand Canyon from Las Vegas!

Famous the world over, the Grand Canyon is undoubtedly one of Mother Nature’s most beautiful – and colossal – achievements. You can even admire it from space! This fantastic site, now a national park, is located in the south-western United States, in the northern state of Arizona, and attracts almost five million visitors every year. So why not visit us?

To help you prepare for your visit to this exceptional place, we’ve put together a concise and practical travel guide listing all the practical information you need: a brief history of the place, the major attractions of this North American tourist mecca, as well as the best access, times and prices for an unforgettable experience. What are we waiting for, let’s go!

Come and discover the best tips for visiting the Grand Canyon!

History of the Grand Canyon

Photo credit: Unsplash – Barth Bailey

To visit the Grand Canyon is to discover a marvel forged by nature, whose first rock stratifications are estimated to be over a billion and a half years old!

At 440 kilometers, its gorge, carved by the Colorado River, is one of the world’s largest canyons. Occupied by the Anasazi – an Amerindian tribe of south-west North America – it was discovered by the first Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century, but the region remained relatively unknown as inhospitable until the 19th century and the famous conquest of the West!

The first descent of the Colorado River by boat took place in 1869, and was a great feat despite the death of three of the explorers on board. Subsequently, the violent rapids meandering through this 1700 km canyon, with an average altitude of 2000 metres and a 1500 metre vertical drop, continued to claim many victims!

It wasn’t until the very early 20th century that the region began to develop under demographic pressure, attracting hunters and adventurers: a railroad was built on the south shore in 1901, and the first hotel was built there shortly afterwards. To protect this remarkable site, both historically and geologically, the government took the initiative of classifying the 450 km-long area between Lake Powell and Lake Mead as a national park in 1919. Since then, two dams have been built to channel the power of the Colorado River, and numerous hiking trails, infrastructures and modern points of interest have found their place in this sumptuous setting offering breathtaking panoramas: the myth was born, and the number of visitors to the site has only increased, year after year!

What to see and do at the Grand Canyon

Photo credit: Unsplash – Yuriy Chemerys

It’s a safe bet that you’ll arrive at the park’s Visitor Center, where you’ll find all the information you need, including brochures, guides and rangers with whom you can talk.

In fact, most of the Grand Canyon can be visited using an ingenious system of free shuttle buses, set up by the park in the vicinity of Grand Canyon Village, on the South Rim: this is where most of the infrastructure, shops and restaurants are located, while the North Rim is much wilder and more unspoilt. These shuttles run on several separate loops, so you’d have to take them all to see the whole park!

Each route has stops at which you can hop on and off freely, and it takes around six hours to complete a loop by bus, which is equipped with bike racks and access for people with reduced mobility.

Here are the most interesting routes:

• Village Route, serving the Grand Canyon Village area and its hotels, shops and restaurants.
• Kaibab Trail Route to Cameron and Lake Powell, east of the park
• Hermists Rest route, undoubtedly the most interesting, which only runs from March 1st to November 30th, but whose route is reserved for shuttle buses – which leave every 20 minutes or so – and which gives access to sublime viewpoints such as Trailview Overlook, The Abyss or Monument Creek Vista.
• Desert View Drive, 40 kilometers long, is the ideal route to admire the majestic Colorado River, especially from the top of Desert View Watchtower, and also offers breathtaking panoramas of Yaki Point, Grand View Point and Navajo Point.

For hikers, it takes almost eight hours to reach the Colorado River from the south shore; the same hike takes longer from the north shore, and for walkers wishing to combine the two routes by descending from the south to the north shore, it takes two days: 21 miles, or almost 34 kilometers.

The north shore is wilder, untouched by the infrastructure of the south shore, and is the ideal place for hiking and enjoying sumptuous views from the countless marked trails that criss-cross the plateau. It’s also possible to sleep under the stars – see the « Good to know » section at the end of this guide.

Many other unusual activities can be envisaged to visit the Grand Canyon: excursions on muleback, to spend one or two days and one night in the park, which must be booked well in advance and pay from 120 to 600 dollars per person depending on the time envisaged, the itinerary or the bivouac location!

It’s also possible to visit the Grand Canyon by helicopter! Overflights are operated by companies from the Grand Canyon airport in Tusayan, near the South Rim, and even from the city of Las Vegas: all bets are off! Flights last between twenty minutes and six hours, and a half-hour flight in summer costs around $200 for an adult.

Our favorite: the Grand Canyon Skywalk, a glass walkway that allows visitors to find themselves… 1300 meters above the void, on a transparent loop more than twenty meters above the Colorado River! Expect to pay $33 for this unique experience, which is not recommended for those prone to vertigo.

How do I get to the Grand Canyon?

The South Shore is located some 100 km north of Williams, and is accessible byHighway 64 from Interstate 40, or by Highways 64 and 180 from Flagstaff. The North Shore, which is far less developed, can only be reached by car via Highways 67 or 89A, or by the Trans-Canyon Shuttle, the only public transport system serving the North Shore.

For easy access to the Grand Canyon, there’s a small airport to the south of the park, at Tusayan, for flights from Las Vegas or Scottsdale; and Greyhound buses and Amtrak trains to Williams and Flagstaff. Don’t hesitate to consult this flight comparator for your trip!

Once there, shuttle buses take tourists visiting the Grand Canyon directly to the South Rim! Finally, the Grand Canyon Railway, which departs from Williams, offers a daily round-trip service between Williams and the Grand Canyon station.

Grand Canyon opening hours & rates

Photo credit: Unsplash – Barth Bailey

SCHEDULES

Access to the park is guaranteed all year round, 24 hours a day.

RATES

Tickets can be purchased in selected shops and, of course, at the park entrances. Admission costs $20 for pedestrians and cyclists, $30 for motorcyclists and $35 for other vehicles, and entitles the holder to access both the south and north shores. Once purchased, the ticket is valid for 7 days.