Grand Canyon, Arizona

The Grand Canyon is not on Route 66, but many Route 66 travelers detoured to see it. The detour is absolutely worth it! We think the Grand Canyon is an essential stop for anyone traveling through this part of the United States, including on Route 66. That’s why I’m including this post in my Experiencing Route 66 blog.

The Grand Canyon can be experienced from its North Rim or South Rim. Most people visit the South Rim, which is much closer to Route 66 (the North Rim is about a 4-hour drive from Flagstaff). 

I suspect most people who visit the Grand Canyon’s South Rim get there from Williams, Arizona, either driving north on AZ 64 or taking the Grand Canyon Railway. We took a sort of back-door entrance to the South Rim, driving north from Flagstaff on US 89 about 50 miles to Cameron, Arizona. We left Flagstaff’s forests behind and saw desert and beautiful red cliffs. In Cameron, we turned west on AZ 64 about 30 miles to the park’s east entrance. (Note that there is an admission fee to enter the park.) From here it’s about 25 miles to Grand Canyon Village. There are several turnoffs along the way to see views of the Grand Canyon.

The first stop, less than two miles past the park entrance, is Desert View Point.

Desert View Point view of the Grand Canyon

One of the treats to see here is Desert View Watchtower.

Desert View Watchtower overlooking the Grand Canyon

Desert View Watchtower was designed by Mary Jane Colter to resemble Pueblo towers in this region. It was built in 1932.

This stop has a convenience store and rest rooms, both welcome after the two-hour drive from Flagstaff!

We did not stop at every viewpoint. Our next stop was Moran Point.

Moran Point view of the Grand Canyon

We next stopped at Grandview Point.

Grandview Point view of the Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon’s first hotel was built at Grandview Point in 1897. It was reached by a 12-hour stagecoach ride from Flagstaff. The hotel prospered for only four years. In 1901, the Atcheson, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad created the Grand Canyon Railway from a freight line from Williams to Grand Canyon Village in 1901. The railroad hired the Fred Harvey Company to provide hotel accommodations along the rim of the Grand Canyon. Several structures were designed by Mary Jane Colter, who designed a number of Harvey Houses along the AT&SF Railroad, as I discuss in my blog post on Winslow, Arizona.

Today Grand Canyon Village is still the center of sights and activities on the Grand Canyon’s South Rim. A 13-mile Rim Trail provides plenty of jaw-dropping views of the Grand Canyon. Here are two of our favorites.

View of the Grand Canyon from the Rim Trail

Another view of the Grand Canyon from the Rim Trail

As we walked along the Rim Trail, we also checked out the historic district of Grand Canyon Village. At the east end of the historic district is Verkamp’s Visitor Center.

Verkamp's in Grand Canyon Village

Verkamp’s was built by John Verkamp as a craft and curio shop in 1906. The shop was operated by his family for over 100 years. The National Park Service bought out the family’s contract in 2008 and has converted the building into a visitor center.

West of Verkamp’s is Hopi House.

Hopi House in Grand Canyon Village

Hopi House opened in 1905 as a Native American crafts gift shop. It was the first building designed by Mary Jane Colter. She modeled it after regional Hopi buildings. 

Just west of Hopi House is the historic district’s crown jewel: El Tovar Hotel, built in 1905.

El Tovar Hotel in Grand Canyon Village

East side of El Tovar Hotel (entrance on left)

The interior of El Tovar was decorated by Mary Jane Colter.

Lobby of El Tovar Hotel

We treated ourselves to breakfast and lunch in the beautiful El Tovar Dining Room. (Reservations are required for lunch and dinner.)

El Tovar Dining Room

The dining room overlooks the Rim Trail and the Grand Canyon

View from El Tovar Dining Room

Behind El Tovar is the Santa Fe Railway Station.

Santa Fe Railway Station in Grand Canyon Village

The railway station was built in 1909 and is one of only about a dozen log railroad stations in the United States. The Grand Canyon Railway stopped service in 1968, but in 1989 the trains were restored and service restarted.

Grand Canyon Railway train

West of El Tovar are Kachina Lodge and Thunderbird Lodge. They were both built in 1968, and it’s interesting to compare their mid-century styles against those of earlier buildings on the Grand Canyon rim.

Just west of Thunderbird Lodge is Bright Angel Lodge.

Bright Angel Lodge south entrance

Bright Angel Lodge north entrance

Left to right: Bright Angel Lodge, Buckey's Cabin, and Lookout Studio

Bright Angel Lodge, opened in 1935, was designed by Mary Jane Colter as a less expensive alternative to El Tovar. Today the Bright Angel History Room features an exhibit on the Harvey Houses and the Harvey Girls who worked in them. 

Harvey House exhibit in Bright Angel Lodge History Room

The History Room also has a fireplace designed by Colter with rocks representing the Grand Canyon’s strata from the Colorado River on up.

Fireplace in the Bright Angel Lodge History Room

West of Bright Angel Lodge is Buckey O’Neill’s Cabin.

Buckey O'Neill's Cabin in Grand Canyon Village

Buckey O’Neill built the cabin for himself in the 1890s. It is now the oldest structure in the park and has been in continuous use since it was built. Today its rooms are available for lodging through Bright Angel Lodge.

West of Buckey’s cabin is another Mary Jane Colter masterpiece: Lookout Studio, built in 1914.

Lookout Studio in Grand Canyon Village

Like Hopi House and Desert View Watchtower, Colter designed Lookout Studio to look like the stone structures in regional pueblos. But I think she accomplished more. Lookout Studio reflects the terrain of the Grand Canyon so well that it seems to be part of the Grand Canyon rather than a building on top of it.

Another view of Lookout Studio

Colter intended Lookout Studio to be a place to view and photograph the Grand Canyon, with several porches and patios. The views here are of course spectacular.

Lookout Studio and its view of the Grand Canyon

West of Lookout Studio is Kolb Studio.

Kolb Studio along the Rim Trail in Grand Canyon Village

Kolb Studio was built by brothers Emery and Ellsworth Kolb in 1904 and expanded over the next 20 years. it  was their home, a photography studio, and a shop where they sold photographs and, for 60 years, Emery showed films they’d taken of the Grand Canyon.

If you decide to detour off Route 66 to visit the Grand Canyon, the National Park Service’s website is full of resources to plan your visit.

While you could see the Grand Canyon in a day trip from Williams, I really encourage staying overnight if you can. This lets you see how the light changes the views over the day and maybe experience a sunrise or sunset view. Another benefit of staying overnight is that you can enjoy the park in the morning or evening, when it’s quieter and more peaceful. When we walked part of the Rim Trail after breakfast, some stretches were almost deserted.

Rim Trail east of the Grand Canyon Village historic district

If you decide to stay overnight in Grand Canyon Village, note that the hotels fill far in advance—you may have to book a room as much as a year in advance. We booked our room for an October visit several months in advance, and the only hotel with rooms still available was the Maswik Lodge, a huge complex south of Bright Angel Lodge. Rooms were available for only a few dates in October, so we planned our Route 66 road trip by first booking our Maswik Lodge room and then building the rest of our Route 66 trip around those dates!

We spent two nights in Grand Canyon Village, which let us enjoy a relaxing day exploring the South Rim and Grand Canyon Village. It was a lovely break from Route 66 road tripping. The next morning we took AZ 64 south to Williams, Arizona, to continue our Route 66 adventure.