Grand Canyon National Park, AZ

About Grand Canyon National Park

When planning a visit to the Grand Canyon, you may be debating whether you want to visit the North Rim or the South Rim national parks. While some may think that they would be mirror images of each other, they are vastly different.

The South Rim of the Grand Canyon is the most popular and the easiest to access for those visiting from western cities. The South Rim boasts two dozen viewpoints demonstrating the depth of the canyon. The North Rim, on the other hand, is 1,000′ higher in altitude than its southernly sister. Due to this, the area is cooler, which means that it supports more plant and animal life. However, it also gets heavy snowfall, so the North Rim is only open from May to October.

The North Rim has only three viewpoints that show off the width of the Grand Canyon. Both sides offer hiking, sightseeing, and ranger-led activities, whereas the South Rim provides additional activities, including river rafting, helicopter tours, train rides, and more.

When deciding which side is right for you, please consider the time of year, the weather, the activities you want to do, the view you want to see, where you are coming from, and if you would like peaceful or active. Either side will amaze you, so why not visit both?