Grand Canyon

Best time to visit the Grand Canyon

The best time to visit the Grand Canyon depends on what you want to experience. Here's a breakdown of the different seasons:

If you prioritise hiking and mild weather, spring or autumn are excellent choices, however some trails and facilities may be closed due to snow and lower visitor numbers. 

If you want to experience the Grand Canyon in its entirety and don't mind crowds, summer is your best option. All facilities will be open and this is the best time for water activities like rafting. Temperatures can get extremely high though so remember to bring lots of water.

For a quieter and more budget-friendly trip, consider visiting in winter. You can experience the canyon covered in snow and get the whole place to yourself but some facilities and roads will be closed including the entire North Rim which is closed from November to April, due to its higher elevation.

Discover the Grand Canyon

Vast, humbling and incomprehensibly beautiful, the Grand Canyon more than lives up to its reputation and can proudly take its place as one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World.

The canyon isn't just a single gorge; it also takes in a number of side canyons created by the relentlessly eroding Colorado River. Its journey exposes many layers of rock along the way, each one representing a cross-section of geological history and dramatically changing colour over the course of the day. An early rise at dawn unveils the red glow of the temple tips, giving way to ever-changing shadows which retreat deep into the inner gorge, finally returning in time to drape the canyon in the purple haze of dusk.

Three rims make up the Grand Canyon – South, North and West, each one offering quite different experiences – and, as they lie hundreds of miles and hours of driving apart, they are rarely visited on the same trip. Summertime is when most of the visitors arrive with the vast majority only visiting the South Rim, which offers easy-access, stunning viewpoints, historic buildings, Native American ruins and an excellent infrastructure.

If it's seclusion you are looking for, then the cool Aspen and Spruce forests of the more remote North Rim will reward you with a more leisurely and evocative experience. Outside the jurisdiction of the National Park Service lie the tribal lands of the Hualapai and the Havasupai along the West Rim of the canyon. It’s in this part that you'll find the impressive Skywalk, the glass horseshoe bridge that juts out over the rim some 4,000 feet above the Canyon floor.

Things to do on holiday at the Grand Canyon

Choose a side

You can reach Grand Canyon National Park from main entrances on the South Rim – including the South Rim’s eastern entrance – and the North Rim. The Canyon's western edge, home to beautiful Havasu Falls and the town of Supai, is also accessible via roads on the Hualapai Indian Reservation. By far most visitors come to the South Rim as it is so much easier to get to and it also has a lot more facilities, accommodation and it’s open year-round.

Sunrise & Sunset

If you are staying overnight, then make sure you experience sunrise and sunset as they can be truly spectacular - and remember, it’s just one early morning in exchange for a lifetime of memories.

Rafting

Exploring the Canyon from the Colorado River is an exhilarating way to gain an interesting perspective as the canyon walls rise above you. Most trips start out at Lees Ferry near Page, Arizona, and you can choose from several options which vary in type and length from half a day to 18 days.

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Things to do on holiday at the Grand Canyon

Flights over the Grand Canyon

If you are looking for a bit of a thrill, there's nothing that compares with the spectacular sight of the Grand Canyon from up above in a fixed-wing aircraft or helicopter. The panoramic sights of one of the most spectacular natural formations in the world are quite breath taking and a knowledgeable pilot will narrate your tour with entertaining facts and insight about the canyon and surrounding area below. A wide variety of itineraries including flights over the North Rim are offered by several companies departing from Tusayan airport on the South Rim, so make sure you choose the best one for you. If you wish to see the famous Skywalk, the glass horseshoe bridge, flights depart for the West Rim from Las Vegas or Boulder airports. American Affair can arrange helicopter and plane excursions to the Grand Canyon, and we do recommend booking them before you travel as they do get booked well in advance.

IMAX Theater

Located by the Grand Canyon Visitor Centre in the small town of Tusayan, just outside the park entrance of the South Rim, the IMAX theatre plays every 30 minutes showings of the movie, “Grand Canyon: Rivers of Time”. This is an informative and visually stunning movie, and whilst there is no substitute to being at the Canyon in person, the outstanding effects do create the incredible sensation of actually being there.