Plains, Trains, and Automobiles. There are lots of different ways to get to the Grand Canyon. People come from all over the world to visit The Grand Canyon, so the road here is pretty well paved. That being said, we have put together some tips and resources to help you plan your trip. Before we get too far into this post we want you to be aware of two great resources to help you plan your trip to The Grand Canyon: The National Park Service website and the website thecanyon.com. You have two main options; fly and drive.
Flying
If you plan to fly, your main airports are Phoenix and Las Vegas. There is also (more limited) service into Flagstaff. Each of these are still quite a ways from The South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It is just a little over 3 hours from Phoenix to Tusayan, and about 4 hours from Las Vegas. From Flagstaff it is only about an hour drive.
If you have the means, the airport you really want to fly into is the Grand Canyon Airport. This airport is in Tusayan, minutes from the hotels in town and minutes from the park! This airport is primarily used for scenic tours but it also has limited commercial services.
Driving
You can find driving directions from surrounding areas here. If you are driving from somewhere even further away than those locations listed, you have a couple of options.
From the West
If you’re coming from The West you are going to come through Las Vegas. There aren’t too many alternate routes.
From the East
From The East your options would be to take the southern route through New Mexico into Arizona and up through Flagstaff.
If you come from a more northern route you can cut down through the eastern part of the state of Utah and down the 191 right past Moab (and Arches!). If you come this way you will go through Navajo land and enter the park on the East and approach on Desert View Drive. This is my favorite way to get to the South Rim. The views on Desert View Drive are plentiful and much less crowded than those inside Grand Canyon Village. It is definitely worth your time.
Heck, you could even cut further west into Utah and come down past Lake Powell. Spend a day or two at one of our favorite places in the world!
The options are pretty endless, it all just depends on your time restrictions and plans. Are you making this a week long trip? Drive and see Lake Powell, Horseshoe Bend, Marble Canyon, Four Corners, Navajo Land, Havasupai, Las Vegas, etc. If you’re just coming for race weekend, maybe fly into a major nearby city and rent a car or hop on a shuttle to Tusayan.
Speaking of shuttles, we would like to introduce you to a company we will be partnering with Race Line Express. These guys offer comfortable and affordable motor coaches from Phoenix to surrounding race locations. We are currently working out a deal that will benefit our runners. We will let you know as we iron out the details.
How are you getting here?