Visitor center · Grand Canyon National Park
Get a backcountry plan from staff before you head below the rim.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Grand Canyon Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Grand Canyon National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Grand Canyon audio tourRecorded for this place
Backcountry Information Center and Maswik“You're approaching the Backcountry Information Center near Maswik Lodge. Stop here if you're planning a canyon hike and want staff help with routes, water sources or the demands of the trip.”
Plays as you drive up to Backcountry Information Center in the Parkwolf Grand Canyon Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
This is the South Rim's backcountry permit and trip-planning office in Grand Canyon Village, beside Parking Lot D. Staff help hikers work through routes, weather, water and gear before day hikes or trips below the rim. Day hikes do not require a permit; overnight camping below the rim does. Last-minute permits are limited and never guaranteed, so plan ahead instead of building an overnight trip around a walk-in.
Parking Lot D has 150 standard spaces and 30 sized for RVs or buses. It is a short walk to the canyon edge, Bright Angel Trailhead and the Hermit Road shuttle stop. The site also has accessible flush restrooms and potable water with a bottle-filling station.
The Hikers' Express stop here is a useful link to South Kaibab Trailhead, whose road is closed to private vehicles. Service changes by season, so check the park's shuttle timetable before you rely on it. If you're not planning a hike into the canyon, the value here is mostly practical rather than scenic.
Wildlife
718 sightingsCalifornia CondorMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
533 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
169 sightingsAmerican BisonMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
1,891 sightingsElkMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
59 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
27 sightingsGray FoxMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Grand Canyon. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ChallengingBright Angel Trail7.8 mi · 4.5 hr · 0.3 mi awayCanyon layers, mule trains and a 4,400-foot descent to the river.
ChallengingPlateau Point Trail12 mi · 10.5 hr · 0.4 mi awayA long descent earns a wide view of the Colorado River.
EasyThe Trail of Time3.3 mi · 2 hr · 1.7 mi awayA paved timeline where every meter spans a million years.
ChallengingSouth Kaibab Trail6.3 mi · 5 hr · 3.3 mi awayA steep ridge descent with a first river view at Skeleton Point.
ModerateRim Trail12.8 mi · 7 hr · 3.3 mi awayThe full 12.8-mile rim walk, easiest to sample by shuttle.
ChallengingRim-to-Rim: South Kaibab to North Kaibab21 mi · 16 hr · 3.3 mi awayA one-way canyon crossing from the South Rim to the North Rim.ChallengingSouth Kaibab–Bright Angel Loop15.8 mi · 14 hr · 3.3 mi awayA 15.8-mile canyon traverse from South Kaibab to the Bright Angel rim.
ChallengingMonument Creek Trail3.2 mi · 2 hr · 3.4 mi awayA steep backcountry descent from Monument Creek to Granite Rapids.
Lodging · 0.1 mi awayMaswik LodgeA pine-shaded base, with the rim a short walk away.
0.4 mi awayGrand Canyon KennelA South Rim kennel for visitors traveling with dogs or cats.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayBright Angel LodgeA 10-foot fireplace turns canyon geology into a room's centerpiece.
Restaurant · 0.4 mi awayArizona SteakhouseRegional ingredients give this steakhouse a distinct Arizona streak.
Lodging · 0.4 mi awayThunderbird LodgeSome rooms have canyon views; the Rim Trail is right outside.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayKolb StudioA rimside museum with a story that went down the Colorado River.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayLookout StudioA stone lookout where Mary Colter framed the rim in 1914.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayBright Angel Fault Fossil BedsSpot marine fossils in the limestone that forms the rim.Parkwolf’s Grand Canyon ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
