Picnic area · Grand Canyon National Park
A shaded lunch break with a ranching past.
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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
Buggeln Picnic Area’s Ranching Past“Buggeln Picnic Area is coming up, with shaded tables for a lunch you've brought along. Choose it for a break under the trees; the canyon views are only small glimpses, and there's no water here.”
Plays as you drive up to Buggeln Picnic Area in the Parkwolf Grand Canyon Tour Guide.
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Guide
Buggeln is a small forest picnic area along the drive between Grand Canyon Village and Desert View, with tables under the trees and panels about the local forest. It makes a useful lunch or restroom break between rim overlooks. The canyon isn't the point here: from the picnic area you get only small glimpses through the trees, not an open panorama.
You'll find multiple picnic tables, parking, and an accessible vault restroom. There is no water, so bring enough for your meal. The parking loop is small and teardrop-shaped; it works for cars and small RVs, but turning around with a trailer or larger vehicle can be tight.
The picnic area is named for Martin Buggeln, who bought the former Hance Ranch property in 1906. He built a 17-room hotel but never opened it to tourists, and ran cattle instead. The park bought the property in 1948, when it was the last privately owned land east of Grand Canyon Village, and removed the buildings in 1957. That gives this shady lunch stop a little more history than the tables alone suggest.
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
ChallengingNew Hance Trail6.5 mi · 8 hr · 1.4 mi awayA steep, rough descent through Red Canyon to Hance Rapids.
ChallengingCottonwood Creek Trail from Grandview Point9 mi · 11 hr · 2.2 mi awayThe historic route drops from the rim to an inner canyon creek.ChallengingHance Creek Trail9.8 mi · 11 hr · 2.2 mi awayA steep, exposed descent to Hance Creek with a long climb back
ChallengingGrandview Trail to Horseshoe Mesa6 mi · 7.5 hr · 2.2 mi awayA steep 1893 mining route reaches a mesa deep below the rim.
ChallengingHorseshoe Mesa Loop12.4 mi · 10 hr · 2.2 mi awayA rugged rim-to-mesa circuit with mining history and exposed ledges.
ChallengingTonto Trail95 mi · 3.7 days · 5 mi awayA 95-mile traverse along the canyon’s dry middle bench.
Sight · 2.2 mi awayGrandview PointA broad river view above a steep trail into canyon history.
Sight · 2.5 mi awayMoran PointRead the canyon's tilted rock layers with the Colorado River below.
Scenic pullout · 4.1 mi awayThor’s OverlookA quick canyon break along Desert View Drive.
Picnic area · 4.7 mi awayLong Jim Road Picnic AreaPine-shaded picnic tables just off Desert View Drive.Parkwolf’s Grand Canyon ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
