Sight · Grand Canyon National Park
See Bright Angel Trail’s switchbacks cut across the canyon wall.
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
Yavapai Geology Museum“Up ahead is Yavapai Geology Museum, where the exhibits have the canyon itself as a backdrop.”
Plays as you drive up to Grandeur Point 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
Grandeur Point is a South Rim viewpoint on the Rim Trail near Grand Canyon Village, about half a mile west of Yavapai Point. Look into Bright Angel Canyon to see the upper and middle switchbacks of Bright Angel Trail and tiny 3-Mile Resthouse far below. This is a good stop if you want to see how the trail threads down through the canyon cliffs.
From Parking Lot A by Park Headquarters, take the paved path past McKee Amphitheater for 0.4 mile, then turn right on the Rim Trail and walk nearly another 0.5 mile east. It is about 0.9 mile one way, so plan for a walk rather than a quick step out of the car. You can also reach the point by walking about half a mile west from Yavapai Point. Benches and an audio description are listed at the viewpoint.
Bright Angel Canyon follows the Bright Angel Fault, which cuts through both rims. At the Bright Angel Trail switchbacks, the fault offsets the tan Coconino Sandstone by about 200 feet, with the western side higher than the eastern side. The fault traces back about 1.7 billion years and has been reactivated several times. From here, the trail’s zigzags make that break in the cliffs easier to spot.
This is a popular sunset stop. For a photo that shows the canyon’s depth, frame the upper and middle Bright Angel Trail switchbacks against the layered cliffs; they can disappear in a wide view.
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
EasyThe Trail of Time3.3 mi · 2 hr · 0.2 mi awayA paved timeline where every meter spans a million years.
ChallengingPlateau Point Trail12 mi · 10.5 hr · 1.4 mi awayA long descent earns a wide view of the Colorado River.
ChallengingBright Angel Trail7.8 mi · 4.5 hr · 1.4 mi awayCanyon layers, mule trains and a 4,400-foot descent to the river.
ChallengingSouth Kaibab Trail6.3 mi · 5 hr · 2.2 mi awayA steep ridge descent with a first river view at Skeleton Point.
ModerateRim Trail12.8 mi · 7 hr · 2.2 mi awayThe full 12.8-mile rim walk, easiest to sample by shuttle.
ChallengingRim-to-Rim: South Kaibab to North Kaibab21 mi · 16 hr · 2.2 mi awayA one-way canyon crossing from the South Rim to the North Rim.ChallengingSouth Kaibab–Bright Angel Loop15.8 mi · 14 hr · 2.2 mi awayA 15.8-mile canyon traverse from South Kaibab to the Bright Angel rim.
ModerateRiver Trail1.7 mi · 1 hr · 3 mi awayA river-level connector beneath steep inner-canyon walls.
Sight · 0.2 mi awayYavapai Geology MuseumA geology lesson with the canyon spread out in front of you.
Lodging · 0.7 mi awayYavapai LodgeA practical Market Plaza base, with a paved path to the rim.
Sight · 0.7 mi awayShrine of the AgesA community hall born from an interfaith chapel plan for the rim.
Sight · 0.7 mi awayGrand Canyon Pioneer CemeteryA small cemetery that makes South Rim history personal.
Visitor center · 0.8 mi awayGrand Canyon Visitor CenterGet your bearings, then take the short walk to Mather Point.
0.8 mi awayCanyon Adventures Bike Tours & CaféThe park's only bike rental opens up more of the South Rim.
Store · 0.8 mi awayCanyon Village Market & DeliA useful South Rim resupply stop for groceries and camping gear.
Sight · 0.8 mi awayMather PointTwo rim platforms make an easy first look into the canyon.Parkwolf’s Grand Canyon ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
