Grand Canyon National Park guide · 2 min read
South Rim Shuttles, Entrances and Gateway Towns
Free shuttle buses serve the South Rim year-round and link Grand Canyon Visitor Center with lodges, campgrounds, trailheads and scenic overlooks.
Every bus is fully accessible and runs on compressed natural gas, and a few spots can be reached only by bus. Between three and five routes operate depending on the time of year. Many visitors park near their lodge and let the buses do the rest, using the South Rim Pocket Map handed out at entry.
The Tusayan Park and Ride, or Purple Route, runs free and direct between the gateway community of Tusayan, Arizona, and Grand Canyon Visitor Center. Tusayan sits 7 miles south of Grand Canyon Village, and riding in lets you skip the entrance lines. At the Visitor Center you can transfer to the in-park routes.
Williams, Arizona, lies on Interstate 40, 60 miles south of the park. From there, Grand Canyon Railway brings more than 230,000 riders a year to Grand Canyon Village. Leaving the car in Williams spares you busy summer traffic and the search for a parking space.
Inside the park, the Village or Blue Route ties the Visitor Center to lodges, campgrounds, the Backcountry Information Center and Market Plaza, where you will find a general store and post office. The Kaibab Rim or Orange Route travels to South Kaibab Trailhead, the views at Yaki Point and Yavapai Geology Museum. The Hermit Road or Red Route follows a 7-mile scenic road lined with overlooks, and the Hikers' Express Shuttle completes the system.
Desert View marks the park's East Entrance. Desert View Watchtower stands on the canyon rim and echoes ancestral Puebloan building styles from the Four Corners region. About 3 miles west of the Watchtower, a flat 0.1-mile trail loops around Tusayan Pueblo, where the outlined rooms and round kiva of an Ancestral Puebloan village remain.
