Where Is the Grand Canyon? Location, Access, and Scale

The Grand Canyon is in northern Arizona, USA—a 446-km (277-mi) gorge carved by the Colorado River across the Colorado Plateau.

Key Locations

• South Rim (Grand Canyon Village): Main hub, open year-round. 130 km (80 mi) north of Flagstaff via US-180/AZ-64. 3.5 hrs from Phoenix (277 km / 172 mi). 4.5 hrs from Las Vegas (435 km / 270 mi).
• North Rim: Higher (2,400 m), cooler, wilder. Open May–Oct. 350 km (220 mi) by road from South Rim (5 hrs). 4 hrs from Zion NP.
• Grand Canyon West (Hualapai Reservation): Skywalk, helicopter tours. 2 hrs from Las Vegas. Not national park.

Dimensions

• Length: 446 km (277 mi)
• Width: 6–29 km (4–18 mi)
• Depth: 1,857 m (6,093 ft) max
• Area: 4,926 km² (1,902 mi²)

Getting There

• Fly: Flagstaff (FLG), Phoenix (PHX), Las Vegas (LAS), Grand Canyon (GCN - South Rim only)
• Train: Amtrak Southwest Chief to Flagstaff/Williams; Grand Canyon Railway (Williams → South Rim, 2.25 hrs)
• Drive: I-40 to AZ-64 (South Rim), US-89A to AZ-67 (North Rim)

Quick Facts

• National Park since 1919; UNESCO 1979
• 5M+ visitors/year (90% South Rim)
• Havasupai, Hualapai, Navajo, Hopi, Paiute ancestral lands
• Geology: 2 billion years exposed (Vishnu Basement to Kaibab Limestone)

The Grand Canyon isn't just a hole—it's a library of Earth history, a cultural landscape, and a humbling perspective on deep time.