Exit I-40 onto Highway 64 north near Williams, Arizona if you are traveling east. If headed west, follow these directions from the bottom up. Eastbound travelers must follow this road to the park entrance. After you stop and pay the entrance fee, your first view of the Grand Canyon is only a couple miles away.
Continue along Highway 64 to the first viewpoint. You are near Grand Canyon Village. The are surrounding the first overlook might be crowded. There are many overlooks along this road. If it's too busy, just keep going.
Continue along Highway 64 approximately 25 miles to the east entrance to the park. Travelers coming from the east pay here and exit near Grand Canyon Village. This stretch of road runs along the side of the canyon and offers turnouts and viewpoints along the way. The view of the Grand Canyon is vast from any vantage point and the drive offers different angles of the formation.
Exit the park through the east entrance. Highway 64 continues to be a scenic route even after you leave the park. It takes you through the painted desert and leads you to Highway 89. This route back to the highway is approximately 83 miles from the park exit to the interstate.
Take Highway 89 south to return to I-40. If time allows, stop at Wupatki National Monument or the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument that are both along this stretch of road. You meet I-40 east of Flagstaff, Arizona. Westbound travelers exit onto Highway 89 north before Flagstaff.
