Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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clinic is open daily from 8am to 6pm (shorter hours in winter). It provides 24-hour
emergency service as well.
The
climate
at the Grand Canyon is dramatically different from that of Phoenix, and
between the rim and the canyon floor there's also a pronounced difference. Winter tem-
peratures at the South Rim can be below 0°F (-18°C) at night, with daytime highs in the
20s or 30s (minus single digits to single digits Celsius). Summer temperatures at the rim
range from highs in the 80s (20s Celsius) to lows in the 50s (teens Celsius). The North
Rim is slightly higher than the South Rim and stays a bit cooler. On the canyon floor,
temperatures are considerably higher. In summer, the mercury can reach 120°F (49°C)
with lows in the 70s (20s Celsius), while in winter, temperatures are quite pleasant with
highs in the 50s (teens Celsius) and lows in the 30s (single digits Celsius).
DESERT VIEW DRIVE
The vast majority of visitors to the Grand Canyon enter through the south entrance,
head straight for Grand Canyon Village, and proceed to get caught up in traffic jams.
You can avoid much of this congestion and have a much more enjoyable experience if
you enter the park through the east entrance. To reach the east entrance from Flagstaff,
take US 89 to Ariz. 64. Even before you reach the park, you can stop and take in views
of the canyon of the Little Colorado River. These viewpoints are on the Navajo Reserva-
tion, and at every stop you'll have opportunities to shop for Native American crafts and
souvenirs at the numerous vendors' stalls that can be found at virtually every scenic
viewpoint on the Navajo Reservation.
Desert View Drive, the park's only scenic road open to cars year-round, extends for 25
miles from Desert View, which is just inside the park's east entrance, to Grand Canyon
Village, the site of all the park's hotels and most of its other commercial establishments.
Along Desert View Drive, you'll find not only good viewpoints, but also several picnic
areas. Much of this drive is through forests, and canyon views are limited; but where there
are viewpoints, they are among the best in the park.
Desert View,
with its trading post, general store, snack bar, service station, informa-
tion center, bookstore, and historic watchtower, is the first stop on this scenic drive. From
anywhere at Desert View, the scenery is breathtaking, but the very best perspective here
is from atop the
Desert View Watchtower.
Architect Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter, who is
responsible for much of the park's historic architecture, designed it to resemble the pre-
historic towers that dot the Southwestern landscape, but the tower actually dates from
1932. Built as an observation tower and rest stop for tourists, the watchtower incorpo-
rates Native American designs and art. The curio shop on the ground floor is a replica of
a kiva (sacred ceremonial chamber) and has lots of interesting souvenirs, regional crafts,
and books. The tower's second floor features work by Hopi artist Fred Kabotie. Covering
the walls are pictographs incorporating traditional designs. On the walls and ceiling of
the upper two floors are additional traditional images by artist Fred Geary—this time,
reproductions of petroglyphs from throughout the Southwest. From the roof, which, at
7,522 feet above sea level, is the highest point on the South Rim, it's possible to see the
Colorado River, the Painted Desert to the northeast, the San Francisco Peaks to the
south, and Marble Canyon to the north. Several black-mirror “reflectoscopes” provide
interesting darkened views of some of the most spectacular sections of the canyon.
At
Navajo Point,
the next stop along the rim, the Colorado River and Escalante Butte
are both visible, and there's a good view of the Desert View Watchtower. However, I
suggest heading straight to
Lipan Point
, where you get what I think is the South
Rim's best view of the Colorado River. You can actually see several stretches of the river,
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