What attracts tourists to the Grand Canyon?

Some of the most popular self-guided tourist attractions in the Grand Canyon are scenic drives, hiking, camping, the Skywalk and the Grand Canyon Imax. More adventurous travelers will get their thrills on Grand Canyon whitewater rafting trips and multi-day backpacking adventures.



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The South Rim of the Grand Canyon attracts over 5 million visitors each year and by far is the most visited side of the Canyon. That's because it is the most accessible and provides the most amenities.

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Summer (May-August) School is out, making summer the most popular time of year to visit the Grand Canyon. That means it's also the most crowded season, as well as the hottest.

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Impress Your Friends With These Fun Facts!*
  • We don't really know how old it is. ...
  • Grand Canyon creates its own weather! ...
  • There are no dinosaur bones in the canyon. ...
  • But there are lots of other fossils in the area. ...
  • There's a town down in the canyon. ...
  • We're missing 950 million years worth of rocks!


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1. Mather Point, South Rim. If you're headed to the park's South Main Entrance on the South Rim for the first time, Mather Point is usually the go-to iconic viewpoint.

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The Kaibab Limestone, the uppermost layer of rock at Grand Canyon, was formed at the bottom of the ocean. Yet today, at the top of the Colorado Plateau, the Kaibab Limestone is found at elevations up to 9,000 feet.

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The odds of dying from falling off the rim in the Grand Canyon are 1 in 1.8 million visitors. There are roughly 5 million visitors at the Grand Canyon every year, and on average two to three deaths per year are from accidental falls over the rim, according to park spokeswoman Kirby-Lynn Shedlowski.

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The mystery of the Great Unconformity What's tricky about the Grand Canyon is that the rocks in its walls seem to be missing a big part of the picture. In 1869, a man named John Wesley Powell observed that several layers of rock that should've been in the Canyon walls were not present.

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July and August are the worst months to visit the Grand Canyon due to larger crowds and hotter, wetter weather. You can get cheaper deals on lodging and activities between November and February.

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A canyon is a narrow, deep valley cut by a river through rock. Canyons range in size from narrow slits to huge trenches. They have very steep sides and may be thousands of feet deep. Smaller valleys of similar appearance are called gorges.

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Canyons provide an escape to nature for hiking, birding, and biking in an otherwise densely urbanized area. Learn more. Urban canyons can reduce urban runoff and improve water quality. Biodiversity is the variety of life native to a particular region.

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