What is the easiest route from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon?

No matter where you start in Phoenix, Interstate 17 (I-17) is your road to the Grand Canyon — with one or two detours along the way.



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Driving is the cheapest way to get to the Grand Canyon since you can get there and back on less than two tanks of gas. A four-hour drive without any stops, it is also the fastest way to get there. From Phoenix, find the shortest route to I-17 North, take 1-17 North to 1-40, and head west on I-40 to Highway 64.

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The views, along with the adventures in between, are certainly worth the drive. No matter where you start in Phoenix, Interstate 17 (I-17) is your road to the Grand Canyon — with one or two detours along the way. What is great about the 1-17 is it ends in Flagstaff, only an hour-and-half to the Grand Canyon.

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You take that to Rte 64 which is a similar road directly to the canyon. The drive is not necessarily difficult, but you will find that it is extremely dark up there (no city lights once you leave flagstaff).

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The best road trip route from Phoenix to Grand Canyon passes through the Red Rock Scenic Byway – although you can arrive an hour quicker by avoiding this road and Sedona altogether, you'd definitely be missing out, as this is arguably the most scenic stretch of the entire trip.

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With just one day at the Grand Canyon South Rim, you can see several viewpoints and even hike into the canyon. Unless you want a super relaxed Grand Canyon vacation on the rim or an adventurous rafting trip down below, one to three days at the Grand Canyon is usually enough time for the highlights.

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The Desert View Drive portion of SR 64 is a scenic road that begins near Grand Canyon Village. Private vehicles can drive east along the canyon rim for 23 miles (37 km) to the Desert View Services Area, and the East Entrance of Grand Canyon National Park.

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The two major cities closest to the Canyon are Phoenix and Las Vegas. Flagstaff, AZ is only 1.5 hours from the South Rim and although it is a smaller city, it does have an international airport. Tusayan is the closest town to Grand Canyon Village and also has a small public airport.

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Train. Amtrak's closest stop to Phoenix is Flagstaff, 145 miles to the north. But if you snag a Groome Transportation shuttle to the historic Flagstaff Train Depot on Route 66, you can hop on the train east. Amtrak only runs as far as Williams, 65 miles from the Grand Canyon Village at the South Rim.

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Many consider the South Rim of the Grand Canyon to be the authentic Grand Canyon experience. It features vast, expansive views often seen in popular media.

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The South Rim has it all, and therefore is the best side to visit at the Grand Canyon. Some of our favorite activities at the South Rim include helicopter rides, bike rides, hiking, train rides, skydiving, sunset/sunrise viewing, wildlife viewing, and more!

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Safety: Taking a guided tour can be safer than driving yourself, especially if you're not familiar with the terrain or weather conditions. However, there are also some downsides to taking a tour: Cost: Tours can be expensive, especially if you're traveling with a large group or booking a luxury tour.

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How many days should you spend in the Grand Canyon? If you're visiting the South Rim, you'll want 2-3 days. For the North Rim, plan on visiting for 1-2 days. If you want to see both rims, give yourself 4-5 days!

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Getting There in Grand Canyon National Park
  1. By Car—The South Rim of the Grand Canyon is 60 miles north of Williams (and I-40) via Ariz. ...
  2. By Plane—The closest airport with commercial service is in Flagstaff. ...
  3. By Train—The Grand Canyon Railway operates excursion trains between Williams and the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.


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Grand Canyon South Rim is most frequently chosen by first-time visitors to the area not only for its beautiful views, but for its abundance of visitor services and family-oriented activities. The South Rim is open year-round. At 7,000' above sea level, the South Rim has four distinct seasons.

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Groome Transportation (previously called Arizona Shuttle) provides scheduled daily van shuttle service on five routes traveling between Phoenix and the Grand Canyon area. Contact: groometransportation.com/arizona; advance purchase of tickets is recommended.

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It is possible to drive around the Grand Canyon. On the South Rim you can follow the cliffs edge along the Desert View Drive. The rest of the trip you are further removed from the Canyon where it is not visible from the car. A roundtrip takes roughly 2 weeks and covers 1000 miles.

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Phoenix to Flagstaff, Flagstaff to South Rim Grand Canyon Prices (as of 4/2023) are around $59 per person for the 3 hour and 10 minute shuttle between Phoenix and Flagstaff, and $44 per person for the 1 hour and 45 minute shuttle from Flagstaff to the South Rim.

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It really depends on what you want to see and do! Some visitors stop by a couple of viewpoints and arrive and leave within a day but there are so many more fantastic things to do at the Grand Canyon. We recommend spending at least one full day at the Grand Canyon South Rim and ideally two if time permits.

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