Photographs

Grand Canyon, South Rim — Photo Collection

Around five million people a year view the mile deep Grand Canyon in Arizona at two National Park Locations—the South Rim and North Rim—and at the Hualapai Indian Reservation at Grand Canyon West.

The South Rim of the Grand Canyon is the most accessible and has the most amenities so it is understandably the most visited. Open year-round—summer peak season crowds result in parking, driving and viewing congestion. November through February are the best months to avoid crowds.

The South Rim is organizationally divided into four sections with free shuttle busses providing easy access to three sections:

Village Route shuttle is primarily useful for moving between the developed areas such as Grand Canyon Village, Mather Campground, parking areas and the visitor center. Bright Angel Lodge and Trailhead are at the western end and Mather Point Amphitheater is on the east end.

Hermits Rest Route shuttle covers about 8 miles of viewpoints west of Grand Canyon Village. Vehicles are not allowed on this route in the summer. Rim trails cover most of the routes so you could walk between view points & return via shuttle for instance.

Kaibab/Rim Route shuttle covers the east end from the Yavapai Point Geology Museum to Yaki Point with stops at Mather Point, Pipe Creek Vista and South Kaibab Trailhead in between.

Desert View Drive continues for about 26 miles east past Grandview Point, Moran Point and Lipan Point to Desert View which is at the east entrance to the South Rim on Highway 64.

Enjoy my photos below which were shot along the South Rim.

South Rim of the Grand Canyon

Panoramic views from the South Rim display the immense width and depth of the Grand Canyon.

Most of the South Rim is unprotected (and uncluttered) with railings so visitors can get as close as they dare to the edge.

Two rafts navigate Granite Rapid in this telephoto shot from the rim trail along Hermits Rest Road.

Completed in 1914, Lookout Studio was designed by Mary Colter for the Santa Fe Railway.

The Grand Canyon at sunset.

Near sunrise and sunset are the best times to photograph the Grand Canyon.

A telephoto shot from Desert View.

Utah Agave, growing up to 15 feet tall on the South Rim, were used for food and fiber by Native Americans.

Looking west down the Grand Canyon from the east end of the South Rim.

Yavapai Point panoramic view.

Grand Canyon Desert View Watchtower, opened in 1933, was designed by Mary Colter to mimic an ancient Anasazi structure.

The Watchtower has a commanding view of the Grand Canyon and Painted Desert to the east.

Unkar Delta — tele-shot from Lipan Point — was inhabited and farmed by ancestral Puebloans from 850 to 1200 A.D.

Elk are frequently sighted on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. I grabbed this telephoto shot the morning I was leaving.

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Website and all photos copyright © 2001–2013 Lee W. Nelson