Grandview Point
One of the highest, widest views on the South Rim
About
Grandview Point is one of those South Rim overlooks that regulars quietly rank above the big-name stops — a wide panorama of colorful canyon walls, ridgelines, and the Colorado River threading far below, with a fraction of the crowds you'll find at the Village overlooks. It's open 24 hours, which locals take full advantage of for sunrise and sunset.
What makes it different
Unlike most drive-up South Rim viewpoints, Grandview is also the trailhead for the Grandview Trail, a steep, unmaintained route that drops straight off the rim toward Horseshoe Mesa. You don't need to hike it to enjoy the view, but even a few minutes on the upper switchbacks gives you a different, more exposed perspective than the paved overlook. The site also has history: a hotel once stood here in the 1890s, drawing some of the earliest tourists to the canyon before the railroad rerouted travel a few miles west to Grand Canyon Village.
- Rating: 4.9 stars from over 7,700 Google reviews
- Best for: sunrise or sunset — reviewers note the colors keep deepening for several minutes after the sun disappears
- Access: easy walk from the parking area to the main overlook; the Grandview Trail beyond it is steep and unmaintained
Plan on a quick stop or, if you linger for the light, closer to 30-45 minutes. Reviewers consistently call it one of the park's best views precisely because it isn't as mobbed as the Village rim walk.
Best Time to Visit
Most people come for the view alone rather than the Grandview Trail below it — any time of day works for the overlook itself, though the rim here is wide open with real drop-offs, so keep an eye on kids and stick to the established viewing areas.
Good to Know
- The Grandview Trail drops steeply from the point into the canyon toward Horseshoe Mesa, a rough, unmaintained route rated Hard/Strenuous with no reliable water, built on the old miners' path used to haul copper ore out by mule in the late 1800s.
- Pete Berry's Grandview Hotel once stood near here, opened in 1897 as one of the canyon's earliest tourist lodgings before the railroad shifted visitor traffic toward Grand Canyon Village.
- If you're only stopping for the view, you don't need to descend the trail at all — the overlook itself is the destination.
Getting to Grandview Point
Located directly on Desert View Drive, with a parking area and vault toilets at the overlook — no drinking water on site, so bring your own.
What to Expect at Grandview Point
Grandview Point sits on Desert View Drive on the South Rim, about 10 miles east of Grand Canyon Village and roughly 14 miles from Desert View. At close to 7,400 feet, it's one of the highest overlooks on the rim, with a wide, unobstructed view down into the canyon and across to the Colorado River and the tilted, colorful rock layers on the far side.
Reviews
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