How Do I Travel to the North Rim?

 
two people walking on a trail. a scenic overlook is on their right with Grand Canyon in the distance
A trail below Grand Canyon Lodge leads to several scenic overlooks.

Photo courtesy Christian Schroll

 

The North Rim Is Open for Day Use Only

ALERT: Bright Angel Point Trail —from Grand Canyon Lodge to Bright Angel Point —is closed this fall for extensive repairs. Details

Visitors exploring the North Rim on, or after, October 16 should plan to be self-sufficient and bring enough food and water for the day.

Additional things to know about the Fall Day Use period and the North Rim winter closure on December 1, 2024

 

Things to Know

The North Rim Has a Short Season

The North Rim Season (with all visitor services) runs from May 15, through October 15 each year.

The entrance to the North Rim is located 30 miles south of Jacob Lake, AZ on Highway 67 (the actual rim of Grand Canyon is an additional 14 miles south of the park entrance). Jacob Lake, AZ is located in Northern Arizona on Highway 89A, not far from the Utah border. Grand Canyon lies entirely within the state of Arizona.

 
three mobile phones side-by-side, are displaying screens from the NPS mobile app; the menu, map, and search.

The National Park Service Mobile App is a great tool for planning your trip, then it can be used as a guide during your visit. You can download the maps and content from Grand Canyon National Park for offline use. It’s especially handy if you’re exploring remote areas or concerned about data limits.

Visit this webpage (updated daily) for the current list of what is open and closed, and the hours of operation.

 

Public Transportation to the North Rim

  • A list of companies issued Commercial Use Authorizations by the National Park Service to conduct tours at Grand Canyon National Park can be found on a sortable table at www.nps.gov/grca/getinvolved/cua-list.htm. (Search Rim to Rim). Taxi services are allowed to operate in Grand Canyon National Park without a CUA, and this service is not listed on that link.
  • Driving time between North and South Rim is about 4 1/2 hours each way.

Grand Canyon Area Map

 
Grand Canyon Area Map: Shows major highways, cities, towns and tribal and public lands.
Grand Canyon National Park & Vicinity. Scroll down page for approximate driving distances. Click on map above to download it. (2.5 MB PDF file)
 
The region shown in this map includes 1) on the left edge of the map, Las Vegas, NV and Needles, CA 2) across the bottom, Interstate 40 from Needles, CA, east, through Flagstaff, AZ, to Gallup, NM. 3) on the right edge, starting at Gallup, NM, then, north to Colorado Nat. Monument, 4) Finally, bounded across the top by Interstate 70 crossing the state of Utah until it meets the intersection with Interstate 15.

Grand Canyon National Park is located east of Las Vegas, NV.
North of Interstate 40 and the cities of Williams and Flagstaff, AZ.
East of the Navajo and Hopi Indian Reservations, and south of the Utah state line. The Colorado River is shown through the entire 277 mile transect of Grand Canyon National Park.

Public and tribal lands are show in different colors.

Tribal lands are show in purple and reservation boundaries are shown for the following tribes: Navajo, Hopi, Hualapai, Havasupai, Kaibab Paiute, Shivwits Paiute, Zuni, and Ute Mountain.

National forest lands are shown in green, and include, Coconino, Prescott, Sitgreaves, Kaibab, Dixie, Fishlake, and Manti-La Sal.

National parks are shown in vermilion, and include, Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches.

National monuments are shown in orange and include, Wupatki, Sunset Crater, Walnut Canyon, Tuzigoot, Montezuma Castle, Canyon De Chelly, Navajo, Grand Canyon Parashant, Vermilion Cliffs, Grand Staircase Escalante, Pipe Springs, Rainbow Bridge, Cedar Breaks, Natural Bridges, Hovenweep, Canyon of the Ancients, and Colorado.

National Recreation Areas are shown in yellow and include, Lake Mead, and Glen Canyon.
 

Approximate Driving Distances and Directions to NORTH RIM, Grand Canyon from:

From South Rim, Grand Canyon, AZ - 212 miles / 341 kilometers

  • Take Highway 64 east to Cameron, AZ.
  • From Cameron, take Highway 89 north to Bitter Springs, AZ.
  • From Bitter Springs, take Highway 89Alt west to Jacob Lake, AZ.
  • From Jacob Lake, take Highway 67 south to the North Rim.

From Flagstaff, AZ- 207 miles / 333 kilometers

  • Take Highway 89 north to Bitter Springs, AZ
  • From Bitter Springs, take Highway 89Alt west to Jacob Lake, AZ.
  • From Jacob Lake, take Highway 67 south to the North Rim.

From Phoenix, AZ- 351 miles / 565 kilometers

  • Take I-17 north to Flagstaff, AZ.
  • In Flagstaff take I-40 east to Highway 89
  • From Flagstaff. take Highway 89 north to Bitter Springs, AZ .
  • From Bitter Springs, AZ, take Highway 89Alt west to Jacob Lake, AZ
  • From Jacob Lake, take Highway 67 south to the North Rim.

From Sedona, AZ - 236 miles / 380 kilometers

  • Take Highway 89Alt to Flagstaff, AZ
  • In Flagstaff, take I-40 east to Highway 89.
  • From Flagstaff, take Highway 89 north to Bitter Springs, AZ.
  • From Bitter Springs, take Highway 89Alt west to Jacob Lake, AZ.
  • From Jacob Lake, take Highway 67 south to the North Rim.

From Williams, AZ - 242 miles / 389 kilometers

  • Take I-40 east to Flagstaff, AZ
  • From Flagstaff, take Highway 89 north to Bitter Springs, AZ
  • From Bitter Springs, take Highway 89Alt west to Jacob Lake, AZ.
  • From Jacob Lake, take Highway 67 south to the North Rim.

From Las Vegas, NV - 275 miles/ 443 kilometers

  • Drive north on I-15 for 128 miles/ 206 km, just past St. George, UT to Rt 9.
  • Drive east on Rt 9 for 10 miles/ 16 km to Rt 59.
  • Continue east on Rt 59 for 32 miles/ 51 km. (At the Utah/Arizona state line, the highway changes to Rt 389.
  • Continue east on Rt 389 for 33 miles/ 53 km to the junction with US 89a.
  • Continue east on US 89a for 30/ miles 48 km. to the junction with Rt 67.
  • Drive south on Rt 67 for 43 miles/ 70 km directly to the North Rim.

From Los Angeles, CA - 500+ miles / 805+ kilometers

  • From the junction of I-10 and I-15, drive north on I-15 for 352 miles / 556 km, just past St. George, UT to Rt 9.
  • Drive east on Rt 9 for 10 miles/ 16 km to Rt 59.
  • Continue east on Rt 59 for 32 miles/ 51 km. (At the Utah/Arizona state line, the highway changes to Rt 389.
  • Continue east on Rt 389 for 33 miles/ 53 km to the junction with US 89a.
  • Continue east on US 89a for 30/ miles 48 km. to the junction with Rt 67.
  • Drive south on Rt 67 for 43 miles/ 70 km directly to the North Rim.

From Salt Lake City, UT - 392 miles / 631 kilometers

  • Take I-15 south to Cedar City, UT.
  • From Cedar City, take Highway 14 east to Highway 89.
  • Take Highway 89 south to Kanab, UT.
  • From Kanab, take Highway 89Alt south to Jacob Lake, AZ.
  • From Jacob Lake, take Highway 67 south to the North Rim.

From Denver, CO - 690 miles / 1110 kilometers

  • Take I-70 west to Sevier, UT.
  • From Sevier, take Highway 89 south to Kanab, UT.
  • From Kanab, take Highway 89Alt south to Jacob Lake, AZ.
  • From Jacob Lake, take Highway 67 south to the North Rim.

From Albuquerque, NM - 467 miles / 751 kilometers

  • Take I-40 west to Flagstaff, AZ.
  • From Flagstaff, take Highway 89 north to Bitter Springs, AZ.
  • From Bitter Springs, take Highway 89Alt west to Jacob Lake, AZ.
  • From Jacob Lake, take Highway 67 south to the North Rim.

(Note: The directions on this page do not represent the only route you can use to get to the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Depending on where you start and the route you wish to take, you may find that using other roads will suit your travel plans better.)

 

Regional Road Conditions
Listed below are commercial phone numbers for recorded messages on road conditions and links to state highway websites:

 

North Rim Pocket Map and Services Guide

In place of a newspaper, the North Rim Pocket Map and Services Guide is now being distributed at entrance stations, visitor centers, lodges, campgrounds, stores, and out-of-park locations. Download it here..
 
Graphic shows front (listing of services) and back (maps) of North Rim Pocket Map - the PDF version is accessible.
Front and back sides of the North Rim Pocket Map and Services Guide. Click on the image to download as an accessible PDF file (2.2 MB)
 
 
about one dozen people sitting in wooden deck chairs and looking over the stone patio wall at Grand Canyon during sunset.
Watching sunset from the veranda of Grand Canyon Lodge.

Photo Courtesy of Christian Schroll

Quick Links

 

Last updated: October 17, 2024

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Contact Info

Mailing Address:

PO Box 129
Grand Canyon, AZ 86023

Phone:

928-638-7779

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