News Release

Grand Canyon's Shuttle Bus to Tusayan to begin March 1

Tusayan shuttle bus passing by the Grand Hotel in the gateway town of Tusayan

News Release Date: February 25, 2020

Contact: Lily Daniels, 928-638-7958

Grand Canyon, Ariz. - The National Park Service will offer shuttle bus service between Grand Canyon National Park and the neighboring town of Tusayan in 2020. In anticipation of large spring break crowds, the route will begin March 1. The Tusayan Route will run daily at 20-minute intervals between 8 a.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Grand Canyon receives approximately six million visitors annually, and spring break can be one of the busiest times of the year. Visitors can expect to wait an hour or more at the entrance stations between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. The parking lots can reach capacity as early as 11 a.m. Riding the shuttle from Tusayan can help visitors avoid entrance station lines and reduce vehicular congestion in the park.

"We are pleased to provide this service to park visitors and local residents. Riding the shuttles helps protect resources, reduces crowding on park roadways, and reduces our carbon footprint," said Grand Canyon National Park Acting Superintendent Mary Risser. "We hope visitors and residents will continue to use and enjoy the Tusayan Route this year."

Visitors must have a valid park pass, including lifetime or annual passes, to board the shuttle in Tusayan. Visitors can purchase standard entrance passes for vehicles, individuals and motorcycles at the IMAX, Canyon Plaza Resort, Red Feather Lodge, Grand Canyon Chamber and Visitor's Bureau, and Westwind Air Service at the Grand Canyon Airport.

Visitors can park at various locations throughout Tusayan, including the Best Western Premier Inn, Grand Hotel, Big E Steakhouse, IMAX, and the park-and-ride lot on the north end of town. The park-and-ride lot works especially well for trailers and RVs, which have limited parking options inside the park.

The first bus into the park departs Tusayan at 8 a.m. from the IMAX Theater. The first bus from the park to Tusayan departs the Grand Canyon Visitor Center at 8:25 a.m. The last buses depart IMAX at 9:45 p.m. and Grand Canyon Visitor Center at 9:30 p.m. each night.
Shuttle buses make the following stops in Tusayan:

 

IMAX Theater

Best Western Premier Inn

The Grand Hotel

Big E Steakhouse and Saloon

After making four stops in Tusayan, the shuttle bus heads to the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, where visitors can access trails, scenic viewpoints, and the free in-park shuttle bus system. Green stripes and NPS arrowheads make all Grand Canyon National Park shuttle buses easily identifiable. Buses are wheelchair accessible, fueled with clean-burning compressed natural gas, and have bike racks that can hold up to three bicycles.

In 2019, there were approximately 227,000 boardings on the Tusayan Route, which represents a reduction of about 38,000 vehicles entering the park. Last year, there were approximately 7.5 million boardings on the park's shuttle system, representing a reduction of about 2.5 million short in-park vehicle trips.

Additional shuttle bus information is available online at: www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/shuttle-buses.htm.

Find parking and road conditions on Twitter @GrandCanyonNPS.

For real-time traffic updates, check out the South Entrance Station webcam at: https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm.