Desert View

 

Aerial view looking northwest at Desert View Point, 7,360 feet / 2,243 meters, and the Desert View developed area. Automobile and RV/bus parking lots are visible left of center, with the  visitor service buildings to the right of the parking lots. The nearby peaks on the right are Escalante Butte  6,536 feet/ 1,992 meters, and Cardenas Butte 6.281 feet/ 1,914 meters.

 

TEMPORARY CLOSURES THIS WEEK

Desert View will be closed this Tuesday, September 12 AND Thursday, September 14 due to a pathway paving project in the developed visitor area.

The closure area includes the Desert View parking lots, restrooms, Trading Post, the Market/Deli, along with the Watchtower and Desert View Point.

The Desert View gas station/convenience store and the campground will remain open.

 

Desert View

Updated September 11, 2023

The East Entrance to the park at Desert View is open 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. (Unless temporarily closed by snow)

Desert View is a small settlement on the South Rim located 23 miles/ 37 km east of Grand Canyon Village, and near the eastern edge of Grand Canyon. Arizona State Route 64, also known as Desert View Drive, is a 23 mile (37 km) scenic road that connects Desert View with Grand Canyon Village. Desert View Drive is open to all vehicles throughout the year.

Visitors traveling through the Navajo Nation on US 89, turn west at Cameron, Arizona onto State Route 64, then drive 25 miles (40 km) to the park's East Entrance. A stop at Desert View provides their first views of Grand Canyon. Some of the finest views of the Colorado River and canyon geology may be seen from here.

Nearby Navajo Tribal Parks are open and welcome visitors. For more information about Navajo Tribal Parks, call: 928-871-6647 or visit www.navajonationparks.org

 

Map of the Desert View developed area including parking lots and footpaths. The yellow star marks the location of the outdoor information desk. (visitor center) that is open during the summer season. The desk is closed during the winter.

NPS

Services Open for Visitors:

• Desert View parking lot and RV parking lot.

• Restrooms: located between the main parking lot and the canyon.

• Park Ranger Sunset Talks have ended for the season.

• Cultural Demonstrations in the Watchtower
  2023 schedule >

• Desert View Watchtower ground level (View Room)
  GCC Park Store: 8 am to 6 pm Daily
  The upper floors of the tower are open, when staffing allows, from 9 am to 5 pm. Capacity is 25 people in the tower at one time. At ticket system admits 25 people with a 20 minute time limit. Details >

• Trading Post: Native American Handicrafts
  Ice Cream/Coffee: 8 am to 6 pm

• Desert View Market: 8 am to 6 pm
• Deli (inside the Market) 10 am to 6 pm

• Pay-at-the-Pump Gas Station: 24 hrs. credit/debit card only.
  Gas station convience store is now open from 9 am to 5 pm daily.

• Desert View Campground Open April 15, through October 15. Advanced reservation are required and can be made up to 6 months in advance through www.recreation.gov >
  

 

These Facilities Are Closed at This Time

• NOTE: OVERNIGHT LODGING IS NOT AVAILABLE AT DESERT VIEW

 

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Perched on the rim of the canyon, the Watchtower reflects the architecture of the ancestral Puebloans in the Four Corners region. The View Room is open, but the tower itself is closed until further notice. This photo shows the View Room after it was partially restored to architect Mary Colter's original design.

 

View north from Desert View Point at the Colorado River. NPS/Kristen M. Caldon

 

Duration:

6 minutes, 39 seconds

The Desert View area has been used as a gathering place for thousands of years. Visitors can see a glimpse of the ancient past at the Tusayan Ruin and Museum. The Desert View Watchtower, is modeled after the architecture of the Ancestral Puebloan people of the Colorado Plateau. Today Desert View represents the physical and cultural gateway from Grand Canyon National Park to the Navajo and Hopi reservations.