Dear Arizona Travel:

We are coming with a school group on a mission trip and we were wondering if there is any where along the south rim where there may be free parking or where we could see the canyon at a reduced rate.  Thank you so much for your help.

Crystal R., Virginia

Hello, Crystal!

No. To get close to the South Rim, to any of the overlook areas, you must drive into the National Park and pay the entrance fee, which is $25 per private vehicle.

You see, the entrances to the park – at either the village of Tusayan to the south, or at Desert View to the east – which is where you pay the entrance fee, flank the boundaries of the National Park, and are located 5 and 30 miles from the Rim respectively, so any overlook spots, with parking lots and paths up to the Rim are within this boundary.  (There are no additional fees to park, by the way.)

You really can’t see anything until you get into the Park, park your car in one of the parking lots, and walk up to a 1/4 mile or so to the rim. The surrounding area is a forested plateau, so you can’t really see the Grand Canyon from the highway.

Because a picture is worth a thousand words, check out this street-level image from Google Maps of the entrance gate at Desert View:

View Grand Canyon South Rim East Entrance Gate (Desert View) in a larger map

… and here is the street-level view of the south entrance gate near Tusayan:


View Grand Canyon South Rim Entrance Gate in a larger map

Do you see how the trees and any slight elevation, such as an embankment on the side of the roads, dominate the horizon and naturally prevent you from seeing down into the Grand Canyon? You truly have to walk up to the edge of the Rim to look down into the chasm and across the views below the horizon.

I will tell you that the entrance fee is worth every penny and your school children will never forget the experience of seeing the Grand Canyon. Enjoy your visit!

PS: We wrote a similar post a couple years back… check out Dear Arizona Travel: Can you see the Grand Canyon from the highway?

–ChristinaToo

As an addendum to my last post – What This Scottsdale Gal is Doing for the Fourth of July – I wanted to add a couple details I found were missing from the parade’s official site, arcadiaparade.com. I emailed the parade chairperson, Johanna Boslin, and received a very kind response from her. Here, find details on parking, the exact parade route, the potluck breakfast and where Johanna recommends we sit for optimal parade viewing.

Parade Route: The parade route starts and ends at Jokake and Calle Tuberia. It heads west on Calle Tuberia to 58th Street, then south on 58th street (short block) to Calle Del Paisano, east on Calle Del Paisano, short jog to Calle Rosa, continue east to 62nd street, go north to Calle Tuberia (short blocks) then west on Calle Tuberia back to the parade start. It is about a mile for the route.

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Parking: Most of the neighbors know we have a parade that day, and park their cars in the driveways and carport and garages off the street. And most parade participants walk or ride their bikes to the start, so there is not a lot of cars and parking except for the volunteers and sponsors. You should have no problem parking on the streets close by, but we would appreciate no parking on the parade route.

Where to Sit: You will have the best luck for shade on Calle Tuberia, and go to the parade end. The conjestion at Jokake and Calle Tuberia is unbelievable. As a parade watcher, you can probably bring your lawn chairs and sit right on the street.

Potluck Breakfast and Aprés Parade: Please join us after the parade for the potluck breakfast. Safeway provides water and ice, and Bandera’s brings warm cornbread, cookies and ice cold lemonaide, Einstein Bagels gives us bagels, and a lot of neighbors bring homemade everything… Please join us for that and the fire dept. hooking up the hose and cooling everyone off.