Real contemporary art in an old logging town…read more The museum is located in Old Main (the one old looking building) on the campus of NAU. For free parking, drive to the south side of Old Main to Lot P3, walk to the museum to acquire a parking permit, and return to place the permit in the car. Admission was also free. The museum has two levels of galleries with rotating contemporary art on the second floor and tiny permanent collection of oil paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts on the third floor. The second floor was the main reason to visit with smart conceptual art. The temporary exhibits during our visit were Karen Baldner's artwork and painted aerial shots of Nazi concentration camps. Okay, it doesn't sound fun, but they were impressive pieces. The permanent collection was skipable. NAU was previously called the Northern Arizona Normal School. Normal? As opposed to what? The Paranormal School? In truth, a normal school was a school for teachers, but there were plans for Old Main to be an insane asylum which could have been the Northern Arizona Abnormal School.

Located about 2.0 miles east-northeast of Grand Canyon Village, the limestone projecting rocks at…read morean elevation of 7,120 feet make Mather Point an expansive view of the Grand Canyon at the South Rim. Named the first director of the National Park Service, my partner and I came this morning via their free shuttle bus. This is the closest major viewpoint to the South Entrance, often the first glimpse many travelers have of the Grand Canyon. It is just a short, paved walk from the Visitor Center, making it very accessible for all visitors. The guardrail overlook plunges 4,500 ft to the Colorado River, which one can finally see. Visitors can gape at the 10-mile distance from where they are to the Grand Canyon North Rim or peer into the depths of the abyss below them. Many photos seen online were taken from this spot. It offers such wide, dramatic, and picture-perfect views of the canyon.

Please permit this old man to reminisce while I write this review on Mather Point (Grand Canyon…read moreNational Park, Arizona). Today would have been my 25th wedding anniversary with a woman I loved dearly, and Mather Point was my chosen location for a pivotal moment in my life many years ago. And once again, I came to this beautiful location to reminisce on that wonderful day, and to write a few ramblings from a broken heart. I came here to remember that beautiful day, many years ago at this very location, when I proposed to a woman who would become my wife. I carefully chose Mather Point at the Grand Canyon for this moment because I believed it captured and symbolized my emotions, from the depths and beauty of my love to my firm belief that my love would be steadfast and last an eternity. I knew how I felt; my only hope was that she felt the same way. She said she did, but she changed her mind several years later. Sadly, I am still trying to understand how she could eventually hate the person who loved her the most, especially when her reasons are still unknown to me. So here I am again, reminiscing while observing the eternal and unchanged beauty of this location after all these years. As I sit here on a quaint park bench along a beautiful walkway that overlooks the Grand Canyon, I am watching an older couple, perhaps in their 80s, slowly walking hand-in-hand as they enjoy the natural beauty all around them. Undoubtedly, they are still in love, after all these years, and I am imagining that they are sharing a lifetime of beautiful memories they've experienced together. Of course, I'm quite jealous of this wonderful old couple because they have what I only dreamed of having someday, many years ago. As I depart this location, I am abandoning the belief that all people are capable of loving eternally, along with a trail of many tears. I have now learned that, unlike my love that resembles the depth and eternal beauty of the Grand Canyon, some people's love is more like the wind -- here one day and gone the next. My only hope is that this magnificent location can become a wonderful memory for many others, just as it has been for me, regardless of what has changed for me since that beautiful day many years ago.

This was one of the first places I stopped to peer down into the Grand Canyon on my most recent…read moretrip. I had only been down this section of road once before, and it was a quick trip on a shuttle to begin a multi-day backpacking trip, so this time I wanted to take my time and see some of the pullouts. Note that in most months, this area is accessible by shuttle only, but during the winter I was able to drive and though it's frigid, the views are still incredible. We pulled in and parked on the side of the road at the pullout, and made our way down a few stairs. I was especially keen on this overlook, as it gives you a great birds-eye view of the Bright Angel trail, as the name suggests. As we would be hiking that trail later in the afternoon, it was very cool to see the switchbacks and make a plan for how much we really wanted to descend. That's the real highlight of this viewpoint as compared to the rest, and though you do get some terrific views of the great canyon itself, I think this one is especially cool for hikers (or those who don't want to hike) to look at the trail and imagine what it's like. It was cold and a little windy, so we didn't stay too long. We did get some good photos and made a note in our minds about just how much hiking we'd be doing, then got back in the car and continued down towards Hermits Rest.

This viewpoint is just off the Rim Trail and west of Grand Canyon Village. You can walk to this…read moreviewpoint from the village (0.7 miles) or take the free shuttle bus. You not only get great views of the canyon but of the switchbacks of Bright Angel Trail. You can see all the hikers as they descend into the canyon. From the parking lot, you walk down a few steps to get to the viewpoint. Not all of the viewing area has guardrails, so be careful not to fall. The sunset is beautiful here and casts shadows on the canyon walls. This makes for great pictures if you are into photography.

Visiting the Hopi House was such an incredible learning experience! This National Historical…read moreLandmark, located right on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon has been offering authentic American Indian arts and crafts for over 100 years. It serves as a living museum where visitors can purchase authentic pottery, jewelry, and textiles, providing a unique connection to Southwest Native American culture. I remember visiting this place as a child with my parents, now I have the privilege of sharing in the same learning experience with my own kids! Prices are reasonable while other specialty items were high-priced! The staff are knowledgeable and helpful. I would definitely recommend this museum to anyone interested in the history of Native American art and culture! It's an incredible learning experience!

It's just a gift store. Two stories at that. But it's high end Native American goods. So if…read moreyou're into that it's the place for you

This training center is run by the National Park Service. There is a training building and four…read moredorms. The Training Center: The building has several offices and more importantly for those in training, it has two large training rooms. There is a computer lab but its only open regular business hours. There is a kitchen with vending machines and a coffee machine. That's pretty much it but what more do you need? The Dorms: The rooms are spartan. Yes there is a bed, bathroom, and kitchenette with stove top, fridge, toaster, coffee maker, and microwave. But there is no place to hang your shirts nor your jacket. You book says that you can't adjust the heat but the unlabeled white wall control does change the heat setting. There is no TV and no wireless. There is a small clock radio (woot) but it only gets the one NPR radio station. Maybe some AM channels too. Apparently there is internet access through the phone but you have to bring your government laptop. Adjacent dorm has a small lounge that has TV, pool table, books, and also a small kitchen. Great place for an evening social. If you go, have fin. Don't forget to head over to the rim. I hear there is some sort of a view there.

It's unfortunate that not just anyone can stay here. It is reserved for family and friends of NPS…read moreonly. Thankfully, we've got a NPS hookup and stayed here. $60 for the night in THEE most CLEAN room I've ever seen!!! Room includes a queen size bed, microwave, small burner, coffee pot and mini fridge. The bathroom was soooo clean. Like, running your finger over everything, but nothing on your finger clean!!! It's about a 5-7 minute walk to the South Rim lookout. So, location is great......room is cheap and clean.....what more do you want? Hopefully, I'll be able to stay here again.

This review is actually of the wider view of Gran Canyon in general. The train trip from Williams…read morewas an experience itself, and the landscapes are exraorinary.

No bathrooms after a 2 hour train ride is not cool. However the prices of tourist items was pretty…read morereasonable

There's an upstairs lookout platform. The platform has 2 of the pay for telescopes up there.read more

Beautiful building at the Grand Canyon's South Rim, Lookout Studio is a historic site dating from…read more1914. This is a nice little stop along the Rim Trail. There is an outstanding view from the building, and there is a very nice gift shop inside. Lookout Studio is very convenient to Bright Angel Lodge and the other hotels along the South Rim. Great place to stop and relax for a little while to enjoy the view.

I experienced a flat tire on my RV. I was extremely dismayed. After making a phone call to the…read moreGrand Canyon information number, a very helpful man referred me to the Xanterra garage located in the park. When I arrived, I was amazed how quickly they were there to help. A young man by the name of Chris was extremely diligent, knowledgeable, and friendly. He immediately went to work, removing the tire, replacing the valve stem, and getting me back on the road. It was one of the best experiences that I had visiting the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Now, some weeks later, the tire is still holding air not to mention that I made it almost 2000 miles back home on his repair. Wow, he was so amazing and definitely deserves a raise!

This was my first visit to the Verde Valley archaeology center, and I was truly amazed! I was…read morehoping to see artifacts from the immediate vicinity at this location and was not disappointed! The center has been here for 15 years and exists primarily to display artifacts recovered from a single site in the area. This is extremely rare as most sites have been pillaged by pot hunters over the last 100+ years, and this site was privately owned and protected for many decades. I was honored to received what was basically a private tour of the facility by the executive director Monica Buckle. She took her time and provided much detail to give an excellent overview of this facility. Thank you so much Monica! The entire Verde Valley area is a much overlooked archaeology gem in the history of our country & this facility champions the learning and understanding of this unique place. If you're ever in the area, I strongly recommend a visit. Please note the visiting hours change for the summer season so be sure to research this first.

This spotless well appointed museum is user friendly and can be completed quickly under 1/2 hour if…read moreyou breezed through. We chose the guided free tour which lasted about an hour and was quite thorough. I really enjoyed the quality of items on display and learning about the artifacts. If one is lucky the libraries in Scottsdale have a free pass for 2 people to enter. We paid but it was worth the $5 entry fee each.