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.

Have you ever considered not writing a review for fear that people will read it and mess up a good…read morething? I have thought long and hard about writing this review for that very reason. After much contemplation I realized that most people don't really read reviews, so I am here to help out those that do. Made it this far? Listen up. If you are visiting Grand Canyon National Park, you owe it to yourself to enter via the Desert View Entrance Station. Ignore the main entrance at all costs. What makes this entrance so special? A lot. The drive - The drive to this entrance is beautiful. Most of the area leading up to the park is reservation land. The views are spectacular. There is considerably less traffic driving this way. If you get stuck behind a slow moving RV it sucks for a little while, but there are plenty of opportunities to pass. The entrance - Once inside the park the cost is the same as at the main entrance. The staff were very friendly and there was no wait at all. Gas - Want to buy some expensive ass gas? There is a station right near this entrance. I would fill up here just to say you did, but it will const considerable more than stations in town. Convenience - I hate riding the bus. The buses are filthy, the buses are nasty, the buses are not new. Not really, but I always wanted to say that in a review. Inside jokes are the best. But really, there are many viewpoints that can be accessed by this entrance where you can park and take in the view. Most people are entering from the main gate and so driving from this gate means way less crowds. If you made it this far, congratulations. Give me a high five when you see me for sharing this knowledge with you.

This was my first time entering through this station on a recent trip to the Grand Canyon. I…read moreusually go through Tusayan to the South Rim. The South Rim station can busy during peak times. Desert View Station only had a few cars in line on the day I was here. Desert View Entrance Station serves as a secondary gateway to the South Rim and the primary portal to the Desert View area. It is open 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. There is also a gas station nearby if you are running low. Desert View is a small settlement on the South Rim that is located about 20 miles east of Grand Canyon Village. Within the area is the iconic Watchtower structure. The view here is the first glimpse you get of the Grand Canyon. If you are traveling on the on US 89, you can get to Desert View by turning west onto State Route 64 in Cameron, AZ. Then travel about 25 miles until you get to the Desert View (East) Entrance. The Desert View area is after you enter the park. Entrance is free with a national park pass.

Great viewpoint on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. There are so many of them on the Desert View…read moredrive. Moran Point is about a 10 mile drive from the Desert View Entrance (or east entrance). I stopped at a few viewpoints while heading to Grand Canyon Village recently and really enjoyed this one. This viewpoint is named for Thomas Moran. He was an artist in the late 1800's who was known for his landscape paintings. HIs painting of this viewpoint has inspired many to come visit the Grand Canyon. Moran Point offers great views of the tilted layers of the Grand Canyon Supergroup directly to the north. You can see Colorado Butte to the west and Red Canyon just below. Moran Point is one of the four major viewpoints on the east rim drive. The others are Desert View Point, Grandview Point, and Yaki Point. If you like to hike, Moran Point is a starting point for New Hance Trail. It's a 11.7-mile out-and-back trail for experienced hikers that descends over 4,000 feet.

OMG well you're at the Grand Canyon- so you know it's epic. We stopped here several times to enjoy…read morethe views and relax. This one was a little less crowded and we enjoyed traipsing through the snow!

The Desert View drive is such a pretty drive with several viewpoints and trails along the way. The…read moreroad is on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and runs from Grand Canyon Village to Route 64. I try and stop at as many viewpoints as I can when I do this drive because each one offers a different perspective of this beautiful canyon. Navajo Point is a viewpoint just a few minutes west of Desert View Watchtower and the Desert View entrance station. Navajo Point has a small parking lot and isn't too crowded. You get great views of the Colorado River, the Escalante and Cardenas Buttes, and Tanner Canyon. Early morning is the best time to come here because most of the view is to the west. You also get a unique view of the Desert View Watchtower from afar. This viewpoint is called Navajo Point because the view stretches across the Grand Canyon and the surrounding plateaus into modern-day Indian Country, where several tribes still live. Navajo Point is the highest natural viewpoint on the South Rim at just under 7,500 feet.

You can experience striking views of the Grand Canyon from Navajo Point, located close to the…read moreEastern entrance of the South Rim. The drive in this area is glorious and not too packed either. Lots of wildlife. It's definitely worth it to stop at this overlook!

Really cool place with a great selection of Indigenous-made jewelry/accessories, Zuni fetishes,…read moreNavajo/Diné rugs, and of course Grand Canyon merchandise. Make sure to go upstairs while you're here to see everything available in the gallery space! It's easy to miss. The employees here were very nice and helpful.

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!

Great for star gazing . We brought our telescope! Winds are crazy make sure you have blankets /…read morelayers! I'd love to know if it's this windy year round!

I try to stop at as many points as I can when driving along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Each…read morespot offers a different perspective of this beautiful canyon. Lipan Point isn't too crowed and offers the longest perspective of the Colorado River. If you look at the bottom of the canyon, you can see the tilted layers of the Grand Canyon Supergroup. Because of the erosion of the rocks in this group, the best views of the Colorado River are exposed. The varied strata add a lot of color and texture to bring out the beauty of this viewpoint. Most people hang around the visitor centers which makes viewpoints like this less packed and more enjoyable to hang around at. Lipan Point is a great spot to take photos. I was fortunate enough to shoot some pictures with clouds in the background as I came on a light rainy day. There is a sign telling you where to turn when driving on Desert View Drive.

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.

We got here after 6pm, it had snow & ice on the ground from the previous day so it was a bit…read moreslippery. Once you start walking out the check out the views, it's pretty breathtaking.

Do not pass up this museum and ruin…read more On my first few trips to GCNP I noticed the sign for this museum, but never actually stopped. Like most folks I was focused on the overlooks and ignored this spot. After visiting I am kicking myself for being so shortsighted. This place is great. The museum is small yet very informative. It showcases the people who lived here and has several neat items on display. The things that I found so interesting were their dolls and figures made from twigs. Several were on display and they helped give you a picture into the lives of these people who lived here 800 years before. The ruins are similar to the pueblo style ruins throughout this region. They are less intact than some at the nearby Wupatki so do not expect large free standing pueblos. Despite that, it was pretty easy to walk around and get a feel for their living space. The most impressive point to me was the view of the nearby San Francisco peaks. That view must have been pretty terrifying when the volcano exploded. I hope you heed my advice and add this to your itinerary.

The Tusayan Museum and Ruins is located within the Grand Canyon National Park. It's just a short…read moredistance from the Desert View Park. Parking was easy and plentiful and after parking you will see signage leading you to the trail. They also placed signs along the wooded trail explaining the small ruins of a 800 year old ancestral Puebloan village. Afterwards you can step back in time while visiting the small museum of handmade crafts by regional tribes and artifacts that date back as far as 2000 to 4000 years. I learned a lot about the prehistoric people and the surrounding land. In the museum there is a small gift shop that offers typical tourist merchandise at a reasonable price. The staff was very friendly.