Grand Canyon Guide to Scenic Viewpoints

Discover Scenic Views

Scenic Grand Canyon Vistas

Because Grand Canyon is 277-miles long, the options for scenic viewpoints are truly endless. No matter which side of the canyon you plan to visit, you will be able to stop at numerous incredible views, so you can take home the photos of a lifetime. The South Rim has the most popular and some say the best views, but the North Rim offers solitude and amazing places like Point Sublime. The West Rim is home to the Grand Canyon Skywalk, a unique glass bridge perched on the rim of the canyon and far flung destination like Tuweep has the much photographed Toroweap Point. No matter where you travel to at the Grand Canyon, there’s an awesome vista with your name on it. Read the guide below to find out about the best scenic vistas or check out our Grand Canyon scenic viewpoints map.

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South Rim Scenic Viewpoints

The South Rim is the most-visited part of Grand Canyon so a lot of the photos that you see were taken from these viewpoints. Because the South Rim is lower than the North Rim, you have wide, sweeping views from this side and you can gaze across at the temples and buttes that line the North Rim of the canyon.

Ooh Aah Point
Ooh Aah Point
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Scenic Vistas
One of the most family-friendly hikes on the South Rim, Ooh Aah Point is a 1.8-mile roundtrip hike down the South Kaibab Trail. As its name suggests, you get an incredible view of the canyon for not hiking that far!
Pima Point
Pima Point
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Spring
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Scenic Vistas
A popular spot for sunset near the end of Hermit Road, Pima Point gives you great views of the Colorado River.
Pipe Creek Vista
Pipe Creek Vista
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Scenic Vistas
The first of the scenic overlooks on Desert View Drive, this small overlook gives you a view of the Pipe Creek drainage below you. You can sometimes hear Peregrin falcons calling in the rocky amphitheater below you.
Plateau Point
Plateau Point
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Spring
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Scenic Vistas
Located on a spur trail from the Bright Angel Trail/Indian Garden, Plateau Point is a popular hike for an epic Grand Canyon sunset. From the Point you can see straight down the Colorado River, still 1,300 feet below you.
Powell Point
Powell Point
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Spring
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Scenic Vistas
Featuring a stone memorial to Major John Wesley Powell’s exploratory river trips through Grand Canyon in the 1860’s, the raised platform at Powell Point gives you a unique view of the canyon.
Shoshone Point
Shoshone Point
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Spring
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Scenic Vistas
Accessible only via a flat hike on an old dirt road, this easy 2-mile hike ends at the rocky Shoshone Point Overlook. This is an ideal location if you want to leave the crowds behind and enjoy a more relaxing sunrise or sunset with a handful of (almost always) quiet fellow hikers.
Skeleton Point
Skeleton Point
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Spring
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Scenic Vistas
Much less visited due to the difficulty of the hike, Skeleton Point is the first place that you can see the Colorado River from the South Kaibab Trail. The hike is 6-miles roundtrip.
The Abyss
The Abyss
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Scenic Vistas
Named for the extreme vertical drop of the canyon below the overlook, you can gaze down thousands of feet into the Monument Creek drainage.
Tip Off
Tip Off
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Scenic Vistas
Located on the Tonto Platform rock formation, 2/3 of the way down into the canyon, the Tip Off truly gives you the feeling of being deep within the canyon. From there you can take in an awesome view of the Bright Angel Canyon to the west.
Trailview Overlook
Trailview Overlook
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Spring
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Scenic Vistas
A short walk or shuttle bus ride from Grand Canyon Village, Trailview Overlook gives you a great view of Bright Angel Trail as it drops into the canyon below you. You can also gaze across the south rim and see many of the historic buildings in Grand Canyon Village.
Yaki Point
Yaki Point
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Spring
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Scenic Vistas
The only overlook on Desert View Drive the is shuttle bus only, this is the best spot for sunset if you are using the Kaibab Rim/Orange shuttle bus to take in views of the canyon.
Yavapai Point
Yavapai Point
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Spring
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Scenic Vistas
Of all the overlooks along the South Rim, Yavapai Point was selected as the best place for a geology museum because it not only offers very clear views of every rock layer that makes up Grand Canyon but also views of the Colorado River that carved it. You can enjoy the view from either inside or outside the Yavapai Geology Museum.

North Rim Scenic Viewpoints

Only open seasonally, the North Rim offers the highest viewpoints to be found along the canyon and you have many opportunities to see up-close views of the photogenic temples, buttes and mesas that form from eroding rainwater on this side of Grand Canyon.

West Rim and East Rim Scenic Viewpoints

West Rim Grand Canyon offers some unique viewpoints to visitors. Toroweap is certainly one of the most beautiful natural views of the canyon while the Grand Canyon Skywalk at Eagle Point is certainly the biggest adrenaline rush viewpoint thanks to the glass-bottomed platform that visitors can walk out on to see the canyon. While there is only one scenic viewpoint on the East Rim, it is also one of the most easily accessible and famous viewpoints as well.

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