Car

There are three ways to enter the park:

• The South Entrance lies on AZ-64 (South Entrance Rd) between Tusayan and Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim. To get there from Flagstaff, AZ, you can take US-180 north-west to Valle, AZ, where it joins with AZ-64, or, take I-40 west toward Williams, AZ, to the junction with AZ-64. The second is the better route in Winter weather but both are approximately 80 mi (129 km). When at the entrance, there are two lanes reserved for pass and prepaid entrance fees (lanes 1 and 4), which can be pre-purchased outside of the park at the National Geographic Visitor Center & IMAX Theater in Tusayan.

• The East Entrance lies on AZ-64 (East Rim Dr) just east of the Desert View Campground. If coming from the east take US 89 south from Page, AZ, or north from Flagstaff to the junction with AZ-64 at Cameron, AZ. From Cameron it is about 25 mi (40 km) to the East Entrance, and about 27 mi (43 km) from the East Entrance to Grand Canyon Village.
• The North Entrance lies on AZ-67, which runs south from US-89 at the small village of Jacob Lake. This road, and the North Rim, are closed for Winter from mid October-mid May. While the average distance across the canyon from the South to North Rim is only ten miles, there are no roads across, meaning you have to drive the 215 miles (345 km) around to get there, which should take around five hours.

Plane

Many Grand Canyon visitors fly into one of two metropolitan airports located within half a day's drive of the South Rim:

• McCarran International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas, NV, 275 mi (443 km) from the South Rim.
• Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (PHX) in Phoenix, AZ, 230 mi (370 km) from the South Rim.

Local airports include:

• Pulliam Field (FLG) in Flagstaff is the nearest commercial airport to the canyon. It is serviced only by US Airways and mostly just provides connections to the canyon from the Phoenix airport.
• Grand Canyon National Park Airport (GCN) in Tusayan is located just outside of the South Entrance. It is primarily used by air tour companies and private aircraft.

Bus

The nearest towns served by Greyhound (www.greyhound.com) are Williams and Flagstaff. From there you can catch one of the daily shuttles into the park with Arizona Shuttle (www.arizonashuttle.com), which costs around $30, or transfer to Tusayan and catch the free shuttle provided by the NPS into the park (see Getting Around in Explore).

Several tour companies offer guided bus tours originating in Flagstaff, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and other locations. They generally just visit the South Rim, but there are a few that will do both. 

Train

• Grand Canyon Railway (www.thetrain.com) operates from the town of Williams to the Grand Canyon Village. At 2.5 hours each way it takes twice as long as driving, but its charm lies in its restored historic carriages, the steam locomotive that operates during the Summer season and even a staged old west style shootout! It's $75-$200 return, depending on class.
• Amtrak's Southwest Chief (www.amtrak.com) operates daily between Chicago and Los Angeles and stops at Williams Junction, with connections to the Grand Canyon Railway.