Canyon View
Information
Plaza
Canyon View Information Plaza is a
state-of-the-art transportation and orientation hub. The
Grand Canyon Association also opened a new bookstore on
the Plaza.
The Plaza's opening was the first major step in
implementing the park's 1995 General Management Plan, a
plan that focused on public transportation and enhanced
educational and recreational opportunities. The Plaza
fulfills four functions:
Provides
visitors with their first glimpse of the canyon - away
from noise and vehicle congestion;
Introduces
visitors to the park's major interpretive themes -
enriching the visitors experience;
Offers
visitors a menu of recreational options that include
orientation to riding shuttle buses, biking, hiking, and
ranger guided activities;
Connects
visitors to other points in the park, with the completion
of a mass transit system in early 2004, that will include
alternative fuel buses and light rail.
The
park's shuttle system is a year round service. The
Village Route, connecting Canyon View to the South
Rim Village, now operates from an hour before sunrise to
9:00, 10:00 or 11:00 p.m., depending on the season. The
Hermits Rest Route to overlooks on the west rim
operates from an hour before sunrise to an hour after
sunset from March through November. The Kaibab Trail
Route now operates during the same hours throughout
the year. Hermit Road (formally West Rim Drive) and the
South Kaibab and Yaki Point Roads are now open from
December through February.
The Grand Canyon Greenway, a multi-use trail system
will eventually extends from Canyon View Information Plaza
to the future Grand Canyon Transit Center north of
Tusayan, and to Desert View and Hermits Rest. The recently developed 3-maile trail to Hermit's Rest isone of the best places for cycling along the South Rim.
The Information Plaza is designed to accommodate up
to 4,200 people per hour at peak times. The facility will
eventually serve as a hub for four modes of
transportation; bus, train, biking and hiking. It was also
the first major project completed at Grand Canyon with
funds from the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program, a
pilot program approved by Congress in 1996 that allows
the national parks and other federal agencies to keep up
to 80% of most user fees collected.
Visitors are asked to park their vehicle, board a
shuttle bus, and visit Canyon View Information Plaza to
begin their connection to the Grand Canyon. Once the
light rail system is completed, day use visitors will
park their cars outside of the park at the Grand Canyon
Transit Center and board a light rail train for the short
trip to Canyon View Information Plaza.
