Grand Canyon Village is the hub of the South Rim, a small, odd community of lodges, shops, a railway station and a clinic perched at about sixty-eight hundred feet on the edge of the biggest hole in the ground most people will ever see. The gorge is two hundred and seventy-seven miles long, up to eighteen miles wide, and over a mile deep, and it was carved by the Colorado River over millions of years, exposing layer upon layer of rock that records nearly two billion years of the planet's history.
The village grew with the railway, which arrived from the main line in 1901 and ended the stagecoach era. The Fred Harvey Company, which ran hotels and restaurants along the Santa Fe line, built the El Tovar hotel in 1905 as a log-and-stone lodge on the rim, and hired the architect Mary Colter to design a series of buildings that borrowed from Native American styles, including the Hopi House, which is still a shop. Many of these historic structures are still in use and are worth a look before you head out.
Desert View Drive starts here and runs east along the South Rim for about twenty-five miles, with a string of viewpoints just off the road. It is a gentle, flowing road in pine and juniper forest, with plenty of places to pull over, and it is far more peaceful than the busy village. The curves are easy and the surface is good, but speed limits are low, and elk, deer and tourists wander across the road. Early morning is best, with soft light on the rock and little traffic.
At this altitude the air can be crisp, with frost in spring and autumn, and thunderstorms in July and August. The sun at the rim is strong, and the dry air will dehydrate you, so carry water. Visitors are warned never to go beyond the guard rails, because every year there are accidents. Fuel is available inside the park, though it is worth confirming in season, and at Tusayan, just outside the south entrance. Food ranges from cafeterias to the historic hotel dining rooms, and you may want to book ahead in summer.