Grandview Point earned its name the old-fashioned way, by being very obviously grand. At more than 2,200 metres on the South Rim, it was one of the first places where tourists were brought to look into the canyon, and in the late 1890s a prospector named Pete Berry built a hotel nearby, the Grandview, to take advantage of the traffic. The stagecoach road from Flagstaff ended here before the railway reached the Village in 1901 and pulled the business west. The old hotel is gone, but the view is the same, and the pull-out looks across an uninterrupted sweep of the canyon with the Colorado River glimmering far below.
What makes it special is the geology laid out like a diagram. The Grandview Trail drops steeply from the rim to Horseshoe Mesa, where Berry worked copper claims, and old mining relics still scatter the slopes. You do not have to be a hiker to enjoy the view, but you can take a few steps on the trail to feel the edge of the world fall away. Pinyon pine and juniper crouch along the rim, and ravens ride the updraughts so close that you can hear their wings.
The ride along Desert View Drive here is a series of calm, rolling curves with moderate gradients and long lines of sight through the forest. The road surface is mostly good, but the verges are soft, and elk and mule deer are a constant hazard. At 35 mph or less, the point of the ride is not speed but rhythm. Pull in at each viewpoint, take a minute to look, and then continue. Crowds are lighter than around the Village, particularly in the morning and in late afternoon. Winter brings snow, and the road can close for a few hours or days during storms.
There are no services at Grandview Point apart from toilets. Desert View, about 20 kilometres to the east, sells fuel, snacks and souvenirs, and Grand Canyon Village, about 16 kilometres west, has shops, restaurants and petrol, though it is busier. Tusayan, outside the south entrance, has more still. Bring water and sunscreen, and a windproof jacket in any season. The rim can be cold, and the wind comes up out of the canyon with a sharp edge.