Mather Point is where the Grand Canyon usually begins. The main South Rim visitor center and its huge parking areas are a few minutes’ walk away, so almost every first-time visitor arrives here, walks out along a paved path through the pines and suddenly finds the ground falling away for a mile. The point is named after Stephen Mather, the first director of the National Park Service.
The view is enormous — on a clear day you can see more than 30 miles east and west, and across to the North Rim about ten miles away. What you cannot easily see from here is the Colorado River; for that, walk west along the Rim Trail to Yavapai Point. Mather Point is free to visit once you are inside the park (the park entrance fee covers everything on the South Rim).
What to see and do: Mather Point
Take in the first view
Walk the short paved path from the visitor center plaza to the two railed terraces that jut out over the edge. Give yourself time: the scale takes a while to register, and the colours change minute by minute as clouds pass. Stay behind the railings — the rock beyond them is uneven and the drop is sheer.
Watch the sunrise
Mather Point faces the morning light well and is the most popular sunrise spot on the South Rim. Arrive 30–45 minutes before sunrise for a place at the rail, bring a warm layer even in summer, and expect company. If you prefer quiet, walk a few hundred yards along the Rim Trail in either direction.
Visit the Grand Canyon Visitor Center
The main visitor center has rangers to answer questions, exhibits, a theatre showing a short film about the canyon, restrooms and water bottle filling stations. It is also the hub for the free shuttle buses, including the orange route to the South Kaibab Trailhead and Yaki Point.
Walk the Rim Trail
From Mather Point the mostly paved Rim Trail runs west for about 0.7 miles to Yavapai Point and then on to Grand Canyon Village — around 2 miles in all, nearly flat, with the canyon at your side the whole way. Along the way the Trail of Time marks the age of the rocks, a metre for every million years.
How to get to Mather Point
- Drivers entering from the south (Tusayan) reach the visitor center parking lots a few miles after the entrance station; Mather Point is a short walk from there. In peak season the lots fill by mid-morning, so arrive early or park in Tusayan and use the seasonal Tusayan shuttle.
- Inside the park, free shuttle buses link the visitor center with Grand Canyon Village, Yavapai, Hermit Road and the South Kaibab Trailhead. Many guided tours from Las Vegas, Phoenix, Flagstaff and Sedona stop here too.
Insider tips
- Sunrise from Mather Point is lovely, but the crowd can be large; Yavapai Point or Pipe Creek Vista, a little east along the road, are quieter alternatives.
- At 7,000 feet the South Rim is cooler than you might expect — mornings can be close to freezing from late autumn to spring.
- Keep well back from the edge, especially with children, and never climb over railings for a photo. Falls from the rim happen every year.
- Refill water bottles at the visitor center: there are filling stations around the village and visitor center, and the air is very dry.
Best tours & tickets for Mather Point
These top-rated experiences pair well with a visit to Mather Point:
Scenic helicopter flight from US$269 Grand Canyon 30-Min Helicopter Flight + Hummer Tour Option
The classic South Rim flight: a half-hour loop from the heliport in Tusayan out over the Kaibab Forest and across the canyon, with thousands of reviews behind it. Flights over the national park stay above the rim and follow set air corridors, so this is a sightseeing flight, not a landing tour. Add the Hummer option to see the rim viewpoints on the ground afterwards.
- Flight over the national park from Tusayan, just outside the South Rim
- Optional guided Hummer tour along the rim
- The most-reviewed Grand Canyon flight on GetYourGuide
Guided open-air vehicle tour from US$139 Grand Canyon National Park: 2-Hour Small-Group Hummer Tour
A two-hour guided drive to South Rim viewpoints in an open-air Hummer, with a guide who explains the rock layers, the wildlife and the people of the canyon. A good option if you have half a day, do not want to deal with parking, or are travelling with people who cannot walk far.
- Small group in an open Hummer
- Rim viewpoints with a guide explaining geology and history
- Easy way to see a lot in a short time
Coach day tour from US$124 Vegas: Grand Canyon National Park South w/Lunch, Free WiFi
A good-value way to see the national-park South Rim — the Grand Canyon of the postcards — on a day trip from Las Vegas. It is a long day of driving, but you get roughly three hours at the canyon with the park fee and lunch included.
- About three hours of free time at the South Rim
- Park entry fees and lunch included
- Grand Canyon Village: El Tovar, Hopi House, Kolb Studio, Bright Angel Trailhead
Guided day tour from US$191 Grand Canyon Classic Sightseeing Tour Departing Flagstaff
A well-rated full-day tour from Flagstaff, about an hour and a half from the South Rim. The guide handles the driving and explains the geology as you work along the rim from viewpoint to viewpoint.
- Full day at the South Rim with a professional guide
- Explanations of how the canyon formed
- Several viewpoints along the rim
Guided day tour from US$226 From Phoenix: Grand Canyon, Sedona, and Oak Creek Day Trip
The most-reviewed Grand Canyon day trip from Phoenix. It is a long day — the South Rim is roughly three and a half to four hours’ drive each way — but it combines the canyon with the red rocks of Sedona and the forested Oak Creek Canyon.
- South Rim viewpoints with a guide
- Stops in Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon
- Transport from Phoenix
Guided jeep tour from US$143 Tusayan: Grand Canyon National Park Jeep Tour
A compact two-hour jeep tour into the national park with a stop and short walk at Grandview Point, one of the finest South Rim viewpoints, east of Grand Canyon Village. A good fit for a short visit or a first orientation.
- Short guided tour in a pink jeep
- Stop and short walk at Grandview Point
- Commentary on the canyon’s history and geology
