Valle, Tusayan, and Grand Canyon Village

About Grand Canyon National Park Lodging and Food

This page tells you about staying in the Grand Canyon area. There are two separate and distinct hotel and restaurant areas at the Grand Canyon. One is the village of Tusayan just outside the park's south entrance, about 15 minutes drive from Grand Canyon's South Rim. The other area is the in-park hotels, run by National Park concessionaires Xanterra and Delaware North.

In-Park Hotels and Restaurants

El Tovar Hotel (NPS Photo by Mike Quinn)

Xanterra runs all in-park hotels except Yavapai Lodge. All Xanterra hotels have the same booking number: 888-297-2757. Delaware North's Yavapai Lodge is at 877-404-4611.

The aging queen of all Grand Canyon hotels is the lovely, historic (and real old, 1905) El Tovar, overlooking the canyon rim. Other choices right on the rim are the dorm-like (but overlooking the canyon) Thunderbird and Kachina Lodges, and the rustic (but 'kinda fun') Bright Angel Lodge and cabins.

The newly remodeled Maswik Lodge is a short walk or drive to the rim. Yavapai Lodge and the Trailer Village are a short drive, walk, or free shuttle to the rim. All these hotels book up months early. Canyon Dave Tours picks up at any of these and even the campgrounds.

Favorite dinner restaurants in the park are the El Tovar Dining Room (shown) and the Arizona Room, near the Bright Angel Lodge. Maswik Lodge's Food Court and especially the Yavapai Tavern have very nice sit-down lunches. The Village Market Deli has the best to-go sandwiches and picnic food, and is located inside a well-stocked grocery, hiking gear section, and general store.

Tusayan and Valle Hotels and Restaurants

The Tusayan hotels: our favorite is the Best Western Squire Resort (800-622-6966). There are also the Canyon Plaza Hotel (877-424-6423), Holiday Inn Express (888-473-2269), Grand Hotel (888-634-7263), Seven Mile Lodge (928-638-2291), and the Red Feather Lodge (800-538-2345). These are largely more modern and less rustic than the hotels in the park, most having swimming pools, air conditioning, and other amenities. Tusayan is a 15 minute drive from the Grand Canyon South Rim and Valle is more like 45 minutes.

The tiny town of Valle (Grand Canyon Junction) has "glamping" nearby in deluxe tents at Under Canvas (888-240-7824) or at Clear Sky Resorts. Grand Canyon Inn is a 2-star hotel in Valle (800-635-9203).

In Tusayan, the Coronado Room in the Squire Inn and The Canyon Star in the Grand Hotel are recommended restaurants. Tusayan's Plaza Bonita has excellent Mexican food. We Cook Pizza And Pasta has great pizza and Italian food in a pizza parlor atmosphere. The Foodie Club has nice lunch options. A new McDonald's is now open, and there is a Wendy's in town.

Welcome to Grand Canyon and Canyon Dave Tours!

The little hotel village of Tusayan hosts our Grand Canyon Tours from Tusayan. Each of Canyon Dave's tours also starts in Grand Canyon Village or the more distant village of Valle. Whether a three-hour introduction or a full day tour, we will pick you up in the lobby of your hotel.

You can see all of these tours on one page. The Full Day Tour and the Morning Tour each start at 9:45 AM. The Afternoon Tour starts at 12:30 PM and the Sunset Tour is currently at 5:30 PM (it varies with the season). You can make any of our tours into a Private Tour.

Wherever you start, we will zip over to our first viewpoint at the South Rim. Here you will have a brief introduction to the salient features before you. Your congenial guide will point out the Colorado River, Phantom Ranch far below, the buttes and temples within the Canyon, and the Bright Angel and Kaibab Trails.

And now you will start the gorgeous East Rim Drive to Desert View and the Hopi Watchtower.