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Grand Canyon Village is a small town at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Originally settled by pioneers in the 1890s, its sole purpose is to accommodate tourists visiting the Grand Canyon.
I visited Grand Canyon Village mostly by walking along the portion of the Rim Trail that passes through the village, starting from the west and heading east.
Kolb Studio
The first point of interest I passed was Kolb Studio. It was built between 1904 and 1926 by Emery and Ellsworth Kolb, two brothers who had arrived at the Grand Canyon two years earlier. The studio displayed the Kolbs’ films and photographs of the Grand Canyon and also functioned as a family home.
There are also some great views of the canyon from either side of the studio.
Lookout Studio
Next, I passed Lookout Studio. It was built by architect Mary Colter in 1914 as a photography studio to compete with the Kolb Studio.
Lookout Studio was built to blend in with the environment and has a three-tiered lookout.
Buckey’s Cabin
Behind the Lookout Studio is Buckey’s Cabin. Built in 1895 by Buckey O’Neill, it’s the only remaining building from the early pioneer settlement at Grand Canyon Village. O’Neill lived there with his wife while they ran a hotel nearby. In addition to promoting tourism to the canyon, he was a miner instrumental in the construction of the Grand Canyon Railroad and was one of Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders, killed in action in Cuba in 1898.
Bright Angel Lodge
Continuing east, I came to the Bright Angel Lodge. It was completed in 1935 by Mary Colter and aimed at a middle-class market. The complex consists of the central main lodge surrounded by cabins.
Walking East
Next, I passed up the Thunderbird and Kachina Lodges while enjoying the views of the canyon. There were also some great views of the Lookout Studio to the west.
As far as the views of the canyon, I was able to spot some cabins and structures at the bottom.
El Tovar Hotel
The El Tovar Hotel was the next point of interest along the way. When it opened in 1905, it was the first luxury hotel at the Grand Canyon. It was designed by architect Charles Whittlesey for the Fred Harvey Company.
Hopi House
Next to the El Tovar is the Hopi House, designed by Mary Colter to resemble a Hopi pueblo. It was built as a living museum for Hopi artists to create and sell their crafts and opened in 1905, just two weeks before the El Tovar.
At a viewpoint outside of Hopi House, there’s a scenic locator created by George Crosby in 1922. It’s fixed to a concrete wall and indicates several natural features found in the canyon.
Verkamp’s Visitor Center
A few steps further east is Verkamp’s Visitor Center. It opened in 1906 as Verkamp’s Curio Store, and the Verkamp family lived upstairs until 1978. The National Park Service took over the building from the family in 2008 and turned it into a visitor center and museum.
Inside, there’s an exhibit on life in Grand Canyon Village and a park timeline is located on the floor. Among the artifacts on display is the pen used by Woodrow Wilson to establish Grand Canyon National Park on February 26, 1919.
Grand Canyon Depot
Just south of the El Tovar Hotel is the Grand Canyon Depot of the Grand Canyon Railway. The depot was built from 1909-1910 for the railway which was completed in 1901. It runs from Williams to the Grand Canyon and is still in operation to this day.
Shrine of the Ages
Further east, I took the Village shuttle bus to the Shrine of the Ages. It was built as a multi-purpose building to hold religious services and private functions. Ranger programs are often held there.
Pioneer Cemetery
Next to the Shrine of the Ages is the Pioneer Cemetery. Officially dedicated in 1928, the cemetery has been in use much longer. Many of the park’s early figures are buried there, including the Kolb brothers and John Verkamp, as well as 29 unidentified passengers from the 1956 TWA-United Airlines aviation disaster. The cemetery closed to new burials as of 2017.
