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The Kaibab Rim Route shuttle bus (orange) takes visitors along a section of the South Rim at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It takes 50 minutes round-trip to do the loop without getting off the bus and is free to ride.
Grand Canyon Visitor Center
The main shuttle stop is at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, where you can catch both eastbound and westbound shuttles running on a loop. It’s the only stop on the loop where you can catch shuttles going in either direction.
Mather Point
We started by walking from the visitor center to the first westbound stop, Mather Point. It’s named for Stephen Mather, the first director of the National Park Service, and is just a short walk from behind the visitor center.
From the visitor center, you can either walk to Mather Point or ride the bus westbound. It may take less time to get there on foot than waiting for the bus.
There are a few different viewpoints to enjoy near Mather Point and each one is incredible.
Yavapai Point
Next on the loop is Yavapai Point, which is the westernmost stop on the shuttle route. From the viewpoint, you can enjoy the expected spectacular views of the Grand Canyon.
If you look carefully, you can spot small sections of the Colorado River as well as the Kaibab Suspension Bridge at the bottom of the canyon.
There’s also a small museum, the Yavapai Geology Museum, where visitors can learn about the geology of the park. The building was designed by architect Herbert Maier and opened in July 1928.
From the museum, you can take the Trail of Time west along the canyon rim to Verkamp’s Visitor Center at Grand Canyon Village. The trail represents two billion years of the Grand Canyon’s geological history, with each meter representing one million years. Rock samples from the bottom of the canyon to the rim are on display along the way.
Yaki Point
The Kaibab Rim Route shuttle continues eastbound from Yavapai Point and makes a stop at the visitor center before continuing to the South Kaibab Trailhead, then Yaki Point.
Yaki Point is popular for both sunrises and sunsets, and is the only viewpoint along Desert View Drive that is not accessible with a private vehicle.
Pipe Creek Vista
The final stop before completing the loop is Pipe Creek Vista, which is also on Desert View Drive. From there, you can also walk back to the visitor center via Mather Point on a 1.3 mile paved section of the Rim Trail.
