Desert View Drive is the quieter half of the Grand Canyon's South Rim — the scenic road that runs east along AZ-64 from the busy village to the Desert View Watchtower at the park's east gate. Where the village corridor is about walking and history, this drive is about the canyon at scale: the broadest river views, the deepest panoramas, and the eastern edge where the green plateau gives way to the Painted Desert. This audio tour follows the road roughly 23 miles, stopping at six overlooks west to east, and it explains what you're seeing as you stand at each rim — geology, a thousand years of Ancestral Puebloan history, and the painters and architects who taught the world what the Grand Canyon looks like.
Desert View Drive — GPS Driving Tour
6 GPS-triggered stops along AZ-64 east, from Pipe Creek Vista to the Desert View Watchtower. Geology, Ancestral Puebloan history, Thomas Moran, and Mary Colter — narrated as you drive. Open to private vehicles year-round, no shuttle.
First 2 stops free — preview before you buy
Start the Audio TourWorks offline. Download once, drive anytime.
What makes Desert View Drive ideal for an audio tour is that the overlooks here are spread out and the story isn't on the signs. At Moran Point you're looking at the view that the painter Thomas Moran helped make a national treasure; at Lipan Point you're staring down at the Unkar Delta, where Ancestral Puebloan farmers grew corn on the river floodplain a thousand years ago; and at the Watchtower you're inside Mary Colter's deliberate homage to those same ancient builders, its walls painted by Hopi artist Fred Kabotie. The tour connects the rim you're standing on to the river, the people, and the deep time below.
Driving direction & safety: We narrate the drive west to east, beginning at Pipe Creek Vista just east of the village and ending at the Desert View Watchtower. AZ-64 east is a two-lane road with a 45 mph limit through the park; elk cross it at dawn and dusk. Every stop has its own parking lot — never stop in the travel lane for the view. Pull fully off at each overlook, and use the pullouts to let faster traffic by.
West End — Leaving the Village
Stop 1 — Pipe Creek Vista
The first pullout heading east, Pipe Creek Vista is your reintroduction to the canyon away from the village crowds. At about 7,100 feet, it opens broad to the north and east toward the North Rim and the named buttes — Vishnu Temple, Wotans Throne — rising from the canyon floor. It's also where we set the ground rules for the drive: Desert View Drive is open to private vehicles year-round with no shuttle, the $35 park fee applies, and AZ-64 east is a 45 mph two-lane road where elk cross at dawn and dusk. This stop is a free preview.
Stop 2 — Grandview Point
At roughly 7,400 feet, Grandview was the center of canyon tourism before the railroad — visitors arrived by stagecoach from Flagstaff and stayed at the Grand View Hotel. Prospector Pete Berry built the Grandview Trail down to his copper mine on Horseshoe Mesa; the ore won a purity prize at the 1893 World's Fair, but hauling it out by mule was ruinous, and when the railroad reached the village in 1901, Grandview faded. The ~25-space lot fills by 9 AM and there is no shuttle, so come early or late. Read the Grandview Trail guide before any descent. This stop is a free preview.
The Great Eastern Overlooks
Stop 3 — Moran Point
Named for the painter Thomas Moran, whose luminous canvases of the canyon — alongside William Henry Jackson's photographs — helped convince a distant public that this place was worth protecting. The overlook offers an unusually dramatic cross-section of the canyon's strata, deep reds and shifting light. Below sits Hance Rapid, one of the canyon's biggest whitewater tests, and to the southeast you can pick out the tilted block known as the Sinking Ship — proof that even here, the orderly layers have been folded and faulted.
Stop 4 — Lipan Point
At about 7,360 feet, Lipan offers the broadest river view on the entire South Rim — the Colorado swings through a great looping bend directly below, and the full sequence of rock layers is laid bare across the walls. Look down to the green Unkar Delta, where Ancestral Puebloan people farmed corn, beans, and squash between roughly 850 and 1200 AD; the stone outlines of their dwellings remain. Lipan is widely considered the rim's best sunset viewpoint. See our full Lipan Point guide.
Stop 5 — Navajo Point
At 7,461 feet, Navajo Point is the highest viewpoint on the entire South Rim — and one of its quiet secrets. Just one mile west of the Watchtower, it's often skipped by visitors who assume the big views are all at the tower. They're wrong: from here you get the best long look back at Mary Colter's stone tower framed against the canyon, plus a sweeping view east to the banded Painted Desert. Read the Navajo Point guide.
East End — Desert View & the Watchtower
Stop 6 — Desert View Watchtower
Mary Colter's 70-foot stone Watchtower, opened in 1932, is the masterwork of the architect who shaped the South Rim more than anyone. She modeled it on the ancient towers of the Ancestral Puebloans at Hovenweep and Mesa Verde, hiding a steel frame behind weathered native stone so it reads as a centuries-old ruin. Inside, the walls carry murals by the renowned Hopi artist Fred Kabotie, including the Hopi Snake Legend. From the top you see the Colorado River's great bend and the Painted Desert beyond. The tower is generally open daily, roughly 9 AM–5 PM seasonally — check at the door. Full details in our Desert View Watchtower guide.
Practical Information
No shuttle — you drive it yourself
Desert View Drive (AZ-64 east) is open to private vehicles every day, every season — there is no shuttle. This is the opposite of Hermit Road on the west side, which is closed to private cars March through November and reached only by the free Hermit Rest Route shuttle. Because Desert View Drive is always drivable, you can do this tour at your own pace in any month and linger as long as you like at each overlook.
Park pass & the east entrance
Every stop is inside Grand Canyon National Park, so the $35-per-vehicle pass (or the $80 America the Beautiful annual pass) applies — whether you enter from the south near Tusayan or exit through the east entrance at Desert View. The audio tour fee is separate and one-time. If you're continuing east toward Cameron, Page, or the Navajo Nation, the Watchtower is your last stop in the park. See our travel planning guide for routes and timing.
Best time to drive
Grandview is a superb, uncrowded sunrise viewpoint; Lipan is the rim's top sunset pick. A late-afternoon start that ends at Lipan or the Watchtower for sunset is the classic plan — just bring a layer, since temperatures at 7,300-plus feet drop fast after dark, and the lots empty quickly once the light goes.
Related Guides
- Grand Canyon Audio Tours — all self-guided rim and drive tours
- Grandview Point Guide — sunrise, parking, and the historic Grandview Trail
- Lipan Point Guide — the broadest river view and the South Rim's best sunset
- Navajo Point Guide — the highest viewpoint on the South Rim
- Desert View Watchtower — Mary Colter's 1932 tower and the Kabotie murals
- Plan Your Trip — best time to visit, parking, lodging strategy
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the Grand Canyon Desert View Drive audio tour?
The audio tour follows AZ-64 east for roughly 23 miles one way, from Pipe Creek Vista near the village to the Desert View Watchtower at the east entrance. Allow 2 to 3 hours with stops at all six overlooks. The drive itself is short — the time goes into stopping, walking to the rim, and taking in the views. There is no shuttle on Desert View Drive; you drive your own vehicle the whole way and stop as long as you like at each pullout.
Is there a shuttle on Desert View Drive, or do I have to drive?
You drive yourself. Desert View Drive (AZ-64 east) is open to private vehicles year-round, every season, with no shuttle service. This is the opposite of Hermit Road on the west side, which is closed to private cars from March through November and reached only by the free Hermit Rest Route shuttle. Because Desert View Drive is always drivable, you can do this tour at your own pace in any month, stopping as long as you want at each overlook.
Can I preview the Desert View Drive tour before I buy it?
Yes. The first two stops — Pipe Creek Vista and Grandview Point — play free, no purchase required. That covers the start of the drive and the historic Grandview tourism story. The one-time $3.99 purchase unlocks the remaining four stops: Moran Point, Lipan Point, Navajo Point, and the Desert View Watchtower. You can sample the format before deciding to unlock the rest.
Do I need a park pass to do the Desert View Drive audio tour?
Yes. Every stop is inside Grand Canyon National Park, so you need a valid park pass to be there. The 7-day vehicle pass is $35, and the America the Beautiful annual pass is $80 and covers all national parks for a year. The audio tour fee is separate and one-time. The fee applies whether you enter through the south entrance near Tusayan or exit through the east entrance at Desert View.
What time does the Desert View Watchtower open?
The Desert View Watchtower is generally open daily with seasonal hours, typically around 9 AM to 5 PM, though the exact times shift through the year and the upper levels occasionally close. Check the hours posted at the door when you arrive. The rim viewpoint and parking area around the tower are accessible regardless of whether the tower interior is open, so you can always take in the view of the Colorado River bend and the Painted Desert.
