Skip lines at Grand Canyon by hopping on the shuttle

Summer is the busiest time of year to visit Grand Canyon National Park. Lines to enter the South Rim are long and parking fills up fast.

Peak- season visitors can expect up to a two- hour wait at the entrance station north of Tusayan and parking lots hit capacity as early as noon.

Want to avoid that lengthy traffic jam and frustrating search for parking? Leave your car outside the park and ride the free Grand Canyon shuttle.

The seasonal service began May 28, and connects visitors to the Grand Canyon Visitor Center where they can hop on other shuttles that traverse the South Rim.

How to ride the shuttle

Buy your park pass first: There’s no charge to ride shuttle, but passengers must purchase their park admission before boarding. There are several ways to do this:

● In Tusayan, passes are sold at the Grand Canyon IMAX Theater, Canyon Plaza Resort, Red Feather Lodge, The Grand Hotel and Westwind Air Service at the Grand Canyon Airport.

● Buy a weekly pass to Grand Canyon National Park at recreation. gov.

● Buy an annual America the Beautiful pass to all federally managed recreation sites at store. usgs. gov.

Park your car in Tusayan: There are shuttle stops throughout the community:

● Best Western Premier Inn. Grand Hotel.

● Big E Steakhouse.

● Grand Canyon IMAX Theater.

● Park- and- ride lot near the roundabout at the north end of Tusayan.

Visitors who are driving RVs or pulling trailers and don’t have campground reservations should use the park- and- ride lots.

Grand Canyon shuttle schedule: Shuttles run every 20 minutes. The first one into the park leaves Tusayan at 8 a. m. from the IMAX Theater. The first bus from the park to Tusayan leaves the Grand Canyon Visitor Center at 8: 25 a. m. The last buses into the park leave IMAX at 9: 45 p. m. and the last buses out leave the visitor center at 9: 30 p. m. Inside the park, shuttles to other trails and lookouts are free.

Find out more: www.nps.gov/grca.