Best Time to Visit the Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is the world’s most famous US National Park, which is located in the northern part of Arizona and is very popular among both foreigners and local residents. With a landscape like that on the moon, it draws so many tourists that it is almost impossible to fully enjoy it when thousands take selfies against the scenic background. So, the best time to visit the Grand Canyon is March-May and September-November. This is not peak season and the temperatures are not super hot, as in June, July and August.

Grand-Canyon-National-Park-Ranger-Guided-Hike-To-Cedar-Ridge

March-May

Spring is a great time to visit the canyon as it is already warm, but there is still no summer influx of tourists. The north rim of the canyon opens only in April due to lasting snow. In the morning, you can expect a bit of rain and +5°C. By midday the sun warms up the air to about 22°C, which is the typical weather during spring in the Grand Canyon. The evenings become cold like the mornings.

The daytime temperature rises to 28 degrees in April and 31 degrees in May. We highly recommend taking windbreaker and fleece jackets for the chilly morning and evening hours.

Grand Canyon is situated at 2000m altitude. The bottom of the canyon is almost always warmer than at the top. Due to this temperature difference there are often fogs in the morning and beautiful sunsets almost every day. This may not be the case in the summer months.

June-August

June to August forms the peak season in the Grand Canyon, despite the hot weather. Even from the beginning of May the best hotels in Grand Canyon Village or Tusoyan are sold out. Therefore, we recommend booking at least six months in advance.

The temperatures can easily scale up to 40°C in July and the sun will feel very intense under direct rays. Sometimes there is a breeze blowing through the canyon, that may mask high temperatures. But we recommend drinking a lot of water to stay hydrated, especially if you are hiking. Getting sun burns is a real possibility here, so always apply sunscreen and wear a hat!

Two people watching a hazy sunrise from Hopi Point, on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.

The air is dry and hot in the summers. Even at night, the temperatures in summer are rarely below 24 degrees Celsius. There is no rainy season at the Grand Canyon. The North Rim is noticeably cooler throughout the year, but also reaches peak temperatures above 40°C in midsummer.

Because these travel months are so popular, helicopter flights to the Grand Canyon are particularly in high demand and are booked up even faster than in the other months. Hence, if you have found a helicopter flight for your desired date, book quickly! Drinks are included with most helicopter flights.

September-November

According to locals, Autumn is the best time of year to visit Grand Canyon. It is worth considering that in the first half of September the Grand Canyon Music Festival is held and this means that you will enjoy the scenery in the crowd, but it will be fun. Note that early September can be still hot. But deeper into the fall season the weather cools down and there are fewer tourists. November becomes cold.

Many parts of the canyon close together with the first snow, nevertheless there is a lot of space for hiking. The southern canyon cornice (the most popular) is almost completely open for visitors in November.

In autumn, days are still warm and the air temperature is up to 20°C. The nights however, are cold, frosts are frequent and temperatures are down to -5°C. Thus warm clothes are a must.

December-February

Winter is also different in the Grand Canyon. The south with the Grand Canyon Village is open all year round and only receives light snow in exceptional cases. The wilder North Rim, on the other hand, closes completely due to cold winter.

The temperatures during the day are 13 to 17°C , at night the temperature drops to 0°C. On average you can expect 3 rainy days per month.

Climate in the Grand Canyon

  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Day temp °C 13 ° 17 ° 22 ° 28 ° 31 ° 34 ° 38 ° 36 ° 34 ° 29 ° 20 ° 14 °
Night temp °C 0 ° 5 ° 9 ° 13 ° 17 ° 22 ° 26 ° 24 ° 21 ° 14 ° 8 ° 2 °
Precipitation in mm 17 17 22 6 3 3 21 24 22 17 17 25
Rainy days 3 3 3 1 0 0 3 4 2 2 2 3
Hours of sunshine 8th 9 10 12 13 14 12 12 11 10 9 8
Sunrise 7:40 7:15 6:40 5:55 5:25 5:10 5:20 5:45 6:10 6:35 7:05 7:30
Sunset 17:40 18:10 18:35 19:00 19:25 19:45 19:45 19:20 18:35 17:55 17:20 17:15

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