Grand Canyon National Park officials, who’ve been working with state and tribal officials and community leaders, announced the reopening of the East Entrance at Desert View. The entrance reopens on Thursday, April 8, 2021.
The East Entrance of Grand Canyon National Park, which is along Arizona State Highway 64, has been closed since April 1, 2020.
The park implemented this one-year-plus closure to minimize visitor traffic through the Navajo Nation and other communities to the east of Grand Canyon National Park. These communities have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic
Grand Canyon National Park’s East Entrance Reopens to the Public
The park’s superintendent, Ed Keable, made the decision to reopen the Grand Canyon East Entrance at Desert View based on input from the Navajo Nation, as well as other officials.
“Over the past year, we have continued to coordinate with local Cameron Chapter and tribal officials from the Navajo Nation, as well as other stakeholders and business leaders on the east gate closure. As vaccine rollouts continue, we recognize the need to normalize our operations and allow for visitors to have a drive-through option on Hwy 64.”
– Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent Ed Keable
Note, however, that only state and federal highways in the Navajo Nation will reopen. All other roads will remain closed to non-residential traffic.
Visitors should also know that masks must be worn at all locations throughout the Navajo Nation. You can find more information on the website of the Navajo Department of Health.
Although visitors will once again be able to enter Grand Canyon National Park via the East Entrance, no services will be available at Desert View until further notice. Services like gas, food and the campground will reopen from the moment staffing allows it.
For the time being, the nearest services are about 30 miles east of Desert View, in Cameron, Arizona. However, there currently also are services at Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim, just a scenic drive west of Desert View.
You can see what’s open and which services are available at the Grand Canyon here.
To enter Grand Canyon National Park via Desert View, you will need either a credit card, Your Pass Now or an America the Beautiful pass. Paying with cash is not possible at this time.
For activity suggestions on the South Rim, check out this blog post about the top attractions in Grand Canyon National Park.