The Canyon View Information Plaza, a new state of the art transportation/orientation hub for Grand Canyon National Park, is the first major step in carrying out the park's 1995 General Management Plan, which focuses on public transportation and enhanced educational and recreational opportunities.

The information plaza, situated just west of Mather Point on the South Rim, is the first of its kind and scope in a national park. Designed to accommodate up to 4,200 people per hour at peak times, the facility will eventually serve as a hub for four modes of transportation--bus, train, biking and hiking. The Grand Canyon Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating knowledge, discovery, and stewardship for the benefit of Grand Canyon National Park and its visitors, opened a new bookstore in the plaza. The Oct. 26 dedication also was

The information plaza is also the first major project completed at Grand Canyon with funds from the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program, a pilot program approved by Congress in 1996 that allows the national parks and other federal agencies to keep up to 80 percent of most user fees collected.

The plaza was designed to fulfill four functions: provide visitors with their first glimpse of the canyon--away from noise and vehicle congestion; introduce visitors to the park's major interpretive themes--enriching the visitors experience; offer visitors a menu of recreational options that include orientation to riding shuttle buses, biking, hiking, and ranger guided activities; and connect visitors to other points in the park with the completion of a mass transit system in early 2004, that will include alternative fuel buses and light rail.

The Grand Canyon Greenway, a multiuse trail system, will eventually extend from the plaza to the future Grand Canyon Transit Center north of Tusayan, and to Desert View and Hermits Rest. Because the plaza opened (on Oct. 26) prior to the completion of the mass transit system, several changes in traffic patterns will occur to accommodate the visiting public and local community.

The National Park Service is installing temporary traffic devices and directional signing that will direct visitors to parking areas within the park. Visitors will be asked to park their vehicle, board a shuttle bus, and visit the Canyon View Information Plaza to begin their connection to the Grand Canyon. Once the light rail system is completed, day use visitors will park their cars outside of the park at the Grand Canyon Transit Center and board a light rail train for the short trip to plaza.

Beginning with the opening of the plaza, the park's shuttle system becomes a year-round service. The Village Route, connecting Canyon View to the South Rim Village, will operate from an hour before sunrise to 9:00, 10:00 or 11:00 p.m., depending on the season. The Hermits Rest Route to overlooks on the west rim will operate from an hour before sunrise to an hour after sunset from March through November. The Kaibab Trail Route will operate during the same hours throughout the year. Hermit Road (formally West Rim Drive) and the South Kaibab and Yaki Point Road will be open from December through February.

Though there will be many changes over the next several years, the National Park Service is eager to begin the transition to a new and better way to visit--transforming the visitor experience at Grand Canyon from one of congestion and limited opportunities to one of greater opportunity!