Grand Canyon Village is the most popular entryway into the park. We were there in mid-May and it really was not crowded at all.  However,, I have read that it can suffer from heavy crowds during the peak seasons in late spring, summer and fall. But there's a reason the area is so appealing. It holds some of the best lookout points in the park, including Yavapai Point, which Frommer's claims is one of the best places to view the canyon. If you don't like camping but want to stay within the park, you should consider looking for lodging here.  We stayed as the Maswik Lodge - very comforable and good food as well!  We also took a couple of tours while staying here.  Other pages on this site are devoted to the tours.  On the South Rim Tour, we were fortunate to see two (2) large condors flying above us (they have a wingspan of over 9 feet)!

If you're staying elsewhere, the tour reviews suggest spending at least half a day visiting the village's sights. If you're interested in history, stop by the rustic Grand Canyon Railway Depot, which welcomes Grand Canyon Railway passengers to the village.  That is where we arrived when our train from Williams stopped here.   At the depot, you'll learn about how the expansion of the railroad had an impact on Grand Canyon tourism.

For authentic Native American souvenirs, head to the Hopi House, an adobe-style building representing a traditional Hopi crafts studio. Art aficionados should stop by the Kolb and Lookout studios for works of art inspired by the Grand Canyon.

The park's best hotels, including the El Tovar Hotel and the Bright Angel Lodge, lie within the village border.  We had a great dinner at El Tovar.  It reminds me of the Ahwahnee Hotel  (oops - now called The Majestic Yosemite Hotel) in Yosemite.  You get around the Village on shuttle buses (similar to those in Yosemite if you have visited that park).  What surprised us were the large numbers of elk that were around the Village.  They appeared to be very tame, but we kept a safe distance nevertheless.