mather point

This was our first stop as we rolled into the park at sunset. no question the view floored me! It is an excellent location for some great pictures but it is also very crowded.

This is a wow moment . We stayed here for an hour walking along the rim and see the views below. Sometimes the earth below seemed to drop straight away to nothing , quite a stomach fluttering moment . Only thing I would say is. , it was disturbing to see these tourists going to the edge to get that special picture. No wonder some loose their lives here every year.

Mather Point is right behind the visitor centre, very beautiful but comparing to Grandview Point was too crowded. A very good place to take pictures and selfies.

I recommend you go into the visitors center, the book store and then Mather Point. It gives you a great start to discovering all the beauty of the Grand Canyon. The roads are paved and there is not one bad photo opportunity, in fact, it will be hard to stop taking pictures.

A thousand pictures could be taken here, and they could all be different. A thousand pictures could not elicit any words to describe what it's like to simply stand, wide-eyed, at the Grand Canyon's edge.

It is a spectacular view, but if you are like me and want solitude in nature then this isn't for you. That said, you should definitely make the minimum amount of effort required of you at the Grand Canyon and do this.

It is probably the nearest point from the parking area and most probably you will start your south rim tour from here. Shuttle can be availed near Mather point which goes either east or west of the rim from here.

Lazy? Don't like to hike? Fear of fog?This view point is really just 5min walk from the visitor center parking lot, so no excuse not to visit...Clouds can be in the canyon...

This is the location where the the National Park has a Visitor Center, movie, restaurant, bathrooms, gift shop, shuttles etc. and therefore is very crowded. If you have your own car and are there is the winter months (Dec-Feb) when you can drive to each of the lookouts, I'd skip this and just drive straight to the viewpoints. This is a great view (as they all are) but there are other viewpoints that we thought were more spectacular.

The park signage will direct you first to Mather's point. This is a beautiful lookout, but has a lot of steps and a lot of people wanting to see what you want to see. This is maybe a 5-10 minute walk, mostly uphill, and at this altitude the air is very thin. If you are not in good health or have respiratory issues, I would skip this trek and drive the rim to other outlooks that are more accessible and less crowded.

In my opinion, this point is the most magnificent lookout over the Grand Canyon. It is also the most well protected lookout, with strong, sturdy mesh gates, to protect small children who may stray from parents. An additional aspect here is for whom the lookout point was named, Stephen Mather. He devoted his life's work as the first superintendent of US National Parks. Tireless and passionate about his work, he used his own money to buy land tracts and then donated the land to our national parks. He suffered with spells of mental illness during his tenure, possibly as a result of having to deal with constant frustrations over government complications and delays. His staff loved him so much they would always vouch for him while he was in a mental therapy hospital, stating he was away on vacation during those times. Take your camera to this location. Some of your best shots will be from this point.

Being the closest viewpoint to the visitor center and the park entrance from the south this is probably most people's first stop for a view of the canyon . It truly is amazing . Even after multiple visits it still is awe inspiring . You can see thousands of photos of the Grand Canyon , but no picture can possibly capture how amazing it is to see in person . We arrived just after 9 a.m. and I naively thought no one would be there just after Christmas . I was totally wrong ! At this time of year the west rim drive is open to cars , so we took that , stopping at every viewpoint along the way . As we were about to leave the park at 3 we decided to take one more look at Mather Point . It seemed as though half of Arizona was there . It didn't take away from the beauty of the canyon , but it was much more difficult to maneuver around to take pictures . As we left the park the line up had to be at least 5 miles long to get in . I'm sure some at the end of the line wouldn't have been able to get in until after sunset . Bottom line , the earlier you arrive the better .

Early mornings is the best time to see wild life at Mather Point. We've seen elk and deer at this location.l

Close proximity to the Visitor Centre so it is crowded at sunset. None the less, definite must visit for the views. Plenty of guard rails for safety but you can up close to the edge if you want to for really cool photos. Probably one of the best vantage points I visited. Highly recommended.

It's within walking distance of the visitor center parking lots. Lots of area to get your first look at the Grand Canyon.