In-depth information is found on the Grand Canyon National Park website.

Desert View is a small settlement on the South Rim located 25 miles east of Grand Canyon Village, and near the eastern edge of Grand Canyon. AZ-64, Also known as Desert View Drive, is a scenic road that connects Desert view with Grand Canyon Village.

For visitors coming into the park via the East Entrance, a stop at Desert View provides the first views of the Grand Canyon.

• Some of the finest views of the Colorado River and canyon geology
• Park ranger programs and cultural demonstrations
• Historic 70 ft. Desert View Watchtower with an observation deck.
• The nearby Tusayan Museum highlights the story of American Indians of the region

Grand Canyon is considered one of the finest examples of arid-land erosion in the world. Incised by the Colorado River, the canyon is immense, averaging 4,000 feet deep for its entire 277 miles. It is 6,000 feet deep at its deepest point and 18 miles at its widest. However, the significance of Grand Canyon is not limited to its geology.

The Park contains several major ecosystems. Its great biological diversity can be attributed to the presence of five of the seven life zones and three of the four desert types in North America.

The five life zones represented are the Lower Sonoran, Upper Sonoran, Transition, Canadian, and Hudsonian. This is equivalent to traveling from Mexico to Canada.

The Park also serves as an ecological refuge, with relatively undisturbed remnants of dwindling ecosystems (such as boreal forest and desert riparian communities). It is home to numerous rare, endemic (found only at Grand Canyon), and specially protected (threatened or endangered) plant and animal species.

Over 1,500 plant, 355 bird, 89 mammalian, 47 reptile, 9 amphibian, and 17 fish species are found in the park.