Traffic entering Grand Canyon National Park's south entrance wasn't too bad on Tuesday, but once spring break arrives you might be glad you can board a shuttle in Tusayan to enter the park/NPS

Trying to find a parking spot on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park  during the spring and summer can be as tricky as ordering an America the Beautiful annual parks pass. Both can take a long time. But beginning March 1, you can avoid the South Rim traffic woes by boarding a shuttle in Tusayan.

In anticipation of large spring break crowds, the route will run at 20-minute intervals between 8 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. daily.

In 2017, Grand Canyon reached an all-time high of more than six million visitors, and spring break can be one of the busiest times of year in the park. Visitors can expect to wait an hour or more at the entrance stations between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., parking lots can reach capacity as early as 11 a.m., and ongoing road construction in the park can add to the overall vehicle congestion. Riding the shuttle from Tusayan into the park can help visitors avoid entrance station lines, parking frustrations, and road construction.

Visitors must have a valid park pass to board the shuttle in Tusayan. Visitors can purchase park passes, including lifetime and annual passes, at the IMAX Theater. RP’s Stage Stop, Canyon Plaza Resort, and Red Feather Lodge also sell the standard Grand Canyon entrance passes for vehicles, individuals, and motorcycles. Once visitors have a valid pass, they can park anywhere in Tusayan, including the Best Western Squire Inn, Grand Hotel, Big E Steakhouse, IMAX/RP’s Stop, and the park-and-ride lot on the north end of town by the second roundabout. This lot works especially well for trailers and RVs, which will have limited parking options inside the park.

The first bus into the park leaves Tusayan at 8 a.m. daily from the IMAX Theater. The first bus from the park to Tusayan departs the Grand Canyon Visitor Center at 8:25 a.m. The last buses leave IMAX at 9:45 p.m. and Grand Canyon Visitor Center at 9:30 p.m. each night.

Shuttle buses make the following stops in Tusayan:

• IMAX Theater/RP’s Stage Stop
• Best Western Grand Canyon Squire Inn
• the Grand Hotel
• Big E Steakhouse and Saloon.

After making those stops in Tusayan, the shuttle bus makes its way to the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, where visitors can access trails, scenic viewpoints, park orientation, and the free in-park shuttle bus system. Green stripes and NPS arrowheads make all Grand Canyon National Park shuttle buses easily identifiable. Buses are wheelchair accessible, fueled with clean-burning compressed natural gas, and have bike racks that can hold up to three bicycles.

In 2017, there were approximately 211,000 boardings on the Tusayan Route, which represents a reduction of about 35,000 vehicles entering the park. Last year, there were approximately 7.8 million boardings on the park’s shuttle system, representing a reduction of about 2.6 million short in-park vehicle trips.

“We are pleased to provide this service to park visitors and local residents," said Grand Canyon Superintendent Christine Lehnertz. "Riding the shuttles helps protect resources, reduces crowding on park roadways, and reduces our carbon footprint. We hope visitors and residents will continue to use and enjoy the Tusayan Route this year.”

Additional shuttle bus information is available online at this site. Find parking and road conditions on Twitter @GrandCanyonNPS. And for real-time traffic updates, check out the South Entrance Station webcam.