Grand Canyon National Park implementing a cell phone audio tour for visitors to the South Rim

Grand Canyon, Ariz. – Visitors to the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park can now learn more about the park via their cell phones. The National Park Service (NPS) is currently implementing a cell phone audio tour for visitors at various locations along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Currently, there are signs at seven stops along the South Rim between Yaki Point, located along Desert View Drive, and Trailview Overlook, located along Hermits Rest Road, that prompt visitors to dial a number on their cell phones and then enter a stop number, which identifies their location. Once they have entered the stop number, visitors will hear an interpretive ranger give a two-minute synopsis on various aspects of the canyon from geology to Native American history to the night sky. The NPS is currently adding one to two stops to the audio tour each week. There will eventually be 20 to 25 stops along the South Rim between Yaki Point and Maricopa Point, located along Hermits Rest Road.

Through this audio tour, the NPS is hoping to reach more visitors with information on the rich natural and cultural history of Grand Canyon National Park. Visitors will have more opportunities to learn about the canyon at their own pace.

“We are implementing this program to provide park visitors with a new way of getting information about the park and its resources,” said Judy Hellmich-Bryan, Grand Canyon’s Chief of Interpretation. “Some of our visitors are not able to attend a ranger-led program, and the cell phone tours allow visitors access to rangers at any time using technology that most of them already have at hand.”

This cell phone audio tour is being funded by the Grand Canyon Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting education, research, and visitor services at Grand Canyon National Park. The NPS is also working with an astronomer from the University of California at Redlands on the night sky stop. The astronomer calls in each month and updates the night sky information as the stars, planets and other celestial bodies change position.

Since other parts of the canyon have limited cell phone coverage, the audio tour is only available on the South Rim.

The cell phone audio tour will be advertised in this summer’s edition of The Guide, a free publication that is distributed to visitors as they enter the park and can be downloaded from the park’s website at http://www.nps.gov/grca/parknews/newspaper.htm. The cost of the audio tour is free except for the minutes used on a participating visitor’s cell phone.

For more information about this program, please call Judy Hellmich-Bryan, Chief of Interpretation, at (928) 638-7760. For general park information, go to www.nps.gov/grca or call (928) 638-7888.

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