What It Is

A 22-mile, unpaved road that runs from Peach Springs, Arizona, into the western (non-National Park) side of the Grand Canyon.  It’s the only road in the entire Grand Canyon where you can drive a car to the Colorado River, and it is only accessible with a permit issued by the Hualapai Tribe, on whose land the road runs.

Where It Is

Peach Springs, Arizona, 113 miles west of Flagstaff (where we stayed) and 135 miles west of the South Rim entrance to Grand Canyon National Park.

When We Went

July 2024

What We Did

We descended the Grand Canyon—by car—approximately 3,500 feet in elevation to the Colorado River, got ankle-deep in the cool water, and “oohed” and “aahed” at the scenery and wildlife along the way.

How Much We Spent

$48.82.  The Hualapai (pronounced Wal-lah-pie) Fish and Game Department charged us $16/person (ages 12 and older).

How Much Time We Spent There

In total, we spent about three-and-a-half hours on this adventure.  The speed limit on Diamond Creek Road is 25 mph, but we drove significantly slower on the way down: it took us about an hour and a half, soaking up the scenery and trying to control the bumpiness of the ride.  We spent about an hour on the beach and about 50 minutes driving back up.  The skies were pretty dark ahead of us, and we had read that Diamond Creek Road can be a tricky place to be when there’s rain (the Hualapai actually close the road when it rains, or so the sign says), so we booked it back to Peach Springs as fast as we could.

What We Liked

Everything.  The scenery on the way down was beautiful, fascinating, and ever-changing.  

The experience was also very peaceful.  At Sequoia National Park just days earlier, we were surrounded at every turn by tourists, but at the bottom of Diamond Creek Road, there were just three other cars.  Ours was only the seventh permit sold on the day we went, and that was at 1:00.

Although the water looked brown, it was cool and refreshing.  We didn’t go deeper into the water than our ankles, but another family that was exploring the river while we were there had on their swimsuits and got fully submerged.  If you choose this route, I’d recommend staying close to the shore.  The water further out moved at a pretty good pace, and you wouldn’t want anyone in your family to get caught up in the current and swept downstream.

What We Didn't Like

We wish we would have gotten there earlier.  We didn’t start our journey until almost 1:30, and we didn’t reach the bottom until around 3:00.  Had we known what was awaiting us—and that the road closed at 4:00—we probably would have left Las Vegas earlier.  

Also, we weren’t crazy about the temperature (it was 116 degrees by the river), but that wouldn’t stop us from visiting again, if given the chance.

Was it worth it? 

Hands down, yes.  My husband and I both ranked this as one of our top experiences during our 19-day, experience-filled, 2024 road trip.  We fully expected that the National Park’s section of the Grand Canyon, which we visited the next day, would be a disappointment after our river experience.  While visiting the South Rim of the Grand Canyon (the National Park portion) was beautiful, he and I both enjoyed the journey to the bottom of the canyon more than the top.  Our kids claimed to like them equally.

We had initially planned on going to the West Rim, also known as Grand Canyon West, before heading to Diamond Creek Road.  Chris Raney of Yellow Productions, one of the travel vlogs we follow on YouTube, made a good argument for visiting.  

However, we were afraid that stopping at Grand Canyon West, also situated on Hualapai Indian land 87 miles northwest of Peach Springs, would be a major time investment, not to mention a major financial one: general admission with Skywalk tickets for four would have cost us $303.  Given how much we enjoyed driving Diamond Creek Road, we have no regrets in our decision.

If you go, keep in mind that monsoon season in Arizona lasts from June through September. We were fortunate to drive on a primarily dry road (we saw only a puddle of water when we neared the bottom), but flash floods are possible in the summer, they can occur miles from where the storms rage, and Diamond Creek Road criss-crosses over the Diamond Creek creek bed, so even a little water in the road could cause you trouble. 

When Jason and Monica Gonderman took their Chevy Silverado down Diamond Creek Road for Motor Trend (this article is where my husband discovered that driving into the Grand Canyon was possible: 2024 Chevy Silverado 1500 ZR2 Diesel Yearlong Review: Diamond Creek Road Grand Canyon Adventure), they drove through creek water multiple times.  What time of year they went isn’t disclosed.

It’s worth noting that even though the Motor Trend article states that visitors are not allowed in the Colorado River, the Hualapai Fish and Game officer who issued our permit said it was okay.  Stepping into the refreshingly cool water made the heat more bearable and made the whole drive-down-into-the-canyon experience more complete.  We didn’t break any tribal laws when we were there.

It’s also worth noting that we drove our rental vehicle, a Ford Expedition, on Diamond Creek Road.  The roads were rocky but only a little rutty when we were there, but you need to consider what you’ll be driving before you commit to the trip.  Vehicles with low clearance may have trouble.  The Hualapai brochure highly recommends taking vehicles meant for off-roading.

Also, keep in mind that we had no cell service for most of the day, so go prepared with a spare tire, water, and snacks in case you run into trouble.  You might also consider bringing a satellite communicator.  We took our Garmin InReach, which we purchased for our 2021 trip through the south and midwest.


For more information, see the Hualapai Diamond Creek Road brochure.

Did You Know?  The Hualapai Reservation, which encompasses about one million acres along 108 miles of the Grand Canyon and Colorado River, was established in 1883.  Hualapai means “People of the tall pines.”  Today, the Hualapai tribe includes approximately 3,300 individuals.​

Was It Worth It?
Diamond Creek Road (Grand Canyon)

​Posted November 2, 2025, by Janet Wolfe