Park Headquarters and the Shrine of the Ages

Park Headquarters is a modern brick building that served for years as the South Rim [1]’s main visitors center. Visitor services have since been relocated to the Grand Canyon Visitors Center [2] and its surrounding plazas. The headquarters houses administrative offices, the park’s research library, and a ranger-staffed service desk where you can ask questions or sign up the kids for the park’s Junior Ranger Program [3].

But most likely you’re here for one of three reasons: to park (the large lot often has open spaces), to find employment (a bulletin board lists current Park Service openings), or to attend a program in the auditorium known as the Shrine of the Ages.

Shrine of the Ages is a spacious indoor auditorium where many ranger programs, public meetings, and special events are held. Just west of the headquarters building is the Pioneer Cemetery, the final resting place for such canyon luminaries as John Hance, Ellsworth and Emery Kolb, and William Wallace Bass. There’s also a memorial here for the victims of the horrific 1956 TWA-United collision over the canyon.

History buffs and taphophiles (people who like tombstones) can easily while away an hour or two here. Between the HQ building and the rim is Mather Amphitheater, where rangers host outdoor talks during temperate months. This area of Grand Canyon Village [4] is also home to Market Plaza, Yavapai Lodge, and Mather Campground [5].