by Mike McCann
Director – APA Advocacy
August 22, 2026
Grand Canyon Aiport, Arizona (GCN)
Arrival time: 8:30am
Breakfast: Plaza Bonita Mexican Restaurant
RSVP required due to restaurant seating limitation
For our August day trip, we’ll be returning to our favorite high-country airport to escape the summertime heat. Our destination will be the Grand Canyon Airport (KGCN). It’s located just a few miles south of the South Rim and about a one-hour flight from Phoenix. The morning air should be cool and crisp. We last visited KGCN in October, 2024, and had a great turnout of APA members and aircraft.
There’s no airport restaurant; however, the town of Tusayan is located just one mile north and is a nice walk from the airport. There is a nice walking path that takes you from the airport to Tusayan. Weisman Aviation (the airport FBO) may be able to provide van transportation; however, it will be on an “if available” basis, so we can’t rely on its availability.
Our restaurant destination is the Plaza Bonita Mexican Restaurant which is located on the southern end of Tusayan. After our walk, everyone should have a good appetite.
Please be sure to RSVP so we can give the restaurant an accurate count. They’ve limited our group to 24 people (due to space considerations).
As always, be sure to thoroughly preflight both yourself and your aircraft. The walk from KGCN to the restaurant is mostly a smooth path, but as with any high-altitude location, make sure you’re comfortable and capable of walking at a higher elevation. Remember to do a thorough flight planning as would be required for any cross-country flight. KGCN is a high-altitude airport (6,609 ft MSL) and requires additional flight planning and aircraft performance assessment.
Feel free to contact me with any questions (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and we'll look forward to seeing you.
Safe flying,
Mike