Overview
It is named for Stephen Mather, the first director of the National Park Service, and it is deliberately the closest overlook to the entrance — the park routes arrivals here on the reasoning that a first view should not require a hike. The railing runs along an exposed spur with the canyon on three sides, which is why it takes the crowds better than it looks like it should. The layered rock below spans nearly two billion years, with the oldest at the bottom of the inner gorge.
Highlights
Go for sunrise: the crowds arrive later and the low light separates the layers. The Rim Trail runs west from here with viewpoints every few hundred metres and far fewer people. The free shuttle serves the whole rim and the car parks fill by mid-morning.