regalroute66 wrote:
we do take our bikes with us.
If it's mountain bikes that you take, do a web search on "Rainbow Rim Trail". This trail is in the Kaibab NF, not the NP, but it skirts the Grand Canyon. Quite a different way to view the canyon.
As for the north rim in general: It is less crowded and more serene. It is also higher, so it generally doesn't open until sometime in late May. In the middle of the summer it isn't quite as noticeable, but from the north rim, you can have times when you are trying to take pictures looking into the sun.