North Rim Grand Canyon

It is beautiful without question - but only a fraction of the Grand Canyon.

profdant139 wrote:
If you are mountain bikers, the Rainbow Rim trail is wonderful. There is great boondocking available out in the Kaibab National Forest.

If you hike, don't miss the Widforss Trail:




And bring a sweatshirt -- the evenings on the North Rim can get pleasantly chilly in August.

Just looks so small (the GC) from the North side - where are all the people? :W

As always love your Pic's.

Busskipper

:thumb:

2Gypsies. I know. I saw your initials "2G" carved into a stump.:) You weren't around though. No one around. I think I saw two rigs about 5 miles down during my whole week last summer.

We have always enjoyed the North Rim. Here are some photos from our trip there in 2005:

North Rim Visit

Click on thumbnails for larger view

Hey Avan.....you're in our spot! :) Love the boondocking at the North Rim!!!

I've done both several times. My preference is the South rim once and the North rim every other time. Do stop at the ranger station at the Jacobs Lake. They can give you a map of all the back roads, trails etc (gotta be close to a 1000 of them mapped out) and point out some good boondocking spots.


My last Kanab site amongst the trails, trees, meadows and white rock superimposed on Google earth location.

Agree with those who talked about camping at USFS campgrounds on the north.

We did both sides in our trip a few years ago. While I wouldn't have wanted to miss the South Rim, the North Rim was by far the more enjoyable and awe-inspiring vist. It had just rained and fog clouds were rising up out of the canyon. It felt like the world was being born just then. We were there in August. Very few people on the norh rim, and enjoyable temperatures.

The south rim was more the typical National Park tourist stop. Lots of people, lots of pavement, lots of tour busses. Still a great view, but not nearly as enjoyable as the north rim. Also, just the drive getting to the north rim is great. Lots of forests, and a nice USFS visitor center along the way. The NPS visitor center on the edge of the canyon was very nice and again...NOT crowded.

It all depends on what you want. Some people like being with crowds, we don't.

If you are mountain bikers, the Rainbow Rim trail is wonderful. There is great boondocking available out in the Kaibab National Forest.

If you hike, don't miss the Widforss Trail:




And bring a sweatshirt -- the evenings on the North Rim can get pleasantly chilly in August.

Thanks to you all for the great ideas and insights. We'll do our best to live up to your experiences. Travel safely!

Strabo wrote:
Must be hot in angust

It is actually pretty cool at 7500' elevation all summer. There is several feet of snow there each winter, and many times it takes until mid-may to have it all melt, before they open the roads.

Allow the first day to get used to the higher elevations. You will need to breath in a lot more air to get the same amount of oxygen!

I loved staying in the National Forest, where you can dry camp for free in the meadows, many times without seeing another vehicle!

I drove my dune buggy to Marble Canyon, just east of Grand Canyon. It was the location of a proposed Marble Canyon dam, that was never built. It would have created a lake to nearly the exit of Lake Powell. It is a interesting area - if you have the time to see it, and like to look at rocks. Much of the area was searched looking for Uranium during WW2.

Have fun there, Wish I was there too.

There is one arch on the road to the point. So stop at all the viewpoints.

Fred.