The North Rim, Grand Canyon National Park

North Rim Table of Contents

• Photographs
• Viewpoints of the North Rim
• Approaches to the North Rim
• North Rim tours
• Facilities at the North Rim
• Roads and trails
• Overlooks
• North Rim climate
• North Rim trails

Photographs

General views of the North Rim.

Other Approaches to the North Rim

Apart from the main highway, the two main unpaved routes to the north rim are Buffalo Ranch Road across House Rock Valley, which leads to points on the east of the plateau such as Saddle Mountain and the Nankoweap trailhead, or Ryan Road (FR 222), that heads south from Fredonia into national forest land and passes many intersections with other backcountry tracks. This is the approach for such beautiful but rarely seen Grand Canyon tributaries as Muav Canyon, Jumpup Canyon, Tapeats Creek and the Thunder River.

Grand Canyon North Rim Tours

North Rim Facilities

The largest meadow along the main road is De Motte Park, which stretches for 10 miles mostly on the west side of the highway, and is a good place to look for mule deer who graze on the grassy expanses in the morning and evening. There are several facilities near the lower end including a general store, restaurant and campground, while for people who prefer free camping, the places closest to the national park are a short way along FR 422, branching west from the main road 4.5 miles before the boundary. A few miles after the park entrance station (elevation 8,824 feet), a paved but narrow and winding side road leads across the Walhalla Plateau to various viewpoints of the canyon to the east, while the main highway continues to Grand Canyon Lodge and the visitor center. Unlike the over-developed south rim, there are relatively few facilities here. Accommodation options comprise the lodge itself, an 83 site campground (no hook ups) and some log huts, scattered around the neighboring forest. The nearest chain hotels are 82 miles away in Kanab, Utah. Also on site are a general store, cafe, gas station and ranger station. From the lodge two short trails go to Bright Angel Point, the most popular observation point on the north rim, and along the edge of The Transept - a deep, sheer walled side ravine.

North Rim Roads and Trails

Bright Angel Point has good overlooks of Roaring Springs and Bright Angel canyons far below. The North Kaibab Trail runs through these canyons, and several miles of its course are visible from the viewpoint - this trail begins a few miles north of the main visitor complex and is the only maintained path into the canyon from the north rim, although a complicated network of logging tracks extends west from AZ 67 into the Kaibab National Forest, linking with Ryan Road, and allowing access to other canyon overlooks, as well as (free) primitive camping, but 4WD vehicles may be required. Amongst these more remote viewpoints is Point Sublime, on the edge of a sheer cliff overlooking the narrowest section of the canyon, where the south rim is a little over 4 miles away. Of the other, shorter paths on the north rim, best are the Widforss, Cape Final and Uncle Jim trails.

North Rim Trails - details of all maintained paths.

Viewpoints of the North Rim

The north rim has two main viewpoints towards the east, reached by the side road. One is Point Imperial, the highest in the park at an elevation of 8,803 feet, which apart from the canyon, here relatively shallow and less branched, also overlooks large areas of the Painted Desert and the Navajo Reservation. The second is Cape Royal (7,865 feet), perhaps the best of the north rim sites. The cape is 20 miles from AZ 67, right at the end of the road which becomes rather narrow and twisting over the last couple of miles as it runs along a steep sided ridge. There is a large carpark and a short nature trail leading to the point, where the ground drops away steeply in most directions affording superb views east, south and west along the Grand Canyon. Nearby is the short path to Cliff Spring.

North Rim Viewpoints - full descriptions and photographs of ten overlooks along the canyon edge.

North Rim Climate

As the north rim is on average 1,300 feet higher than the south, the climate is significantly different. Summer temperatures are usually about 5-10 degrees lower, nighttime frosts may occur any month of the year and in winter/spring the approach road is closed by snow, although intrepid visitors may still reach the canyon by two or more days cross-country skiing. The visitor season is usually limited by the weather to only 6 months each year, from mid May to mid October.

North Rim Weather - more information, and climate averages.

North Rim Trails

All paths and trails on the north rim of the Grand Canyon, most to overlooks along the rim.

Featured Norh Rim Hikes