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| North Rim Grand Canyon |
The Importance of Getting an Early Start
Day 4 of our vacation, took us to an area that we were very excited to see. We had been to the south rim of the Grand Canyon several times, but either due to time constraints or weather (this side of the park is only open from May 15 to October 15), we had just not been able to make it to the North Rim.
This summer we decided that we needed to cross this stop off our bucket list and really worked our dates around the open dates for the North Rim.
The North Rim is trickier to get to than the South Rim. It is 221 miles from the South Rim to the North Rim....meaning that it is a good 4 hour trip one way and there are limited lodging options near the North Rim. We just never felt that this would be a good option for us. So.....with that in mind we flew into Las Vegas.....drove to St. George, UT (3 hours) and then drove the additional 156 miles from St. George to the Park (approx. 3 hours with little to no traffic). This was a good option for us as we were planning additional day trips from St. George to other National Parks in the area. We got up early, gassed up, picked up some drinks and snacks at the gas station and headed out to the Grand Canyon.
The trip to the North Rim was a fairly easy one. The most complicated thing was traveling between time zones (Utah is Mountain Time and the Grand Canyon is Pacific Time....we were still adapting from Eastern Time!). The roadway itself is well maintained and easy to traverse. I would suggest that you stop at the Jacob Lake Inn to stock up on drinks and snacks. It is about an hour from the North Rim Entrance and there is nothing in between. There is also a nice gift shop there and restrooms. If you you walk a little further in the same area you will come to a Visitor's Center. There are some informational displays inside as well as restrooms. I would actually recommend a stop here in either direction since there really is little else between the North Rim and St. George.
The North Rim
There is an entrance gate at the start of the Park. There is an entrance fee of $25.00 per vehicle to enter the park. Your receipt is good for reentrance for up to 7 days and included both the North and South Rim. Tip: If you are going to be visiting several National Parks, purchasing an annual pass for $85.00 will save you money. Passes can be purchased from the National Parks website.
Once you enter the park, there are a few things that you immediately notice. The first is that there are not nearly so many people who visit the North Rim and the second is that the canyon isn't visible from the roadway in very many areas. The first thing that we did was to head to the Visitor's Center where there are restroom facilities and a small gift shop. It also allows you to orient yourself in the park and devise a plan of attack.
In the same area as the Visitor's Center is the Grand Canyon Lodge. This is the only lodging within the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. There is a dining room and a patio with an amazing panoramic view of the Canyon. Definitely make this a stop even if you are not spending the night.
Once you head back out on the road there are several spots to target to view the canyon. The spots where you can view the canyon from your vehicle are: Point Imperial, Vista Encantada, Roosevelt Point and Walhalla Overlook. There is a roadway that connects these spots and each offers a pull off with parking. There are trails at each of these spots. Some are longer than others. Since we were here just for the day, we decided to do some of the shorter trails. Roosevelt Point Trail is 0.2 miles (20 minutes) roundtrip. Cape Royal Trail is 0.6 miles roundtrip (30 minutes).  |
| View from the Patio of the Grand Canyon Lodge |
The North Rim is approximately 1000 feet higher in elevation than the South Rim so even in the heat of summer, temperatures are usually cooler on this side of the canyon. Make sure that you check the weather and dress appropriately.
North Rim vs. South Rim
The notable differences in the north and south rims is how much less crowded the North rim is, how much more remote it feels and the difference in elevation allowing for different views of the canyon. For accessibility, the south rim is the way to go....you can visit all year long, there are shuttles to take you to many of the sights and there are more amenities. However, given all that, I really loved the North Rim. I wasn't sure what to expect....after all it's "just the other side of the same canyon" but quite honestly the views were nothing short of breathtaking! I actually felt like the higher altitude gave you that slightly different vantage point and allowed you to look down into the canyon a bit more. There were areas where you could really get a view of the Colorado River (and even some of the rapids) from this side whereas it is very difficult to actually see the river from the South Rim at times.
We loved the North Rim....because of the logistics of getting there, I am not sure that I will ever get back but I am very happy that we made the arrangements to get there at least once! If you get a chance to get to the North Rim....do it....you won't be sorry!
Return to St. George
Once we had explored the North Rim (about 4 hours), we were ready to head back to St. George for the evening. With travel time and time exploring, this ended up being about a 13 hour day trip. Since we had left early, we were able to get back by early evening, have a nice dinner in St. George and rest up for our day trip the next day....Capitol Reef National Park.
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