The North Rim of Grand Canyon is an absolutely spectacular section of the Grand Canyon to visit, and it simply took our breath away. Here, the views are jaw-dropping, the sunrises are beyond magical and the lack of crowds was completely refreshing.
The Grand Canyon is one of the top natural wonders of the world and it is an insanely popular spot to visit in the United States. It is one of the deepest gorges on Earth, at approximately 1 mile deep, it is up to 18 miles wide and its length impressively spans 277 miles. Standing in its presence is simply overwhelming. And honestly it’s hard to take it all in. It’s just so big! It’s like standing in the presence of an enormous, beautiful painting and yet this painting is real!
The North vs. South Rim
Most of the crowds visiting this impressive gorge seem to find their way to the South Rim of Grand Canyon due to its easier access. It is there where you can find a village of numerous hotels, restaurants, shops, tours, shuttles and of course a whole bunch of amazing view points.
The North Rim of the Grand Canyon, on the other hand, has its own array of amazing viewpoints, but here it is much quieter, more relaxed and feels much less touristy. In fact only about 10% of all visitors to the Grand Canyon visit the North Rim. And to me, this is just one of the things that makes the North Rim so incredibly wonderful!
In this post I want to help you understand how the North Rim of Grand Canyon is laid out, where the top viewpoints are, where you can stay, what food choices are available, what short hikes are a must and how to see it all in one incredible day!
Where is the North Rim of The Grand Canyon?
The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is located in Northern Arizona.
Nearest Major Towns:
Kanab, UT is approximately a 1 hour and 30 minute drive from the North Rim.
Page, AZ is approximately a 2 hours and 20 minute drive from the North Rim.
From the South Rim Visitor Center it is approximately a 4-4.5 hour drive (220 miles) to the North Rim Visitor Center. (You have to drive around the canyon.) This is why most people are only able to see one side or the other.
Important Travel Season Information
The North Rim of the Grand Canyon has a short season due to snow. This section of the park is only open (with lodging and food services) from May 15th – October 15th and “Day Only” visits are only open until November 30th.
Driving to the North Rim Grand Canyon from Page, AZ
For our family, we began our adventure to the North Rim of Grand Canyon from Page, AZ. This is a 2 hour and 20 minute drive where pretty much most of the drive is out in the middle of nowhere. On this drive we did get to pass by the gorgeous Vermilion Cliffs, but please know that there are not many amenities along the way.
Important Traveler Information about Gas:
There is only one gas station within the Grand Canyon National Park along the North Rim, and it is located on the entrance road into the Campground, so if you need gas, this is where you should go.
Road Trip Stops
To break up this drive for our family, we made two road trip stops along the way. We made a quick stop at the Historic Navajo Bridge (near Page, AZ) where we saw several rare California Condors and we also hiked the spectacular Cathedral Wash Trail near Marble Canyon.
Look for Bison!
Once we entered into Grand Canyon National Park we found an incredible surprise in one of the valleys. A small herd of about 20 bison was grazing right near the road! So keep your eyes peeled and hopefully you’ll get to see some too!
Cost
There is a $35 per vehicle fee to enter Grand Canyon National Park. But you can get in for free if you have an America the Beautiful Pass or you have a Child in 4th Grade!
Checking In
When we finally arrived we went straight to check in at the Grand Canyon Lodge.
Important Traveler Information about Lodging:
Grand Canyon Lodge is the only lodge within the park at the North Rim. So if you are looking to visit, get reservations here as soon as you can. This lodge sells out pretty quick. If you prefer to camp, there is one campground here within the park as well. If you are unable to get a reservation at the Grand Canyon Lodge, your next closest option is the Kaibab Lodge. This lodge is just outside the park and about 30 minutes from the North Rim Visitor Center and the Grand Canyon Lodge.
I will say, checking-in at the Grand Canyon Lodge is the one place along the North Rim where it was a little hectic and slightly crowded. First, you can’t park right near the entrance to the lodge to check in, and it was a decent little walk to get to the front door. Second, there was a huge line to check in and that took a bit of time. Third, once I had checked us in, I then had to go find where my husband was parked (no cell phone service) and get our luggage.
Pioneer Cabins
For our family, we had reserved one of the Pioneer Cabins that sleeps 6. Our cabin had 2 separate rooms with one bathroom. One room had a queen bed and the other room had a bunk bed with a futon that turned into a full sized bed. This was perfect for our family of five.
Please know that these cabins are not air conditioned. For us, the cabin was slightly warm and uncomfortable until around sunset. Then it cooled off considerably in the evening as the night air dropped into the 40s. This was in June. These Guest Cabins are located across from the North Rim Visitor Center, among a forest, along the rim. (See the photo & map below.)
North Rim Visitor Center & Grand Canyon Lodge Map
After checking in, you can move your car from the parking lot to one of the 2 or 3 spots near the cabins that are reserved just for vehicles to unload luggage. This will greatly shorten your walk, but unfortunately when we were there, all of these spots were occupied.
Important Traveler Note for Dining:
If you are planning on dining at the Grand Canyon Lodge Dining Room, (the only sit down restaurant here) then make sure you get reservations in advance because they have extremely limited seating.
We decided to dine at the only other restaurant here, and that is Deli in the Pines. The entrance to this restaurant is located on the right-side of the building where you check in. It is take out only and here you can order pizza, hamburgers, to-go sandwiches and salads. You can then take your food and eat in your cabin or along one of the scenic views along the rim. There are also two patios on the back side of the main lodge that have extremely impressive views of the canyon, but I will say that in the evenings these patios can be crowded. (They are not crowded like the South Rim, but still there will be a bunch of people here enjoying the view and it might be hard to find a place to sit.)
Watching the Sunset along the North Rim
One incredible and relaxing activity that you won’t want to miss at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is to watch the sunset over the canyon. In these evening hours, the sun’s rays magically start to dance upon the canyon walls and previously hidden colors begin to burst out from the rock face. It’s fantastic!
And if you are staying at the Grand Canyon Lodge, this is really easy to see. Here, you can watch the sunset from one of the back patios of the lodge itself or you can easily venture down the paved 0.25 mile one way Bright Angel Trail which is located right behind the lodge. We chose to walk the short distance to Bright Angel Point and we highly recommend it!
Sunset Tip:
The colors upon the canyon walls begin to emerge over 1 hour and a half before the actual sunset time listed so you don’t need to be there at the exact moment the sun sets to enjoy the show (although the colors do become even more brilliant closer to sun set.)
The picture shown above is about one hour before sunset and almost no one was on Bright Angel Trail. I’m not sure if this is always the case, but it’s worth checking it out for this completely peaceful experience.
Watching the Sunrise at Bright Angel Point
The next morning we got up bright and early to catch the sunrise from Bright Angel Point as well. Originally I thought that this would be pretty much the same color-popping show as the sunset was, but I was completely wrong. In the morning the air was cool, the canyon walls were glowing of rich pinks and purples, and the utter silence was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. And let me just say, this was absolutely spectacular!
Sunrise on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon completely blew us away with its beauty. The picture above was our first glimpse of the canyon while coming down Bright Angel Trail and it completely stopped me in my tracks.
Even my three boys were seriously impressed by the beauty of this sunrise. And I kid you not, our entire family simply sat in silence for over half an hour, just watching the sun’s rays slowly touch and move across the canyon walls. It was so peaceful, so silent and such an incredible experience. And there were only two other people, that we could see, out there watching it with us. It was truly a magical experience that I know we’ll never forget.
Grand Canyon Lodge Balconies
After our incredible sunrise experience out on Bright Angel Trail, we then headed up to the west balcony behind Grand Canyon Lodge. Here we found a couple of people enjoying this spectacular sunrise while relaxing with their morning coffee and we too stopped to appreciate this fantastic and more elevated viewpoint of the sunrise across the canyon.
(Personally I like the balcony on this west side of the lodge the best out of the two balconies, see above picture, because this balcony doesn’t have any shrubbery blocking portions of the view like the east balcony has. Yet the west balcony is smaller than the one on the east and so it may be harder to find an open chair to sit in. Either way, both balconies will give you easy access to some pretty spectacular views!)
Breakfast
After watching the magical sunrise, we grabbed breakfast at Deli in the Pines.
(Please note that on one part of Grand Canyon’s website it does not say that Deli in the Pines offers breakfast, but if you go under their dining section you will see that they do.)
From Deli in the Pines we had some really good scrambled eggs, bacon & French toast. There is also free coffee that you can get in the main lobby.
North Rim Drive
After finishing a yummy breakfast we headed out on the North Rim Drive.
Traveler Tip: Drinking water is not available along the North Rim Drive so fill up before you head out.
Our first stop this morning on North Rim Drive was Point Imperial Overlook. To get here from the Grand Canyon Lodge/ Visitor Center, you will go on a 20 minute (9.8 mile) beautiful drive through a wooded forest on a slightly windy road that takes you up to over 8,800 feet. This drive itself is very scenic.
Point Imperial
Point Imperial is the highest point overlook in the canyon at 8,803 feet. (Grand Canyon Lodge is at slightly over 8,000 feet.) This overlook, I’ve read, is a popular sunrise spot as well (although there was almost no one here when we were there at about 7:30am.) The views here are gorgeous!
(The picture above was taken about 1.5 hours after sunrise.)
Traveler Tip: There are bathrooms at this overlook.
Next we headed down the North Rim Scenic Drive on our way to Cape Royal (the end of the road.) There are several beautiful overlooks along the way, including Roosevelt Point and Walhalla Overlook, but it was Cape Royal and Angel’s Window that seriously impressed us.
When you get to the end of the North Rim Scenic Drive, you will find a rather large parking lot (with bathrooms.) This parking lot is a 30 minute drive from Point Imperial or a 45 minute drive from Grand Canyon Lodge. Park here so that you can make the short walk (0.8 miles roundtrip) on a paved path to Angels Window and Cape Royal.
Angels Window
Angels Window is phenomenal! The picture above was one of our first views of it, but little did we know, that the trail takes you to where you can walk across the top of it too!
This is the view from standing on top of Angels Window, looking out over the Grand Canyon. You can even see a glimpse of the Colorado River (in the upper center of this picture.)
Cape Royal
Next the trail leads you to the incredible panoramic view of Cape Royal. It’s spectacular!
Take a quick look at the photo below. This is the viewpoint at Cape Royal. Do you notice anything out of the ordinary?
This photo brings me back to one of the reasons why I absolutely loved the North Rim of Grand Canyon. Do you see any people? No! I could hardly believe it! Now granted we were visiting on a Monday in June at about 8am, but I was shocked that we had this entire gorgeous view point to ourselves.
When we had first arrived, there were only 2 other cars parked in the big parking lot here. So on the entire 0.8 mile trail, we really were able to experience the utter silence and the beauty of this breath-taking canyon without any interruptions or noise from anyone else. Now I’m not sure how common this is, or if we were just incredibly lucky, but if you are able to visit during the week and early in the day, I highly recommend it!
Moments to Treasure
It’s moments like these, spending time with your loved ones, gazing in complete awe, at one of Mother Nature’s Incredible Wonders, that makes time stand still and creates such incredible memories that you can treasure forever.
After we left Cape Royal, we slowly made our way out of the park. We truly had an incredible visit at the North Rim of Grand Canyon. The views were absolutely breath-taking, the utter silence was simply unbelievable and I know that this is one experience that we are not likely to forget.
Now you’re all set to visit the North Rim of Grand Canyon. I hope you found some amazing view points that you would like to see, short hikes that you would like to try and that you now feel more comfortable with how to visit and make the most of your time here at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Have a Great Trip with Your Traveling Feet!
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