Day Three – You will be leaving Zion National Park bright and early and heading to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. After breakfast, you will have an AMAZING drive through sculpted rock canyons, incredible vistas, and the Kaibab National Forest on your way to the North Rim. This is going to be a day filled with wondrous sights, so you need to take advantage of the daylight. One day to see the Grand Canyon is a tall order. You want to arrive at the North Rim Lodge no later than 6 PM. So, buckle up for a wild ride. This will be a day you will never forget!
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Best Place to Eat
Early Breakfast – If you were staying at the Zion Lodge, then eat breakfast there in the dining room.
If you were staying in Springdale, then eat at Wildcat Willies Ranch Grill and Saloon on Main Street Street in Springdale in front of the Bumbleberry Inn (Pancakes!)
How to Get There
Drive SH 9 to Mt. Carmel Junction. (13 miles) This is one of best
drives in the Southwest! Take your time and check out the many
nice viewpoints along the way. The highway into the park opened
in 1930 and it features the one-mile-long Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel.
The tunnel was blasted right through the mountain and there are
six large windows that offer tantalizing peaks of Zion Canyon as
you drive through the dark passage. DO NOT STOP!
Save Money!
Judd Auto – On the east end of Fredonia, Arizona is another great
roadside attraction – Gas, Guns, and Beer! Yes, you can buy real
beer again. And get a full tank of gas before leaving Fredonia and
heading up into the forest. Plus, everything up on the Kaibab
Plateau is much more expensive!
Insider Tip!
- Arizona does not do Daylight Savings Time, so it is an hour earlier than in Utah and out on the Navajo Indian Reservation!
The Kaibab National Forest borders both the north and south rims of the Grand Canyon National Park. In 1893, Congress created the Grand Canyon Forest Reserve. In 1906, it turned into the Grand Canyon Game Preserve at the stroke of big game hunter President Theodore Roosevelt’s mighty pen. In 1919, the Grand Canyon National Park was created from the Forest Service lands surrounding the Grand Canyon. The 612,000-acre North Kaibab Ranger District is headquartered in the bustling metropolis of Fredonia which you passed on the way to the North Rim.
Insider Tip!
- Stop in at the Forest Service District Office where you can get maps and current weather information, and find out about road conditions on the forest.
How to Get There?
Take Forest Road 22 about a mile past the east end of Fredonia on the right and follow the signs to Big Springs and Highway 67. This is a very good dirt road that is suitable for passenger vehicles or RV’s in all weather conditions except in the winter when the road gets snowed out for months on end. FR 22 will give you a rarely seen glimpse of an old growth Ponderosa Pine Forest with beautiful glacial meadows and wildlife galore. It will also save you 70 miles by not taking Highway 89 through Jacob Lake. Check out the waterfall blasting out of the sandstone wall at the CCC-era Big Springs Forest Service Work Camp which is open to the public.
When you come to Highway 67 in the middle of the DeMotte Park
glacial meadow, turn right and follow the signs to the North Rim.
(The Kaibab Lodge and North Rim Country Story are less than a
mile up Highway 67 toward Jacob Lake to your left.)
Logging
Up until 1994, the North Kaibab was a major timber forest where 30 million board feet of lumber was harvested each year, feeding the mill in Fredonia. But that all changed when Ronald Reagan became President. Under Reagan, the Kaibab was harvested beyond its ability to be sustainable. Subsequent lawsuits stopped the logging and the mill shut down. Today, little wood is harvested on the North Kaibab and wild-fires have caused significant damage to the forest.
Save Money!
Annual Pass – Don’t forget to use the Annual Pass you purchased at Zion. This will get you into the park for free. This is your second National Park.
The North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park
“Grand Canyon National Park is considered one of the seven natural wonders of world and is visited by five million or more each year.
Six thousand feet deep at its deepest point and up to 18 miles across at its widest, the canyon is immense and colorful with steep canyon walls and jutting mesas. Exposed geologic formations chronicle three of the earth’s four eras of geologic history, making the Grand Canyon one of the most studied geologic landscapes in the world.
Carved by the Colorado River over a period of six million years, it is one of the finest examples of arid-land erosion in the world, averaging 4,000 feet deep for its entire 277 miles.
The area around the Grand Canyon became a national monument on January 11, 1908 and was designated a national park on February 26, 1919, three years after the creation of the National Park Service. The creation of the park was an early success of the environmental conservation movement; its national park status may have helped thwart proposals to dam the Colorado River within its boundaries. UNESCO has since declared it as a World Heritage Site.
The North Rim was not visited by Europeans until 236 years after the South Rim, when in 1776 Father Escalante became the first European to visit the North Rim. Another reason for the North Rim being so isolated is because its ownership remained questionable well into the 20th century. Both Arizona and Utah claimed the territory and it wasn’t until Arizona was granted statehood in 1912 that the issue was finally decided.
Even after that this area, which was known as the “Arizona Strip”, remained a no-mans land for sometime and all that was to be found there were a few scattered Mormon settlements, and some sizable herds of cattle, horses and sheep. Hunting on the North Rim was also very popular and one of the most notable hunters who frequented the area was former president Teddy Roosevelt, who eventually declared the area a Game Preserve and in 1919 persuaded Congress to protect the area by declaring it a national park.”
– National Park Service Brochure
Best Lodging
North Rim Lodge & Cabins – Western Cabin ($220)
Kaibab Lodge ($150) *This hotel is located outside the park.
The Grand Canyon Lodge
“The Grand Canyon Lodge is a hotel and cabins complex at Bright Angel Point on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood, who designed a number of other hotels in national parks for the Utah Parks Company and other concessionaires. Built in 1927-28, the Grand Canyon Lodge resort complex consists of the Main Lodge building, 23 deluxe cabins, and 91 standard cabins, some of which were moved to the north rim campground in 1940. All guests are housed in cabins detached from the main lodge, which serves as a dining, concessions and service facility. Constructed of native Kaibab limestone and timber, the complex was designed to harmonize with its rocky and forested setting. The Grand Canyon Lodge complex is notable for its setting and rustic design, as well as its status as the only complete surviving lodge and cabin complex in the national parks.
All guest accommodation at the Grand Canyon Lodge was and remains in small detached cabins, arranged in duplex or quadplex plans. Cabins fell into two categories: Regular and Deluxe. The 91 regular cabins, sometimes called economy cabins, were built as true log cabins with gabled roofs. Each cabin has an unroofed stone porch at either end. The 18 deluxe cabins, located to the northeast of the lodge, are frame structures sheathed with half-logs and share prominent porches of heavy log construction, many of which are on the edge of the canyon and have their own views.”
– North Rim Lodge Brochure
http://www.grandcanyonforever.com/
Insider Tips!
- Most reservations at the North Rim are made a year in advance, so chances are that when you try to make reservations, they will be full. The nearest lodging to the North Rim is the Kaibab Lodge. I would suggest that you book a room at the Kaibab Lodge which allows 48-hour free cancellations. And about two weeks before your visit, start checking the North Rim website for cancellations. People who made reservations well in advance often cancel right before their trip. So, you have a pretty good chance of getting a room at the North Rim if you check the North Rim Lodge website every day as you trip nears. And if you get a room, then you can immediately cancel your room at the Kaibab Lodge at no charge.
- The Grand Canyon is very hard to to get down into and really see very well because it is the largest canyon system in the world. It requires a very strenuous 14-mile hike just to get to the bottom @ Phantom Ranch. (Rooms @ Phantom and campsites @ Bright Angel Campground are usually booked a year or more in advance) So, unless you have 3-4 days, you are only going to be able to view The Grand Canyon from the rims, or by taking a short day hike down the North Kaibab Trail (very steep), or along the rim trails. I like the fairly easy hike out to Bright Angel Point the best and it starts right at the North Rim Lodge.
Camping
North Rim Campground – There is a full service campground about a mile from the North Rim Lodge, connected by several trails. Fees are $18-$25 per site per night. A maximum of 2 vehicles, 6 people, 3 tents are allowed per site. (A vehicle, which is towing a trailer, pop-up, tent trailer, fifth wheel, or a motor home pulling a vehicle, is considered two vehicles.)
Insider Tip!
- The North Rim campground is usually full by noon.
- There is direct access from the campground to the Transept Trail, which leads you along the rim with spectacular views of the canyon. It also is a great way to get to the North Rim Lodge.
Camping Outside the Park
DeMotte Campground – Located 7 miles outside the park, this very nice campground sits in a glacial meadow surrounded by a lush forest of giant evergreens and aspens, offering 38 single family campsites with tables and cooking grills. The 38 single family campsites can accommodate tents, trailers and small motor homes. However, no utility hookups are available.
Half of the sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and the other half are available with reservations. Reservations can be made through the Recreation.gov website or via telephone at 1-877-444-6777.
There is no group site at DeMotte Campground.
- Campsite (up to 8 persons) per night – $18
- Extra vehicle per night – $9
- Firewood – $6 per bundle
- Check out time is 2 p.m.
- Pets are welcome but must be kept on a leash.
The Demotte Camground is an intimate spot at the edge of a glacial meadow and surrounded by towering trees. And it’s an easy walk through the forest on a dirt path to the Kaibab Lodge for a tasty dinner.
For additional information on DeMotte Campground, please contact the North Kaibab Ranger District at (928) 643-7395 or the Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center at (928) 643-7298.
Insider Tip!
- You are allowed to camp anywhere you like for up to 14 days in any national forest in America for free, unless it is clearly posted that you can’t. It is the same for all Bureau of Land Management Lands (BLM). And most of the lands you will be passing through are either National Forest or BLM. BUT, not Park Service lands! You have to always camp in a campground or obtain a backcountry camping permit to camp in a National Park.
- There is a short and easy trail that leads directly from the DeMotte Campground to the Kaibab Lodge.
Best Places to Eat
- At the North Rim, you are limited to the park concessions for all of your meals during your stay because other services are way outside the park.
North Rim Saloon (Breakfast)
Snacks or the Deli in the Pines (Lunch)
North Rim Lodge Grand Dining Room
“The Grand Canyon North Rim Dining Room Dining in the historic Grand Canyon Lodge is truly a memorable experience. Regional as well as 1930’s themed foods are featured throughout the menus.
Breakfast and lunch a la carte menus are complemented by the Lodge buffet. The breakfast buffet provides a full assortment of hot and cold breakfast items for those who are on a tight time schedule or seeking a variety of early morning goodies. The lunch buffet offers a fresh salad bar and an assortment of pasta and sauces.”
– North Rim Lodge Brochure
Insider Tips!
- Make your reservation at the North Rim Lodge dining room well in advance of your trip. Sunset is about 7:30 in the summer, so I usually make my reservation for 8, so I can catch the amazing sunset.
- Everyone wants to eat in the Grand Dining Room overlooking the Grand Canyon. So make reservations in advance on-line)
http://www.grandcanyonforever.com/dining
- There are no other places on the North Rim other than the Park and the Lodge that provide services. And there is nothing nearby. The nearest places with services are the Kaibab Lodge and the North Rim Country Store, back in the Kaibab Forest.
Best Things To Do
Once you get to the park, and prior to checking into your room,
Drive to Cape Royale, the Walhalla Anasazi Indian Ruin,
Viewpoint Encantada, (where you can catch a rare view of the
Colorado River winding around the Unkar Delta), Roosevelt Point,
and Point Imperial. (45 miles RT)
Check out the stars show after dinner from the Veranda of the
North Rim Lodge overlooking the Grand Canyon.
Best Hikes
Sunset hike to Bright Angel Point from the North Rim Lodge
along a paved trail that has some short, steep sections. (1 mile RT)
Transept Trail – Mostly flat, along the rim, between the Lodge and
the Campground. (3 miles RT)
Insider Tip!
- Remember that you are at about 8,500 feet and the oxygen is thinner, so it is harder to breathe. And with low humidity, it gets cold at night, down to the 30s at times, so bring layers of clothes.