Grand Canyon North Rim Exploration: Natural Wonders Await

The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is an amazing location to view the Grand Canyon from. Why’s that? You will get a lot of the same views as the southern rim, however with way less crowd. Learn more about visiting the North Rim!

Quick Information

• Location: North Rim, Arizona
• Time needed to visit North Rim: 4-6 hours

Should I visit the North or South Rim?

The Grand Canyon is a natural wonder of the world. This large canyon brings in millions of tourist a year. People within, and outside, of the United States have the canyon on their bucket list.

So if you wanted to visit the Grand Canyon which portion should you visit?

Well, if you just plug in the Grand Canyon into your phone GPS it will take you to the southern portion of the Rim. This is the most recognized portion of the Grand Canyon.

If you want to know based on a road trip here is the best side based on where you are traveling from.

If you are traveling from these cities visit the South Rim:

• Phoenix
• Flagstaff
• Las Vegas

If you are traveling from these National Parks then the North Rim is the best:

• Bryce Canyon
• Zion National Park
• Monument Valley

Ultimately, if you are in the west or south of the Grand Canyon then South portion of the Grand Canyon is the fastest access point to visit.

If you are visiting from the North, where you will find a lot of national parks and state parks, then the North Rim is the easiest one to visit.

Want to check out the North Rim and the South Rim? Well, you will be in a bit of a drive. It is about 4 hours by car between the North Rim and the South Rim.

Differences between the North Rim and the South Rim

So other than distances between the North Rim and the South Rim what are the differences?

I have visited both, the South Rim numerous times because to be honest – I didn’t even know that there was anywhere else to visit. I used to just plugin “Grand Canyon” into my GPS while doing a road trip through, and it would take me to the southern portion of the Grand Canyon.

After my visit to the North Rim I realized that the two rims are very different.

The largest difference I saw? The overall ecosystem.

The south rim is what I imagine most picture when thinking of the Grand Canyon: desert. You will see plenty of empty desert, and desert shrubbery.

The north rim was the complete opposite, there were so many tall trees, fields of grass, and wildflowers. I was not expecting that whatsoever.

The most important difference between the North and South Rim? The crowds. The North Rim was significantly less crowded than the South Rim. It was amazing to be able to walk some of the trails of the North Rim without seeing anyone for lumps of time.

South Rim

• Largest tourist destination
• Desert vibes
• Crowds
• More resources and facilities

North Rim

• Wildlife
• Colorful greens in grass, wildflowers and trees
• Fewer Crowds
• Not some of the iconic views associated with the Grand Canyon

Wildlife at the North Rim

What I appreciated about the North Rim is the drive to reach the North Rim. The drive, while being a one-lane road, is one of the most scenic roads in Arizona. While it is not along the Grand Canyon, it is instead across rolling plains of grass and wildflowers. There are numerous large fields of just wildflowers if you visit during the right time.

The added bonus? When you enter the park there is a chance to see Bison. The bison roam the park freely, so there is no guarantee that you will encounter one on the visit. But, keep your eyes peeled to the wildflower areas as that is a great location to spot them.

 When can you visit North Rim?

This may be the main reason that most don’t venture to the North Rim. The weather. During the winter months the roads can be closed due to snow. While driving through to the park you will find that there are signs warning about such things.

The North Rim is only open from May 15^th to October 15^th due to weather. This small window makes visitors limited on time to visit the North Rim. However, at least it is during the prime travel months.

But, being open during the summer is a great time to visit as the North Rim does not get as warm.

Here is the average monthly highs and lows of the open months:

• May: 17° / 1°
• June: 24° / 5°
• July: 26° / 9°
• August: 24° / 8°
• September: 20° / 5°
• October: 14° / 0°

Hiking at the North Rim

If you want to explore the North Rim of the Grand Canyon there are some easy trails to explore around the rim. The best and easy one to enjoy all the views is Angel Point.

• Bright Angel Point Trail. 0.5 mi. / 0.8 km round-trip. Easy trail that goes out to viewpoints into the canyon.

Another great trail along the rim is the Transept Trail. This trail is 3.0 mi. / 4.8 km round-trip; 1.5 hours approximate round-trip hiking time. This is great trail as it starts from the Grand Canyon Lodge and then down to the North Rim Campground.

The Three Lookouts at North Rim

Total time to visit all viewpoints: 3 hours.

There are three popular places to visit at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to see the different aspects of the canyon. All these sections are accessible by car. The two that requires a little bit of walking: Bright Angel and then Cape Royal, but both provide paved trails to the lookout areas.

To visit all three viewpoints set aside three hours. The park is not incredibly large, but the roads are small and winding. This slows down travel between all the points, and then the time it takes to venture out and photograph as well. If you want to fully take advantage of all the pullouts and photography options then you may need upwards of five hours to thoroughly explore North Rim National Park.

The three areas will be described further below:

1. Bright Angel
2. Point Imperial
3. Cape Royal

Bright Angel

This location was mentioned as one of the easy hikes at the North Rim. Located right next to the visitor center this makes Bright Angel an easy to access lookout. Park at the visitor center and use the facilities there before heading out to the Bright Angel viewing area.

There is a slight hill that goes out over a plateau that reaches out into the canyon giving visitors a view across the entire canyon.

There is also the option to climb up to rock formation that gives tourists a higher perspective over the canyon.

Total time to explore: 20 minutes

Point Imperial

Driving Distance from Visitor Center: 30 minutes

Another part of the North Rim to drive to is Point Imperial. You will see when entering the park there is a sign that directs towards Point Imperial and Cape Royal. These are two great vantage points for looking out over the Canyon. The roads are twisting as well and offer plenty of pull-offs to photograph. The distance is overall short but the winding roads can mean traveling to the different viewpoints will be slow.

Point Imperial features picnic tables and you will find people there eating lunch or relaxing with the views out over the canyon as their foreground for lunch.

Walk around here, find a bench, and enjoy the view. There are also some trails through the forest nearby for a post-lunch walk.

Cape Royal and Angel’s Window

Time to drive to Cape Royal from Imperial Point: 30 minutes

If you have not noticed yet there seems to be a trend with Angels at National Parks. We started at Bright Angel, and now at Cape Royal is Angel’s Window (and there is Angels Landing at Zion National Park) This “window” is the gap between the rock formation. On top is also a viewing area out over the Canyon.

This area offers more trails and exploring allowing visitors to walk around the rim and capture photos of Angel’s Window and out over the Canyon. There is a short walk to visit the different viewpoints but are all on a paved path.

Where to stay at the North Rim

There are some options for where to stay at the North Rim. Depending on if you are looking to rough it, or stay a bit more comfortably.

Lodges

There are three different lodges available at the North Rim. Located right near the visitor center at the North Rim. Learn more about the Western, Pioneer, and Frontier Lodges. The lodges vary in bed sizes and rooming so look at the information for each of the different lodges for which would be best for you.

Campground

If you are looking for a more affordable location ($18-$25 per site per night) then there is the option of staying at the North Rim Campground. There are 89 campsites located at the North Rim Campground. Learn more about making reservations at the campground.