Grand Canyon North Rim

The Grand Canyon's North Rim is the outdoor enthusiast's paradise. Known for being remote with few developed comforts in the area, the North Rim offers challenging hiking trails, intimate viewpoints and opportunities to explore the Grand Canyon on Nature’s terms. The North Rim is one among several national parks in the area. This is the part of the Grand Canyon you can most easily explore from Utah's Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Antelope Canyon and Lake Powell.

• North Rim Hotels & Lodging
• North Rim Camping
• North Rim Tours
• North Rim Hikes
• North Rim Backcountry Passes (NPS Website)

When is the best time to visit the North Rim?

The North Rim of the Grand Canyon has a higher elevation than the South Rim and is subject to winter snow conditions. The North Rim is open to the public from mid-May until mid-October and during those months park hours are 24 hours a day. Although the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is typically less crowded than the South Rim, mid-May and after September are weeks where there are even less people on the North Rim due to school schedules and summer vacation breaks. Watch for snow conditions towards the end of September and into October. The temperature from June to early September typically ranges around 70F degrees during the day and 40F degrees in the evening. Needless to say, visitors are more than happy to enjoy the beautiful weather during these months!

North Rim Hotels, Lodging & Camping

Because of its remote location, lodging options are limited and fill up quickly. Grand Canyon insiders recommend booking a night at the the Grand Canyon North Rim about a year in advance. Some of the favorite Grand Canyon North Rim lodging options are staying at the North Rim RV camp sites and campground or taking advantage of the opportunity to enjoy the historic Grand Canyon Lodge & Cabins. Other North Rim accommodations include staying in the small towns along the Kaibab Plateau like Lees Ferry; Jacob Lake; Page, Arizona; Kanab; and Fredonia, Utah.

If you are planning to camp in the North Rim, don't forget to your Backcountry Permit and to check conditions prior to your stay at the canyon.

Things to Do on the North Rim

There are no North Rim bus tours, helicopter tours departing from the North Rim, but there are a few that leave from the South Rim, Utah and Las Vegas. Although, there are several Colorado River rafting outfitters near the North Rim such as at Lee's Ferry and Kanab, Utah. White water rafting trips fill up quickly, so it is best to reserve as early as possible. A year in advanced is typcial for these adventure trips.

Grand Canyon visitors can take a shuttle bus between the South and North Rims of the Grand Canyon during the months that the North Rim is open. This service is provided by Transcanyon Shuttle. Group rates for 10 or more people are available. Rates are available by calling Transcanyon Shuttle directly. The shuttle departs North Rim at 7:00am and arrives at South Rim at 12 noon. Shuttle departure from South Rim is at 1:30pm, arriving back at North Rim at 6:30pm. Special schedule arrangements can be made with advance notice. Reservation deposit is requested at least 30 days in advance (deposit is 1/2 of the total price). Call (928)-638-2820 for more information.

North Rim Hikes

Bright Angel Point Trail
This is an easy one-mile hike with beautiful views of the Bright Angel Canyon. This one of the few paved trails on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The first quarter of a mile walk travels along a narrow trail between the Roaring Spring and Transept Canyons. There is plenty of flora to behold as the trail ends at Bright Angel Point, elevation 8,148, overlooking the Bright Angel Canyon and the Colorado River gorge. If you look closely at the rocks at the end of the trail, crinoid fossils and shells can be seen in the Kaibab limestone.

Transept Trail
This is an easy to moderate 3-mile hike along the Transept Canyon’s rim, which passes through a Ponderosa pine forest, a small Native American ruin and end with a 8,000 foot elevated view of Transept Canyon. This is typically a busier trail due to its close location to the Grand Canyon Lodge. The trail can be accessed from behind the North Rim General Store, or at the descending steps off the patios at the Grand Canyon Lodge.

Ken Patrick Trail
This ten-mile hike one of the longer and more difficult trails in the North Rim. The trail skirts around the North Rim with beautiful views of Nankoweap Creek drainages and offering opportunities to travel along the long, steep rolling hills through Ponderosa pine and spruce-fir forests between Roaring Springs Canyon and Point Imperial. Point Imperial is the The trail becomes less distinct after approximately four miles, which is just after the trail head for the old Bright Angel trail.

Uncle Jim Trail
This five-mile hike is the trail to take when looking for a good place to set up a family picnic. Views include the Bright Angel and Roaring Springs Canyons. There are some hills, but overall, it is an easy hike. The looped trail, via the Ken Patrick Trail, circles Uncle Jim point, which divides the Roaring Springs and Bright Angel Canyons. To access this trail, go one mile down the Ken Patrick Trail from the North Kaibab trail head parking lot.

North Kaibab Trail
This 10-mile hike descends below the North Rim and into the forest of Roaring Springs Canyon. The trail continues along Bright Angel Creek to the Colorado River. Coconio Overlook is .75 of a mile below the rim and is a good place for hikers to turn around for a shorter hike. Supai Tunnel is 1.8 miles below the rim and then another 4.7 miles down from the rim is the Roaring Springs. The actual spring is an additional .25 of a mile.  This is as far as a hiker should attempt to go for a one-day round trip hike. Backpackers can continue on the North Kaibab Trail all the way to the Colorado River and to Phantom Ranch where there is camping, food and lodging.

Cape Royal Trail
Cape Royal is one of the shortest yet rewarding hikes on the North Rim. This .6 mile round- trip hike offers on of the three best views at the Grand Canyon . Its paved path makes it family-friendly and even wedding friendly. If you're limited on time, this is the one trail to walk. Angels Window is where you’ll find the majestic view of the Colorado River between the beautiful canyon walls.

Cliff Springs Trail
This short one-mile hike goes through a forested ravine, past an Ancestral Puebloan granary and ends at a spring with a less common view of the canyon. The spring is on the cliff side of the boulder. Please do not drink the water as it may be contaminated. Trail begins directly across the road from a small pullout on a curve 0.3 miles / 0.5 km down the road from Cape Royal.

Arizona Trail
The Arizona Trail is an ambitious project that traverses the length of Arizona from the Utah border to Mexico. A section of this trail enters the park near the North Entrance and roughly parallels the highway until it connects with the North Kaibab Trail, a distance of approximately 10 miles / 16 km.

Cape Final Trail
This easy four-mile round trip hike Cape Final Trail is a gravel and dirt path with little elevation change that wanders through the forest to a lookout point on the east rim of the Kaibab Plateau. The trail is not crowded and offers a boulder-free walk to a canyon overlook, with a taste of the backcountry Ponderosa pine forest and view of the Juno Temple. Access is at an unmarked dirt parking ares off the Cape Royal Road, about five miles south of Roosevelt Point.

Point Sublime
A 4WD is required to reach this spectacular view point. Other than the views at Tuweep and Cape Royal, this view point has no comparison.  The remote drive to the point is a fun adventure in itself.

Drive-up Views of the North Rim

There are three developed viewpoints on the North Rim offering expansive views of the Grand Canyon, as opposed to looking down into its depths. Views of the Colorado River are rare and distant, you could take a short day hike or even a couple hour hike and increase your intimacy level with this Natural Wonder of the World.

Point Imperial and Cape Royal are reached via a winding scenic drive. The trip to both points, with short walks at each and several stops at pullouts along the way, can easily take half a day.

Point Imperial, the highest point on the North Rim at 8,803 feet, overlooks the Painted Desert and the eastern end of Grand Canyon. Here the canyon transforms as the narrow walls of Marble Canyon, visible only as a winding gash, open dramatically to become “grand.” Layers of red and black Precambrian rocks, not visible at Bright Angel Point, add contrast and color. Part of the viewpoint is accessible.

Cape Royal provides a panorama up, down, and across the canyon. With seemingly unlimited vistas to the east and west, it is popular for both sunrise and sunset. The sweeping turn of the Colorado River at Unkar Delta is framed through the natural arch of Angels Window. Look for the Desert View Watchtower across the canyon on the South Rim. This popular viewpoint is accessible via a paved, level trail.

It takes a bit of effort, and four-wheel drive, to reach Point Sublime, the western-most of the North Rim viewpoints. The rough, two-hour (one-way) trip to this remote point is rewarded by a view that lives up to its name. Inquire about road conditions and possible closures before heading out.