North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park

The North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park
www.americansouthwest.net/arizona/grand_canyon/north_rim.html

Located entirely in northern Arizona, the park encompasses 277 miles of the Colorado River and adjacent uplands. One of the most spectacular examples of erosion anywhere in the world, it is a World Heritage Site and receives an average of 5 million visitors a year. Most visitors come to the South Rim (facilities open all year). The North Rim (services and overnight facilities open mid-May through mid-October) has fewer facilities and is more remote. It is over 200 miles one way by automobile from the South Rim to the North Rim, a 5 hour drive for most. The South Rim of the Grand Canyon averages 7000 feet above sea level while the North Rim is over 8 000 feet above sea level.

Unlike the over -developed South Rim, there are relatively few facilities. Accommodation options include an 83 site campground and some log huts, scattered around the neighboring forest. From the Lodge a short paved trail goes to Bright Angel Point, the main observation point on the North Rim.

Bright Angel Point has expansive overlooks of Roaring Springs and Bright Angel Canyons and the route of the North Kaibab Trail may be glimpsed.

The North Kaibab Trail provides the only maintained route from the North Rim to the Colorado River. It is 14 miles long with a descent of nearly 6,000 feet. The path is longer than the South Rim routes as the buttes, peaks and side canyons extend much further, hence the paved road cannot approach as close--from the North Rim visitor center it is over 6 horizontal miles to the Colorado whereas the South Rim road is often only 2 miles away. As a consequence, the river only becomes visible near the end of the North Kaibab.

The first five miles are the steepest, descending along the edge of Roaring Springs Canyon; the Springs themselves do indeed roar and can be heard some distance before they come into view. Beneath the springs there is a small visitor complex. The trail continues past a private residence with public drinking water as Roaring Springs Canyon meets the much larger Bright Angel Canyon. The path crosses Bright Angel Creek on a small bridge and rounds Manzanita Point then the inner Colorado gorge can be seen in the distance.

Bright Angel Canyon continues almost straight, descending gradually for 7 miles to the river; the primitive Cottonwood Campground is located a few miles after the bridge, however a (free) permit is required. At the river, the path joins the South Kaibab and Bright Angel trails, allowing for a rim-to -rim crossing of the canyon (21 miles minimum).

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