Grand Canyon National Park
North Rim Activities
The North Rim offers spectacular scenery on the cool, moist Kaibab Plateau. Warm-weather activities include hiking, camping, sightseeing, photography, wildlife observation, pack tours, ranger programs and picnicking.
Highway 67 into the North Rim opens mid-May and closes with the first significant snowfall in November or December. Facilities are open from mid-May to mid-October.
Camping: Camping is per-mitted only in designated campgrounds. Pets must be leashed. Make advance reservations by calling (800) 365-CAMP (2267) or visit www.recreation.gov. The North Rim Campground has 83 sites and can accommodate all campers from walk-ins to camper trailers up to 35 feet in length. Though unlikely, campsites may also be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Arrive before 10 a.m. for the best chance of obtaining a site.
Cottonwood Campground is located halfway down the North Kaibab Trail along Bright Angel Creek. It is seven miles below the trailhead and seven miles up from the Colorado River. An overnight permit is required for this hiker's campground and reservations are necessary. Permits are $10, plus $5 per person per night. For more information, please contact Grand Canyon Backcountry Information Center, P.O. Box 129, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023; (928) 638-7875, Monday to Friday, 1 to 5 p.m.
Walking & Hiking
The times listed below are for round-trips and are averages for hikers who are in good physical condition.
Bright Angel Point Trail is an easy, self-guiding trail that leads you to a spectacular view of the canyon. It begins at the shelter in the parking area by Grand Canyon Lodge. (0.5 mile, 30 minutes)
The Uncle Jim Trail winds through the forest to a point overlooking the canyon and the North Kaibab Trail switchbacks. It begins at the North Kaibab Trail parking lot. (5.0 miles, 3 hours)
Widforss Trail blends forest and canyon scenery. It starts at the Wid-forss Trail parking area, one mile down the dirt Point Sublime Road, 0.25 mile south of Cape Royal Road turnoff. (10 miles, 6 hours)
Ken Patrick Trail winds through the forest and along the rim from Point Imperial to the North Kaibab Trail parking area. (10 miles one-way, 12 hours)
North Kaibab Trail, the only maintained trail into the canyon from the North Rim, gives hikers an appreciation for the beauty and immense size of the canyon. A full day should be allowed for a trip to Roaring Springs and back. The hike is strenuous, but water is available at Supai Tunnel, Roaring Springs, and Cottonwood Campground. (9.4 miles, 6 to 8 hours) Note: Day hikes beyond Roaring Springs are not recommended.
Grand Canyon In Depth
News from the Parks
Light Pollution Harms Not Just Stargazers
December 2, 2008 - 1:03pm
For students of astronomy, Sunday and Monday night is the equivalent of a World Cup Final, a new Mac operating system, and a Zeppelin reunion show all rolled into one. That’s because, as Horizons guest blogger Pete Spotts noted in his post Sunday, Jupiter, Venus, and the moon will gather to direct a lopsided frown at North America, an arrangement that won’t happen again for another 44 years.
December 2, 2008 - 1:03pm
For students of astronomy, Sunday and Monday night is the equivalent of a World Cup Final, a new Mac operating system, and a Zeppelin reunion show all rolled into one. That’s because, as Horizons guest blogger Pete Spotts noted in his post Sunday, Jupiter, Venus, and the moon will gather to direct a lopsided frown at North America, an arrangement that won’t happen again for another 44 years.
Tourists Bite on ‘Twilight’ Vampire Tours of Forks, Washington
December 2, 2008 - 12:59pm
Fans of the hit movie “Twilight,” inspired by Stephenie Meyer’s vampire series, are swarming tiny Forks on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, where the novels are set, and checking out “Twilight”-themed tours, hotel packages and even food.
December 2, 2008 - 12:59pm
Fans of the hit movie “Twilight,” inspired by Stephenie Meyer’s vampire series, are swarming tiny Forks on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, where the novels are set, and checking out “Twilight”-themed tours, hotel packages and even food.
Crowds Observe World AIDS Day In GG Park
December 2, 2008 - 12:56pm
People from across the country gathered in Golden Gate Park's National AIDS Memorial Grove Monday to observe the 20th annual World AIDS Day.
December 2, 2008 - 12:56pm
People from across the country gathered in Golden Gate Park's National AIDS Memorial Grove Monday to observe the 20th annual World AIDS Day.
Grounded in God, Green and Glaciers
December 2, 2008 - 12:37pm
Remember when Arizona Sen. John McCain criticized spending millions of taxpayer dollars to fund the DNA of grizzly bears in Montana during one of the presidential debates? “That’s us,” said David Restivo, a Roberts Wesleyan College alumnus and visual information specialist at Glacier National Park in Montana.
December 2, 2008 - 12:37pm
Remember when Arizona Sen. John McCain criticized spending millions of taxpayer dollars to fund the DNA of grizzly bears in Montana during one of the presidential debates? “That’s us,” said David Restivo, a Roberts Wesleyan College alumnus and visual information specialist at Glacier National Park in Montana.
Smokies' Formation Began 500 Million to 600 Million Years Ago
December 2, 2008 - 12:35pm
As the Great Smoky Mountains National Park prepares to celebrate its 75th year, students of history and geology are pondering questions that go back much farther than the park's creation in the 1930s. The most fascinating queries to them concern the actual formation of the mountains, their age and topography.
December 2, 2008 - 12:35pm
As the Great Smoky Mountains National Park prepares to celebrate its 75th year, students of history and geology are pondering questions that go back much farther than the park's creation in the 1930s. The most fascinating queries to them concern the actual formation of the mountains, their age and topography.
