Autumn Along the Grand Canyon's North Rim

          North Rim or South Rim?  The choice is yours when visiting Grand Canyon National Park.  Most visitors enter from the south, passing through the gateway town of Tusayan which offers all the amenities—an airport, shops, hotels, even an IMAX theater.  During an autumn visit several years ago Tim and I chose the quieter north entrance and encountered a herd of bison grazing a meadow on the Kaibab Plateau.

        Indoor lodging on the North Rim is limited to the Grand Canyon Lodge—North Rim.  We checked into our Western Cabin, then booked dinner reservations for the lodge’s dining room.   From the lodge we drove along the rim, stopping at two lookout points—Cape Royal and Point Imperial—along the way.  Cape Royal offers a half mile trail to the point.  We walked through stands of pinyon pine, enjoying the canyon views.  The trail passes through Walhalla Ruins, an old settlement of ancient Pueblo Indians.  I wondered:  Did the Pueblos pick this spot for its scenic beauty, or as a strategic place to escape predators and other tribes?  We’ll never know.

View from Cape Royal Point.

At Cape Royal, I'm sitting over an area named "Angel's Window".

         After photographing the canyon we drove through the only full-service campground on the North Rim.  Families were checking in, setting up camp, busying themselves around their campsites, and I was reminded of all the campgrounds I’ve stayed in over the years.  And, unlike most people at the North Rim who are probably thinking “Thank goodness I’m staying in the lodge”, I found myself watching the happy campers and thinking:  “Isn’t this wonderful; how great to be staying and sleeping outdoors on a pristine October day.”  

        Back at our cabin we relaxed and read (Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” for me), and then walked to the main lodge for dinner.   Seated by large picture windows, we watched the setting sun pour its light over millions of years of rock layers in the canyon. We couldn’t have asked for better seats for dinner.  And the food was great too; I enjoyed salmon pasta and Tim feasted on pork with mushroom and green salsa sauce. For dessert, we shared chocolate cake with mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Sunrise on the North Rim.

View into the Grand Canyon from the cabin area of
The Grand Canyon Lodge—North Rim.

          In the morning I woke early to photograph sunrise in the canyon.  Bright Angel Trail, a three minute walk from the cabin, provides unparalleled canyon vistas.  As the sun peaked through the clouds ravens flew overhead, heralding a glorious start to the new day.

        We returned to the lodge for breakfast; I don’t know about you, but for me nothing quite compares with sipping morning coffee and tea on the edge of the Grand Canyon.

        Today’s plan: hiking in the park.  After breakfast we found the Widforss trailhead, named for Gunnar Widforss—an early 20th century artist who lived in and painted the Grand Canyon.  The trail winds for five miles along the canyon rim and through a spruce and fir forest.  At mile 2.5 we heard the piercing cry of a Redtail Hawk and were treated to the sight of two hawks circling overhead.  

        We turned around at that point and decided to hike partway on the Kaibab trail which descends into the canyon.  The Kaibab is the trail into the Grand Canyon—on it you can walk rim-to-rim from the north to the south, or vice versa.  Tim and I only hiked 3/4 of a mile to the Coconcino overlook, a ledge affording sweeping views of the trail down-canyon.  Mule riders, out for a four-hour afternoon trail ride, passed by on their way down.  Looks like fun, but it’s an activity that will have to wait for our next visit.

October is a wonderful time of year to visit The North Rim.

Tree-framed views are common on the Widforss Trail.

Mule riders descend into the canyon on the Kaibab Trail.

         Readers, which would you choose—the hustle and bustle of the South Rim, or the laid-back atmosphere of the North Rim?  Either way, you can’t go wrong with a day spent in Grand Canyon National Park.