Experiencing the Grandeur of the Grand Canyon’s North Rim

“There are no words or pictures that can accurately capture the views of the Grand Canyon,” someone standing next to me uttered as we gazed out at one of the view points.

This was my fourth visit to the Grand Canyon. I made brief forays to the South Rim when I was much younger, and stopped at the North Rim three years ago, but didn’t have much time to linger. My prior visits provided snapshots of the canyon – each from a single location and moment in time. On my last visit I vowed to return and spend more time. When I found out that my friend Donna had similar experiences and aspirations, we decided to plan a trip after the summer tourist season was over.

Late afternoon view from lodge

After checking into our RV park at Jacob Lake 42 miles north of the Grand Canyon, we headed straight for the rim. It was already late in the afternoon and we parked ourselves on chairs along the low wall bordering the porch of the Lodge to watch the changing light.

It was threatening to rain, which provided additional depth and light patterns. As the light began to fade, we sat mesmerized, not wanting to leave. We took turns slipping away to get coffee from the Roughrider Saloon. Since Donna was going to drive back to Jacob Lake, mine was a Grand Canyon coffee, complete with 3 different coffee liqueurs!

As dusk approached and the sun sunk towards the horizon, it peeked through to highlight selected cliffs. I took deep breaths of the cooling air and sighed in contentment.

All of a sudden, we looked through the windows of the lodge and saw a bright glow on the western horizon. Everyone on the porch got up en masse and headed through the lodge to the porch on the opposite side – just in time to capture the brilliance of the fading sun.

It was raining as we wound our way along the road to Cape Royal the next morning. The aspens were starting to turn. We passed through two different burned areas – one of them quite recent with the pungent smell of damp ashes. The National Parks Service had several educational signs discussing the benefits of lightning burns to rejuvenate the forest.

Angel's Window

By time we arrived at Cape Royal the rain had stopped and we followed the paved trail out to the point. We stopped to take pictures of Angel’s Window and noticed people looking like ants as they walked across the top.

At the point, we discovered that this location jutted out into the canyon making it the closest distance to the south rim.

“Visiting this location really gives me a better grasp of the size of the Grand Canyon,” I told Donna. As I gazed in awe at the ripples of color, I couldn’t help but think of Haydn’s oratorio, “The Heavens are Telling,” that our choir had been practicing before I left on the trip.

Colorado River from Angel's Window overlook

On the way back to the parking lot, I followed the trail out to the end of overlook on top of the Angel’s Window. As I looked over the edge, I could see the Colorado River snaking through the canyon far below.

Least Chipmunk

After lunch, we checked into the National Park campground and were lucky to get a spot along the periphery where nuthatches, chickadees, bluebirds, juncos and a variety of woodpeckers flitted and swooped amongst the trees. A Least Chipmunk busied itself eating acorns.

View from Bright Angel Point

We followed the Transept Trail over to the Lodge where we encountered a Mule Deer doe and her two fawns. After listening to a ranger talk about the California Condor, we followed the Bright Angel Trail out to a point where there was a spectacular view of the canyon. Through my binoculars I could see the late afternoon sun reflecting off of the windows of Grand Canyon Village directly across on the south rim.

On the way back to the campground on the Bridle Trail, I pondered that I had achieved another goal on this trip – the opportunity to hike on a variety of trails.

We lingered over breakfast the next morning enjoying the views from the picnic table outside of the camper and wanting to savor our last moments on the plateau. And then it was time to head towards Flagstaff for our final night before home.

Visiting Northern Arizona’s Red Rock Country

“I’m going to pull over just outside of Shiprock and you can drive for awhile,” my friend Donna announced. I had not driven a stick shift for over 20 years and was a bit nervous. I got behind the wheel, pushed the clutch down to the floor – a long ways in a truck – eased on the gas and glided out on the highway. Without even thinking, it came back to me, and I was shifting without having to think about it. And, all of a sudden I realized that my bionic left knee didn’t hurt, which is what prompted me to swear off cars with clutches years ago!

We didn’t have to go far before the flat desert landscape became hilly. Piñon pines dotted the red dirt and we began to notice unique rock formations.

Red Mesa

“I want to take a picture of those hills up ahead,” I announced, and was delighted to find a pull-out along the road. The vertical striations and pattern of erosion looked like rows of toes.

Owl Rock

“I’m probably taking way too many pictures,” Donna stated as we pulled over again to take a photo of Owl Rock while we headed north from Kayenta.

Our RV park was nestled in a canyon just west and over the border into Utah from the Monument Valley Tribal Park. We got settled into our space, conveniently located not too far from the rest rooms and then set out to explore the surrounding area.

Monument Valley vista

As we headed down the road towards the wash trail, we stopped to gasp with awe at the rock formations. “Now I know why it is called monument valley,” I exclaimed.

“There’s a bat,” Donna said later in the early evening, pointing at a fluttering object drift by. The fading light reflected off its translucent gray wings and it resembled a large butterfly.

The back side of The Mitten from trail

The next morning we headed over to the tribal park where we decided to take the 3.2 mile hike around the “Mitten’ before it got too hot. The trail headed down a slope below the primitive camping area where campers in backpack tents were still sleeping along the edge of the cliff. As the sun changed positions, the colors and shadows of the massive rock formation were ever-changing.

The patch of dune sand which had seemed easy to traverse on the way down, was a killer to trudge through on the way back up to the parking area.

Totem Pole rock formation

We bumped along the 17 mile rocky and rutted road through the valley, stopping to admire the interesting rock formations, e.g. Three Sisters, The Elephant, The Totem Poles, and the Thumb. We fixed our lunch and admired the ‘Totem Pole’ rock formation as we ate our lunch.

And, then we were off to spend the night in Page and be ready to head to the Vermillion Cliffs in the morning.

View of Colorado River from Navajo Bridge

We arrived at Navajo Bridge at 10 a.m., which is the time I had seen a California Condor on my last visit. Even though they are seen more frequently at this location during the spring, we were hopeful that one might be sunning itself on a rocky ledge in Marble Canyon. We walked out on the old bridge and peered down at some rafters floating down the Colorado River far below. The iridescent blue-green water contrasted with the limestone cliffs.

A clerk in the Visitor’s Center reported that one had visited the bridge area the prior day and also suggested we check the Vermillion Cliffs as we drove towards the Grand Canyon, as well as stop at the release site.

California Condor wing span

Each time we saw a bird soaring over the cliffs, we looked for a spot to pull onto the shoulder. Unfortunately, they always turned out to be Ravens.

We stopped at the viewing station adjacent to the Peregrine Fund’s release site. A large sign provided us with a better perspective on the condor’s wingspan, compared with a Golden Eagle and a Red-tailed Hawk.

condor roosting sight

Lark Sparrows, Say’s Phoebes and Lazuli Buntings provided a diversion; however, there were no condors at the guano-stained cliffs where they return to roost for the night.

Donna and I were grateful we both had the opportunity to view these majestic birds on prior trips to the area.

We had enjoyed our three-day trek across northern Arizona’s red rock country, but were excited to be heading to the north rim of the Grand Canyon.