Summer monsoon rains over the North Rim, Grand Canyon National Park / Rebecca Latson

According to the National Park Service, only 10 percent of visitors to Grand Canyon National Park ever travel to the North Rim. That makes this portion of the park a much-less-visited gem to explore, but the visitation season is also about six months shorter (May – October) and takes a little longer to reach – about four-and-a-half hours’ drive time if you are starting from the South Rim, or 21 miles-worth of hiking from the South Rim to the North Rim. If you make the effort to visit this portion of the park, there’s enough to do for a day or two, and this Traveler’s Checklist can help you make the most of your time on the North Rim.

Map of the North Rim, Grand Canyon National Park / National Park Service

• Pack a sweater or warm jacket for your visit. The North Rim is 1,000 feet higher in elevation than the South Rim, so the temperatures will be cooler, especially in the morning. Remember to pack a sturdy pair of hiking boots, too.
  
  
• Grand Canyon Lodge is the only brick-and-mortar lodging on the North Rim, with motel-style rooms (not available for 2021) and rustic cabins of varying sizes. If you feel like sleeping under the stars, then go camping, instead. There’s one campground run by the National Park Service within this part of the park, and several nearby non-National Park Service campgrounds outside the North Rim. Reservations for the park’s campground can be made via recreation.gov.
  
  
• Remember to bring quarters with you in case you need to do a little laundry or take a shower. There’s a laundromat / shower building almost directly across from the North Rim campground kiosk station. You can exchange your paper money (U.S. dollars) for quarters from the change machine in the laundromat, and there’s an ATM located inside the North Rim General Store.
  
  
  

  A friendly little bison sparring match, North Rim, Grand Canyon National Park / Rebecca Latson

• As you enter or leave the North Rim, be on the lookout for a small herd of bison originally introduced to the Greater Grand Canyon region by Charles "Buffalo" Jones as part of an experiment to crossbreed bison and cattle. 
  
  
• Even if you are not staying there, make time to tour the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. Relax on a leather sofa in the lodge’s iconic Sun Room, flooded with natural light provided by the huge picture windows, or sip a drink on one of the porch chairs along the length of the lodge’s patio while soaking in the panoramic canyon views. Enjoy a meal inside the large dining room with its floor-to-ceiling picture windows.
  
  
• View a sunrise or sunset from one of the two view areas located beneath the Grand Canyon Lodge. You won’t see the actual sun rising or setting from these locations, but you’ll see the warm, golden, saturated sunlight bathe the canyon walls. Wear sturdy shoes to traipse down to these overlooks as the ground is rocky and uneven.
  
  
• Pack a picnic lunch and drive the Cape Royal Road, stopping at the scenic overlooks (Vista Encantada, Roosevelt Point, Walhalla Overlook) for different views of the North Rim. If you are interested in a little history, stop and visit Walhalla Glades Pueblo, site of a summer home occupied by families for over 100 years. Cape Royal Road terminates at the parking lot for Cape Royal Trail, where you can wander the 0.8-mile roundtrip paved trail with views of Angels Window and the Colorado River. On the drive back, take the right side of the “Y” in the road to drive to Point Imperial, where you can hike the easy 5.4-mile round trip Point Imperial Trail, if you have the time.
  
  
• While there are a number of North Rim day hikes, if you feel like stretching your legs just a little on a hike, then take the short (but steep) paved quarter-mile Bright Angel Point Trail starting either from the Grand Canyon Lodge’s back porch or from the log shelter in the parking area near the North Rim Visitor Center. The terminus of this trail is another great location for sunrise and sunset views.
  
  
• If you feel like a longer hike along a maintained but less-visited trail, then head out along the North Kaibab Trail, where you can hike as little or as much as you wish. You’ll be sharing this trail with mule riders, so make room for them to pass. Considered challenging as it wends its way down to the Colorado River, you should not consider hiking the trail down and back in a single day.
  
  
• Speaking of mule rides, register at the Canyon Trail Rides desk in the lobby of the Grand Canyon Lodge for a one-hour or half-day rim or inner canyon mule trip.
  
  
• Remember to bring plenty of water and snacks along, no matter what trail you take. The dry atmosphere will suck the moisture out of you before you realize you might be getting dehydrated. Carry some salty snacks, too, for replenishing salt loss from sweat. Hyponatremia can be just as serious as dehydration.
  
  
• Stay up past dark to stargaze. Bright Angel Point, Walhalla Overlook, and Cape Royal are great places to view stars and Milky Way on a clear night. If you want to try your hand at some night photography, here are a few tips that might help out.
  
  
• Be on the lookout for the Kaibab squirrel. Found on the Kaibab Plateau of the North Rim, this dark, tufted-eared little guy is “native to no other part of the world.” You might even see one scurrying around the parking lot near the Grand Canyon Lodge. Keep the wildlife wild, so don’t feed it.
  
  
• Bring your binoculars or telephoto lens and do some birdwatching. You might see anything from Steller’s jays to ravens to raptors.
  
  
• Remember to check the park’s website to find out if and where pets are allowed as well as for any alerts and closures due to construction, weather-related damage, or Covid-19 precautions.
  
  
• As you make your trip plans, remember, the coronavirus pandemic is not over, yet. Per the National Park Service, whose parent organization is the Department of the Interior: “To protect the health of those who live, work, and visit America’s national parks, face masks are required in all NPS buildings and facilities. Masks are also required on NPS-managed lands when physical distancing cannot be maintained, including narrow or busy trails, overlooks, and historic homes.” So, travel safely, take some masks, practice social distancing and wash your hands often.
  
  
  

  Angels Window and North Rim Scenery, Grand Canyon National Park / Rebecca Latson