I am the 10%: Grand Canyon North Rim

I chose Kanab as my home base this month because of its proximity to everything I wanted to see: 60-90 minutes in any direction from something cool. One weekend we decided to head south and explore the North Rim of the Grand Canyon because we couldn't miss this while we're in town. Only about 10% of people who visit the Grand Canyon go to the North Rim so naturally, I wanted to be the 10%. I plan on making it to the South Rim at some point, but that will be another trip since its about 5-6 hours from Kanab.

The North Rim closes most of its facilities in the middle of October to prep for winter so we knew it was going to be pretty empty, another reason why I wanted to go. Who get's to see the Grand Canyon as a ghost town?! Everything was closed: the visitor center, the bathrooms, the lodge, campgrounds, cabin rentals, so it was a bit eerie but also wicked cool. We planned this trip on a Saturday before our canyoneering excursion in Zion on Sunday so we wanted to take it a bit easier on the hiking front since we didn't really know what we were getting into the next day. 

The drive down was pretty surprising because the landscape changed from desert to New England-esque scenery. There were large fields of grass, pine trees, white birch, and winding roads through the changing leaves. It was a nice break from the dry, dusty surroundings we've come used to.

We made our way to the lodge as everyone says this is a must-see. This was our starting point and since we arrived around 11 Arizona time, it was noon in Kanab so we unpacked our lunch and sat at the vacant lodge overlook and had ourselves lunch with a view. It was a bit hazy that day, or maybe it was smoke from the wildfires, so the pictures actually turned out better than what we could see with our eyes while we were there.

Lunch with a view

Once we had full bellies, we began our little 3 mile hike along the canyon edge. This path brought us to the General Store, the only open building at the North Rim, where we picked up some souvenirs on sale and an alcoholic beverage to enjoy on the leisurely walk back. One perk of visiting in the off-season is 50% off merchandise!

We stopped at Bright Angel Point overlook to take in the view before getting back in the car to venture along the scenic drive. The park ranger told us it would take about 2 hours total to see both Point Imperial and Cape Royal on the scenic drive so we made our way to the first stop: Point Imperial. It was SO windy at the top that you can literally see it in my hair.

Point Imperial 

The wind deterred us from staying long so we took some pictures, admired the canyon, and moseyed on to the opposite end of the scenic drive: Cape Royal. The views here were probably my favorite. We walked about a mile out to the overlook and stopped at Angel's Window, a natural window forming in the rock peninsula. 

Angel's Window

On top of Angel's Window

I didn't have any service in the park, which is nothing new, but for some reason as I was walking the path, my brother was able to get through via facetime to share some great news: she said YES! I congratulated them on their engagement and showed them the rim of Grand Canyon virtually. Impeccable timing and also bizarre since I hadn't had service anywhere else in the park let alone the tippy top of the Grand Canyon. 

The view I showed my brother and his new fiancé

We made our way back down the scenic drive and headed home to the pup. It was certainly a beautiful sight to see, but I think I preferred Canyonlands. Something about the sunrise over the canyon peeking through the arch is engrained in my head. Nevertheless, these canyons can't really be described by words.