North Rim Scenic Drive

By 5:30 we had filled water bottles, packed breakfast and lunch, laced our hiking boots and loaded the car intent to spend most of the day in the park.    Our early departure paid off with wildlife sightings of  coyote, mule deer and a heard of bison. 

An hour later we had reached Cape Royal Road, which is a 30-mile drive along the rim with overlooks for viewing opportunities.  Our first stop was Point Imperial which is the highest elevation on the north rim.  There was once again a ferocious wind as we made our way out onto the point.  It did not fail to impress!

  At Angel’s View we could see the Colorado River which has carved this canyon one-mile deep.  We were surprised at the variety of terrain at this  vantage point. 

       

The Cape Royal trail was the longest hike to reach the viewing point of expansive east to west vistas. 

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On the hiking trail to Wahalla Ruins, Ron was so excited to meet this little guy.  Last night he had read about the Kaibab Squirrel which can only be found in a 30 mile radius of this spot.  It looks like it was a mix of squirrel and skunk to me.  

Archeologists have identified more than 300 sites on the Walhalla Plateau.  900 yeas ago the Kayenta Anasazi inhabited this area.  They are believed to be the ancestors of the present day Hopi Indians who live east of the Grand Canyon.

These ruins of a Peublo structure, dated to 1150 AD, would have housed about 20 people.  

Friday, June 9th 

This morning we descended to the valley, turned north on 89A toward the north rim.  Along the Vermillion Cliff Scenic Route, surrounded by mountains, we looked forward to cooler temperatures by the day’s end. 

Standing on the Navajo Bridge of 1928, which spans the Colorado River, we took our time to soak in the majestic scenery.

The next hour on the road we climbed to an elevation of 8,000 ft and the temperature fell 20 degrees to a plesant 70.  It took a little extra time to level the trailer, but the Kaibab Camper Village is nestlled into the Kaibab National Forest with beautiful views.  

Since it was still early in the day, we took off to The North Rim, flashing our senior pass for entrance.  

The original lodge was built in 1927, then rebuilt in 1936 after a major fire.    
The massive timbers and natural stone were impressive.

The lounge is literally on the rim of the canyon with expansive windows for spectacular views.

But the real show was outside, perched from a rock pinnacle for the ultimate photo op.

The wind was howling through the canyon with very strong gusts for dramatic effect. 

The geologic history of the Grand Canyon spans two million years with collisions between giant landmasses.  The Colorado River has carved this massive canyon and that process is still at work today.  The Kaibab Band of Southern Paiute Indians has lived at the North Rim for centuries.  Because it is cool in the summers and water is available gardening was possible and deer and rabbits were abundant.  

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