Angel Point--Mike walked out there...I couldn't

Grand Canyon Lodge--North Rim

North Rim Overlook

Fri, 7/3/09

Kaibab Camper Village, Jacob Lake, AZ: A bright, sunny morning so we headed to the north rim which is about 44 miles from Jacob Lake. We drove through the Kaibab National Forest which was a beautiful drive through a thick forest of firs, spruce, pine, and quaking aspen. The drive on the north rim is very different from the south rim. Much more diversity. We drove through thickly forested areas and then you’d come to a huge meadow, more forest and then another huge meadow. And it was a lot more hilly. Then we went through Thompson Canyon which wasn’t a canyon with steep cliffs, but with steep, rocky hills on both sides. The north rim is about 1000 ft. higher than the south rim. After going through the park entrance gate, we drove a few more miles to the Grand Canyon Lodge. Built in the l920s, this stone and wood lodge is right on the brink of a rock wall in the canyon and seems to come right out of the rock. It’s very rustic—built with stone and huge log beams. And there are a slew of log cabins around the main lodge with little porches with rocking chairs. Four of the cabins are right on the rim. We walked around the rim a little bit. The rim here isn’t as shear a drop as on the south rim and there’s more vegetation down into the canyon a little bit. And more red rock. We started hiking out to Bright Angel Point. I had to turn around but Mike went out there. He said it was a good thing I turned back. We had lunch in the Lodge dining room with a spectacular view. Sat outside on the patio on the edge of the canyon after lunch and looking through binoculars you could see the Bright Angel Trail, Indian Garden, and all the south rim lodges. Would have hiked around some more but the sky started looking threatening so we headed back to Jacob Lake. Stopped at the old Forest Service Ranger Station cabin adjacent to the RV Park we’re in. It’s one of the first forest service stations ever built. Think it was in the mid-70s at the north rim.