Grand Canyon north rim - tips (Grand Canyon Village, Fredonia: refrigerator, shop, cabins)

[bloom]

How many full summer days to spend there with agenda to do most of the hikes except any descending to valley floor? Longest would be Widforss at 10 miles round trip but most hikes seem 1-4 miles round trip.
Would stay in the lodge cabins.
Any other tips suggestions appreciated?

[Superhornet]

Pick your days carefully; as you already know hopefully it gets busy there. Beginning or very end of season would probably give you a better experience, particularly if you're staying on the rim

[TimAZ]

Originally Posted by Superhornet

Pick your days carefully; as you already know hopefully it gets busy there. Beginning or very end of season would probably give you a better experience, particularly if you're staying on the rim

^^^ this, and be wary of the weather from Oct - May.

[uaeebs86]

Originally Posted by TimAZ

^^^ this, and be wary of the weather from Oct - May.

December to mid-May is not really even an option.




From NPS website:




The North Rim is CLOSED for the Winter

• As of 5 pm, Thursday, November 30, the park entrance gate on State Route 67, which provides vehicular access to the North Rim, was closed to all vehicle traffic for the winter.

• Between December 1, and May 14, North Rim roads are closed to all vehicles (including snowmobiles) No visitor services are available.

[agorski]

The gift shop at Jacob Lake has most of the same stuff as the one at the Lodge at a nice discount.

[agorski]

Originally Posted by uaeebs86

The North Rim is CLOSED for the Winter

Technically, it's open if you want to snowshoe your way to the Rim.

[clevergirl67]

Originally Posted by bloom

Any other tips suggestions appreciated?

It's been awhile since I've been that far out, but the last time I drove from the south rim past the Vermillion Cliffs and over the Navajo Bridge, there were no gas stations. I'm glad I gassed up and packed snacks before I left Grand Canyon Village.

[SickofJersey]

We did the South Rim and stayed at the Bright Angel Lodge. One of the best trips the family ever did.

Pictures do the Canyon no justice. The first view to the last will take your breath away.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by clevergirl67

It's been awhile since I've been that far out, but the last time I drove from the south rim past the Vermillion Cliffs and over the Navajo Bridge, there were no gas stations. I'm glad I gassed up and packed snacks before I left Grand Canyon Village.

Many people don't realize how long of a drive it is from the South Rim to the North Rim. What I've done previously is visit Bryce Canyon in Utah (which is almost as spectacular as Grand Canyon), then drive south into Arizona where the North Rim is a fairly short distance in comparison. There are gas stations in Kanab, Fredonia, and Jacob Lake.

[Caladan]

Your cabin might or might not have a refrigerator or microwave. Depends on the size of the cabin. So if your cabin does not have those things and you do not want to depend on prepared food at the lodge, be prepared to cook or store cold stuff on your own.

The food at the little fast-food lunch counter can be hit-or-miss on a huge level. But if you do get sub-standard food, complain to the manager. We once purchased a few pizza slices that were horrible. We showed them to the manager, and he agreed that we should not have been served that sub-standard food. He was great, and personally made us a new pizza, so things did work out in the end.

If you want to eat dinner at the main dining room, make reservations as early as possible. Lunch can also be pretty hard to come by too, depending on the actual days you will be there. If you cannot eat at the large and beautiful lodge dining room, the only other option is the small fast-food counter mentioned above, and the small grocery store (with a microwave oven) located a mile or two away.

Be prepared for rain/thunderstorms. The lightning can be incredible at that time of year, especially at night (obviously).